- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 446,847
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
By all accounts, Sunday afternoon in Ottawa was one of those games that just felt a little off from the jump.
The energy wasn't quite there. The pace was a little flat. And while the Philadelphia Flyers managed to claw out a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Senators, it was one of their more uneven performances in recent memory.
Still, even on a day where their legs looked heavy and their execution lagged behind, the Flyers kept fighting. Nic Deslauriers, Noah Cates, and Garnet Hathaway each found the back of the net in a game that oscillated between sluggish and frustrating. But Ottawa had a counterpunch for every swing, and the Flyers never quite found the spark they usually ride into a full-on storm.
To be fair, it's hard to blame them entirely. This was the second afternoon game of a back-to-back, coming off a high-intensity shootout with the New York Islanders the day before. Add in the travel—a flight from Philadelphia to Ottawa right after Saturday's game—and what you get is a team doing its best to push through fatigue, but without its usual bite.
1. A Game of Counterpunches — and the Flyers Couldn't Land the Last One
Every time the Flyers managed to score, the Senators found a way to respond. It wasn’t a tidal wave of momentum swings — more like slow drips of water wearing down stone.
Nic Deslauriers opened the scoring. Ottawa responded. Noah Cates broke through. Ottawa answered. Garnet Hathaway gave Philly its third lead of the afternoon. Ottawa still came back.
It wasn’t that the Flyers were bad defensively — in fact, structure-wise, they remained mostly intact. But the problem was they couldn’t quite kill the game. No lead ever felt safe. And part of that came down to the Flyers' inability to sustain long stretches of momentum.
You must be registered for see images attach
This wasn’t one of those games where the top line dominated or the power play tilted the ice. It was a choppy, back-and-forth affair with limited rhythm, and every time the Flyers tried to settle in, Ottawa disrupted them.
More than anything, it felt like the Flyers were trying to will their way to a win through sheer grit, but simply didn’t have enough gas in the tank to close it out.
2. Depth Contributions Kept Them Afloat
If you’re looking for a silver lining, it’s that the Flyers’ depth players stepped up in a big way. All three goals came from the bottom six — a welcome sight, especially on a day where their top scorers were quiet.
Nic Deslauriers isn’t usually the guy you circle in the pregame lineup sheet and expect to break the ice, but it got the job done. It also injected some early life into a sleepy afternoon tilt.
Noah Cates followed suit, continuing his recent stretch of quality two-way hockey with a goal to give the Flyers back their lead. Cates has really exploded to find his scoring touch this season, and he’s been excellent in terms of energy and positioning lately — and that showed again Sunday.
Garnet Hathaway helped the Flyers regain their lead yet again with a hard shot from the right side, continuing to prove how invaluable he's been to the depth of this team's offense.
When your stars don’t have it, it’s on the grinders to step up. And that’s exactly what happened here. Hathaway, Cates, and Deslauriers made their mark. It just wasn’t quite enough to carry the Flyers over the finish line.
3. The Toll of the Schedule Was Evident — and Understandable
Brad Shaw’s version of the Flyers has been defined by its energy. Even when the results haven’t been perfect, you could always count on pace, pressure, and pushback. But on Sunday? That identity flickered.
The second half of a back-to-back is never easy. Back-to-back afternoon games — with travel in between — is downright exhausting, especially so late in the season. The Flyers played an emotional, fast-paced game against the Islanders on Saturday, then had to hop on a plane, and turn around for another 1 p.m. puck drop less than 24 hours later. It showed.
You must be registered for see images attach
There was sloppiness in their puck decisions, gaps in their passing sequences, and a noticeable lack of footspeed compared to recent games. Ottawa didn’t dominate in any specific way, but they had more jump and sharper execution in crucial moments — particularly in the second half of the game.
And yet, even with that fatigue, the Flyers still found a way to push it to overtime. That in itself speaks volumes about the group’s resolve. There was no dramatic push in the final minutes, no highlight-reel effort to rescue two points. But there was effort. There was pride. And there was enough to walk away with one point instead of zero — their 22nd game this season to go past regulation.
Final Thoughts
Sunday’s game was never going to be a masterpiece, but it was a lesson in survival. The Flyers didn’t have their legs, didn’t have their A-game, and still managed to hang in there. Sure, they gave up a lead three separate times and couldn’t find that final push, but they didn’t fold.
This was a grind-it-out, lean-on-your-depth kind of afternoon. And while the shine may have worn off quickly, the Flyers will take the point and keep moving forward. Because if this season has taught us anything, it’s that they’re not going away quietly. Tired legs or not, this team’s still got a whole lot of fight left.
Continue reading...
