The New Jersey Devils have become known in these parts for favoring a style of play that is not exactly aesthetically pleasing. So if fans are going to sit through sixty minutes of a game against their Metropolitan Division rivals, they’d like to at least see a victory.
A disastrous start to the third period killed any hopes of that.
The Flyers entered the third period in a tie and with a little over a minute of power play time. Within three minutes, they had wasted the man advantage, taken a too many men on the ice penalty, and allowed two Devils goals. And with the Devils’ tight checking taking its toll on Philadelphia all night, that would be all New Jersey needed to come away with a 4-1 victory.
After struggling in the defensive zone during the first period, the Flyers slowly began to find their legs in the second, culminating with a Luke Schenn goal that gave Philadelphia the lead. But Travis Zajac was able to even the score before the period ended, redirecting a Kyle Palmieri pass through Mason for a power play tally.
The game was there for the taking in the third, especially after a Jon Merrill hooking penalty gave Philadelphia a power play late in the second. But the Flyers could barely generate an offensive zone entry on the man advantage, let alone any real pressure. Palmieri made them pay, ripping a wrist shot past Mason less than twenty seconds after the penalty had concluded.
Any hope of a comeback was quickly dashed, as the Flyers took a bench minor for too many men on the ice and the Devils deposited another power play goal behind Mason. This time, it was Zajac, who found an open space in the slot and took full advantage. An empty net goal by Andy Greene put the finishing touches on the loss.
A week of winnable games for the Flyers has turned into a fiasco, as only a late comeback on Tuesday night has kept the week from being totally fruitless. Philadelphia will try to salvage the week tomorrow in a rematch against the Buffalo Sabres.
Morning observations and analysis from last night’s game can be found here.
Comment of the Night
Dear Flyers,
Stop sucking.
Thanks,
The management>> goldomatic
