POSTGAME 5: Dallas Defeats Flyers, 4-1

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Dallas Stars, 4-1, at the American Airlines Center on Thursday evening. After an evenly played first period, the Stars took over the game in the middle stanza and then staged a strong closeout. The Flyers were limited to just five high-danger chances for the game.

The Flyers are 0-4-1 in their last five games and 0-3-0 on their current four-game road trip, which concludes on Saturday against the Islanders. Philadelphia is winless in its last nine road games.
Jason Robertson scored a buzzer-beating power play goal (44th of the season) at 19:58.2 of the first period to send the Stars to intermission with a 1-0 lead.
In the second period, the Stars blitzed the Flyers for goals by Joe Pavelski (power play, 26th) at 1:04, Colin Miller (6th) at 8:53 and Robertson (2nd of the game, 45th of the season) to expand their lead from one goal to four. Kevin Hayes (18th) got one back for the Flyers at 13:16.
The Stars were never seriously challenged in the third period. The Flyers were, more or less, shut down as the time ticked away.
Carter Hart was neither awful nor remarkable in this game. In his return from a five-game absence, Hart stopped 26 of 30 shots. Jake Oettinger denied 24 of 25 shots.
Special teams play proved to be an important factor in Dallas' win, just as it was in the teams' earlier meeting this season. The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play and failed to generate pretty much anything in the way of scoring opportunities. The Stars were a perfect 2-for-2 on their power plays.
FLYERS STARTING LINEUP
74 Owen Tippett - 49 Noah Cates - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 13 Kevin Hayes
25 James van Riemsdyk - 21 Scott Laughton - 57 Wade Allison
44 Nicolas Deslauriers 58 Tanner Laczynski - 22 Brendan Lemieux
9 Ivan Provorov - 45 Cam York
6 Travis Sanheim - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Nick Seeler - 47 Ronnie Attard
79 Carter Hart
[32 Felix Sandström]
TURNING POINT
The Flyers played an admirable first period but giving up Robertson's second-effort power play goal with less than two seconds remaining on the clock proved to be very damaging. Philly never really regrouped at intermission, and the Stars needed just 64 seconds in the second period to double their lead to 2-0.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The Flyers went on the game's first power play at 3:41 of the opening period as Miro Heiskanen cross-checked Cates in front of the net as the Flyer went for a rebound.The Flyers registered one shot on goal during the man advantage. Shots for the game were 3-3 when Heiskanen exited the box.
The Flyers iced the puck at 10:08. After the Flyers cleared the defensive zone, the puck was played with a high stick just inside the Dallas zone. Shots remained 3-3. On the next shift, Hart fough off a Jani Hakanpää shot. With 7:34 remaining in the period, Fredrik Olofsson had a chance from the right slot.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 13:20 on an interference penalty committed by Ryan Suter in setting a pick on Laczynski in the Philadelphia zone. The man advantage went nowhere. Philly never got set up.
Ristolainen registered a pair of hits. Laughton fired a shot on net at 17:46. Hart stopped an Esa Lindell shot from a side angle.
The Stars went to their first power play at 18:51 when Ristolainen was called for tripping Joel Kiviranta behind the Philadelphia net. The Stars made it 1-0 with just 1.9 seconds left in the period. Blocked by Seeler on an initial shot from high in the Flyers' zone, Robertson followed it up with a second-effort goal over Hart's glove. The assists went to Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski.
2) First period shots on goal were 8-7 Stars. Shot attempts were tied at 17-17. Scoring chances were 6-6 with a 2-1 high-danger edge to the Flyers. Philly played Dallas evenly in the low-event opening stanza but went off trailing. There was a lot of neutral zone play and board battles leading to puck clears and zone exits. Neither team generated much extended forechecking pressure.
3) Hesikanen floated a point shot on net at the 18-second mark of the first period. Hart gloved it easily. The Flyers went to the penalty kill at 50 seconds after being caught with six skaters on the ice. At 1:04, it became 2-0 Stars. Heiskanen's point shot was double-deflected by Benn and Pavelski from the slot past Hart. Benn and Heiskanen were credited with the assists on Pavelski's goal.
On the next shift, Frost and Attard had a 2-on-1. Frost looked to pass but ultimately shot. Oettenger ensnared it with his glove. Shots through five minutes were 8-2 Stars.
Dallas opened a 3-0 lead as they went over the middle on a transition rush. Miller took a drop pass from Wyatt Johnson and beat Hart from the deep slot. The Flyers backed in and Hart was back in his net. The secondary assist went to Evgenii Dadonov.
The Stars lead became 4-0 at 10:55. Hart left the puck for Provorov behind the net and Provorov fumbled it to Pavelski. A quick centering feed later to Robertson in the slot and the Stars had another goal.
At 13:16, after Ristolainen won a neutral zone puck battle and Tippett hustled to get it first behind the Dallas net, Hayes received a pass-out from Tippett and scored from a tight angle to cut the deficit to 4-1. The assists went to Tippett and Ristolainen. Hayes' goal ended a 23-game goal drought for the player.
Cates had three point-blank opportunities to cut the deficit to 4-2 with about 2:30 left in the second period. He couldn't get one to go in, with the final attempt hitting the post. On the next shift, Attard had a chance from the right circle.
4) Second period shots on goal were 15-11 Stars. Shot attempts were 24-14 Stars. Scoring chances were 15-3 Stars with a 6-1 high-danger edge to Dallas. Thr Flyers came on a little bit in the latter stages of the period but, on the whole, the Stars imposed their will.
5) The Laughton line started the third period with a good shift that kept the Stars hemmed in their own end. At 2:02, Laczynski failed to get a puck in deep but recovered on a second effort. Ristolainen dropped Luke Glendening with a thumping hit along the boards in the neutral zone.
Through 8:06 of tight-checking play that was to the Stars' liking with a three-goal lead, shots were 2-1 Stars.
An unlikely combatant, van Riemdsyk took exception to an awkward hit on Laughton by Glendening. The gloves were dropped but it turned out to be a wrestling match rather than a fight. Matching double minors for roughing and interference were handed out at 9:28.
Provorov coughed the puck up near the defensive blueline. Hart stopped Max Domi from between the circles.
Attard and Cates had opportunities before a stoppage at 13:24. The Stars iced the puck at 13:41.
Hart left out a fat rebound on a Wyatt Johnson shot from distance but the Flyers recovered as the puck came out in the slot and Hart made a save on Benn.
At 18:45, Sanheim pinched in and took a pass from Farabee. Oettinger made his 24th save of the game.
Third period shots on goal were 7-7. Shot attempts were 15-11 Stars. Scoring chances were 6-6. with a 3-0 high-danger edge to Dallas.