Postgame 5: Flyers Fall to Maple Leafs, 6-2

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-2, at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday evening.  The Flyers found themselves with an uphill climb early but had a still-manageable 3-1 deficit entering the third period. Toronto pulled away in the final frame. 

The Flyers found themselves in a three-goal hole by the first intermission and were saved by a Toronto hand pass from staring at a 4-0 deficit.

Tyler Bertuzzi (13th goal of the season) gave Toronto a 1-0 lead at 2:01 of the first period.The Flyers got outmaneuvered in their own zone, and Wiilliam Nylander found the deadly Auston Matthews in the right circle. Bertuzzi, with his stick along the ice, tipped home Matthews' shot.

Toronto's 4th line made it 2-0 at 9:57. Connor Dewar won an offensive right circle faceoff against Morgan Frost. Morgan Rielly, from the point, put the puck toward the net. It was blocked off Frost's stick but went directly to Pontus Holmberg (4th goal of the season) who whirled and scored.

The Flyers challenged a would-be third goal for Toronto at 12:55 because of a hand pass by Matthews to Bertuzzi behind the net. The goal was disallowed after a replay review.  However, there was no disallowing a Timothy Liljegren goal on a 45-foot partially screened (by Travis Sanheim) wrist shot from a straight-on angle in the middle of the ice after Bertuzzi gained entry. The second assist went to goalie Ilya Samsonov.

The middle frame was much more evenly played  with an edge to Philly as the frame moved along.The Flyers quickly shaved one goal off the deficit and later had several chances to draw back within 3-2 but were unable to do so.

At 1:42 of the second period, Owen Tippett (PPG, 24th) cut the deficit to 3-1. Good puck movement and a lucky bounce made it happen. A Morgan Frost shot attempt from the center slot was blocked wide of the net but bounced off the end boards out directly to Tippett in front. Tippett buried the puck in the net. The secondary assist went to Travis Konecny.

Back-to-back coverage breakdowns by the Flyers -- first by Sanheim covering an already covered side of the ice and then by Bobby Brink not taking the high man in the defensive zone -- contributed to very closely spaced goals by two of Toronto's most dangerous players: Matthews (55th) from Pontus Holmberg and Ilya Lyubushkin at 4:45 and by Nylander (35th) from Max Domi and David Kampf at 4:53 of the third period. Suddenly, it was 5-1 Toronto.

In an extended shift in the defensive zone, the Flyers had multiple players lose their sticks. Ultimately, Matthew Knies (12th goal of the season) scored amid the "yard sale" on the ice. The assists went to Jake McCabe and Liljegren at 9:00 of the third period.

Tyson Foerster (17th goal of the season, 1st career shorthanded goal) one-timed a SHG into the net off a Travis Sanheim feed. Sean Couturier got the secondary assist at 18:48 of the third period.

Samuel Ersson (nine saves on 12 shots) would have liked the second and third Toronto goals back. At the start of the second period, he was replaced by Felix Sandström (11 saves on 14 shots) for the remainder of the game. Samsonov turned back 26 of 28 Flyers shots.

The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. The Maple Leafs were 0-for-3.

 FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Travis Konecny
27 Noah Cates - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway

86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 71 Tyson Foerster
15 Denis Gurianov - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Bobby Brink

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
18 Marc Staal - 23 Ronnie Attard
5 Egor Zamula- 77 Erik Johnson

33 Samuel Ersson
[32 Felix Sandström]

TURNING POINT

Toronto outplayed the Flyers in the first period. However, the second and third Maple Leafs goals were ones that Ersson would normally stop when he's at the top of his game. The Flyers entered the third period with a chance to come back but the Matthews and Nylander goals ended that.

POSTGAME 5

1)  The Frost line started out the game, and Johnson generated a pont shot through traffic on net. The Matthews line's Bertuzzi scored against the Poehling line at 2:01.

Toronto iced the puck six times in the first 7:58. The Flyers were unable to cleanly win ensuing offensive zone draws to set up a play. Toronto made it 2-0 at 9:57. The Leafs had a would-be Bertuzzi goal disallowed at 12:55.

Philly went to the game's first power play at 13:14 as Rielly was called for tripping Gurianov near the Toronto net. The Flyers had an early chance on a Tippett shot from the top of the left circle and a late chance near the net. Liljegren scored from distance at 15:39 to make it 3-0. 

2) First period shots on goal were 12-10 Flyers. Shot attempts were 21-21. Scoring chances were 13-7 Toronto. High-danger scoring chances were 8-2 Toronto. Faceoffs were 15-13 Toronto (the difference being that Frost was a mere 1-for-8 and David Kampf was 6-for-8).

3) The Flyers started the second period with Couturier between Farabee and Foerster.  As the shift ended, Gurianov came out and had a counterattacking chance but was broken up in the Toronto zone. 

The Flyers went back to the power play at 1:29 as Jake McCabe was called for tripping Poehling At 1:42, Tippett scored off the Frost carom.

Couturier was called for a delay of game minor at 1:55 as he sent the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. The Flyers killed it off successfully, with Sandström making a good save on Rielly and Poehling blocking two shots. Midway through, there was a post-whistle scrum around the net. No penalties were called. 

Through 6:06, shots on goal were 4-1 Toronto but Philly had the stanza's only tally.

A good defensive zone stand by the Flyers led to a strong forechecking shift -- and a Couturier scoring chance -- on the next. Samsonov froze the puck at 10:05.

Tippet drew a delayed tripping penalty on Bobby McMann. The Flyers applied heavy pressure before Toronto finally touched up at 15:55. Farabee had a chance in front on the ensuing power play. With 44 seconds left, the power play came to an end on a Brink hooking penalty on Ilya Lyubishkin after the Flyers lost possession of the puck.

4) Second period shots on goal were 8-7 Flyers (27-21 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 20-19 Toronto (43-40 Maple Leafs overall). Scoring chances were 12-8 Flyers (23-19 Toronto overall). High-danger scoring chances were 5-3 Toronto (16-5 Maple Leafs overall). Faceoffs were 12-8 Maple Leafs (27-21 Toronto overall).

5) Frost set up a bang-bang chance for Farabee from the low slot at 2:28 of the third period. Looking to go high glove, Farabee missed over the net. Toronto scored two quick goals at 4:45 and 4:53 to open a 5-1 lead. 

At 6:53, a frustrated Konecny took a slashing penalty. The Flyers killed off the minor. However, Knies added further insult to injury at 9:00.

Hathaway and Toronto's Domi got matching 10-minute misconducts for exchanging slashes in the faceoff circle at  14:16. York was called for roughing (which looked more like a high-sticking minor) at 17:11.

Final shot totals were 28-27 Flyers. Final faceoffs were 39-31 Toronto.