Flyers Couldn’t Bury Chances in 4-1 Loss to Panthers

In terms of overall shots and high-danger looks, the game was never close. The Flyers had 68.4 percent and 73.9 percent shares in the following categories, so on most nights they’d probably take home the two points fairly easily. But that’s not what happened. Philadelphia let chance after chance go nowhere. Part of that was due to their former goaltender, Anthony Stolarz, being fantastic for the Panthers, but they did beat him quite a few times. Usually, their defense is superb, but here it wasn’t.

If the Flyers go to the playoffs, they won’t generate looks like they did in a series every game. If they play anything like they did in this game, the Orange and Black have to finish on their opportunities. These games have to be won, and it just doesn’t happen with a measly goal.

Scapegoating Is Not Acceptable

In a game where the Flyers didn’t score until seven minutes remained in the third period, the goaltender was the one who received all the heat for the loss. Felix Sandstrom, who served as the Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) goaltender and split starts there, gave up three goals on 14 shots. Still, he probably shouldn’t be pressed too heavily for the loss — he had a bad game, and that will happen when your starts are week-to-week.

When head coach John Tortorella was asked about his performance and if he “could have given [the Flyers] more saves,” he stormed off and ended the press conference early. He refused to put his netminder on blast.

Ironically, Tortorella did the responsible thing by walking away. The number of chances the Flyers as a team missed was unacceptable, especially against a team that doesn’t generally give up those kinds of opportunities. Instead, the AHL goalie is supposed to take the heat. He did the right thing by not throwing Sandstrom under the bus. It was a team loss, not a scapegoat-worthy one. No loss ever is.

Tortorella usually isn’t shy about putting things bluntly, but here he was not going to give anyone a negative quote to use about his goaltender. He had a bad night, but it’s also hard to blame a player who doesn’t get regular action and is thrown in against a very good team.

The Defense Had One of Their Best Games in a While

Even in a loss by three goals, the Flyers had one of their best defensive efforts since they lost Sean Walker at the trade deadline and Nick Seeler, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Jamie Drysdale to injury. Not only does Florida’s shot count of just 15 prove that, but the advanced stats do, too. Almost every defender played well, and the depth was arguably the best.

Four of the biggest standouts were Cam York, Adam Ginning, Ronnie Attard, and Erik Johnson. The latter three had a total expected goals percentage (xGF%) of 74.4 percent or better, while their Corsi shares (CF%) were 71.4 percent or better. They did all of the chance generating and the shooting while they were on the ice — it hasn’t quite been like that all the time.

Ginning and Attard in particular are AHL players, so for them to be at their best against a great team is a great thing to see. Ginning in particular hasn’t had the best on-ice results this season, but he turned that around here. He had possibly his best game and seems to be settling in somewhat comfortably. If the Flyers’ injuries last for even more time, that’s a big get.

The “Tough” Schedule Is Nearing Its End

After six games in a row versus some of the toughest teams in the NHL, the Flyers’ “gauntlet” schedule is nearing its end. They’ll play the New York Rangers next, but after that, just two of their last nine contests will be against current playoff teams. Just because many of those teams won’t have much to play for, that doesn’t mean they won’t bring their all. But the difference between facing a top-end juggernaut versus the Chicago Blackhawks or teams that’ll need a miracle to make the playoffs at this point isn’t quite the same thing.

The Flyers are by no means guaranteed to make the postseason and they’ll have a long way to go, but things are looking good for them overall. They control their own destiny the rest of the way and have one of the easier slates left to go in order to make that happen. They can’t take any team lightly, but it will be a welcomed change of pace.

As mentioned, on March 26, the Flyers will take on the Rangers, but it’ll be on the road. The Flyers haven’t played very well in the Rangers’ famous Madison Square Garden for quite a while, so that should be a tough game for the Orange and Black. Nevertheless, their tough schedule is nearing its end. A win to end it off would be fantastic for their playoff hopes.