Postgame 5: Flyers Run Out of Comebacks in 7-6 Loss to Pens

The Philadelphia Flyers suffered a 7-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Flyers overcame deficits of 2-1 and 4-2 to tie the score. Philly later narrowed gaps of 6-4 and 7-5 but eventually ran out of time.

Setting a new career-best seven-game point streak, Scott Laughton notched a goal and two assists. Tyson Foerster had two goals and an assist. Travis Sanheim scored twice. On the Pittsburgh side, Sidney Crosby torched the Flyers for five points (1g, 4a). Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist before leaving the game with an injury.

Sanheim (7th goal of the season) pinched down a bit in the offensive zone and deflected a Scott Laughton shot into the net for a quick 1-0 Flyers lead at 2:11 of the first period. The assists went to Laughton (who was initially credited with the goal) and Olle Lycksell.

At 9:38, Crosby (32nd goal of the season) worked himself behind the defense and potted a Bryan Rust rebound to tie the game at 1-1. The assists went to Rust and Rickard Rakell.

Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead at 17:15. Rust (17th) skated over the middle, eluding Nick Seeler, and tipped home a Marcus Pettersson shot. Petterrson and Crosby collected the assists.

Philadelphia tied the game at 2-2 at the 55-second mark of the second period. Owen Tipppet did a good job of getting the puck to the net. From a tight angle, a patient Foerster (12th, goals in back-to-back games) slid the puck home. The assists went to Tippett and Sean Walker.

It did not take Pittsburgh long to resume control as they scored power play goals on back-to-back opportunities to turn a 2-2 deadlock into a 4-2 lead.

At 11:15, Rust (second of the game, PPG, 18th of the season) skated over the middle and fired a 38-foot snap shot past Cal Petersen. The assists went to Erik Karlsson and Crosby.

Petersen was beat by Emil Bemström (PPG, 6th of the season) when the Penguin stepped out around the net and weakly put a shot on goal that seemed to fool the Flyers' goalie. The puck crawled up his arm and went into the short side of the net. The assists went to Riley Smith and Kris Letang.

Everything seemed to be going the Penguins way. The Flyers suddenly came up with two goals spaced 1:03 apart, to forge a 4-4 tie.

Sean Couturier cleanly won a right circle offensive zone faceoff back to Sanheim. Sanheim (2nd of the game, 8th of the season) wired a shot that deflected off Smith and ended up in the net. The lone apple was collected by Couturier.

With Sanheim in the penalty box on an interference penalty, the Flyers counterattacked. Noah Cates attempted a wraparound which did not go in but had Tristan Jarry in no position for a second save. Laughton (SHG, 8th goal of the season) picked up the loose change and tied the game at 17:36.

The shorthanded goal was the Flyers' NHL-best 14th of the season. It was Laughton's second shorthanded-goal and team-leading seventh shorthanded point (2g, 5a) of 2023-24.

A Flyers turnover on the defensive side board resulted in a sharp-angle short-side goal by Drew O'Connor (9th) at 6:40 of the third period. The assists went to Evgeni Malkin and Valtteri Puustinen.

Pittsburgh went ahead 6-4 at 8:48. Crosby fed off Marc Staal behind the net and passed to Rakell (6th). From the side of the net, with Petersen on his knees, Rakell flipped the puck upstairs. The assists went to Crosby and Pettersson.

The Flyers didn't go away, cutting the gap to 6-5 at 10:10. Olle Lycksell made a nice cross-seam pass to Cam York (7th). York wristed a shot past a Laughton deflection attempt into the net. Lycksell and Foerster earned the assists.

Pittsburgh went ahead 7-5 at 15:13. Crosby started a play out of the defensive zone. At the other end, Rakell eventually set up Kris Letang (7th). Rakell earned the primary assist, Crosby the second.

With the Flyers on a power play and Petersen pulled for a 6-on-4 attack, Philly executed a tic-tac-toe sequence: Laughton to Couturier to Foerster (2nd goal of the game, 13th of the season) for a slam dunk at 17:15 to pull back to 7-6.

Petersen stopped 25 of 32 shots, with two goals he'd have liked to have back. Jarry faced just 22 shots, stopping 16.

The Flyers were 1-for-5 on the power play. The Penguins were 2-for-4 with a shorthanded goal allowed.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

86 Joel Farabee - 14 Sean Couturier - 71 Tyson Foerser
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 89 Cam Atkinson
27 Noah Cates - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway
44 Nicolas Deslauriers - 21 Scott Laughton - 62 Olle Lycksell

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
18 Marc Staal- 9 Jamie Drysdale

40 Cal Petersen
[33 Samuel Ersson]

TURNING POINT

There were many twists and turns to a game that seemed destined -- until late in the second period -- to be a blowout win for the Penguins. Ultimately, the biggest difference-maker was Crosby but Laughton was tremendous in a losing cause.

POSTGAME 5

1) The Flyers got off to a fast start in the first period. On the next shift after Sanheim scored, Hathaway had a chance near the net. 

At 3:10, Malkin set up shop behind the Flyers' net and created havoc. Walker erased a scoring chance with a clutch shot block.

As the period progressed, the Penguins started to win the majority of puck battles. The Crosby rebound goal and Rust deflection did the damage on the scoreboard but the Penguins carried the play. 

2) First period shots on goal were 11-7 Penguins. Shot attempts were 31-15 Penguins. Scoring chances were 19-3 Penguins per Natural Stat Trick. High-danger chances were 8-1 Penguins. Faceoffs were 9-8 Flyers led by Couturier's perfect 4-for-4. Sanheim blocked four shots and Seeler blocked a pair.

3) The Flyers got the start they wanted in the second period, not the least of which was Foerster's goal. But the first power play of the game was a momentum killer.

Lars Eller caught Frost with an accidental high stick deep in Pittsburgh territory and received a double minor at 1:52. The power play went nowhere, as the puck was repeatedly turned over on entry attempts or moments later. Finally, Frost took a slashing penalty to cancel out a Penguins shorthanded chance after turning the puck over on a lateral pass attempt high in the Pittsburgh zone. Time of the penalty was 4:14.

Pittsburgh pushed the play in the next few shifts after both teams went back to full strength. Sanheim took a tripping penalty at 10:12. Laughton blocked a Crosby shot attempt early in the kill. But Pittsburgh's Rust scored at 11:15 to restore a Pittsburgh lead.

Drysdale  appeared to suffer an upper body injury at 11:54 on an open ice hit by Pittsburgh's Jansen Harkins as the Flyers' defenseman was bent over and reaching for the puck. Drysdale immediately went up the tunnel. Deslauriers received a roughing penalty as he went after the Penguin. Bemström scored at 13:38 for a 4-2 lead.

Philly's sudden late period outburst to make it a 4-4 deadlock sent the game to the third period up for grabs.

4) Second period shots on goal were 10-9 Penguins (21-16 Pittsburgh overall). Shot attempts were 24-19 Penguins (54-33 Pittsburgh overall). Scoring chances were 9-5 Pittsburgh (25-8 Pittsburgh overall). High-danger chances were 5-2 Penguins (14-4 Penguins overall). Faceoffs were 13-12 Flyers (22-20 Flyers overall).

5) At 1:46, Foerster got hit on the kneecap with a shot in the Pittsburgh zone. He required assistance to leave the ice. He returned, however, to assist on the York goal.

At 3:26, Malkin hooked Poehling in the Flyers D zone for a penalty. Laughton and Poehing had shots early and late in the man advantage. Pittsburgh made it 5-4 at 3:26 Rakell opened a 6-4 lead 8:38.

York and Letang traded off goals, as Pittsburgh took a 7-5 into the late minutes.

The Flyers pulled Petersen with 3:40 remaining. At 17:30, Laughton was tripped by Crosby as his skate was knocked out from behind. Philly skated 6-on-4.  Foerster scored at 17:58.

Petersen was pulled again. Pitttsburgh iced the puck with 45 seconds remaining. The puck remained in the Penguins' end for the rest of the period, but the Flyers could not find an equalizer.

Third period shots on goal were 11-6 Penguins (32-22 Pittsburgh overall). Shot attempts were 24-17 Penguins (71-57 Penguins overall). Scoring chances were 11-5 Flyers (31-19 Pittsburgh overall). High-danger chances were 2-1 Flyers (16-6 Pittsburgh overall) according to Natural Stat Trick's calculations. Faceoffs were 10-9 Flyers (32-29 Flyers overall, led by Couturier's 9-for-13).