Only flashes of the Flyers in loss to Thrashers

ATLANTA - The difference was night and day.

The Flyers' third period stood out like a man roller-blading through downtown Atlanta in a green dress on St. Patrick's Day - which actually happened.

And it's the contrast - not just in last night's third period when compared to the first two, but also in the last 3 weeks - that has Flyers coach Peter Laviolette so flustered.

"The last couple games, we were complaining about the third periods," Laviolette said. "Now we're complaining about the first two. We need 60 [minutes]. There's no excuse for it."

The flashes of brilliance from the same team that built an eight-point lead atop the Eastern Conference just a few weeks ago are still there.

The only problem is that they are just that. Flashes.

But if you were looking for any silver lining in the Flyers' locker room after their 4-3, shootout loss to the Thrashers at Philips Arena last night, there was none. There was no satisfaction in overcoming three one-goal deficits, including Danny Briere's point-salvaging goal with 1:28 remaining to send the game to overtime.

"It's all about wins now, really," captain Mike Richards said. "Yeah, it's nice to get a point, but we've got to start playing better and more consistent."

With the shootout loss, the Flyers increased their slim lead on the conference to two points - making their magic number three points won or lost between themselves and Carolina to clinch a playoff spot - but Washington can pull into a first-place tie with a win tonight in New Jersey.

The good news is that the Flyers have picked up eight of a possible 10 points in their last five games. But if they played in the Western Conference - where just eight points separate third place and 10th place - the Flyers wouldn't have the luxury they've been afforded.

Put simply, the Flyers haven't been able to find a way to match the desperation of playoff-hungry opponents - whether at the start or at the finish. Their 3-week slump, in some ways, came full circle last night.

The Flyers were held to just 12 shots through the first two periods. It was the second game in a row against Atlanta - and the second time in 5 days - that the Thrashers had held them to that exact total in the first 40 minutes.

But it was the Flyers, and not the Thrashers, who began buzzing in the third. Aside from back-to-back minor penalties from Briere and Sean O'Donnell, the Flyers dominated nearly all of the remaining 15 or 16 minutes of the final frame.

Briere capped off an emotional comeback with 88 seconds to go when he somehow got his stick free from an Atlanta defenseman just inches in front of Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec with a loose puck in sight.

The play seemed to happen in slow motion and Briere was falling to the ice. It was Briere's 31st goal of the season and his second of the game.

"I could see it, and I was falling over the puck," Briere said. "Somehow, it took me a long time to get my stick to it. I was falling forward, it seems like it took a long time for my stick to get loose and I finally just pushed it in."

The end result, though, was no different than Saturday's overtime loss to the Thrashers. And the Flyers had no more answers than they did 5 days before. What suddenly clicked to make them play like a pack of rabid animals?

"I'd love to know and tell you [why]," Claude Giroux said. "We're not playing the way we should. I think it's something we need to work on."

"We started playing physical," Richards said. "When we play our game, it's really evident."

It was also evident that Boucher didn't get a fair shake in the shootout, when Blake Wheeler lost control of the puck and it went sideways. Wheeler momentarily stopped moving and Boucher, caught in an awkward position, thought the attempt was finished.

"I don't know what the ruling was, I guess if the puck is still going forward," Boucher said. "I thought he lost the puck. Not that I gave up on it all the way, but I thought it was gone."

Gone with Wheeler's unintentional fake-out was another possible point.

"It probably wasn't our best piece of work," Boucher admitted. "We would have liked a better effort all around. But I think overall, getting a point is something to be happy about. I guess."

The Flyers are 15-1-3 when Claude Giroux scores a goal . . . The Flyers' home game against the Rangers on Sunday, April 3, was moved up from 3 o'clock to 12:30 p.m. as NBC's game of the week . . . Erik Gustafsson played 9:19 in his second career NHL game. He replaced Nick Boynton . . . Nik Zherdev and Andreas Nodl remained healthy scratches for the fifth consecutive game at forward . . . Chris Pronger, who had hand surgery on Tuesday, said he needs to use this rehab time "wisely" and remain in skating shape. He expects to miss 3 to 4 weeks. His bandages will be removed Sunday, when he can be fitted for a splint and return to skating.

For more news and analysis, read

Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

www.philly.com/FrequentFlyers. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.