This hellacious two-week string of games continues Saturday night at Boston’s TD Garden against the Bruins. Yes the team has won in the venue in recent years, but there have been some absolutely backbreaking losses in Boston around this time of the season that in previous years has sometimes been the kiss of death as to landing a playoff spot. Once or twice over several seasons is explicable, it’s the nature of sports. But when the Flyers have been in these games only to have something bad in the closing moments or seconds transpire it is beyond baffling.
Maybe the incredible 2010 playoff comeback from 3-0 down against the Bruins is the tradeoff for these losses (eight since 2008). Maybe it’s the tradeoff for future success against an aging Marchand and company. Regardless, the Flyers cannot have a ninth heartbreaker like these eight games described below on Saturday night, can they? (Thanks to hockey-reference for stats.)
1) March 15, 2008: Bruins 3, Flyers 2 (OT)
The game begins with a fight between Riley Cote and Shawn Thornton three minutes in. Later in the first Derian Hatcher breaks his leg blocking a shot from the Bruins’ Andrew Ference. Despite the injury the Flyers, with goals from Mike Richards and Danny Briere, take the lead going into the third. But with the game in their hands in regulation, the Flyers see Ference score to tie the tilt 2-2 with 27 seconds left. In overtime (which was then 4-on-4 but coincidental penalties in overtime made it 3-on-3) Jeff Carter is stopped by Tim Thomas before the Bruins’ Aaron Ward (who also scored the winner in overtime against the Flyers two months prior) scores the winner against Martin Biron.
According to the Associated Press, the Flyers were tied with Boston for seventh in the conference with 10 games left. It also marked the first time the Bruins scored three goals that calendar month. But hey, it’s only one game.
2) January 13, 2011: Bruins 7, Flyers 5
It doesn’t fit the calendar but the script is rather similar. The game begins with a fight two minutes in, this one between Jody Shelley and the Bruins’ Thornton.
After 40 minutes the Flyers are ahead 3-2 on a go-ahead goal by Jeff Carter 36 seconds before the period’s end. But this is where things get very strange. Mark Recchi (the Bruins’ Mark Recchi) ties the game 38 seconds in. According to CBS News, Recchi’s “fluke goal” takes a bad bounce for Flyers’ goalie Brian Boucher (behind the net at the time) and bounces out in the slot to Recchi for an open net. The Bruins’ Michael Ryder scores 70 seconds later to put the Bruins up 4-3.
Exactly five minutes later Briere ties it up then Sean O’Donnell (remember him?) scores 53 seconds later to put the Flyers up 5-4. Marchand ties it up with under nine minutes to play. Then, well, the Bruins’ Steven Kampfer scores with 1:14 left on the clock to break the deadlock. Gregory Campbell pots an empty net goal and another two points in Boston is squandered. But that’s just two games. It’s not like a curse or….
3) March 17, 2012: Bruins 3, Flyers 2 (Overtime shootout loss)
St. Patrick’s Day wasn’t a massacre for the Orange and Black at the TD Garden. Under two minutes in there’s (you guessed it) a fight between Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo and the Bruins’ Gregory Campbell.
The Bruins jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first before Matt Read breaks the shutout in the second and Jacob Voracek ties things up with 4:17 to go in the third. Nothing is decided in the overtime frame but the Flyers, traditionally horrid in the shootout format, light up Tim Thomas on successful attempts by Read and Claude Giroux. Unfortunately Ilya Bryzgalov is also lit up. On the final Flyers attempt Briere needs to score. He doesn’t. Another chance at two points gone.
According to CBS News Bryzgalov had won his previous seven starts before the Boston game and had a 0.99 goals against average over that time. The Bruins, prior to the Flyers tilt, lost the previous four while giving up 21 goals during that streak. To quote Sesame Street’s the Count, three, three very crappy endings….ah ah ah.
4) March 9, 2013: Bruins 3, Flyers 0
The script is a bit different here as Rinaldo and Thornton wait until halfway through the second period to have fisticuffs. But by then the game is a foregone conclusion. The Bruins jump out to a 3-0 lead with three goals in 2:18 before the game is 15 minutes old. Tyler Seguin scores a power play goal to open things up before Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille score less than a minute apart. Mercifully this game does not go 50 minutes or more before the Bruins come in for the kill.
5) April 5, 2014: Bruins 5, Flyers 2
Eleven minutes into the game the Bruins’ Thornton fights a Flyer, this time Jay Rosehill. Both serve five minutes for fighting but Rosehill again figures in the game, scoring a goal with 3:39 left in the second to tie things up. But the tie is tossed out the window when Johnny Boychuk and Milan Lucic score 31 seconds apart with just over six minutes left to play to blow it open. Chris Kelly adds an empty net goal and the Flyers once again without a W at TD Garden.
6) March 7, 2015: Bruins 3, Flyers 2 (OT)
The first of these aforementioned contests that didn’t include a fight had the Flyers up 2-1 after Chris VandeVelde scored with 4:30 left. Victory is in reach, right? Well, Wayne Simmonds takes a tripping penalty with 2:03 to go, making this a nail-biter til the end. With a faceoff to the left of Flyers’ goalie Steve Mason with 18.6 seconds left and the Bruins’ goalie pulled, Claude Giroux loses a faceoff and the puck goes back to Bruins’ blueliner Dougie Hamilton. A wrister from the blueline finds it way between the defensive pair of Luke Schenn and Andrew MacDonald and Marchand gets a deflection to tie the game with 14.1 seconds left.
In overtime it goes from bad to worse as Sean Couturier coughs up the puck in the neutral zone and Maxime Talbot (with the Bruins at the time) feeds Marchand at the blueline. Marchand makes easy work of a sprawling Michael Del Zotto before tossing a backhander at goalie Steve Mason. Del Zotto’s right skate blade deflects the puck like a slow knuckleball over Mason for the game winner in overtime. Couturier takes his frustration out on his stick twice afterwards but again another heartbreaker.
7) March 11, 2017: Bruins 2, Flyers 1
Two minutes in Brandon Manning and the Bruins’ Matt Beleskey each get five minutes for fighting. After two periods the game is tied at one thanks to a goal from Jordan Weal and the Flyers, then clinging to hope to land a wildcard spot (31-27-8 going into the contest), are still in the contest. But with 10 seconds left in regulation, the Bruins’ Drew Stafford skates down the boards, does a poor man’s Savardian spinorama and throws a soft, easy shot towards Flyers goalie Steve Mason. Manning however deflects the puck perfectly into his own net with 5.6 seconds to go. Manning realizes his mistake and this writer goes for a lengthy late afternoon post-game, profanity-muttering walk in frigid suburban Toronto.
8) March 8, 2018: Bruins 3, Flyers 2
If you’re not already numb reading this I promise this is the last one. For now. A fight-free game saw the score 2-2 after two periods following Flyers speed demon Jori Lehtera scoring a short-handed goal through Tuukka Rask’s five-hole after taking a pass from Valtteri Filppula.
With under seven minutes to go in the third Brad Marchand takes a hooking penalty but the Bruins kill it off. As the waning seconds tick down Zdeno Chara takes a shot from the point. The loose puck eludes David Pastrnak but unfortunately for the Flyers goalie Alex Lyon can’t find it as it’s behind him. Marchand beats Lyon (and Shayne Gostisbehere who had positioning) for the winner with 22 seconds left. The Flyers challenge for offsides but Marchand has control while crossing the blueline. Bruins win, Flyers lose. Please make it stop!
