The Flyers have lost in Boston to the Bruins yet again, this time without scoring

Ilya Bryzgalov was in net the last time the Flyers won in regulation in Boston, and it might end up being the last time ever too.

Mike Dusak

• 5 min read Front Page

Zdeno Chara scored two goal and Jaroslav Halak stopped all 26 shots he faced as the Bruins shut out the Flyers, 3-0, on Thursday night in Boston.

It’s the second time the Flyers have been blanked in 10 games and drops them to 0-9-1 in their last 10 games in Boston. Brian Elliot was perhaps the lone bright spot, making 22 saves on 24 shots in the losing effort that drops the Flyers to 4-6. Claude Giroux had a team-high five shots on goal, but was bested by the veteran netminder for the Bruins.

Quiet start for both teams in this one, without a quality chance for either team in the first four minutes though Jake DeBrusk would test Brian Elliott with a high rising shot that he fended off from the right circle.

Probably the only highlight of the first few minutes was Zdeno Chara losing his edge going back for the puck behind his net and crashing into the boards behind Jaroslav Halak. Big tree fall hard.

Both teams couldn’t even pull off the games first minor without making it matching minors, as Claude Giroux and David Pastrnak went off 7:11 into the frame. Nothing was doing for either club even with the extra ice afforded at 4-on-4 with just three total shots through the first 10 minutes.

With 8:41 left Elliott would come up with the first big save of the game, stoning Chara point-blank off a nice feed from Brad Marchand. Elliott flashed the left pad to make the save though the Flyers would head to the penalty kill with Robert Hagg picking up a slashing call with just over eight minutes left.

The Flyers would survive their first test against the NHL’s sixth-best power play, getting a couple saves from Elliott and a pair of zone clears from Scott Laughton to keep things scoreless.

Chara would give the Flyers their first power play with 1:55 left in the first after sending a puck over the glass for a delay of game minor. The first chance of the power play would be Patrice Bergeron shorthanded, but Elliott was there for another dandy stop. That would be all for the first stanza, with both teams registering seven shots on goal and not much else going on at all really.

AFTER 20: Flyers 0, Bruins 0

The Flyers would get an early 2-on-1 chance with Jordan Weal and Wayne Simmonds in on Halak, but Weal’s backhand pass was cut off before being kicked towards the Bruins netminder by his own teammate.

At the other end Elliott would make a great toe save on Pastrnak, who found himself wide open in the slot on a feed from Bergeron from behind the Flyers’ net. The first four minutes of the second provided more action than the entire first period.

With 11:13 left Giroux would get loose in free on Halak with a great tip pass from Konecny, but Halak made the pad save to keep the captain off the board. It became a good shift for that line, hemming the Bruins in their own zone and earning an icing call to keep some tired bodies out for Boston.

Halak would come up with his best stop of the night about a minute later, shutting the door on Travis Sanheim, who had moved down into the slot off a feed from Corban Knight. Sanheim was one of the better Flyers in a losing cause to the Avalanche on Monday and didn’t hesitate to jump in and try and get the offense going here.

I spoke too soon, as Halak would stone Giroux on a one-timer not long after the stop on Sanheim. Konecny slid the puck over to Giroux perfectly, but Halak went post-to-post beautifully to deny the captain once again.

The Flyers would have loved to see that Giroux chance go in as they’d find themselves again giving up the first goal not long after.

Andrew MacDonald couldn’t get the puck past Danton Heinen, and Zdeno Chara sent a wrist shot from the point past Elliott to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left in the second. Elliott appeared to be screened a bit, but it wasn’t any 100mph blast from the Bruins’ captain, either.

A too much man penalty would put the Flyers penalty kill back out there with 4:28 left in the second, giving on of the NHL’s best power plays a chance to extend the lead to two just before the second horn.

And get a two-goal lead they would, with Jake DeBrusk deflecting a David Krejci feed past Elliott with just five seconds remaining in the man-advantage and 2:32 left in the middle frame. The Flyers played with fire earlier with the Bruins power play, but got burned this time with the second unit doing the honors for the home club.

AFTER 40: Bruins 2, Flyers 0

Desperate for offense the Flyers opened things up to start the third but watched the Bruins’ top line get the most of the early chances. Pastrnak, Bergeron, and Marchand took advantage of the transition game and had a pair of chances to extend the lead to three but just missed.

Tempers flared as Scott Laughton got into it with Scott Kampfer along the Bruins blue line, resulting in a Flyers power play at the 13:22 mark. Jake Voracek ripped one off the post with 59 seconds left in the power play, with the first unit getting extended time to try and pierce Halak and cut into the lead.

Despite failing on the Kampfer minor, the Flyers would go right back to the man-advantage as Chara would stick one of his tree trunk legs out and trip Konecny. Chara didn’t like the call, but I don’t like him, so take that.

This power play would be much more dangerous for the Flyers, with the first unit generating good pressure and a couple good chances with traffic in front. The second unit even grabbed some zone time with Travis Sanheim getting aggressive as he did against Colorado. Nevertheless, nothing would get past Halak in the near four-straight minutes of power play time for the Flyers.

Brian Elliott continued to do his thing late in this one as he was again left out to dry by his mates. The veteran stood tall on the Bruins’ third power play of the game, making yet another grade-A stop on Pastrnak with five minutes left in yet another listless Flyers effort.

Somehow the Bruins ended up with a 5-on-3 after Scott Laughton went after Kampfer again after a whistle. The refs also got Andrew MacDonald prior to that, giving the Bruins a chance to salt away the rest of the clock. Oskar Lindblom would help matters, playing the puck while still halfway in the penalty box to earn an interference call.

Chara would add his second of the night into the Flyers’ empty net to put the Flyers out of their misery in this one by a 3-0 final. It was an end-to-end job from Chara, who is nearly 42 years old and still killing the Flyers.

FINAL: Bruins 3, Flyers NADA