After a disappointing 5-2 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres, the Philadelphia Flyers find themselves in a rut. This marks their fifth loss in the last six games, with the team struggling to convert their chances into goals.
Game Overview
The game started off on a sour note for the Flyers, with goaltender Carter Hart forced to exit early due to a mid-body injury. Despite this setback, the Flyers managed to outshoot the Sabres by an impressive margin of 40 to 15. However, Sabres' goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was in exceptional form, saving 38 out of the 40 shots aimed at him.
Key Moments
The decisive moment of the match came in the third period when Owen Power scored the decisive goal. Speaking about his goal after the match, Power said, "Tage put it in a good spot and dropped it," adding, "I just walked in and shot it. It's nice to get my first goal earlier than last year."
Team Reactions
Despite the loss, Flyers' coach John Tortorella remained optimistic, stating, "We started slow again. Gathered ourselves and I thought we played a pretty good hockey game from that point on." Scott Laughton echoed these sentiments, saying, "We played a pretty good game for 50 minutes and don't get the results, so go back to the drawing board."
On the other side, Sabres' goaltender Luukkonen praised his team's defensive efforts, saying, "We locked down defensively," and further added, "Even though they had a lot of shots, the defense was unreal in boxing out and blocking shots. It wasn't pretty but a win is a win."
Don Granato, the Sabres' coach, also expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance. "It was a good reset for us going in tied into the third and we limited second chances on the net," he said. He further acknowledged the competitiveness of the Flyers, stating, "This was a very competitive group we played against with pace."
Looking Forward
The Flyers and Sabres will be back on the ice for a rematch this coming Friday in Buffalo. If Hart is unable to recover from his injury in time, Felix Ersson may take over as the starting goaltender for the Flyers. The team will be looking to bounce back and break their losing streak.