The Philadelphia Flyers (19-11-5) are going to have to wait another night to claim their 20th win of the season after they fell in overtime to the Seattle Kraken by a score of 2-1.
The Flyers played a brilliant first period but it looked like the back-to-back caught up to them in the latter half of the game. Travis Konecny opened the scoring with a shorthanded marker before Vince Dunn scored a power play goal midway through the third period to tie things up.
Justin Schultz then won the game in overtime after a defensive breakdown allowed the defenseman to slide by unnoticed for the game winning goal. Both Carter Hart and Joey Daccord made 27 saves
After a rather convincing victory against the NHL’s best team last night in Vancouver, the Flyers remained on the road but returned to the ice to play against former head coach Dave Hakstol and the Kraken. In John Tortorella’s 1,500th game behind an NHL bench, the Flyers were searching for their 20th win of the season in just their 35th game – a feat they reached on the 21st of January in their 47th game last season.
Carter Hart was always expected to tend the twine for his homecoming as played junior hockey for the nearby Everett Silvertips of the WHL. He came in relief of Samuel Ersson last night when the youngster was forced out due to dehydration but he made 8 saves to keep the Canucks off the board. Travis Konecny, who also left the game due to flu-like symptoms, returned to the lineup.
As for the Kraken, they’ve endured a rather disappointing season after their 46-win and 100-point season last year. They entered tonight 13-14-9 but on the heels of 3 straight victories and slowly becoming more and more healthy. André Burakovsky returned to the lineup after a lengthy stay on IR.
Vince Dunn paced the club with 29 points in 36 games, Jared McCann led the team in goals with 14, and Joey Daccord was thrust in goal sporting a 7-5-8 record but with great peripherals – 2.53 GAA and a .912 SV%.
FIRST PERIOD
Sean Couturier was absolutely robbed on what was then the game’s best chance after Travis Konecny’s aerial pass met the veteran centre at the side of the net but Joey Daccord was able to get a pad on the puck to keep the scores level at the 7:30 mark of the first period.
With 10:18 remaining, Justin Schultz was whistled for a high sticking minor. The Flyers registered 1 shot on goal and Morgan Frost had a deflection attempt ring the cross-bar but it was yet another uneventful effort with the man advantage.
After Kailer Yamamoto missed a wide open net on his deflection attempt, Joel Farabee found himself on a breakaway opportunity but Daccord followed him the whole way through as he attempted the same move from last night’s goal but to no avail.
After a great backcheck from Yamamoto against Farabee, the former drew a high sticking minor against the latter with 4:01 remaining in the period. However, as has been the case several times this season – and even just last night – the power kill struck again.
Scott Laughton had Konecny on an odd-man rush and his initial pass was deflected by Yamamoto but Konecny was able to stick with the play and tuck the puck past Daccord for his first goal in 8 games and 17th of the season with 3:39 left to play.
The first period came to a close with the Flyers up 1-0 on the scoreboard and 10-5 on the shot clock.
SECOND PERIOD
With 3:47 remaining in the second period, Tomáš Tatar who was sitting on the bench was handed a 2-minute minor for touching the puck in what was a very strange decision from the recently acquired forward.
With Brandon Tanev stickless for about 45 seconds to start the power play, the Flyers’ 2nd unit was unable to take advantage and had all of their shot attempts miss the net. The first unit didn’t fare any better as Alex Wennberg came within inches of tying the game with a shorthanded marker of his own.
In a very fast moving period, the Kraken definitely knocking on the door several times but Carter Hart came up with some huge stops down the stretch.
Seattle outshot the Flyers 9-4 in the period but trailed 15-14 in shots overall through the first 40 minutes.
THIRD PERIOD
The Kraken’s second period momentum carried into the third and had it not been for Hart and the crossbar, the game surely would have been tied. McCann had a deflection that rang the crossbar, while Hart had to make 4 stops in the first 2 minutes.
With 14:34 remaining in the final period of regulation, Tyson Foerster was whistled for a hooking minor. 18 seconds into the man advantage, Vince Dunn scored the equalizing goal after firing a slap shot with a mass of bodies – that eventually deflected off of Nick Seeler – in front of Hart after the Kraken had won the offensive zone draw.
Shortly after, McCann was right back at it with a net-front opportunity that Hart just got enough of to keep it out of the net.
With 7:40 remaining in the third, Tye Kartye was called for an offensive zone tripping minor, sending the struggling Flyers power play onto the ice in a critical juncture of the game. It might have been the best power play of the season for the Flyers where they did not score a goal but Daccord had all the answers as he stopped 4 shots at the back-half of the power play.
You’ve got to give credit to the Flyers who looked absolutely gassed by the end of the third period after having played the night before. It was end-to-end hockey to finish the third period but both goaltenders came up with the necessary saves to send the game to overtime.
The Flyers held a 27-26 shot advantage as both clubs fired 12 on goal in the third period.
OVERTIME
A complete breakdown the defensive zone allowed Justin Schultz to sneak behind the Flyers defense and tuck in a one-time opportunity through the five-hole for the victory.
Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyson Foerster got their signals crossed, which allowed Schultz to slide by unnoticed.
UP NEXT
The Flyers head out to the province of Alberta to face the Calgary Flames (8:00pm ET, NBCSP) on New Year’s Eve.
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