It’s going to take a desperate effort by the Flyers almost every night to get back into the playoff picture but Wednesday night’s effort was not a step in the right direction.
Down to the Washington Capitals, 1-0, after two periods, the Flyers rallied for a tie 29 seconds into the third. But the Capitals retook the lead on a goal by Caps defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk with 5:52 to play and went on to a 3-1 win at Bank One Arena in Washington, D.C.
The two teams traded scoring chances for almost the first 35 minutes with nothing to show for it until the Capitals finally broke through. A Flyer turnover led to a mismatch down low. Rasmus Sandin finished off a cross-crease pass from Hendrix Lapierre at 13:52.
But the Flyers needed only 29 seconds in the third to tie the score.
Travis Sanheim’s long shot nicked off Noah Cates and past goaltender Logan Thompson. That ended Cates’ 18-game goal slump.
Ultimately, one goal wasn’t enough as the Flyers continue to struggle to score.
Coach Rick Tocchet, working in-person with his team for the first time since Feb. 5, said his team has to establish a stronger presence in front of the opponent’s net.
“I thought there were parts of the game where we were pushed out in front,” Tocchet said in a televised interview. “So we have to start getting dirty in there. That’s how you score. You’ve got to get in front of the net and get those greasy goals.”
The Flyers are just 3-9-4 in their last 16 games. This is not a bump in the road. It’s a mountain.
“The tic-tac-toe goals don’t come late in the season,” Tocchet said, alluding to the Flyers’ sporadic physical play. “So we have to dial some guys to really get to the net.”
After vowing to come out of the break with some fire, the Flyers mostly produced smoke.
“It’s a tough one to lose,” Christian Dvorak said. “Gave up too many odd-man rushes, especially late in the game. We had our chances, we just have to get a little more gritty in front of the net. Get some dirty goals.”
Cates knows the Flyers can’t afford to play on the perimeter. They just aren’t that offensively gifted.
“We need to get more bodies there,” said Cates, who was only several feet off the net when his goal went in. “Get some bodies there. Just a huge 25 games (left). We need these points.”
Philadelphia had the better of the play in the first period, generating several good scoring chances and outshooting the Caps, 9-7. Goaltender Dan Vladar, just back from the Olympics, was spotless in the opening frame.
In a televised first intermission interview, Sanheim was asked how it felt getting back into NHL hockey after competing in the recently completed Winter Olympics.
“Not quite as stressful as what I’ve been through the past couple weeks,” Sanheim said with a smile. “I thought it was good, we played with a lot of pace. Guys have been skating (during the break) and you could see that early on.”
The Flyers, eight points out of a playoff spot going into their final 26 games, know there is little margin for error. So they had to hit the ice at full speed.
In a pre-game interview broadcast on NBC Philadelphia, Travis Konecny said the Flyers are aware of the stakes in each of these games.
That three-week Olympic break should help.
“I think if we can just get back to fresh legs,” Konecny said. “Playing the way we were (at the start of the season). Details, how we want to play our system and things like that. I think it’s definitely doable. We know it’s in the locker room. We’ll see how the first two games go.”
Most of the Flyers still think they have a chance to end this five-year playoff drought.
“It’s just a matter of believing,” Konecny said. “And getting one or two of those bounces. They can build our confidence back up a little bit. I know we all believe.”
>Short shots
Flyers complete a back-to-back with a game at New York against the Rangers on Thursday night. It’s an 8 p.m. start. . .Caps were without Olympian Tom Wilson and defenseman John Carlson. . .Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen finished a plus-9 in the Olympic tournament, which tied for the overall lead. Sanheim, playing for Canada, was a plus-6. . .Flyers’ Carl Grundstrom made a rare start on the fourth line with Nikita Grebenkin and Garnet Hathaway. . .Flyers defenseman Noah Juulsen played in his 200th NHL game.
Be the first to comment