Such was not the case.
The Flyers rallied from a second-period deficit against the Atlantic Division-leading Maple Leafs and eventually gained a hard-earned point in a 3-2 overtime loss at Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto’s Morgan Reilly scored a goal off a two-on-one rush at 2:25 of overtime. Overall, the Flyers finished their six-game road slate with a 2-3-1 mark.
Ivan Fedotov made his first start in goal for the Flyers since Dec. 5 and had to shake off some early rust. He allowed two goals in the first period but was perfect after that in regulation time.
Down 2-1 after a sporadic opening 20 minutes, the Flyers were pulled even by Scott Laughton at 11:08 of the second period. Sean Couturier rushed down the left side and sent a precise pass to Laughton at the far post for a shot past goaltender Dennis Hildeby.
Laughton has posted 12 points (six goals, six assists) in his last 11 games after a slow start to his season.
He said confidence can make a difference in his game.
“It’s huge,” Laughton said in a televised second period interview. “Confidence is a big thing in this league. Once you start feeling the puck, getting more touches, and playing with two pretty skilled guys. . .it’s been going for me and I just have to keep it going.”
As for the comeback at the end of a long road trip, Laughton for one was encouraged.
“Another good one against a highly skilled team,” Laughton said. “We shut down the middle of the ice for the most part, neutral zone, limited their chances. We get them again (Tuesday) and try to do the same thing. Just get one more than them.”
In a fairly wide-open period, the Flyers took an early lead on a Tyson Foerster goal but then surrendered a pair to the Maple Leafs.
Foerster continued his scoring ways with a shot past Hildeby at 3:24. The Flyer right wing skated in from the right side and sent a puck into the net far side. It continues a hot streak for the line of Foerster, Bobby Brink and Noah Cates.
During a first intermission interview, Cates indicated it’s all about communication and staying on the same page.
“We’ve all played about the same number of games, we’re all the same age,” Cates said. “Talking to one another, the communication, it really helps. Communication is a huge part of it. We all love each other and we all love playing together.”
Foerster’s 12 goals are now even with Matvei Michkov for second place on the Flyers’ scoring list.
The Flyers’ lead didn’t last long, 38 seconds to be exact. Matthew Knies, who registered a hat trick in the Leafs’ 6-4 win over Boston on Saturday night, finished off a pass from Auston Matthews from in front.
The whole play was set up by a turnover courtesy of the Flyers’ Ryan Poehling. When Poehling skated back to the Flyers’ bench, he got an earful from coach John Tortorella.
The Flyers kept pressure on Hildeby until the closing minutes. That’s when Oliver Ekman-Larsson buried a shot at 18:52 during a scramble in front of Fedotov.
Tortorella sounded satisfied by his team’s overall performance.
“I thought it was one of our better games,” he said. “Playing forward, checking time and space. We didn’t let them get revved up, it was important for us to stay in the game.
“The trip (last five-game segment) I think we were .500 (2-2-1). I thought with all five games we could have come away with points. We just got to keep our wits about us and keep on playing.”>Nice return for Fedotov
It’s not easy sitting for a month and then taking on one of the best teams in the NHL for your first game back.
“He was great, he was calm in his net,” Laughton said. “He played the puck really well. He was good for us, he gave us a chance. Saw the puck well. I thought we defended well in front of him but he played a strong game for us.”
Tortorella also had positive comments for the Russian netminder.
“Yeah, he was put in a tough spot tonight,” the coach said. “High marks for him. I thought he played really well.”
Fedotov seems like a pretty matter-of-fact guy so this impressive feat didn’t appear to register too high on his excitement scale.
“First couple minutes there it felt like I tried to find some rhythm,” he said. “Had to try to find my routine. Overall, feel good. The team played really well, as a group. The one point was important for us.”
>McCabe injured in fight
Toronto defenseman Jake McCabe was injured in a fight with Garnet Hathaway with six seconds left in the first period. The fracas began with Hathaway running over Hildeby. McCabe went after Hathaway and in the ensuing exchange, the Maple Leaf lost his balance, hit his head on the ice and had Hathaway fall on him.
McCabe went into concussion protocol and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
>Short shots
The Flyers return to the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night for a rematch game with the Maple Leafs to start a four-game homestand. . .Former Flyer defenseman Phil Myers recently signed with the Leafs. Myers has also played for Nashville and Tampa Bay. The 25-year-old has competed in 171 NHL games.
