The Philadelphia Flyers dropped to 1-2-1 on the season after an ugly and sloppy 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
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What a difference 72 hours can make. On Monday, the Flyers were playing looser, with an edge, and together as a team.
Tonight, however, nothing was the same.
In their first matchup against the more physical Western Conference, the Flyers got bullied out of their own building.
After a sloppy and ugly first period by both teams, the Flyers came out with some jump in the second period. But, after 40 minutes of play, it was 3-1 Winnipeg.
One thing the Flyers haven’t had an issue with this season has been turnovers. Tonight, though, it was issue number one.
The Jets first two goals were a result of a Flyers turnovers. Both turnovers coming off the Flyers making simple mistakes.
Jett Luchanko was credited with the first one.
While attempting to control the puck at the blue-line, the Jets attacker pressured him as the puck hit his stick. The pressure caused him to push the puck back into the Flyers zone, keeping the Jets onside. Two passes later and the puck was in the back of the net.
The second turnover came by a tired Travis Sanheim.
With no one around Sanheim, he blindly flicked a backhand up the boards in an effort to get the puck to Nikita Grebenkin, who could not get to the puck cleanly at the boards. The Jets forecheck got to the puck and once again two passes later and the puck was in the back of the net.
Overall, it was just a sloppy and ugly game by the Flyers. Something you just can’t do against a more physical team like the Winnipeg Jets.
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Matvei Michkov got the monkey off his back late in the third period, scoring his first goal of the season on a delayed penalty call. It was his first point of the season.
Michkov, who is having a slow start to his sophomore season, played the most minutes of the season tonight. He finished with 18:48 of ice time, almost four minutes more than his previous most in the first three games.
Cam York made his season debut after missing the first three games with a lower body injury.
In his return, York played 22:32.
Samuel Ersson is continues to draw the short stick when in net. Something the Flyers didn’t anticipate to start the season.
While Dan Vladar has out-played him to start the season, Ersson hasn’t gotten much help in his two starts.
He finished with just 10 saves tonight on 15 Winnipeg Shots.
The Flyers return to the ice Saturday at 7:00pm when they host the Minnesota Wild at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
PHOTO CREDIT: Emilee Chinn – Getty Images
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