Blues 2, Flyers 1: Hollywood’s revenge

The Philadelphia Flyers suffered a tough loss at Wells Fargo Center Monday night, falling to the St. Louis Blues in the shootout by a final score of 2-1. Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes (because of course) scored the only goals in regulation. Sam Ersson was stellar in net, making 25 saves on 26 shots, but Blues netminder Jordan Binnington was even better, turning aside all but one of the Flyers\' 41 shots in the tilt.

The Basics

First period: 18:52 — Laughton (Poehling, Hathaway)

Second period: 15:47 — Hayes (Kapanen)

Third period: Scoreless

SOG: 41 (PHI), 25 (STL)

Takeaways

Laughton looking sharp

With the trade deadline just days away, Scott Laughton is doing everything in his power to prove he deserves to stay in Philadelphia for the long run.

Laughton logged his 10th goal of the season Monday night, giving him points in nine of his last 11 outings. He netted the icebreaker late in the first period on 2-on-1 a rush with Ryan Poehling, deflecting an airborne pass into the net with his hand — legally. The Blues considered challenging the goal, but there was no real evidence suggesting Laughton played the puck unlawfully.

https://twitter.com/NHLFlyers/status/1764814334398534074

Laughton is getting hot at the perfect time, and his strong play is giving the Flyers options with the trade deadline approaching. His trade value is the highest it\'s been all season, meaning the Flyers could fetch a pretty nice return if they opt to move him. If not? They\'ll retain the veteran forward while he\'s playing his best hockey of the campaign after a rough, rough start.

Hayes gets his payback

In his first visit to Philadelphia since being traded to St. Louis in the offseason, Kevin Hayes made sure not to depart without leaving his fingerprints all over the scoresheet.

Late in the middle frame, Hayes beat Sam Ersson on a breakaway to score the Blues\' only non-shootout goal of the night. An ugly turnover by Joel Farabee in the offensive zone opened the lane for Hayes to accept the stretch feed from Kasperi Kapanen.

https://twitter.com/BroadStHockey/status/1764826025744118147

Fans were left groaning with displeasure after watching yet another former Flyer find twine against their previous club, but the vibes weren\'t all bad. Those in attendance for the contest gave Hayes a nice ovation during his video tribute on the big screen.

It may not have worked out for Hayes in Philadelphia, but he has the city\'s respect.

https://twitter.com/BroadStHockey/status/1764808762638930407

Seeler toughs it out

No one has ever questioned Nick Seeler\'s toughness, but he put it on full display against St. Louis.

Seeler, currently leading the entire NHL with 184 blocked shots on the season, briefly exited the game — clearly unable to put much weight on his left foot — late in the middle frame after taking a vicious Colton Parayko slapper off the ankle.

https://twitter.com/ryanquigz/status/1764828968673317308

Incredibly, the 30-year-old blueliner returned for the third period and finished the game with 16:57 of ice time.

Seeler\'s status for Thursday\'s tilt against the Florida Panthers is unclear, but the Flyers will be hoping their second-pair blueliner will be ready to return as quickly as possible.

Talking Points