PHILADELPHIA — When longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux returned to the Wells Fargo Center for his first game as a member of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, the organization welcomed him back with a pregame tribute to the tune of chants of “Gi-roooux!” from the local crowd.
It turned out, the Flyers would have an even better welcome-back gift waiting for him at the final horn — a win.
The Senators snapped their seven-game losing streak by handing the Flyers a 4-1 defeat. The Flyers dominated the puck possession game for its majority, racking up 48 shot attempts to the Senators’ 38, per Natural Stat Trick. However, the Flyers struggled to finish on their chances, while the Senators took advantage of scoring opportunities. A Flyers defensive breakdown and two failed penalty kills led to a tally from Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot and a pair of power-play goals from winger Alex DeBrincat.
Giroux played a role in his team securing the victory, picking up two assists. With roughly four minutes remaining in the third period, winger Tim Stützle pushed the game further out of the Flyers’ reach with an empty-net goal.
To make matters worse, the Flyers lost winger Wade Allison to an apparent lower-body injury at the end of the second period when he went to make a hit in the Senators’ zone. He required assistance to leave the ice and head up the tunnel.
Special teams the difference
The Flyers’ power play has been a valuable source of scoring to start the season, as the team has notched eight power-play goals in their first 13 games. But the Flyers struggled on the power play through the first two periods. In three man advantages, the Flyers managed just five shots on goal while conceding three Senators short-handed shots on goal.
The Senators couldn’t relate to the Flyers’ power-play struggles. Stützle and Brady Tkachuk moved the puck seamlessly, setting up DeBrincat for a go-ahead goal on a wide-open net put the Senators up, 2-1, in the second period. DeBrincat continued his power-play success in the third period, scoring the Senators’ third goal of the night on a bounce off the end boards. The Senators finished the night 2 for 3 on the power play.
Konecny continues to flourish
Winger Travis Konecny is off to a productive start to the season after scoring on just 7.3% of his shots last year. Going into Saturday’s game, Konecny had been capitalizing on 12.5% of his shots, good for a team-high five goals. But even when he isn’t scoring, he’s creating chances for his teammates.
In the first period, his efforts in the neutral zone helped win the puck back and put the Flyers back on the attack. Konecny and Farabee executed a give-and-go sequence off the rush, with Konecny attempting to backhand the puck into the net. While he was denied, goalie Cam Talbot couldn’t control the rebound, and Kevin Hayes stuffed the puck home to put the Flyers up, 1-0. Konecny nearly set up winger Owen Tippett for a goal halfway through the second period with a slick feed off the wall.
Konecny contributed to a spirited first period, dropping the gloves with defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker. Roughly three minutes later, Tony DeAngelo and center Mark Kastelic had a fight of their own.
Tippett takes a step
After committing a pair of turnovers that led to goals Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tippett entered Saturday’s game with an opportunity to rebound. He made a play to keep the puck in the zone on his first shift of the night, leading to scoring chances for Scott Laughton and Farabee.
Tippett continued to make plays two minutes into the second period, setting up defenseman Travis Sanheim for chance all alone in front of Talbot, but Sanheim lifted the puck wide of the net. Just a couple of minutes later, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen’s stretch pass set up Tippett for a breakaway, and the winger drew a penalty in the process. However, despite generating chances for himself (four shots) and others, Tippett and the Flyers (38 shots) struggled to finish on their chances throughout the night.
What’s next
The Flyers are back at it at 1 p.m. Sunday, when the Dallas Stars come to town (NBC Sports Philadelphia).
