Flyers can’t slow down Minnesota Wild’s top line in 4-2 loss
The Flyers got within one goal in the third period after Denver Barkey's power play goal, but couldn't find the equalizer despite outshooting the Wild 11-4 in the final 20 minutes.
Another poor start doomed the Flyers in a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
The Flyers were the victims of two bad bounces, and couldn’t create their own luck. The Flyers generated 12 high-danger scoring chances, and only allowed nine, but missed 19 shots on net in the loss to one of the league’s best teams.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet tried to jinx Minnesota’s line that features Joel Eriksson Ek this morning, and called them the most dominant line in the league. The group hadn’t conceded a goal this year, but the Flyers created a dangerous chance against them on the very first shift, setting the tone for what could have been a needed-win against a great team.
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After that, though, that line, along with top-pair Quinn Hughes and Jonas Brodin, got to work. Matt Boldy scored from the high slot in the first period to put the Wild up 1-0 after a long offensive cycle.
The Wild’s top line is off to the second-best start of any line in the last 18 years, second only to Calgary’s 2021 line of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Elias Lindholm, according to Sportlogiq.
So, what makes them so dominant? Per Natural Stat Trick, entering Tuesday, they generated 51 high-danger chances, and conceded just 20, with none of those turning into goals. Entering Tuesday, they were outshooting their opponents by 47, best in the league, and outshooting their opponents by 25 in the slot, also best in the league. They’re even better with Hughes, who’s been on the ice for eight of their 12 goals, and was on the ice for the opening and final goals for Minnesota.
Thirty-one seconds after their first goal, Michael McCarron got a lucky bounce off Porter Martone’s stick, and the Flyers found themselves in a 2-0 hole.
Martone’s chance on a late first-period power play hit the post.
Jamie Drysdale got unlucky to start the second period, after a pass bounced right off the official and onto the stick of Boldy, who got the initial shot. Eriksson Ek scored off the rebound to give the Wild a 3-0 lead.
The Flyers spent most of the period without Trevor Zegras, who earned a 10-minute misconduct for arguing with the officials after that goal. Then, Nick Seeler took back-to-back penalties, stunting the Flyers’ momentum and putting them on the kill.
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But coming out of that stretch, Matvei Michkov recovered a loose puck and found Drysdale in the high slot, who fired the puck toward the net. Tyson Foerster scored on the redirect late in the second period to cut the Wild’s lead to 3-1.
Denver Barkey has been a revelation at the bumper position on the power play, and he delivered again early in the third period to pull the Flyers within one goal, 3-2. Earlier in October, Tocchet credited Barkey with helping with puck retrievals and keeping the puck in play on the man-advantage.
But ultimately, despite outshooting the Wild 11-4 in the third period, the Flyers couldn’t find the equalizer, and Danila Yurov iced the game with an empty-netter. The Flyers are 4-9-4.
Up next
The Flyers will face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP, ESPN+).
