PHILADELPHIA – A 2-1 upset shootout win over league-leading Winnipeg on Saturday gave the Flyers legitimate cause for optimism heading into the opener of a seven-game homestand on Tuesday night against Calgary.
The good feeling didn’t last long.
Less than 10 minutes to be exact. That’s how long it took the Flames to score three goals at the Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers were outplayed in a 6-3 setback.
The loss ended the Flyers’ five-game (4-0-1) point streak.
On a night when ex-Flyers Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost made their first return to Philadelphia, it was all Calgary in the early going.
In the shortest start of his career, Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson lasted only nine minutes and 32 seconds. During that brief stint, Ersson surrendered three goals on just five shots before being pulled in favor of Ivan Fedotov.
Coach John Tortorella implied the long trip back from Winnipeg on Sunday may have played into his team’s lackluster effort.
“When I see a group that was lethargic, sloppy, my first thought is to flush it down the toilet,” Tortorella said. “Give Calgary credit, they checked us through the neutral zone. It was a group effort.”
Connor Zary picked up two of the three goals as the Flames raced to a 3-0 lead.
On the first, at 7:40, Zary set up shot in close on the right side of the net and tipped in Brayden Pachal’s point shot.
Then just 33 seconds later, Nazeem Kadri raced down the right side on a two-on-one rush. Instead of passing, Kadri unloaded from the right faceoff dot and beat Ersson short side.
Finally, Zary circled to the left side of the net and, standing at the lower edge of the left circle, lifted a shot past Ersson.
The Flyers didn’t waste time drawing energy from the goalie change.
First, Tyson Foerster was dragged down during a delayed penalty call and the puck came loose right to Noah Cates, who beat goalie Dustin Wolf just 22 seconds after the second Zary goal.
Then Andrei Kuzmenko buzzed down the slot and sent a shot past Wolf’s glove at 12:11. But before the cheering died down, Calgary got one past Fedotov only 18 seconds later. Yegor Sharangovich poked in a shot from a scramble and the period ended with the Flames on top, 4-2.
“When we got it to 3-2, we needed to play 3-2 for a while,” Tortorella said. “But they came right back. It ends up being a hill.”
Added Cates: “Tough right off we score, we get the building going again. Just kind of get back into it and then. . .maybe a little deflating. We needed to find energy in other areas.”
Cates’s goal was his 14th, a career high, with 20 games left to play. He said going down 3-0 early at home was not ideal.
“It’s tough in any game, the building’s quiet,” he said. “In any zone, we couldn’t seem to find some traction. You have to keep it simple and we kind of stumbled out of the gate.”
The second period didn’t help the Flyers’ cause. Calgary added to its lead with a power-play goal by MacKenzie Weegar. Sean Couturier scored at 10:43 of the third period to close the margin to two goals. Calgary scored into an empty net with one minute to play.
>Laughton’s thoughts on ex-Flyers
It’s no secret Scott Laughton was close with both Frost and Farabee. All three were chosen in the first rounds of their respective drafts by the Flyers and, in a related topic, Laughton could also be moved by the end of the week (the trade deadline is Friday).
“It’s going to be weird, for sure, so soon after the trade,” Laughton said before the game. “Two of my best buddies. It’s going to be weird taking faceoffs against Frost for sure. Got to see him for a little bit yesterday. Hopefully the crowd will give them a nice welcome back.”
>Short shots
The second game of the seven-game homestand is set for Thursday when Winnipeg hits town. . .The Flyers will be getting an unscheduled day off from practice on Wednesday, the team announced on Tuesday. That could mean a trade is in its final stages, although both leading candidates — Laughton and Rasmus Ristolainen — played on Tuesday night. . .Garnet Hathaway missed his second straight game after a collision in Pittsburgh with Bokondji Imama last week. . .The Flyers did a “Thank you Morgan and Joel” message on the scoreboard in the first period and both players received a big ovation.
