Nielsen’s shootout goal leaves Flyers behind
DETROIT » Frans Nielsen’s shootout score turned a frantic Flyers finish into futility Tuesday night, lifting the host Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 victory. Dylan Larkin scored twice for the Wings, who had gone into the game on an 0-9-1 slide.
The loss leaves the Flyers (37-2512, 86 points) out of the top three playoff spots in the Metropolitan Division. They trail both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets by one point. They are three points ahead of the Devils but only five ahead of the hardcharging Florida Panthers (37-27-7, 81 points), who won for a second time in straight nights and have played three less games.
After a scoreless first period, the Flyers reverted back to their recent chaotic form in the second period.
Leading the way was replacement goaltender Petr Mrazek, who after a solid performance Sunday against Washington went flipping, flopping, slipping and sliding on his way to an early yank in this period.
First Dylan Larkin, who hadn’t scored since Feb. 13, ripped a wrist shot past the Flyers goalie at 6:08 for a 1-0 Red Wings lead. Then things got much worse after the Flyers went on a power play.
Luke Glendening took position of a puck in front of his goal after a blocked Flyers shot. Glendening glided down the right side of the ice, spotted the whole way by Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. He didn’t make an aggressive move, so Glendening wound up taking a sharp-angle shot ... and Mrazek allowed it to slip over his left shoulder.
While it was a good shot, it showed a tendency of the Czech goalie to go early to his knees. Perhaps the Red Wings know that tendence of their former teammate.
Either way it was now a 2-0 Red Wings lead just 7:59 into the period. But just 54 seconds later, a Claude Giroux shot found iron, the rebound going to Sean Couturier. He swung and missed at first, but took another whack and jammed it past Wings goalie Jimmy Howard to halve the deficit to one.
It was Couturier’s 30th goal of the season (and was long in coming) and the 100th of his career.
But it did not inspire a raise in performance by his team. The Flyers responded to the big goal by getting careless in their zone once again. This time Mrazek was flying to and fro, making a pair of saves along the way, but the puck couldn’t be cleared. Finally, Evgeny Svechnikov scored on a rebound for his first NHL goal ... and the last one that would go past Mrazek in this return to his old Detroit home.
Flyers coach Dave Hakstol replaced him, and Mrazek appeared to say something when he reached the bench. He briefly went down the tunnel before returning to the bench-gate seat.
Once again, backup rookie Alex Lyon played well after going in, covering up for a Jake Voracek mistake by making a big save right at the buzzer ending the second period.
The Flyers cranked up the offensive pressure in the third period, however, and it paid off. It was the fourth line doing the work first, with Scott Laughton finally launching a shot into a crowd that deflected off Matt Read’s leg and pinballed past Howard. It was Read’s first NHL goal in almost a calendar year.
Then right after, Ivan Provorov got nicked by a Detroit high stick. On the ensuing power play, Shayne Gostisbehere drilled a shot over Howard’s shoulder and the Flyers suddenly had the game tied at 3-3 with 10:19 remaining in regulation. There would be plenty left. The Flyers, so vulnerable when it comes to losing puck battles along the boards lately, lost another behind their net after a long period of domination in the period. That fast, a wide-open Larkin got a pass in the slot and returned it right past goalie Alex Lyon for a 4-3 Wings lead with 5:54 left. But only 20 seconds later, Travis Konency went charging toward the net. He intersected with a Claude Giroux shot and bounced the puck off his belly and into the net.
One video review later, the were awarded a 4-4 tie.
The Flyers again pressed the issue until Konecny, playing with a fervor, took a shot from behind in the Wings’ slot. It resulted in a penalty and the Flyers took it into overtime.
The Flyers had some good chances in it, but Lyon was outstanding, keeping the Wings from scoring a winner despite a few point-blank chances in the waning seconds of the extra session. Flyers