The Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins to open their season at home on September 30. After a stronger run than expected last season, making it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the team had an unfortunate home opener, dropping the matchup 0-7.
Dan Vladar stayed in net for the Flyers for 60 minutes, saving 31 of the 38 shots he was faced with. The loss cannot be simply put on him though. The offense only managed 19 shots through three periods and failed to convert on each of their three power play opportunities.
7:26 in, Nick Robertson managed to tip in Kris Letang’s shot for his first as a Penguin, which definitely seemed to shake the Flyers. The NHL season began earlier this year, so it could have been a shorter off season or nerves that caused the Flyers to look uneasy. Jamie Drysdale took a holding penalty a few minutes later, though Pittsburgh did not convert. Ville Koivunen scored off a backhand shot towards the end of the first, sending the Flyers back to the locker room down two.
Early in the second Porter Martone sat for two minutes for cross-checking, resulting in Evgeni Malkin’s first goal of the season. Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander each netted one behind Vladar before the period ended. At 12:37, Robertson boarded Simon Benoit, earning himself a minor penalty. Benoit didn’t take kindly to the hit though and ended up with a roughing penalty, which Declan Carlile took offense to, earning himself a roughing minor as well. Nick Seeler and Rickard Rakell got into a scrum at the end of the frame, but only Seeler sat.
Carlile and Connor Dewar were both called for interference on Alex Bump, at 4:26 and 10:25, respectively. Shortly after the third Flyers’ power play opportunity slipped away, Robertson lifted his second goal into the net. Egor Chinakov wanted to join the fun and found a tip-in from Erik Karlsson to send the Penguins home with seven goals and a shutout, but not before Travis Konecny earned a roughing minor on Samuel Girard with less than four minutes remaining.
Arturs Silovs found himself with his third career shut out and certainly a happy start to the season.
The Flyers, while aggressive in their play, were in desperate need of more offense and better quality defensive plays on Wednesday. The changes would need to come quickly though. The Flyers will play the New Jersey Devils in Newark on Thursday for the second half of their season opening back-to-back.
