Flyers Postgame Blog: Execution, One Costly 5-Minute Stretch, & How to Move Forward

It was a must-win game for the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. They could not get it done, falling 3-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

The Flyers got off to one of, if not their best start of the season. They came out strong, aggressive, and were making plays. Despite such a strong effort, the Flyers were held to just a single goal, a late first-period tally by Sean Couturier.

That was not for a lack of opportunities. Philadelphia had all of the chances in the world to score more than once in the first period, but could not execute.

The Blue Jackets’ dominating start to the second period was no help to the cause, either. Columbus went on a five-minute run where the Flyers could not do a thing to stop them. They scored twice, took the lead, and never looked back.

After that stretch, the game was pretty much even. Scoresheet aside, the Blue Jackets may have had the upper hand in the final 35 minutes, but they did not really do much with it. What eventually went down as the game-winner, scored by Mason Marchment, was from an unreal angle. He was below the left-side faceoff dot, and somehow put it up and over the glove of Dan Vladar on the far side for the goal.

Jamie Drysdale brought the Flyers back within one late in the third with the extra attacker on the ice, but it was too little, too late.

A lack of execution and one five-minute stretch was costly to the Flyers. So where do they go from here?

Read More: Flyers Late-Push Not Enough, Lose Critical Game vs. Blue Jackets

Flyers had plenty of chances; poor execution was costly

Following Tuesday’s loss, head coach Rick Tocchet put a lot of emphasis on the team’s execution. “[After the first period], it should have been 3-0,” Tocchet said. “For the most part, I thought we played a good game. Execution is something we talked about all year. We’ve got to keep working on it. You know, that’s something you can still work on.”

Tocchet mentioned a specific score that he thought should have been after the first period. When asked to clarify, he said, “You got a penalty shot, you got a breakaway; you’ve got to score it. I mean, you get those opportunities; some teams don’t need a lot. We probably need a lot, and we’ve got to keep working on it.”

Sean Couturier scored the team’s late-first-period goal to make it 1-0. The other two chances? Well, that was an early Owen Tippett Breakaway that was blocked by Jet Greaves, and a Noah Cates penalty shot, which was also saved by Columbus’s keeper.

The Flyers played an excellent first period. In fact, it was probably one of their best of the season. Everyone had their legs; they seemed aggressive, but they just could not execute.

On the power play, and even some lengthy offensive-zone possessions, it was much of the same issues. Too much passing around and not enough shots on goal. The Flyers tend to look for the perfect shot. Sometimes, you just have to take a good shot, not a great one, for a chance to score a goal.

The offensive execution was not the only thing Tocchet mentioned. Defensively, the team failed to execute during one stretch that proved critical for the Flyers.

The costly 5-minute stretch

Philly came out firing on all cylinders in the first period. The Blue Jackets had that same intensity coming out of the first intermission. It was like a whole new team had taken the ice. Columbus was now the team skating fast, playing physically, and creating problems for the opposing goalie.

The Blue Jackets scored twice within the first 2:28 of the second period, giving them a lead that never slipped.

Tocchet discussed the two quick goals allowed in the second period. “There were a couple of mistakes by a couple of guys. A breakaway, Weresnki goes down the pipe. You make a couple of mistakes, now you’re chasing the game.”

Some of that execution from the previous section falls on the defensive play.

On Mathieu Olivier’s goal to start the scoring, it looked like the 4th line went off for an early change while the Blue Jackets were in transition. That left the Flyers defenders in a bad spot, virtually a 4-on-2. Jamie Drysdale had good positioning on Zach Werenski, who had the puck. It looked like Rasmus Ristolainen was leaning towards the puck rather than sticking with Olivier. That left the Columbus skater with enough space to fire a puck past Dan Vladar, who probably wants that one back.

The second goal, you can’t fault Vladar. Werenski is a premier shooting blueliner – he should never have the slot alone. He did, and it gave him space for the easy score.

Zegras had lost the puck trying to clear the zone. He initially started down low in the zone, but bit on Damon Severson before the puck was passed to Weresnki. If Zegras had stayed home, Werenski likely wouldn’t have gotten that open.

Tocchet said outside of the first five minutes of the second period, it was an even game. I’d have to say I agree.

Now, where do the Flyers go from here?

Tuesday’s game was a must-win for their playoff hopes. The loss does not take them out of the hunt. What it did do was make the task of sneaking into the playoffs 10 times more difficult.

Travis Konecny is still confident that the team will keep doing what they need to do. “No, we’re good,” said the team’s alternate captain when asked if the loss took the wind out of their sails.

“It’s not like we were going to win out the rest of the year. We lost one game against an opponent that was above us. It’s frustrating, but it is what it is. Now we just have to regroup.”

Konecny, who definitely seemed to take the loss hard, sitting in his stall in full uniform longer than anyone else, has the mentality to move on to the next one. He knows that in a race like this, you can’t dwell on the losses. You have to move forward.

After the game, Flyers’ captain Sean Couturier said it was obviously a missed opportunity for the team. Getting two points is important in every game from here on out. Not allowing a team you’re fighting to get any points is just as important. Still, Couturier’s message echoes that of Konecny. “There’s still a lot of hockey left. We still believe in our group, and we’re gonna refocus, get ready for the next game, move on, and try to get another winning streak going.”

As for on the ice, Travis Sanheim said moving forward, the team has to dig in a little harder, just like they did not on the California road trip. “You can’t take one shift off, one play off. At this time of year, it’s playoff hockey for us. We’ve got to treat it like it is.” Still, the alternate captain has that same shared belief as the two other members of the leadership group. “The confidence is still high. And we believe in this group. We know the task ahead is challenging. Take it game by game and day by day, and, you know, just try to do our best.“

The Flyers are still just five points out of the last Wild Card spot, and six points back of the last spot in the Metropolitan. However, with the Red Wings, Bruins, Islanders, and Penguins all losing on Tuesday, this was a missed opportunity for the Flyers to make up some much-needed ground.

Read More: Flyers Must-Win Games: Final Push for Playoffs Continues on Tuesday

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