Flyers continue to have shootout problems, losing to Winnipeg

The Flyers' well-documented shootout problems continued Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bryan Little was the lone scorer in the shootout, giving the Winnipeg Jets a 2-1 win and snapping their three-game losing streak.

"Just a little too late to close the five-hole," said losing goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped the first two shootout shots, drawing a standing ovation from most of the crowd.

The Flyers, who struggled to find their rhythm until the third period, are 1-4 in shootouts this season and 20-38 in their history.

The Flyers' Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, and Jaromir Jagr were stopped by Ondrej Pavelec in the shootout. Despite being the NHL's second-highest scoring team, the Flyers have struggled to find the range in shootouts. Their shooters are just 5 for 15 this season.

"We score a lot of goals; we're one of the highest-scoring teams in the league," coach Peter Laviolette said when asked about the shootout woes. "I'm not sure I have an answer."

It was the Flyers' third straight shootout. They split the first two, losing to Boston and beating Florida.

"We have a lot of skill up front, and I don't know if guys are gripping the stick a little too much," center Brayden Schenn said.

The Flyers, who dropped 9-8 and 6-4 decisions to the Jets earlier this season, have lost nine of their last 10 against Winnipeg (formerly Atlanta), going 1-6-3 in that stretch.

"We played good in spurts, but you can't win like that," winger Scott Hartnell said.

The Flyers have not beaten a team from Winnipeg in Philadelphia since 1996.

With 8:38 left in regulation and the game tied at 1-1, Pavelec made a great stop on Hartnell after he took a pass from Giroux on a two-on-one.

The Flyers were given a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty with 4:18 left, but Winnipeg did not manage any shots with the man advantage.

Winnipeg's Andrew Ladd was alone in front with just under a minute left, but his shot hit the outside of the post as a lunging Bryzgalov stretched his stick across the crease.

The Flyers outshot the Jets, 28-24.

Little broke in alone 45 seconds into overtime and rifled a shot off the post.

The Flyers' best overtime chance came with 13.5 seconds left. Defenseman Andrej Meszaros cleverly maneuvered around a defender and near the left circle, but he fired the shot wide.

Before Tuesday, the last time the Flyers and Jets played at the Wells Fargo Center, they combined for 17 goals in Winnipeg's 9-8 win.

So, naturally, the teams couldn't get off a shot on goal, let alone score, for most of Tuesday's first period. There were 19 blocked shots in the period, including three by the Flyers' Kimmo Timonen.

Winnipeg, playing without injured all-star defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, managed its first shot with 9:24 to go - and Bryzgalov made a nice glove save on Blake Wheeler's left-circle drive.

The Flyers, who had 48 shots in that Oct. 27 loss, didn't put a puck on net until 6:24 remained in the first period. Pavelec made an easy save on Jakub Voracek's drive.

While on the power play, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead as Schenn, after taking a feed from Matt Carle, scored on his own rebound. The rookie knocked the puck away from Pavelec's pads with 4:49 left in the period, and it crossed the goal line by inches.

Right winger Chris Thorburn, who was in the penalty box for roughing Hartnell when Schenn scored, made amends by scoring on a quick wrist shot from the right circle, knotting the score at 1-all after 2:06 of the second period. It was his first goal in 50 games this season

With 12:13 to go in the second, Jagr's wicked one-timer from the high slot beat Pavelec but hit iron.

Jagr, who sat out the previous two games with a groin injury, began the game on a line with Schenn and Matt Read. He moved to his regular spot, alongside Giroux and Hartnell, during the third period, and that unit generated lots of chances.

"It was probably better for me to start on a different line. There was probably less pressure and I could slowly get into the game," said Jagr, who picked up an assist.