HIGHLIGHTS & MORE: Flyers Win Streak Snuffed Out By The Leafs 6-2

1. Gap Control:

On the Toronto Maple Leafs first goal, Mitch Marner picked up the puck just outside of his blue line and carried it into the zone on a 1 on 2. The Flyers defense (Travis Sanheim) backed deep into the zone and didn't put any pressure on the puck, simply tried to contain from a distance. When you give elite playmakers that much time, 7 to 8 seconds untouched, to see the ice and let the play develop they will burn you, as Marner did. The other four Flyers back are also guilty of puck watching, as nobody picked up the trailer.

What happens when you pressure Marner?! Well

Travis Konecny was the benefactor of a play that John Tortorella would sit a player over; not even debatable!
(See Tony DeAngelo's ice time)

Konecny made a great read on the erroneous pass by Marner, to notch his team leading 21st goal of the season.

2. 4th Line Snipes:

Tony DeAngelo coughed up the puck in an ill advised area of the ice and the Leafs fourth line pounced on the loose puck just prior to the first intermission. Zach Aston-Reese finished the play off and haunts the Flyers, even though he isn't wearing a Penguins jersey.

31 games and 227 dump-ins later and Nicolaus Deslauriers potted a beauty on the backhand.

The Flyers fourth line looked like one of the only bright spots of the game, which isn't a good sign against a team like Toronto. Patrick Brown, Zack MacEwen, and Deslauriers had the Leafs hemmed in several times and generated decent scoring chances.

3: Free Ride:

John Tortorella has stressed it the entire year, repeatedly, like a broken record; play the right way. That means playing hard, finishing checks, blocking shots, and being accountable, yet one player seems to be the exception to the rule; James Van Reimsdyk.

Van Reimsdyk set a perfect screen on Carter Hart and made himself small on the shot from the point, resulting in Conor Timmins first as a Maple Leaf. (Poor gap control on Marner too, again).

In 19 games, JVR has registered 5 hits and 5 blocked shots. Abysmal commitment numbers from a player in a system dedicated to «playing the right way». Would those numbers land anyone else in the press box?!

4. Power Play Futility:

The Flyers have a difficult time facing an aggressive penalty kill. They don't seem to have bang-bang set plays on the weak side to take advantage of the free ice the pressure results in.

The Flyers power play looked overwhelmed by the pressure and didn't make quick passes to alleviate the effectiveness of the Leafs penalty kill. The Flyers didn't generate many quality looks, going 0 for 4 on the power play and conceded a shortie.

The Leafs, on the other hand, worked the man advantage for an easy finish by Auston Matthews.

The passive box PK occupies space and doesn't cover players, just lanes and the high danger area. Sanheim is planted in one spot, without a Leaf near him. If he shifts closer to Matthews he has a better chance to interrupt the shot and doesn't sacrifice anything defensively in coverage.

5. Tony D:

The D stands for doghouse. DeAngelo coughed up the biscuit on the Leafs second goal of the night and I could be wrong, but I don't think DeAngelo saw a shift after that. DeAngelo certainly would have given our 0 for 4 power play a better opportunity to produce, but sitting players and proving you wield unheralded power is more important in the long run. DeAngelo played 7:05 and is likely to be replaced by Justin Braun tomorrow night against the high powered Buffalo Sabres.

I'm case you missed Tortorella's presser; he only lasted 2:40 before he was completely annoyed!