Flyers back in loss column after a 6-3 defeat to the Red Wings

All the energy that the Flyers gained from their two wins before the All-Star break had drained away by the time they took the ice eight days later. With yet another sloppy start, they gave up the first goal and never recovered in a 6-3 loss Wednesday to the Detroit Red Wings at the Wells Fargo Center.

When the Flyers got stuck in the defensive zone and gave up an early power-play goal to Dylan Larkin, it was apparent that their momentum had been killed by the break.

“We didn’t have any response all game, really, to be honest with you,” interim head coach Mike Yeo said.

Twenty seconds later, it seemed as if they would be able to rebound when Zack MacEwen fired a shot that deflected off Isaac Ratcliffe for his first NHL goal to tie it. They showed that resilience after the Red Wings went up again. Twenty-four seconds after Lucas Raymond scored Detroit’s second goal, Travis Sanheim scored the Flyers’ second goal to tie it.

However, they did not have an answer for the Red Wings’ third goal. Scott Laughton scored to cut Detroit’s lead to 4-3, but the Red Wings added a fifth goal in the third period and an empty-netter in the final minute.

While the Flyers were able to score when trailing, they never took the lead. They also had long stretches when they struggled to gain control of the puck and create any sort of offensive momentum. The shot count told the story of the game: The Red Wings finished with 34 shots to the Flyers’ 24.

“You go into the break feeling good about kind of where we were going and then clearly that game did not match our expectations,” Yeo said. “So now we have to respond to that.”

In the first game with assistant John Torchetti at the helm, the Flyers’ power play was remarkable for how unremarkable it was. It was hard to tell when they went on the power play because the Flyers had such difficulty taking advantage of it.

“I thought the power play matched our five-on-five game,” Yeo said. “Really didn’t generate any momentum at all for us tonight.”

The Flyers earned their first man-advantage after the Red Wings challenged a goal and lost. For two minutes, they struggled to get set up and create opportunities. At the end of the power play, they had taken just two shots.

The Flyers did not get a full two minutes for their second power play because it overlapped with their own penalty. During the 54 seconds when they had an advantage, they worked hard to move the puck over the blue line. They took one shot and gave up one shot. The Red Wings came out with momentum and scored a goal shortly after.

While the third power play went slightly better, it still drew boos from the crowd. The Flyers had two shots blocked and two shots on goal. But once again, the Red Wings scored a few minutes later. The Flyers finished 0-for-5 on the power play.

Derick Brassard, who played on the second unit, said they were playing with a group that hadn’t played together enough to create chemistry. From his perspective, they need to get back to the basics.

“I think we tried to change kind of our formation out there, and we just got to go back and be simple out there and just be hard and try to establish shots,” Brassard said.

After Brassard returned from injury only to reinjure himself twice this season, Yeo wanted to be extra careful before bringing him back a third time. Brassard had to participate in a full, intense practice before returning again.

Brassard finally made his return Wednesday, 11 games after his last failed return. Since Brassard had made it through several intense, 45-minute practices, Yeo felt he didn’t have to monitor his minutes but expected him to have 10-15 minutes of ice time.

Against the Red Wings, Brassard finished with 14 minutes 25 seconds on the ice. He won 3 of 10 faceoffs, had one shot on goal, and was a minus-2. He centered the third line, where Morgan Frost had played before returning to the Phantoms, with Max Willman and Gerry Mayhew as his wingers. The line, which scored three times in the last six games with Frost in the middle, had five shots on goal.

Through the game and after the game, Brassard felt sore, but he said he expected that after not playing for two months. His timing was off through the first few shifts, but he felt he started to get his feet back under him. It wasn’t his best game, but it wasn’t the worst considering his long journey back onto the ice.

“I created a few chances; there’s a few plays I’d like to get back, especially one of the last goals they scored,” Brassard said. “But yeah, I feel I’m going to take baby steps here and get better every day.”

Nick Seeler had not played in three games and 16 days. The last time he played, he helped out as a fourth-line forward. And in the 27 games he had played ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Red Wings, he had scored exactly zero points.

When he returned to the ice for his 28th game, he contributed not one but two points when he had assists on the Flyers’ first and third goals. He set up MacEwen’s shot, which deflected off Ratcliffe, and he dug out the puck from the boards to help set up Laughton’s goal. It was the second multi-point game of his career.

With Cam York up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Seeler had been pushed to the taxi squad for most of the games since Christmas. But after the All-Star break, with teams no longer having taxi squads, York went back down to the AHL and Seeler stepped back into his spot with Keith Yandle on the third pair. The two finished with an even plus-minus.

The Flyers “get another crack at” the Red Wings again on Saturday at noon in Detroit. Laughton said the attitude in the room was positive, and they have a good idea of what they need to fix.

“We just need to play tighter, more communication,” Laughton said. “That’s when we play our best, a little physical. And it goes a long way to make little five-foot passes and get out of your zone and make it easier on your teammates.”