POSTGAME 5: Flyers Drop See-Saw Game in Nashville, 5-4

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to 1-3-0 on their five-game road trip as they dropped a 5-4 decision at Bridgestone Arena to the Nashville Predators. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission then had to scramble to get the game to the second intermission tied at 4-4. The contest was up for grabs in the final period until Nashville took its second one-goal lead of the game.

Travis Sanheim (6th goal of the season) converted a beautiful setup from Morgan Frost to give the Flyers an early 1-0 lead. Joel Farabee (15th) added to the lead late in the period.
Just 41 seconds into the second period. a Yakov Trenin deflection (16th) of a Roman Josi point shot quickly cut the Nashville deficit to 2-1. After Max Willman (4th) scored on a breakaway to open a 3-1 lead, the Predators generated unanswered goals by Trenin (second of the game, 17th), Luke Kunin (12th) and Filip Forsberg (37th). James van Riemsdyk (17th) re-tied the game in the final minute.
In the third period, the game seemed headed to overtime before Tanner Jeannot (22nd) put the Predators ahead to stay with 1:19 left in regulation. The rookie power forward finished with a Gordie Howe hat trick (one goal, two assists, one fight).
The Flyers were opportunistic offensively and made some good plays up ice. Defensively, they struggled to exit their own zone at times. Nashville controlled the territorial play for about 35 of the opening 40 minutes. The third period was evenly played until Nashville made a late push that resulted in the Predators finding a way to win.
Flyers goalie Martin Jones stopped 30 of 35 shots in a losing cause. Juuse Saros earned the win with 19 saves on 23 shots.
The Flyers went 0-for-1 on the power play. The Predators went 1-for-2.
TURNING POINT
With the score tied at 4-4 late in the third period, James van Riemsdyk fell down and the Predators ended up having numbers on the sequence that started the game winning goal sequence. A D-to-D pass from Alexandre Carrier and a Tanner Jeannot deflection of Josi's shot into the net put Nashville ahead to stay.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The Predators came out attacking right off the bat, and also had the game's first two meaningful scoring chances including an odd-man rush.
However, the Flyers grabbed a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game. Morgan Frost's forechecking work resulting in him taking the puck away from defender. Jeremy Davies. Frost then whirled quickly into the bottom of the left circle and passed on the tape to Sanheim in the left slot. The Flyers' defenseman then ripped a rising shot past Saros for a 1-0 lead.

The Predators took over again from a territorial standpoint. Jones made a tough save on Ryan Johansen. At another juncture, Rasmus Ristolainen erased a Matt Duchene scoring chance with a clutch block.
At 14:07, the Predators received the game's first power play after Cam Atkinson was called for tripping Filip Forsberg in the defensive zone corner. With Kevin Hayes playing without a stick, Jones provided a much-needed stoppage with a clean save on a Roman Josi one-time. The goalie held it for a whistle. The Flyers later survived a scramble near the net after an initial deflection.
The Flyers grabbed a 2-0 lead at 17:26. A James van Riemsdyk pass intended for Atkinson went off the intended target's ankle and was claimed by Farabee. Disguising the puck, Farabee -- who started the entire sequence with a good play in the neutral zone -- disguised the puck as he moved over a couple strides. Saros never reacted as Farabee backhanded the puck into the net.

Patrick Brown laid a check on Luke Kunin, and the two dropped the gloves for a brief fight at 17:39.
In the final two minutes of the period, Saros mishandled the puck behind the net. The Predators escaped the situation.
With 62 seconds remaining in the first period, Ristolainen crushed Tanner Jeannot with a huge hit in the Flyers zone. The Flyers were unable to get the puck out. It took a Frost block on an Alexadre Carrier shot in close and a Jones save on Jeannot to maintain the 2-0 lead.
2) First period shots on goal were 14-4 in Nashville's favor with a 30-10 shot attempt edge (75% team Corsi), and 12-4 scoring chance differential (8-2 high-danger differential) all in the Predators' favor. What mattered most was the Flyers' 2-0 lead on the scoreboard but it was not likely to be sustainable unless the Flyers flipped the script in terms of the underlying process.
3) As with the first period, the Predators came right out attacking to start the middle stanza. This time, Nashville got a reward. Josi walked the point, and fired off a shot that Trenin deflected into the net at 0:41 to narrow the deficit to 2-1. Jeannot received the secondary assist. The helper extended Josi's point streak to 13 straight games.
The Predators nearly tied the game at 1:05. Jones came up with a tough deflection by Johansen. Two swifts later, there was a scramble near the Flyers' net after Jeannot pushed Kevin Connauton into goaltender Jones.
The Flyers claimed a 3-1 lead at 2:23, courtesy of Willman. The forward blocked a Max Benning shot up high in the defensive zone and went off on a breakaway. He then beat Saros upstairs for an unassisted goal. It was the Flyers' third tally on just five shots, and made it back-to-back games with a goal for Willman.

The Predators went to their second power play at 4:00 of the second period. Hodgson called for cross-checking Kunin in the defensive slot. The Flyers got through the kill.
The Predators got back within 3-2 at 7:26. A chance at one end of the Flyers soon resulted in a poorly defended counterattack the other way. On a 2-on-1 rush against Kevin Connauton,Mikael Granlund (40th assist of the season) fed across to Trenin for his second goal of the period. Jeannot earned another secondary assist on the sequence.
A mere 46 seconds later, at 8:12, the Predators made it a 3-3 game. Granlund put the puck at the net and Kunin deflected it home.
At 15:01, the Flyers nearly scored on a bank play that Saros misread. Atkinson wasn't quite able to corral the puck for a shot and the puck dribbled to the goalie off Atkinson's stick.
Off the next faceoff, Alexandre Carrier interfered with Lindblom on a right circle draw in the Nashville zone. The Flyers went to their first power play. During the opening minute of the power play, Kevin Hayes generated a pair of shots from the right circle but the Flyers were unable to score in a scramble. With PP2 on the ice, apart from one nice entry by Frost, the Flyers did not get anything going.
At 18:13, Nashville took its first lead of the game. Forsberg made it 4-3. Carrier and Duchene assisted. The Flyers sent the game to the third period tied at 4-4 with a goal by van Riemsdyk 59 seconds later. Konecny made a nice play along the half boards and passed out to JVR in the deep left slot. who unleashed a shot that beat Saros. Connauton got the secondary helper.

4) Second period shots on goal were 14-10 Nashville. Shot attempts were 25-15 Predators (62.5% Corsi) with a 13-7 scoring chance (6-3 high-danger) edge for Nashville. Most of the Flyers' attempts came in the latter portion of the period.
5) On the opening shift of the third period, Hodgson dropped the gloves with Jeannot. Hodgson fell down quickly but Jeannot let him get up and get reset. Hodgson threw punches left-handed, then right-handed, then back to left. Jeannot registered most of the damage but Hodgson kept at it and rallied late. Hodgson suffered a minor cut in the fight and went off for repairs but soon returned.
Frost nearly pulled off a steal and setup sequence similar to the first period goal but had the puck taken back from him by Eeli Tolvanen after the initial Frost takeaway.
With time ticking below 13 minutes left in regulation, Tippett was unable to get a puck in deep and the Predators generated extended possession. A Jones save on Josi from the deep center slot ended the threat.
On the next shift, Sanheim and Brown saved a goal as the puck trickled past Jones and sat along the goal line but not over. At 10:55, Hayes got open in the low slot for a WIllman centering pass but didn't get much on the shot.
Shots were 7-4 Flyers through a stoppage in the Predators' zone at 11:41. On the next shift, a blocked shot followed by yeoman forechecking work by Frost created Flyers possession. A shift later, though, Forsberg very narrowly missed restoring a lead for Nashville.
With 4:07 left, Owen Tippett got the puck to Frost and Saros had to fight off a shot from the rookie center. A shift later, the Flyers prevented Nashville from exiting their defensive zone and JVR got a shot on net.
With 2:30 on the clock, Jones gloved down an unscreened Philip Tomasino shot. The Predators won the ensuing faceoff and Mattias Ekholm eventually rang a shot off the post.
Finally, the Predators grabbed a 5-4 lead at 18:41. A D-to-D pass from Carrier to Josi resulted in Jeannot deflecting home the winning goal and third point of the game.
The Flyers pulled Jones for an extra attacker. A Josi blocked shot on Farabee and an errant final desperation shot attempt by Hayes ended the game.
Third period shots on goal were 9-7 Flyers. Attempts were 15-14 Preds. Scoring chances were 4-2 Predators (4-1 high danger).