Not enough firepower as Flyers can’t overcome deficit, lose to the Rangers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers fell in a 3-1 hole Saturday night and didn’t have enough to dig out of it.
The club lost to the Rangers, 6-3, at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers (10-15-7) haven’t won consecutive games since Nov. 5-8. They came home on a morale-boosting 2-1 win Thursday over the Devils, a game in which they survived 49 shots from New Jersey.
John Tortorella rolled with 11 forwards and seven defensemen Saturday night. The head coach made a bold move to healthy scratch his leading scorer Kevin Hayes. Tortorella stuck to the decision despite Zack MacEwen being out with an illness and Lukas Sedlak parting ways with the club.
The Flyers have lost 17 of their last 20 games (3-12-5), a stretch in which they’ve scored 2.20 goals per game.
New York won its sixth straight game. Plenty of Rangers fans made the trip to Philadelphia and enjoyed this one.
Jimmy Vesey’s 4-2 goal in the third period turned out to be the game-winner. Morgan Frost answered a minute and a half later but the Flyers couldn’t find the equalizer.
Jacob Trouba finished things off with a shorthanded empty-net goal. Ryan Lindgren tacked on another empty-netter for good measure.
The Flyers are 0-1-1 against the Rangers (17-10-5) this season and face them once more with a March 1 matchup in Philadelphia.
• After James van Riemsdyk opened the game’s scoring 7:11 minutes into the action, New York responded with three straight goals, handing the Flyers what felt like an insurmountable deficit.
Artemi Panarin tied the game later in the first period. Carter Hart had little to no chance on the shot right at his doorstep.
In the second period, shortly after the Flyers failed to convert on a power play, K’Andre Miller made an impressive play up ice and beat Hart even after the defenseman was tripped on his breakaway.
A little over three minutes later, Barclay Goodrow cushioned the Rangers’ lead to 3-1.
The Flyers had a chance entering the third period thanks to a clutch save by Hart and a massive shorthanded goal from Scott Laughton in the final three and a half minutes of the middle stanza.
The Flyers’ power play went a costly 0 for 4 on the night. It came up empty with under three and a half minutes left in a 4-3 game.
• Coming off of his career-high-tying 48-save effort, Hart turned away 29 of the Rangers’ 33 shots.
New York backup Jaroslav Halak denied 29 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.
• Tony DeAngelo returned to the lineup after being unavailable for the final three games of the Flyers’ four-game road trip.
The 27-year-old defenseman was back home because of the death of his grandmother Jo-Ann DeAngelo.
“We were super, super close,” DeAngelo said Saturday morning. “Probably closer with her than I was with anybody. Just a tough loss for everybody. It was unexpected, so pretty sad.”
DeAngelo is a local product. After being traded to the Flyers in the offseason, he was able to enjoy daily visits with his grandmother at her South Philadelphia home in Packer Park.
“We were told everything, honestly,” an emotional DeAngelo said. “If you ever had any problems or whatever you just needed to talk about, we told her it all.
“We all live in the same neighborhood. Every day after I was done here this summer, we would have lunch every day. I’d bring her lunch or just bring my lunch over there and we’d sit together. Just a lot of special times.”
• Laughton was banged up in the third period but stayed in the game.
• Wade Allison (oblique/hip) participated in morning skate Saturday. The 25-year-old winger has been out longer than the Flyers originally anticipated.
Allison was injured Nov. 12. On Nov. 22, the Flyers announced he’d be out approximately two to three weeks.
It was announced Saturday that the Flyers placed Cam Atkinson (upper body) on injured reserve, which tells you his recovery is not quite a day-to-day thing. The move freed up another roster spot for the Flyers, who needed it with all of the juggling.
Atkinson had been practicing and was cleared for contact at the end of last month. He was not seen on the ice Saturday.
Patrick Brown and Kieffer Bellows entered the lineup Saturday night at forward.
• The Flyers are back at it Tuesday when they welcome the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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