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Takeaways from Flyers’ 6-4 loss to Red Wings

Posted on by Jason MacNeil
Dec 18, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings right wing Patrick Kane (88) makes an assist to right wing Alex DeBrincat (93) as Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (8) attempts to defend during the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

The Flyers looked listless, had some brain cramps (as did one referee) and came up short in their come back. The result? A 6-4 loss to the host Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.

The basics

First period: 1:06- Travis Konecny (Joel Farabee, Sean Couturier), 18:19- J.T. Compher (Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond) (PPG)

Second period: 10:15- A;ex DeBrincat (Patrick Kane), 10:40- Noah Cates (Tyson Foerster, Nick Seeler), 16:05- Michael Rasmussen (J.T. Compher), 17:27- Joe Veleno (Christian Fischer)

Third period: 3:50- Ryan Poehling (Sean Couturier, Travis Sanheim), 5:39- Owen Tippett (Scott Laughton, Jamie Drysdale), 7:21- Patrick Kane (Moritz Seider), 18:48- Lucas Raymond (Dylan Larkin) (ENG)

SOG: 19 (PHI) – 24 (DET)

Some takeaways

Ersson keeps them in it, but…

Sam Ersson had the same break between games as the rest of the Flyers. It just appeared that when the game started he was able to shake off whatever cobwebs he might have had and got to work. Although the Flyers took an early lead, they were still playing in a fog for the first half of the contest, having four shots on goal in the first 28 minutes of play. And none in the first nine minutes of the second.

The first real push was a rush by Travis Sanheim who skated around the net and tried the wraparound but was foiled. As strong as Sanheim looked on that shaft, Cam York’s outlet pass was intercepted and he paid for it. Alex Debrincat’s one-timer gave Ersson no chance for a 2-1 lead.

The third Detroit goal was not a great one as the puck was won clean off the face off. Ersson didn’t have much time to react but he missed it. And no goalie is going to stop many two-on-zero breakaways.

Lyon eyes

Another ex-Flyers goalie still in the league? Yes. But the rust on the starting Detroit goaltender was apparent early on in the game. Sean Couturier fed Joel Farabee who fed a pass to Travis Konecny. Konecny beat Lyon through the legs (and avoided Matvei Michkov’s stick) to give Philadelphia a quick 1-0 lead.

“That’s just good video from this morning Rocky,” Couturier quipped to assistant coach Rocky Thompson after the goal that TNT picked up after a television time out. Lyon was tested by Morgan Frost’s line with Owen Tippett and Michkov making something happen up ice. Not much happened as Lyon had a scant four shots after one period.

Lyon wasn’t tested often but had one strange bounce go by him and one he had to shoulder out of harm’s way as it caromed off the endboards.

Official brain cramp

The referees completely screwed up one play in the third period. And shortly afterwards they made up the snafu. One referee raised his hand to call a penalty on Detroit. Then he put it back down. The Flyers, believing there was a delayed penalty, got the extra skater out. Only to see Detroit skate back up ice with the puck and Ersson booting it back to his net. The Flyers (who had seven on the ice) were at a loss as the official changed his mind. No penalty was called but the official should probably be officiating weddings and not hockey games for the foreseeable future.

Tortorella not impressed

A giveaway by Garnet Hathaway in his own zone left coach John Tortorella pissed a bit early in the first period. The gaffe was part of a string of shifts that saw the Flyers playing defense a lot more than offense, leading to goalie Sam Ersson heading the puck over the net like he was playing in an UEFA match. During the first Flyers penalty kill Hathaway was again on the wrong end of a one-on-one battle, leaving Detroit with a fantastic chance that Ersson was able to stop.

Tortorella was probably just as pissed at Tippett’s errant stick on Jeff Petry which sent him to the sin bin. Petry drew blood so it was a double-minor, meaning 16 minutes in Michkov was automatically not given ice time for six of the first 18 minutes of the game. Detroit capitalized on the latter half of the penalty, evening things up just before the zambonis took to the ice.

In the third Tortorella threw the lines into a much-needed blender given how lifeless some of the lines were. The coach glued York to the bench to start the third, most likely for his costly gaffe in the second. But other than that no combination was safe as the Flyers cut Detroit’s lead in half thanks to Ryan Poehling. Then before you knew it things were all tied again.

Seeler, Seider steely

Nick Seeler avoided injury when he appeared to take a shot up high during the Tippett double-minor. He quickly fell down but got himself back on both skates to defend. Considering how Seeler and Drysdale are almost interlaced in terms of their own success it was a good bit of fortune to see him not cut or struck in the face with the puck.

Late in the game Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider took a puck up high and dropped him. The play was quickly stopped and Seider quickly got up and headed to the bench. He was on the ice at the game’s end and avoided serious injury.

Cates bounces back

Noah Cates got another goal but it was just being in the right place at the right time. The puck looked like it was a chip shot by a golfer after deflecting off Cates and arching over Lyon into the net. It was a timely goal as it came seconds after Detroit took first lead of the game in the second.

Cates’ line with Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster had an outstanding shift minutes later as they kept the Red Wings hemmed in their own zone through great forechecking with three forwards deep. Brink also gave support to Drysdale who made a pinch to keep the play alive.

39 with 3 of the 9

Matvei Michkov was not on the scoreboard but had a third of the Flyers total shots with three after two period. He had an extended shift to start the third and the Flyers finally pressured Detroit who were down to five defensemen for a good chunk of the game.

Tippett’s goal of the year

Owen Tippett would have to do something amazing to outclass the goal he scored against Dallas last season. Well, he just may have to tie things up 4-4 when cut quickly from the outside to the inside to beat the Red Wing defender and then stickhandle his way around anything Lyon could throw at him to block it.

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