On the second night of a back-to-back with captain Claude Giroux left behind in Philadelphia awaiting a trade, the Flyers had to win the third period and break a 1-1 tie to claim victory in their game against the Ottawa Senators.
But after center Morgan Frost took a hooking penalty halfway through the third period, the Senators pulled ahead on a Josh Norris power-play goal and sealed a 3-1 victory on an empty-net goal.
The Flyers struggled to compete with the fresh legs of the Senators in the third period on Friday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, getting outshot 12-10 in the third period.
The Flyers put themselves on the kill twice in the final frame alone, which kept them off of the offensive attack. The Flyers finally earned a power play with roughly three minutes left in the third period and pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4, but the Senators instead capitalized with an empty-net, short-handed goal.
The Flyers’ loss, their first without Giroux, brought their road losing streak to 12 games. They haven’t won on the road since Dec. 29, 2021 against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Jones showcase
With the March 21 trade deadline looming, backup goalie Martin Jones could be on the move. Jones becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, making him a potential rental for a Stanley Cup contender. In his most recent starts, including Thursday night’s game against the Senators, the Flyers looked to showcase Jones’ talents to interested clubs.
Twenty-year-old center Tim Stützle didn’t make the night easy on Jones. Halfway through the first period, Stützle cut to the left face-off circle and wired a wrist shot just beneath the crossbar, eluding Jones’ blocker. Thanks to his quick release, Stützle elicited a delayed reaction from Jones. Later in the period while the Senators were on the power play, Jones got his revenge on Stützle from the same location. That time, Stützle shot the puck lower and Jones was in position to make a stop.
Jones shined in the second period, especially when he denied winger Austin Watson off of a three-man rush. In total, Jones made 32 saves on 34 shots on goal.
‘A’ is for Atkinson
With Giroux out of the lineup leaving the captain role vacant, Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo named winger Cam Atkinson an additional assistant captain for Thursday night’s game. Atkinson sought to bring life to the team through his energetic style of play and made his presence felt when the Flyers were down a goal.
Six minutes into the second period, Atkinson camped out in the slot and clipped a piece of a point shot from defenseman Justin Braun. The fluttering puck soared past goalie Anton Forsberg to tie the game at 1. The goal marked Atkinson’s 27th point in his last 29 games. Atkinson leads the Flyers in scoring with 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points. Now, Atkinson is on pace for roughly 31 goals this season, which would mark the third time in his career that he’s scored 30-plus goals (35 in 2016-17, 41 in 2018-19).
Eyes on Frost
Before Thursday night’s game, Yeo stated that players including 22-year-old forward Morgan Frost would see increased responsibility in Giroux’s absence. In addition to sliding Frost from wing to center, Yeo awarded Frost a spot on the Flyers’ top power-play unit.
On the Flyers’ first power-play opportunity of the night, Frost didn’t stand out for the right reason. While attempting to enter the Senators’ zone, Frost turned the puck over into the hands of his opponents at the blue line. He struggled on face-offs, winning just 30 percent of his chances. Over the last two games while playing the wing, Frost looked more confident than he did on Friday night.
