Flyers blow two-goal lead, drop second straight to Senators

The Flyers certainly didn't have their best against the Senators. It's a tough look blowing a multi-goal lead to one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. It is the second time Philadelphia has given up five goals to Ottawa. Both teams were on the second half of a back-to-back, so there are no excuses when it came to the energy factor.

The game started off promising, albeit weirdly, as well. The Flyers' power play, with the addition of Egor Zamula, has found a way to generate more chances lately. Jamie Drysdale's arrival has also given a boost to the unit. While it is not fixed by any means, the unit came in scoring six goals in its last 26 chances. That came after a 2-for-41 struggle before that. They added two more goals to that tally with their multi-power play goal game since Nov. 30.

Sometimes, you get lucky in this league, and that is what happened for Zamula on the Flyers' first goal.

Egor Zamula Giveth, Egor Zamula Taketh Away

One of the positives of this game is that Zamula had the first two-goal game of his career. His addition to the power play unit has added a bit of calmness. He knows when to slow things down at the point. Zamula also has a knack for getting his shot on the net. He now has eight power play points on the season.

After a scramble in front of Mads Sogard, no one knew where the puck went. It was assumed to have been somewhere under the equipment of the Senators' goaltender. Except, that wasn't where it ended up. The initial shot on the net bounded off Sogard and ricocheted to the left side boards. Zamula was the only one to notice it, as he quickly skated over and fired it into the empty net.

Later in the period, Zamula tallied his second of the afternoon. Cam Atkinson stole the puck along the boards and passed it to Joel Farabee, who had just entered the zone. Farabee found Zamula alone at the point. He took a step in and fired the puck through traffic. Sogard may have not ended up seeing the puck, as his own teammates were in the way.

Unfortunately, Zamula aided in the Senators getting on the board in the second period. It was former Flyer Zack MacEwen who scored just his second goal of the season four minutes in. Zamula was unable to take the pass from Ryan Poehling. That sent MacEwen on a breakaway where he picked his spot and went bar down behind Sam Ersson.

Zamula would end up with an assist on the Flyers' second power-play goal. Joel Farabee, who has tied his career high in points (39), tallied the goal on the man advantage. He finished the afternoon with three points as well.

Four Unanswered Goals

After Farabee's goal gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead, the Senators would score the next four en route to their 5-3 victory. Tim Stutzle's goal came off another scramble in front of the net. With bodies on the ice and a delayed penalty coming, the puck slid under Ersson and into the net. After a review to see if the Flyers touched the puck, it was deemed a good goal. The goal was credited to Vladimir Tarasenko but was later changed to Stutzle.

Another former Flyer would strike, as this time it was former captain Claude Giroux scoring his 14th of the season. Ersson and Sean Couturier were unable to clear the puck in front of the net. As the puck rolled across the blue paint, Giroux was able to put it into the empty net. Brady Tkachuk took the initial shot as he won the board battle and spun the shot toward the net. It hit a body in front, allowing Giroux to follow things up.

Tarasenko would get his goal with just over five minutes remaining in the third period. It was another odd-man rush for the Senators. A pass across the zone from Nick Seeler was intercepted by Mathieu Joseph, springing Ottawa on a 2-on-1. There was not much Ersson could do as Joseph sent the puck past the diving Seeler. Tarasenko one-timed the puck by the sprawling Ersson.

Stutzle would ice the game with the empty netter and his second goal of the afternoon. Overall, it was a rough game for Philadelphia, as there was not much to like about their effort. They did not have double-digit shots on the net in any period. Their streak of 10 games with 35+ shots on net was also broken in the loss. They were outshot 34-25 and never seemed to look comfortable.

The Flyers will have a day to let this one settle with the Tampa Bay Lightning coming to Philadelphia on Tuesday.