The Flyers Concede Three Separate Leads And Fall In OT To The Kings 4-3: Full Highlights and Analysis

All-Star Kevin Hayes looked to get the Philadelphia Flyers back on track against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, after his two goal performance in a loss to the Jets.

Unfortunately, the Flyers conceded three separate leads and could not manage the extra point in overtime, as Kevin Fiala buried the heartbreaker after Scott Laughton ripped the puck off the pipe moments earlier at the other end.

Starting the duo of Travis Sanheim and Tony DeAngelo may have been in error of judgment by John Tortorella, as neither had particularly strong outings. With two defense on the ice in overtime, you don't expect Travis Konecny to be the guy defending the two on one against, but that was the case on the game winner.




DeAngelo's dramatic sell to the refs didn't help his cause in that instance, as he was already yelling for a call, with his hands completely outstretched in bewilderment before he even hit the ice.

1. The Effort Was There:

A blue collar effort by some of the Flyers more unsung players was evident, but just not enough to secure the win. Ivan Provorov had a strong game, logging over 25 minutes of ice and chalking up a pair of assists. Nick Seeler was strong in his own zone, registering 7 hits, 4 blocked shots, and battling in front of Carter Hart. Wade Allison was also highly visible and scored the second goal of the game off a quick up by Provorov and a subtle touch by Kevin Hayes, that caught the Kings D flat footed. Allison stuck with play after being denied on the initial shot and mucked in the rebound.



2. The PP Bumper:

The Kings burned the Flyers on their first power play attempt off a set face-off play that utilized the ‘bumper position'; the soft spot in the middle of the defensive teams box in the slot.

Anze Kopitar sifted back into the high slot uncontested and ripped a one timer past Carter Hart.


It is an option the Flyers rarely look to take advantage of and typically dangle Travis Konecny and Noah Cates there, seemingly as decoys. A player with quick hands in that position can manipulate the coverage and draw a minimum of two defenders to him, typically three as both forwards and one D usually pressure. When the defense collapses on the puck it creates space for multiple players, if the bumper cannot get off a quick release shot. The goalie has to challenge at the top of his crease to respect the shooter, who has multiple shooting options as well as passing options to the vacant wings.

Noah Cates effectively setup Hayes from the bumper position against the Jets, as a prime example. It is something the Flyers PP should look to use more often, especially for Konecny.


The Flyers failed to generate many good looks on their three power play attempts and just don't seem to have the bang-bang passing to create anything from in tight, relying on shots from the point and one timers from the face-off dots for offense.

3. J V R:

James Van Reimsdyk had his fingerprint all over the game; opening the scoring on a well timed and executed pass from Owen Tippett, taking a needless retaliation penalty that led to the Kings tying goal, failing to check for a trailer or negate a pass to a streaking Anze Kopitar on the 2-2 goal, and being instrumental on Ristolainen's beauty backhander.

Tippett received an Ivan Provorov pass flying through the neutral zone and made an unorthodox entry into zone, creating a condensed two on one with JVR. Tippett moved the puck before Drew Doughty could fully set on the sprawl, which gave JVR ample time to pick his spot on Phoenix Copley.


Kopitar would torch Philly for his second goal of the first period on loose coverage. JVR occupied the right space, but neglected to check his shoulder for Kings trailers. Kopitar hit the seam through the slot and received a nice feed from Adrien Kempe. JVR couldn't deny the pass or interrupt Kopitar's path or shot.


He is a peculiar player who can provide offense, but is reluctant to engage physically or block shots, making it tough to determine his trade value, should he get dealt.

4. Ristolainen Should Be Restricted To Taking Backhands:

McDavid-esque on his backhand and in tight, Ristolainen found himself in uncharted territory on the Flyers 3-2 goal.


JVR made a sneaky touch pass between the legs to Morgan Frost, who rotated up high and Rasmus occupied the vacant lane, pulling his coverage wide. Frost sifted a shot through traffic, which JVR got a piece of, and Ristolainen kicked the puck up to his stick to shelf his second backhand in a week.


5. The Struggle Continues:

Is the honeymoon phase officially over for Tony DeAngelo? DeAngelo's offensive game and creativity were widely celebrated early in the season, but his defensive deficiencies may be overshadowing his point production of late.


Late in the second period DeAngelo made a soft play that was easily picked off and the Kings. The Flyers could not recover from the turnover and Samuel Fagemo took full advantage of the open ice in front of after Hart and beat him clean inside the left post.


With the emergence of Cam York, will Tony D be actively shopped by Chuck Fletcher?

Despite the loss John Tortorella wouldn't criticize his teams effort and will look to work on the positives, as the Flyers embark on a difficult two game road trip. The Flyers travel to Winnipeg and then Minnesota with only a day between games.

Tortorella's post game presser was short and sweet: