The Philadelphia Flyers had their four-game winning streak come to a close at the hands of the Nashville Predators in overtime, 3-2. Now 15-10-3 on the season, the Flyers have a five-game point streak going even with the loss. What were some takeaways from the defeat?
Flyers Beat Themselves
Typically, it’s exaggerated when it is stated that a team was robbed of four or five goals in a game, but that was not the case this time. Predators goaltender Juuse Saros turned aside multiple breakaway chances and several point-blank opportunities. At the end of the day, the Flyers beat themselves by not taking advantage of their offensive generation.
There are games where the Flyers go cold in terms of how much they’re generating offensively, but this was actually one of their best. Simply put, they could not beat Saros in this game at all. Some of that should be put on their shooters for not choosing the right places to shoot, but the goaltender deserves his flowers. He robbed the Flyers all night, and was easily Nashville’s best player on the ice.
There are games where the goals won’t come. That is the reality that an overachieving rebuilder has to face. It’s certainly frustrating to not score on high-quality looks, and that is especially the case when it becomes a theme for the game. The Flyers were lucky to be in overtime at all, especially considering a generous “let the boys play” moment with Travis Konecny that directly led to the game’s tying goal.
Other than some frustrating offensive chances that went awry, the Flyers played a solid game. Even getting to overtime in the first place was a feat in its own right, given the Flyers were down 2-0 late in the second period and starting to see their play slip a bit. The Flyers have had much worse offensive performances even in some of their wins, so the finishing is essentially a non-issue.
Couturier Keeps Coming Up Clutch
When the Flyers needed him most, Sean Couturier was up to the task for the Flyers. Recently celebrating his 31st birthday, he is still in his prime. Vital at both ends of the ice, his goal with 24 seconds left in the second period turned the tides for the Flyers, solving Saros and getting them on the board. Without that goal, the game would have likely been over before the third period even started.
Couturier’s clutch gene has been very noticeable this season. He has both of the Flyers’ overtime-winning goals on the season, including one this December. He is always showing up when the Flyers need him most, whether that’s on defense, in the neutral zone, in the offensive zone, on the forecheck, or even on the draw. He has a built-in clutch ability that not many other Flyers have.
Getting to his goal, he outwaited Saros to bury the puck on a 2-on-1. Watching his teammates go the entire contest having their high-danger opportunities snuffed out, Couturier was the first to have the correct approach. His patience and poise on that goal are what shows that he is a special player. That helped extend his current point streak to six games, notching two in this game.
Ersson Needs to Shake Off the Loss
Getting the start in goal for the Flyers was none other than backup netminder Sam Ersson, and that move was a good one regardless of what the result was. In November which saw him become a finalist for the NHL’s Rookie of the Month award, he had a .926 save percentage (SV%), a 1.70 goals-against average (GAA), and a 4-2-0 record. These are numbers that you’d expect out of an elite starter, not a 24-year-old backup.
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Ersson’s game against Nashville marks his second game this month, and it was his worst statistical start since his struggles in October, where he had a .760 SV% and 5.91 GAA in two games. He wasn’t particularly bad, but he’d certainly want a leaky goal in overtime back. It appeared as though he had the puck covered on a rather harmless shot that went into his chest, but Nashville forward Filip Forsberg potted a loose puck to give his team the winner.
By no means did the Flyers lose because of Ersson in this game. Sure, it might have been nice for him to get a few more big saves, but he did his part. He did still have some key stops, but the overall result isn’t a confidence booster. A bounce back from him will be necessary moving forward, as he is still capable of more than what he showed.
Letting Ersson bet on himself is a good way to create healthy goaltending. If the Flyers are relying on starter Carter Hart too much, Ersson won’t be prepared to come in on back-to-back games. Having him play as often as possible is good, but it might be some time before that happens. The Flyers don’t play on consecutive nights until Dec. 21 and Dec. 22, right before the NHL’s Christmas break. If he can’t get in before then, it’ll be necessary for him to have shaken off this loss and be back to his peak performance.
The Flyers will return to the ice on Thursday, Dec. 14 to face the Washington Capitals in Philadelphia. A big divisional matchup, a win there would be a fantastic way to get right back in the win column.
