Flyers doubled up by Flames in disappointing loss

The Flyers will want to forget about this one as they were doubled up by the Flames 6-3 on Saturday night.

Calgary has scored 12 goals in its first two games after winning 6-5 in its season opener. The Flyers, on the other hand, were plagued with some of the issues that have followed them in previous seasons.  

Poor defensive play, subpar goaltending, and the inability to finish on their scoring chances. The Flyers threw 40 shots at rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf. And while you can credit the Flames’ goaltender, you’d like to see the offense get rewarded more with the amount of shots they took.

This one is going to sit with the Flyers for a few days as they won’t return to action until Tuesday.

Ivan Fedotov’s night to forget

This was only Ivan Fedotov’s fourth career NHL game. It is going to take some time for him to settle into the league. And while he did make some crucial saves at times, allowing five goals typically isn’t going to win you many games.

He wasn’t as bad as the numbers indicate. Two of the five goals he allowed came on the Flames’ power play, one of which was a two-man advantage. Another came off a 2-on-1 rush, while one took a weird bounce off Jonathan Huberdeau.

Regardless, you’d like to see Fedotov track the puck better than he has during his time in the NHL. It’s only the second game of the season so there’s plenty of time. Give it a few games and if the trend continues, then maybe the Flyers have to think of other options.

Tyson Foerster stands out….for good and bad reasons

Standing up for a teammate is never going to be a bad thing. It can bring a team closer together when each is willing to go to battle for one another. Tyson Foerster did just that when Jamie Drysdale took a hard hit with about seven minutes left in the second period.

You have to like the young forward immediately stepping in for Drysdale. But you don’t like the 17 minutes in penalties that Foerster was handed afterward. Along with the fighting major, he was given a two-minute instigator penalty and a 10-minute misconduct. Having him off the ice for any amount of time isn’t ideal.

He did look confident offensively when he was out on the ice. It didn’t end up leading to any points, but considering how he started last season, it was a welcoming sight. It was great to see him step up for Drysdale, but the Flyers would much rather see his hands scoring goals than making punches

Travis Konecny pots two goals

Not lost in the defeat was the fact that Travis Konecny had himself a solid offensive night. The Flyers’ MVP and All-Star wasn’t willing to let the team go down without a fight. And that’s exactly what you want to see from one of the leaders on the team.

Down 2-0 in the second period, Konecny teamed up with his shorthanded partner Scott Laughton to get the Flyers on the board and back in the game. Konecny leads the NHL with 10 shorthanded homes since John Tortorella has put him on the unit. It was Erik Johnson who helped set up the goal as he blocked a pass from Blake Coleman, sending Konecny and Laughton on the rush.

It was slick passing between the two as Konecny was left with a wide-open net to deposit the puck into.

His second goal brought the Flyers within two late in the third period. This one came on the power play and had something special behind it. Down low, Morgan Frost slid a pass to Matvei Michkov behind the goal line. Michkov one-timed a pass to Konecny in the slot as he managed to get it through traffic and behind Wolf.

Konecny, before celebrating, grabbed the puck for Michkov after registering his first point in the NHL. Despite the loss, it was a nice moment for the Russian rookie to record his first point. There will surely be plenty more to follow.

Other Observations 

• Joel Farabee scored his first goal of the season to cut the deficit to one again at the end of the second period.
• Morgan Frost briefly left the game after taking a big hit from MacKenzie Weegar. He returned but still looked to be feeling the effects. We’ll keep an eye on his status.
• Jett Luchanko was a healthy scratch as the Flyers don’t want to overwhelm the 18-year-old right away. Noah Cates made his season debut in Luchanko’s place.
• Owen Tippett had nine hits, by far the most of his career.

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