On March 21, the Philadelphia Flyers got a much-needed point out of their contest with a really tough Carolina Hurricanes team but fell short in overtime, 3-2. The Flyers played a great game and especially well in the third period, but it wasn’t enough to secure a full two points. What were some takeaways?
Flyers Did Well to Battle
The Flyers technically scored the first goal of the game, but that tally being taken off the board meant they never actually had a lead in this one. After Carolina struck first, Scott Laughton responded almost immediately after. When the Hurricanes struck again to take the lead, Travis Konecny took care of the garbage in front of the net to tie the game midway through the third period.
There were definitely some instances where the Flyers were outplayed, but, overall, they appeared to be the better team for a majority of the game. For them to compete with one of the hottest teams in the NHL and one that might have a chance to win the Presidents’ Trophy when all is said and done, is a good sign of how well they played.
It’s very evident that the Flyers lack star power, but that wasn’t really shown in this game. Sure, the Hurricanes did a better job of taking advantage of their big chances than the Flyers did in the end, but if the names weren’t shown on the back of Philadelphia’s jerseys, they could be mistaken for a team with star talent.
The Flyers were outmatched and their power play did them no help, letting a lengthy two-man advantage go awry, but they were still in the game until the end. The Flyers lost in overtime, but there is no 3-on-3 in the postseason — if it’s the Hurricanes the Flyers end up playing if they do end up clinching, they have a plausible chance of an upset if they can build on what they did here.
Tippett & Frost Are Flyers’ Best Forwards
In a general sense, Konecny is the Flyers’ best forward. He leads the team in points currently and has done so in three of his last four campaigns. But it has been Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost who have taken over recently, especially in this game. On a line with one another, a duo that head coach John Tortorella has clearly grown a liking to recently, they flourished.
The first goal of this game that was disallowed was one where Tippett and Frost did their magic, but Konecny was a bit offside so it didn’t count. That didn’t stop the two from going at it again in the third period to help tie the game. Tippett created a play out of nothing, dished the puck down low, received it back, created chaos in front with Frost, and Konecny finished the chance on a wide-open net in the end.
Right now, Tippett and Frost are really the only two Flyers forwards who are creating chances. Being able to create opportunities is a genuine gift in the NHL. The Hurricanes have a lot of these players, but it was the two Flyers who did the best of that in this contest.
Related: Flyers’ Owen Tippett Has the Raw Talent to Become a Star
When both Tippett and Frost show flashes of talent, it’s pretty marvelous to see. They played like genuine stars in this one, picking up the slack for the rest of the team that didn’t quite have an impact. The former is already locked up to an eight-year contract, but the latter will be a restricted free agent (RFA) after the 2024-25 season. It’ll be a big decision to make, but perhaps the Flyers should consider doing so.
Some 3-on-3 Shenanigans
In overtime, Tortorella made some interesting lineup choices. Instead of putting out the red-hot Tippett or Frost on a line, he actually didn’t use them at all. Against the Hurricanes’ top stars, he opted for the likes of Ryan Poehling, Tyson Foerster, Scott Laughton, and Joel Farabee.
And, of course, the Flyers never really got a chance to win in overtime. Farabee got a high-quality look, but he missed the net, and a 2-on-1 goal from Seth Jarvis, a star player, ended the Orange and Black. The lines were bad in both foresight and looking back in hindsight, and it cost the Flyers a point.
For a team whose motto has been “safe is death,” playing safe in overtime with primarily defensive forwards is a bit contradictory to that. Even though Konecny didn’t play well whatsoever aside from the goal he scored, he would have been a better option than what the Flyers chose. Getting a single point was good, but two would have really put the Flyers in a great position — they had nothing to lose.
Stanley Cup Playoff Check-in
With this game over with, the Flyers now have just 12 games left in their 2023-24 season. Sitting at 35-26-9 with 79 points, they will retain third place in the Metropolitan Division for just a little while longer. MoneyPuck has them at a 90.9 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs, so their odds are fairly solid.
The Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders, two teams chasing the Flyers, faced off on March 21. Detroit took that one in regulation, putting them at 78 points in 70 games but without a tiebreaker — the Flyers hold that because of their 27 regulation wins if that’s what it came down to. As for the Islanders, they sit at 73 points in 69 games and have nothing but an easy road ahead.
The Washington Capitals lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 20, putting them at 75 points in 68 games. They have 27 regulation wins just like the Flyers, so they could end up passing Philadelphia if they use their games in hand wisely. Fortunately for the Flyers, their schedule is one of the toughest in hockey, so they’d need to go on a pretty remarkable run.
Ending off, the New Jersey Devils have quietly been keeping themselves in the playoff race. Their 72 points in 70 games aren’t great, but they could make themselves known if they put together some wins. The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t too far behind with 69 points in 68 contests, but being a full 10 points behind Philadelphia makes it a hard mountain to climb for them.
Next up, the Flyers will take on the Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center to end their season series. Boston has taken the first two, so a series sweep is what they’ll be looking to accomplish. As for the Flyers, just playing that game is good news for them — only three of their last 11 games are against teams currently in a playoff spot.
