Flyers’ rally falls short in loss at Calgary

Jamie Drysdale

 

It was probably asking too much for the Flyers to rally from a second intermission deficit two nights in a row but they sure gave it a heck of a try.

Down 3-1 late in the second period on Saturday night in Calgary, the Flyers got closer with a goal by Joel Farabee.

Then they gave the Flames all they could handle for most of the third period before dropping a 6-3 decision at the Saddledome. Calgary scored three times in the final six minutes to account for the final margin.

Trailing 2-0 after the first period, the Flyers got a shorthanded goal from Travis Konecny, who led the NHL in that category last season with six goals. He finished off a give-and-go play with Scott Laughton at 7:05.

But the Flames responded with a five-on-three power-play goal from Nazem Kadri at 14:41.

Farabee scored off a nice feed from Bobby Brink with a shot past goaltender Dustin Wolf.

The Flyers were coming off a good comeback win at Vancouver on Friday night in their season opener. The Flyers rallied to tie the score in regulation time, then got a Morgan Frost shootout goal in the fifth round of the shootout for a 3-2 win.

Calgary raced to that early 2-0 lead in the first 13 minutes.

The Flames’ first goal was the result of the deflection of a shot which bounced off Jonathan Huberdeau and past goaltender Ivan Fedotov at 5:37.

A Flames’ power play led to their second goal. With Ryan Poehling in the penalty box, Mackenzie Weegar took a pass from Huberdeau and sent a shot from the slot just under the crossbar.

Konecny scored his second goal with 2:49 to play. Kadri scored his second goal with 1:45 to play to make it 6-3.

Coach John Tortorella is still doing some experimenting with line combinations.

“It (Saturday night’s configuration) was OK,” he said. “I’m not sure who’s going to fall with who.”

>Foerster comes to Drysdale’s rescue

Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale got flattened by Calgary’s Martin Pospisil in the second period and Tyson Foerster quickly came to his rescue, getting 17 minutes in penalties in the process.

Drysdale said he appreciated the gesture.

“You always appreciate when someone stands up for you like that,” Drysdale said after the game. “I don’t want him to have to do that but I have to be more aware, not let that happen. When a teammate sticks up for you like that it means a lot.”

Tortorella seemed to have mixed feelings about Foerster’s gesture.

“He did it for the right reasons but losing him for that amount of minutes (10 minutes misconduct, five for fighting and two for instigation) kind of screwed things up.

“It was the right thing to do but it takes a really good player off for 17 minutes. Those are the fine lines. It’s their call, they know how to protect one another.”

>Konecny joining the leadership ranks

During last season, Konecny was named an assistant to new captain Sean Couturier. Now in his ninth season, Konecny said he really didn’t need official appointment to be recognized as a leader.

“It’s a new leadership role I want to fall into,” he told Flyers studio host Ashlyn Sullivan during a televised interview.

Konecny signed an eight-year, $70-million contract back in July and that will give him career financial security.

“Now that I know I’m going to be here for so long, I can kind of focus on a new role I’ve never been in,” he said. “Try to show some of the younger guys that are coming in some of the little things I was always constantly making mistakes with.

In fact, he said just about every player in the Flyers’ locker room is a leader in some form.

“I think when you get a letter, the one thing you can’t do is change what you’ve been doing,” Konecny said. “You’re a leader and you’re getting that (‘A’) for a reason. The funny thing is we all know letters are not in the locker room. You can take them all away. We all know each guy has their own thing they do.

“That’s the cool thing about our locker room. Everyone’s a leader in their own way. That’s really exciting.”

Chances are Konecny will be around here for quite some time.

“If I win, I want to win as a Flyer,” he said. “So it’s pretty simple for me. Outside of the rink, too, for my wife and kids. I couldn’t ask for more for my family.

“When I re-signed, it’s the perfect time because of how we’re building the team. All the younger players are only going to get better every year. Just keep working every season and trying to get better.”

>Luchanko gets night off

Rookie Jett Luchanko was a healthy scratch and Noah Cates returned to the lineup to make his season debut. . .The Flyers are off until Tuesday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers.

>Tribute to Johnny Gaudreau

Before the game, the Flames held a video tribute to the late Johnny Gaudreau, who, along with his brother, Matt, was killed by a drunk driver while cycling in his native South Jersey. Gaudreau was playing for Columbus at the time of his death.

>Short shots

The Flyers are off until Tuesday when they visit the Edmonton Oilers. . .Sean Couturier’s assist on Farabee’s goal was the 499th point of his NHL career. . .Frost suffered a lower-body injury in the second period. He later returned to action but didn’t appear to be at full strength. . .Huberdeau had a four-point night (two goals, two assists).

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About Wayne Fish 2587 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.