POSTGAME 5: Too Much Pasta in 5-3 Loss

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Boston Bruins, 5-3, at the Wells Fargo Center on Easter Sunday. The Bruins made NHL history at Philly's expense, winning their 63rd game of the season to set a new single-season record. A David Pastrnak hat trick led the way.

The Flyers, who are winless in their last seven games (0-6-1) dating back to March 30 in Ottawa, battled hard in this game. It was a wide-open content for much of the game, with a lot of scoring chances: 27 for the Flyers, 23 for Boston including 15 high-danger scoring opportunities for the Flyers to nine for the Bruins.
Philly stayed with striking range after trailing by scores of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-2 to draw even at 1-1 and twice get back within a goal. However, the Flyers never found another equalizer and went down to defeat.
The teams traded off early first period goals, as Charlie Coyle (15th goal of the season) scored at the 47-second mark and Wade Allison (9th) answered at 1:04.
The deadly David Pastnak (58th goal of the season) opened a 2-1 lead for Boston at 2:04 of the second period. A potential second goal for Pastrnak was washed out by goaltender interference at 4:40. Pastrnak scored another one that counted (2nd of the game, 59th of the season) on a rocket off a one-timer at 7:31. The Flyers drew back within 3-2 with a Joel Farabee tally (14th) at 13:58.
Pastnak completed a hat trick, scoring his 60th goal of the season in the process, at the 39-second mark of the third period. Owen Tippett (24th) cut the gap to 4-3 at 9:06. Pavel Zacha (21st) added an insurance goal at 16:56 to open a 5-3 lead the Bruins carried the rest of the way.
Felix Sandström stopped 29 of 34 shots in a losing cause. Jeremy Swayman denied 34 of 37 shots at the other end.
The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play. The Bruins were 0-for-1.
Tony DeAngelo was a healthy scratch for the third straight game. With Nick Seeler under the weather, the Flyers started 13 forwards and just five defensemen. Originally drafted as a defenseman, fourth line winger Nicolas Deslauriers took warmups on the third defensive pair with Justin Braun. However, he went back to wing when the game started.
The President's Trophy winning Bruins rested a host of regulars in this game: Patrice Bergeron. David Krejci, Taylor Hall, Charlie McAvoy, Dmitry Orlov, and goalie Linus Ullmark.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
13 Kevin Hayes - 49 Noah Cates - 74 Owen Tippett
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
22 Brendan Lemieux - 58 Tanner Laczynski - 20 Kieffer Bellows
44 Nicolas Deslauriers
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
xxxxxxx - 61 Justin Braun
32 Felix Sandström
[79 Carter Hart]
TURNING POINT
Pastrnak hit the post twice in the first period. In the second period, he had a potential goal wiped out. He still filled the net three times and racked up 10 shots on goal on 13 attempts. The Bruins' superstar was a one-man turning point in a game that otherwise could have gone either way.
MELTZER'S TAKE

1) It took the Bruins just 47 seconds to open thes scoring. Cates chased Connor Carrick to the right circle, who passed out to Coyle. From the deep slot, rifled a shot past Sandström. The assists went to Carrick and Brad Marchand.
Philly got it right back at 1:04. Allison put a wister on net that Swayman saved. The goalie then played the puck right back to Allison, who scored an unassisted goal.
Farabee had a bad giveaway in his own zone at 2:02. The Flyers escaped damage.On JVR's next shift, he twice came within a whisker of career goal No. 300. A few shifts later, Cates made strong checking plays in both the offensive and defensive zones.
Through 6:31, shots on goal were tied at 8-8. Midway through the opening period, David Pastrnak rang a shot off the post. Sandström made a 10-bell save on A.J. Greer from the doorstep 11 minutes into the period.
With about five minutes left in the first period, Pastrnak drew iron for a second time in the period. On the next shift, a failed clearing opportunity for the Flyers was held in by Hampus Lindholm at the point, prolonging possession for Boston.
Frost blocked a shot out of play at 17:59. He won the ensuing defensive zone faceoffs, and the Flyers broke out. At the other end, Ristolainen put a point shot on net through an attempted Frost screen.
At 19:18, Coyle powered the puck directly to the net after getting past Braun. Sandström made the save.
2) First period shots on goal were 13-10 Boston. Shot attempts were 20-18 Boston. Scoring chances were 11-8 Boston. High-danger chances were even at 5-5. Faceoffs were 7-6 Boston.
3) The Cates line starting the second period by hemming Boston in their own zone. the Bruins iced the puck.
At 1:57, Jake DeBrusk one-timed a shot on net from the right side. Controlling the ensuing faceoff, Boston made it 2-1 at 2:04. Pastrnak received a pass up high from Connor Clifton and fired it home. The assist went to Clifton and Jakub Zboril.
A would-be second goal for Pastrnak at 4:40 was disallowed for goaltender interference as he went by the net. and passed into the slot.The Bruins challenged, claiming Ivan Provorov pushed Clifton into the goalie.
The challenge failed and the Bruins received a delay of game penalty. As the power play was about to expire, York put a center point shot on net through a van Riemsdyk screen.
Boston made it 3-1 at 7:31. Provorov turned over the puck on the left side boards to Zacha. Zacha passed over the middle to Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi then teed up a one-timer for Pastrnak in the left circle. Pastrnak didn't miss.
Farabee was hooked by Zboril to prevent a scoring chance near the net at 10:29 of the second period. The ensuing power play was a mess. An ill-advised play by York led to a breakaway for Zacha. Sandström made the save with his glove.
Philly narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 13:58. Tippett made a blueline to blue pass that went off Zboril's stick to Farabee. Farabee claimed it, moved in and scored as he wristed a shot over the goalie.
On the next shift, Swayman made a good save on a Frost backhander from close range. The score stayed 3-2.
An after-the-whistle scrum on the Flyers zone at 15:01 escalated. Bertuzzi received a roughing penalty. Swayman made stops on Cates, Laughton,and Frost (twice, but the latter one wasn't well-struck). With 39 seconds left on the penalty, TK was called for the lone penalty (unsportsmanlike conduct for grabbing a visor) from an after-the-whistle scrum at the net.
With 13 second remaining in Boston's power play, Pastrnak bid for a hat trick with a one-timer from the left circle. Sandström made the stop. At five-on-five, Laughton was stoned on a breakaway with 41.8 second remaining.
4) Second period shots were 15-11 Flyers. Shot attempts were 20-18 Flyers. Scoring chances were 11-6 Flyers with an 8-1 high-danger edge to the Flyers. Both goalies made some excellent saves in this period.
5) The Bruins made it 4-2 at the 39-second mark of the third period. Working a 2-on-1 transition on a give-and-go, Pastrnak took a feed from Bertuzzi and beat Sandström through the five-hole for goal no. 60. The assists went to Bertuzzi and Lindholm.
Provorov appeared to suffer a left shoulder or arm injury at 2:46 of the third period on a hit behind the Flyers' net. He got up slowly and went straight down the tunnel. Somehow, he managed to return to the game a few minutes later.
Cates had a point blank look at 4:30. Swayman turned it aside.
Boston's Coyle took a delay of game penalty at 5:10. Swayman made an outstanding stop on Farabee late in the power play.
At 8:23, Deslauriers dropped the gloves with Greer. The Flyer gained the upper hand as the lengthy fight moved along. Several of the latter punches by Deslauriers.
Sandström found a point shot through traffic at 9:54.
The Flyers moved back within 4-3 at 9:06. Farabee made a tape-to-tape cross-ice pass to Tippett, who buried it from the right slot. The second assist went to Cates. Nice play all around.
Pastnak had three more shot attempts on a single shift. Provorov, seemingly stung on his hand again, played with one hand on his stick on a lengthy shift in the defensive zone, Frost made a goal-saving block.
Lemieux took a Matt Grzelcyk high stick to the face at 12:59. The infraction was missed by the officials.
At 17:56, Boston got an insurance goal. Zacha drilled a shot from the slot past Sandström for a 5-3 lead. The assists went to Pastnak and Bertuzzi.
The Flyers pulled their goal for an extra attacker. JVR had a good chance at career goal 300 but wasn't able to finish it.
Third period shots were 13-10 Flyers. Shot attempts were 19-17 Boston. Scoring chances were 8-5 Flyers with a 3-2 high-danger edge to Philly.