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Flyers can't come all the way back from bad first period, lose in overtime
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- Flyers can't come all the way back from bad first period, lose in overtime
Flyers can't come all the way back from bad first period, lose in overtime originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Rick Tocchet felt the Flyers were too cocky last game when they built an early lead .
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Well, they never really had a chance to be cocky Tuesday night.
A brutal first period ultimately cost the Flyers as they fell to the Blue Jackets, 4-3, in overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Kent Johnson scored the winner for Columbus on a 2-on-0 rush.
"The decision-making in overtime this year has been mind-boggling on some players," Tocchet said. "We've got to fix it — quickly."
The Flyers erased a 3-0 deficit. Jamie Drysdale tied the game with 11 seconds left in regulation when the Flyers emptied their net for the extra attacker.
In the opening stanza, Tocchet's club gave up more goals than it had shots. The Flyers were staring down a 3-0 hole with 6:16 minutes still left in the period. They surrendered the three goals in a span of just 2:46 minutes. They finished the period with only two shots.
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"We were flat, no energy," Cam York said. "I think it took a kicking in the butt to get us going. The second and third, I thought we pretty much dominated the game. It just felt like we were on our toes and dictating the pace of play. We just can't come out like that, but the second and third were really good."
The Flyers woke up in the middle stanza with a concerted push. Noah Cates tapped home a loose puck in the crease after Porter Martone fired a shot on net.
"Coach got on us," Cates said of the message at first intermission. "But you kind of knew after that first, not good enough, getting booed, all that stuff. We're happy with how we responded, but that first 20 [minutes] can't happen."
After Cates' goal, Matvei Michkov had a couple of close looks right at the doorstep of the post. He couldn't seem to corral the puck, though, for a deflection.
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Trevor Zegras trimmed Columbus' lead to one with 4:56 minutes to go in the third period.
"I liked his second and third," Tocchet said. "He was one of the guys that I didn't really like his first. But when he plays a certain way, he's a good player. He did a nice job."
Three days ago, the Flyers let two leads slip away in a 5-4 loss at home to the Ducks .
The Flyers (3-7-4) have just 10 points over their first 14 games. Last season, Tocchet's first as the team's head coach, the Flyers had 17 points through 14 games (8-5-1).
This was the first of four matchups between the Flyers and Blue Jackets (5-5-0).
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• Dan Vladar was unable to mask the Flyers' mistakes like he has before. He made 11 saves on 15 shots.
He denied Columbus on a 2-on-0 rush in OT, but then had to face another one. The Blue Jackets capitalized on the second opportunity.
The Flyers were sloppy. The first 2-on-0 was a result of Michkov being stripped. On the second, Michkov, York and Denver Barkey were all caught in deep. Michkov was the high man but crashed the net in an attempt to find the loose puck.
"This overtime, some of the guys, I don't know what they're doing," Tocchet said. "We had a meeting about it, we sent them video on it, it's all puck possession, it's being smart. And we give them two 2-on-0s. That's unacceptable."
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Vladar had given up just four goals over his previous three starts. That was good for a 1.30 goals-against average and .953 save percentage.
But in the first period Tuesday night, Columbus struck three times.
"We were bad, we weren't good, we weren't ready to go," Zegras said. "We didn't get pucks in behind them, we didn't forecheck, we were slow in the neutral zone, taking pucks back. Two shots. Just not how we play.
"In the second period, we regrouped. You play a lot of games and a lot of periods. We're a better hockey team than that. In the second and third, we played our game, which is good."
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The Blue Jackets' first goal was at 4-on-4. The Flyers lost Adam Fantilli in front when Cates and Oliver Bonk both converged on Johnson.
Johnson added to the lead with a deflection. Bonk committed a turnover in the defensive zone and the puck then found its way to Zach Werenski for a shot.
Fifty seconds later, Columbus made it 3-0. Denton Mateychuk skated into a shot after Drysdale and York lost a puck battle along the back boards.
"We thought it was going to be easy," Tocchet said of the Flyers' start. … "You've got to support pucks, you've got to hold onto pucks, you've got to be willing to go to the net and take a crosscheck.
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"I thought the first period, we were playing so slow, taking it back every time. We're not a team that can take the puck back. We just can't do it. Some guys think they can, but you can't. But when we decide to play north, same thing last year, that's our identity. So we've got to keep pounding their heads."
Cam Talbot, the 39-year-old former Flyer, stopped 28 of 31 shots for the Blue Jackets.
• Hunter McDonald exited briefly with 5:54 minutes left in the second period. The rookie defenseman was favoring his shoulder after taking a hit behind the net from Mathieu Olivier.
McDonald, though, was able to return before the period ended.
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• York was back in the lineup after missing the last eight games with an upper-body injury .
He replaced Rasmus Ristolainen, who was out because of a reinjury to his left hand. More on his status here .
Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett remained out. Konecny has missed the last nine games because of a lower-body injury. Tippett has missed the last five with an upper-body injury.
• The Flyers are right back at it Wednesday when they visit the Capitals (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP+).
