Controversial Ending As The Flyers Are Beat By The Washington Capitals 3 - 2 In Overtime - Complete Game Breakdown.

Unfortunately the Flyers collapsed late in the game for the second time in three games, giving up the tying goal with two minutes remaining and suffering the same fate in overtime, as they did against the Montreal Canadiens.

This game ended in controversial fashion however, as the Flyers were victimized by a blatant missed call in overtime.

That play is 100% Too Many Men on the ice, as the player entering the play played the puck before his teammate exited the ice; a missed call that determined the outcome of the game. That simply has to be called, especially 3 on 3 and in overtime, where it leads to a clear offensive advantage.

1. Scoring First:

The Flyers scored first for only the sixth time in their first 20 games to start the season.

Morgan Frost looked dead in the water on a 1 on 2 rush, but wisely used Martin Fehervary as a screen and fired a quick wrister at Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper had the puck hit him in the middle of his blocker, but lost track of the shot.

Puck luck isn't something the Flyers have been on the fortunate side of as of late and the timing for Morgan Frost couldn't have been better. Frost has seen elevated minutes with more prominent linemates, with all of the injuries to the Flyers, but had only produced 2 goals and 2 assists in 18 games on season.

2. Minimizing The Inevitable:

When the Flyers face-off against the Washington Capitals, it is a given Alexander Ovechkin is going to chalk up points. Tonight was no exception, as Ovechkin recorded the primary assist on Marcus Johansson's 5th goal of the season (Johansson stealing the goal from Ovechkin).

T.J. Oshie, playing in his first game since October 29th, is the key to the Capitals power play. Oshie's work in the «bumper» position is only rivalled by Patrice Bergeron and his ability to shoot and move the puck from the middle must be respected. Oshie uncharacteristically fanned on the shot from the slot, which effected Sandstrom's ability to properly control the puck and Ovechkin quickly pounced on the rebound, sliding it under Sandstrom's right pad. Johansson got the light touch on the puck before it crossed the goal line.

The Flyers killed off the Capitals next two power plays and did an admirable job of denying Ovechkin of his off wing one-timers.

Naturally, Ovechkin scored the overtime winner, with his 790th NHL goal. Owen Tippett backed off the coverage and gave up a clear passing lane to Dylan Strome. Ovechkin finished with a goal and an assist, continuing to haunt the Flyers.

3. Power Outage:

The Flyers power play looks disjointed, which is not a shock given the personnel issues. The puck movement is slow, calculated, and telegraphic, without movement or creativity to cause coverage issues. The Flyers are sticking to the perimeter and looking for shooting lanes, tips, and rebounds; not generating looks through player movement and quick passes.

Without Konecny in the bumper and JVR down low, the Flyers should be utilizing Tippett and Farabee on their off wings for quick release shots and one-timers, but the Flyers haven't taken advantage of that setup. The Flyers PP is too slow and predictable and needs movement and quicker passes to generate better opportunities. Going 0 for 4, including a brief 5 on 3 advantage, is a recipe for losses in the NHL and the Flyers continue to plummet towards the bottom of the league on the man advantage.

4. Making A Good Impression:

Patrick Brown tipped home his first goal of the year, recently returning from back surgery. Ivan Provorov channeled his inner Denis Savard, pulling off a Provorovian spin-o-rama and centring a back hand pass for Brown to tip home.

Kieffer Bellows played his best game for the Flyers, generating multiple chances towards the Capitals goal.
Bellows had a goal erased on a Lukas Sedlak penalty, on a scrambled play behind the Capitals net at the tail end of the second period. Bellows drew two penalties; one on an aggressive net drive, that forced a hook. Bellows, MacEwen, and Tippett are the Flyers who consistently take advantage of the middle of the ice and try to generate from between the hashmarks.

Bellows finished the night with a team high 5 shots, in 10:15 minutes of ice. He also registered 3 hits.

5. Sandstrom Sharp:

Felix Sandstrom turned in his best performance of the year and absorbed pucks from every angle. Sandstrom looked composed, calm, and did a tremendous job of controlling rebounds throughout the game.

Sandstrom stopped 29 of 32 shots, but picked up the overtime loss, as he was victimized late in the third period on a Sonny Milano tap in to tie the game. Evegeni Kuznetsov went coast to coast and evaded coverage by Morgan Frost on the give and go entry into the Flyers zone, as the Flyers would have been in good shape defensively if Frost picked up Kuznetsov on the entry, instead of allowing the flyby.

The Flyers return home to take on their number one rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Friday. The two teams are heading in opposite directions, as the Penguins have won 4 in a row and 6 of their last 8.

Carter Hart is expected to face Tristan Jarry, in the battle of Pennsylvania.