The Philadelphia Flyers (5-8-2) earn a point in a shootout loss to the Florida Panthers, 4-3.
Most who have an opinion on the team would expect a disastrous road trip. The goaltending situation was volatile, including a stay in Tampa Bay featuring Kyle Konin, who signed with the Flyers as an emergency backup. Also, all hell broke loose regarding the sense of benching Matvei Michkov.
Despite the uncalculated criticism, John Tortorella coached Philadelphia to a 1-1-1 record, where Michkov was not in the lineup for a second straight game. It might not be back-to-back victories, but for the second time this season, the Flyers secured points in consecutive games.
“[In] the past few games, we’re beginning to play better. More to what we’re supposed to play like.” – John Tortorella; 11/9/2024
First Period
Sam Ersson returned to the lineup. Before the road trip, he left the game versus the Boston Bruins with a lower-body injury after 7:36. However, he joined Philadelphia on the road. Ersson spent time on the ice in full gear before the Flyers faced the Carolina Hurricanes and participated in the morning skate before the tilt against the Tampa Bay Lightning. All this led to the decision to start between the pipes against the Panthers, head-to-head with Sergei Bobrovsky.
Both teams did not allow much room for offense to begin the game. Sam Reinhart battled Travis Konecny along the boards, and Jamie Drysdale followed. Aleksander Barkov recovered the puck possessed by Drysdale for a moment, then centered in the slot. Aaron Ekblad went off the post with his wrist shot. Konecny cleared Philadelphia of danger with the puck loose at the crease.
Nick Seeler forced a neutral zone turnover by pinching at the boards. Joel Farabee moved the puck into the offensive zone for Scott Laughton to shoot. His shot went wide, but Bobby Brink pounced on another shooting chance saved by Bobrovsky. However, Laughton took another whack at the puck, loosening it for Farabee on the attack for the dunk, 1-0, with 15:03 remaining in the first period.
“That line’s been good; Laughts [Laughton], him, and Bobby [Brink]. Beezer [Farabee] [in] the last game had a number of, or at least involved in, scoring chances. [He] played another good game tonight.” – John Tortorella; 11/9/2024
Evan Rodrigues served a minor penalty for tripping, drawn by Sean Couturier. Tyson Foerster hit the post, but the Flyers would not convert. On the evening, Philadelphia finished 0/2 on the powerplay.
Couturier lofted a beautiful pass to Owen Tippett in stride to beat Florida in transition. Momentarily, Tippett had a breakaway, but Bobrovsky reflexed across the crease to deny the scoring opportunity.
Seeler served a minor penalty for interference, drawn by Eetu Luostarinen. The Flyers did not allow the Panthers to convert. On the evening, Philadelphia finished 2/2 on the penalty kill.
Travis Sanheim cleared the puck out of the defensive zone. Tippett caught up to the puck for another high-danger scoring chance on Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky, again, made another critical save.
Second Period
Egor Zamula had a rough start to the second period. Luostarinen badgered him in the boards, creating a turnover that forced Ersson to deny Anton Lundell and Jesper Boqvist at point-blank range.
Rodrigues entered the attack, set, and set up Nate Schmidt for a slapshot to tie the game, 1-1, with 14:28 remaining. Ersson, to this point, was on his game, and this shot clocked in at 93mph. To the eye, it looks like one of the chances Ersson would like to have back because of all the high-pressure saves he made to this moment, but Schmidt did not loft this puck on target.
Schmidt and Farabee created scoring chances for their respective teams after scoring first. Schmidt got the puck to Jonah Gadjovich, but Ersson made the save. Farabee entered with the puck, taking a shot on goal, but Brink could not sink the rebound on Bobrovsky.
Dmitry Kulikov scored on a snap shot from the slot, 2-1, with 11:20 remaining in the second period. Immediately, Ersson motioned to the officiating crew that the puck went out of play before the scoring sequence. The officials reviewed the sequence, and the goal stood. However, that puck touched netting instead of glass. Physics says the net would provide the give for the puck to drop vertically to the ice, shallow to the boards, where if it did hit the glass, there would be a recoil away from the boards; nonetheless.
On a delayed penalty, Anthony Richard accepted a feed from Konecny to the point before ripping a wrist shot past Bobrovsky, 2-2, with 7:00 remaining in the second period. Richard scored his first goal with the Flyers in his second NHL appearance of 2024-2025, while Ryan Poehling is inactive.
Amerant Bank Arena did not stay in a stunned haze for long. In less than two minutes, Philadelphia fell behind after Niko Mikkola hustled to move the puck on the attack to Matthew Tkachuk. Mikkola accepted the puck from Tkachuk before a tic-tac pass sequence over to Carter Verhaeghe to Sam Bennett for the one-timer, 3-2, with 5:04 remaining in the second period. Seeler left Bennett on the crease, and Florida regained the lead.
Third Period
Emil Andrae earned extra shifts with Sanheim. If you think that the ‘kids need to play,’ regardless of the context heightened by the lack of Michkov, Andrae is getting the extra opportunities with Tortorella because he is showing on the ice that he can excel in the right coverages.
“He [Andrae] deserves the time he’s getting.” – John Tortorella; 11/9/2024
Verhaeghe and Bennett worked the backdoor on Ersson, sneaking a set-up pass with Rasmus Ristolainen contesting, but the shot went wide. Another sound attempt to extend the lead from the Panthers featured a beautiful saucer pass from Barkov to Lundell, but Ersson made the pad safe.
Garnet Hathaway turned Barkov into a turnstile, sneaking a backhanded shot through on Bobrovsky, 3-3, with 10:13 remaining in the third period. The puck deflected off of Uvis Balinskis.
Before the end of the period, Florida pressured Ersson. Lundell tried a wrap-around, but Ersson sealed the post. Ekblad shot from the blue line with traffic, but Ersson tracked the puck. Luostarinen had a chance on the doorstep, but Ersson would not allow the Panthers to take another lead in regulation.
The Flyers had a couple of opportunities to take the lead, too. Tippett took a shot in stride and with space on Bobrovsky, but he could not crack the goaltender.
Overtime
Farabee took Florida to deep water with Tippett and nearly sprung himself for an overtime game-winner. With speed, Farabee accepted a breakthrough pass from Tippett and rushed Bobrovsky, who made the save.
Ersson made a save at the opposite end on Verhaeghe, but in transition, Ristolainen executed a lead pass to Farabee for another chance. Bobrovsky kept the lid shut.
Brink could not beat Bobrovsky on his chance, and at the other end, Boqvist hit the post. Neither team scored in overtime, meaning this game went to a shootout.
Shootout
Barkov and Tippett were the only skaters to score in the first three shooters for either side. Rodrigues scored the game-winner in the shootout. Morgan Frost did not have an answer for Bobrovsky to keep Philadelphia alive.
