Flyers lose in shootout after forcing a tie
SUNRISE, Fla. - Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere returned home, scored a late goal, and enabled the Flyers to salvage what could be a critical point Saturday night at the BB&T Center.
SUNRISE, Fla. - Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere returned home, scored a late goal, and enabled the Flyers to salvage what could be a critical point Saturday night at the BB&T Center.
The Flyers dropped a 5-4 shootout decision to the Panthers, but they collected three out of four possible points in two tough weekend games in Florida.
Gostisbehere sent the game into overtime by scoring with 1 minute, 55 seconds left in regulation.
"When the game is getting tighter, he elevates his game," captain Claude Giroux said.
Gostisbehere, playing his first NHL game in the South Florida arena where he watched the Panthers play as a youngster, scored on a point drive to tie the score at 4-4. Ryan White set a screen in front.
It gave Gostisbehere 15 goals and, amazingly, every one has tied a game or given the Flyers the lead. The latest ignited loud cheers from his 50 relatives and friends in the crowd.
"That was awesome," said Gostisbehere, who grew up in nearby Margate. "Of course, we wanted a better result at the end, but it's kind of a dream come true. You grow up watching all the games in this building, and to go out there and score a goal is pretty cool."
On Friday, the Flyers recorded their first win in Tampa in eight years, whipping the Lightning, 3-1.
"If you told me we were going to get three points this weekend, I would have taken it," Giroux said. "But we were in a situation to get two points there and at the end with that two-minute four-on-three. I take responsibility for that one. I think we need to get it done. That's a really big point we need to get."
The Flyers squandered the overimte power play, then went 0 for 2 in the shootout as Sam Gagner and Nick Cousins were stopped by Roberto Luongo. Florida went 2 for 2 against Steve Mason.
In shootouts, the Flyers are 2-7, a big reason they are not in a playoff position.
The Flyers, outplayed in the third period by the fresher Panthers, are two points behind Pittsburgh for the final wild-card spot, and three points behind Detroit, which will play at the Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.
The Flyers have 15 games remaining - and five are against the Red Wings and Penguins.
"It's a hard-earned point," said Gagner, who had two assists and played nearly 20 minutes. "It's a tough building to play in coming off a back-to-back. I thought the guys pushed really hard and kept fighting when we got down. It's obviously not a situation you want to be in, down in the third, but we kept fighting."
Florida had scored two goals 65 seconds apart midway through the third period to erase a 3-2 deficit.
Mason, coming off the 3-1 win in Tampa, made his second start in as many nights. Michal Neuvirth, the expected starter, came down with a stomach virus earlier in the day.
Michael Raffl scored on a redirection of Evgeny Medvedev's point drive with 18:32 left in the third period, giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead.
But Florida quickly regrouped and handed the Flyers just their second loss in the last eight games (6-1-1).
On Friday, the Flyers' second power-play unit produced a pair of goals. The unit added another one Saturday as White scored on a redirection, giving the Flyers a brief 2-1 lead with 6:44 remaining in the second.
Eighteen seconds later, Florida tied it as Jaromir Jagr muscled the puck away from Nick Schultz and dropped a pass to Jonathan Huberdeau, who scored from deep in the left circle.
With 5:24 left in the opening period, Cousins' fifth goal in the last 15 games tied the game at 1-1.
Gagner did the dirty work in the corner, forced a turnover, and made a perfect pass to Cousins, who beat Luongo from out front.
"We know we're in a push for a playoff spot," White said. ".... We have to play desperate hockey and find a way to win games."
Especially the ones against the Red Wings and Penguins.
@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog
