Michal Neuvirth
The Flyers nearly pulled off another improbable third-period rally. It’s entertaining for sure, but it usually means that the two periods leading up to the rally weren’t very good. The Flyers did not have a good road trip by any stretch, and they brought the poor play home with them in another loss to the Hurricanes.
As is the case when you dig such a hole, one mistake can sink any comeback effort. A late goal for the Hurricanes sealed the deal on a fifth straight loss for the Flyers by a score of 5-3 on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Predators rolled to a 4-0 win behind a 32-save shutout from Juuse Saros as the Flyers closed out a four-game road trip in Nashville.
The Flyers start 2019 in Nashville, closing out a four-game road trip against the Predators.
In almost a carbon copy of the first meeting between the two teams in November, the Flyers somehow managed a frantic rally to get the game tied after trailing by three goals and earn a point. But, yet again, they coughed up the chance at the second point almost immediately, as Alex Killorn scored 18 seconds into overtime to give the Lightning a 6-5 win on Thursday night.
Michal Neuvirth kept the Flyers in the game, helping them get to overtime. After a scoreless overtime, Neuvirth made three saves in the shootout, Nolan Patrick scored in the fourth round and Kevin Hayes missed on his attempt as the Flyers came away with a 3-2 shootout win over the Rangers to head into holiday break on a high note.
The Flyers have one game left before getting a three-day break for the holidays. They travel to take on the New York Rangers on Sunday night.
The Flyers recalled 20-year-old netminder Carter Hart on Monday. Goalie Alex Lyon was returned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Anthony Stolarz, who left Saturday’s game with an injury, is out for 2-to-4 weeks with a lower-body injury.
The Flyers road trip continues on Sunday afternoon as the Flyers face the Winnipeg Jets.
The momentum of the Flyers six-game points streak is gone, and a 9-9-2 mark and 20 points through 20 games is really not all that different from any other season under Dave Hakstol.
