Analysis: Flyers lose to Avalanche 5-4 in shootout

Avalanche Goals

• Matt Duchene (4) (Power Play), assists: Nathan MacKinnon, Tyson Barrie
• Blake Comeau (3) (Shorthanded), assists: Nathan MacKinnon, Patrik Nemeth
• Mikko Rantanen (5)(Power Play), assists: Alexander Kerfoot, Tyson Barrie
• Nail Yakupov (4), assist: Matt Duchene

Flyers Goals

• Valtteri Filppula (6), assists: Travis Konecny, Wayne Simmonds
• Claude Giroux (8) (Power Play), assists: Shayne Gostisbehere, Jake Voracek
• Jake Voracek (3), assists: Sean Couturier, Robert Hagg
• Dale Weise (2), assists: Jordan Weal, Travis Sanheim

I’m the type of person who hates overtime. Yes, it’s exciting to watch but I get nervous, especially when you’re watching the game live, which I was in attendance for Saturday’s game. Shootouts make me even more nervous. Saturday, there were both.

Here are five takeaways from the Philadelphia Flyers’ shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche:

5 Takeaways from Flyers vs. Avalanche

• It was a well-paced game with lots of goals and it made for some exciting hockey. However, it was a game that the Flyers could have won if it hadn’t been for the costly mistakes on defense and in net. Not saying that it was necessarily bad play by the defense and Michal Neuvirth in net, but it could have been prevented a lot better. A few of the Avalanche goals could have been stopped with one move and a little better placement of the defender’s feet. All in all, a tough loss that the Flyers were able to get a point out of.

• Shayne Gostisbehere has returned! We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. He looked pretty good in his return from injury. He was very much missed especially on the much-maligned power play unit. The defense also looked a lot better, than it did the last few games but there were a few crucial mistakes that led to goals. Gostisbehere showed a little bit of rust, which is not unusual considering he missed the last three games, but that rust will shake off quickly. The Flyers really needed him back.

• Something that stood out from Saturday’s game was the Flyers’ penalty killing and power play. It did not look good at all. On the Flyers’ first power play opportunity, they were held without a shot on goal through the entirety of the power play. However, they were able to bring a little bit more pressure in their second attempt but again was not able to capitalize. The Flyers did manage to score on their third power play attempt courtesy of Claude Giroux, but they also gave up a shorthanded goal. The power play unit has been a hit or miss all season, but the Flyers need it to start working for long-term success.

• A lot of the players seemed to be getting banged up in games. Giroux got hit in the face with a stick, Konecny was pushed into the goal, Robert Hagg got hit with a puck and was limping, and Ivan Provorov limped around the ice at one point. It was a night of some brutal hits and they’re definitely going to be feeling it, especially after playing seven games in the last 12 days against some pretty tough opponents (well minus the Coyotes), Thankfully, the Flyers have some time to recover since they do not play another game until Thursday.

• There is something about the atmosphere of watching a game live that is incredible. Flyers fans just add something to the game. The cheers and the boos. Any sporting event is better in person.

Additional Notes

• Radko Gudas was out for his second straight game with an upper-body injury. In all likeliness, he will return on Thursday after the long break.

Star of the Game

Claude Giroux is a man on a mission. It’s nice to see him performing the way that he is.

Flub of the Game

Blake Comeau’s shorthanded goal, which tied the game up at 2-2 in the second period. Yikes.

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The Flyers get some much-needed time off as they will be back in action on Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks.