RECAP: Red Wings shut out by Flyers, 3-0

PHILADELPHIA -- Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde could not fault his players' effort, but said a lack of execution inevitably led to a 3-0 shutout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center.

"Our inability to execute on the power play was the difference tonight," Lalonde said. "You get that many looks and to not generate a goal, that was the difference. It's frustrating because this game was very winnable. It was there."
After a scoreless first period, Philadelphia scored twice in the middle frame to take a 2-0 lead into the second intermission. The Red Wings applied pressure in the third, but a late empty-netter by the Flyers capped a game in which Detroit goalie Alex Nedeljkovic said "pucks just didn't sit right."
"Whatever it was tonight, we just couldn't finish," said Nedeljkovic, who stopped 19-of-21 shots in his first NHL start since Dec. 8. "Playing games like that, yeah we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a little bit. It's gonna happen, but we were right there."
The Red Wings, who could not get anything past opposing netminder Carter Hart, finished 0-for-7 on the power play. The loss dropped the Detroit to 31-32-9 (71 points) on the season, while Philadelphia (28-32-12; 68 points) swept the season series.
"You gotta learn how to flip some of these games," Lalonde said. "No matter what our roster looks like or the situation is."
NEXT UP: The Red Wings will return home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at Little Caesars Arena.

SCORING SUMMARY

Philadelphia 1, Detroit 0 (10:10, 2nd period)
Kieffer Bellows jumped on a rebound down low and snapped it into the back of the net to kick off the scoring.
Philadelphia 2, Detroit 0 (19:24, 2nd period)
After Rasmus Ristolainen forced a Red Wings turnover, he set up Scott Laughton on the rush for a 4-on-4 goal that doubled Philadephia's lead.
Philadelphia 3, Detroit 0 (18:41, 3rd period)
Tyson Foerster put the game out of reach with an empty-netter.

QUOTABLE

Lalonde on what happens when Detroit is unable to convert on the man advantage
"It just zaps energy, too. When the power play is sharp and generating offense, you can get some energy off it. Tonight, we just couldn't execute on it. It's unfortunate because it's been humming pretty good of late."
Lalonde on Nedeljkovic's start
"Excellent. It was a tough net-game to play in that we didn't give up a ton but when we did, it was of the Grade-A variety. He was sharp. I love the way he handles the puck. Really good performance by him tonight."
Nedeljkovic on Saturday's game
"Overall, I thought we were fine. It wasn't great. It wasn't bad. A pretty decent hockey game. They worked for their chances and they buried them when they got them."
Copp on the level of urgency
"It was alright. It can always be raised. I think once we got down, 2-0, and in the third, I thought we pushed decently. But it feels like it comes a little too late sometimes. We gotta figure out a way to get a little more jam in our game, for sure."