Flyers Analysis: Miscues, Misfortune & a Comeback falling just short; A Tale of Two Halves (+)

Barkey’s high stick was the first of many miscues for the Flyers in the early half of the game. He recognized that he should have and could have been more careful, especially given the number of penalties called in the series.

“I was trying to get in front of him, get good positioning,” said Barkey. “You’ve got to be careful with your sticks right now. The refs are calling a lot, so you’ve got to be careful in front of the net.”

Sidney Crosby’s goal on the power play was the result of an unfortunate penalty, but also a goaltending miscue. Crosby’s shot hit the glove of Dan Vladar, but bounced into the net, giving the Penguins the early lead.

Then, the second period could not have started any worse for the Flyers.

Dan Vladar went behind the net to play a puck. Rickard Rakell was forechecking aggressively. The Flyers’ defense was away from the net, waiting for Vladar’s pass before Rakell made a diving play to tuck the puck around the post and in after Vladar mishandled the puck.

Two big mistakes put the Penguins up 2-0 just 21 minutes into the game.

The turning point

The Flyers seemed lifeless. Nothing was working for them. They were losing the crowd, and the Penguins were having their way with the Flyers. It had become difficult for them to find their way back into the game. Not without a score in a big moment.

Philly had to kill two penalties during the period, both of which looked like the penalty kill that we had grown accustomed to during Games 1 and 2. That helped turn a bit of momentum for the Flyers, who generated a few shorthanded chances.

Eventually, Denver Barkey was able to turn the momentum back in the Flyers’ favor. His goal was set up by a perfect pass from his roommate, Trevor Zegras. Xfinity Mobile Arena had come alive again.

“When we were in Pittsburgh, I heard a lot about what it’ll be like playing [In Philadelphia],” said Barkey. “The fans did not disappoint. It was probably the loudest rink I’ve ever played in; it’s really cool to see.”

Barkey’s goal sparked a comeback for the Flyers, who came close to evening the score before the second period came to an end, but fell short before the buzzer. That led to a do-or-die third period.

The Flyers’ comeback falls just short

The Flyers were all of a sudden on the comeback trail. They were only trailing 2-1, and had all of the momentum on their side. Then, at 4-on-4 following a Garnet Hathaway elbow and Erik Karlsson roughing penalty, a cheeky kick pass from Sidney Crosby after winning a wall battle set up Kris Letang to further extend the Penguins’ lead.

Then, in the ensuing 5-on-5, Travis Konecny ripped a rocket of a one-timer and put the Flyers right back in the game. So, with more than 12 minutes to go, the Flyers were only chasing a goal.

The comeback effort was led by a lot of dumping and chasing into the offensive zone. Even with their backs against the wall, the Flyers could not really get much of an offensive attack going. The Penguins would just send the puck back the other way after.

Time continued to tick off the clock for the Flyers. 12 minutes turned to 2 minutes quickly, and the Flyers had to pull Dan Vladar, but their inability to dominate possession hurt them in the end. Connor Dewar ended the game with an empty-netter, and the Flyers’ comeback fell just short.

My biggest takeaway from the time trailing was the number of dumped pucks. The Flyers have good zone entry guys. I saw it too many times where they’d send it in from the red line instead of at least trying to enter the zone with possession, or at least send it in from the blueline.

The Flyers lost way too many board battles to just dump and chase in a pivotal moment. Pittsburgh beat the Flyers at their own game.

A tale of two halves

Wednesday night was a tale of two halves for the Flyers.

First, they looked lifeless, weak, and not really in it. Head coach Rick Tocchet will tell you that his team did not get complacent in the first half, and it was just things that needed to be cleaned up. I differ.

The Flyers looked like they had completely taken their foot off the gas from the start. Even after Crosby’s game-opener, the Flyers still looked like they were cool with going to 5 games. Then the Rakell goal was just the hump that was sort of a back-breaker in that instance.

The Flyers looked lifeless and had gotten away from the things that made them successful. Sure, the Penguins did not give in to the Flyers’ extracurriculars, something Dan Muse highlighted as a key to his team’s win. But the Flyers weren’t nearly as aggressive in that regard either. They were nearly unrecognizable.

Then, Barkey’s goal shifted everything. The Flyers had a spark and went back to taking the high-danger chances away, shielding their goaltender, and being all over the puck.

They were still missing that “scumbag” element to their game, but they looked like a much different team following the Barkey goal. From being lifeless in the 30+ minutes before that, Philly found its legs and began controlling things again.

The Flyers did not let the Letang goal end it, and fought back again. It was a great effort following the Barkey goal. If they play as they did in the second half of Game 4 for the entirety of Game 5, they’ll have a good chance to end the series in Pittsburgh.

Read More: Flyers History: Record in Game 4s With a 3-0 Lead as They Look to Sweep Series vs. Penguins

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