Flyers’ New Year’s fireworks were a dud in Calgary

CALGARY, Alberta — John Tortorella’s postgame presser summed up the Flyers’ 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames on New Year’s Eve.

Within his 47-second chat with reporters, he said “Yes” when asked if Sam Ersson helped the team stay in the game; “No” when a question started asking about the travel catching up; and then said, “There wasn’t many guys going at all.”

The Flyers capped off 2023 with their third game in four nights after a cross-continent trek. And, although they did trail 3-1 and 4-2, the comeback was too little, too late.

“I think we came out good the first 5-10 minutes and then we just stopped executing,” Sean Couturier said. “We stopped paying attention to details, and losing coverage of guys and starting giving up some chances. And then it was kind of just an uphill battle from there.”

Here are three takeaways from the game.

The good news is, once the clock hit midnight, it’s a new day, a new year, and a fresh slate. It’s also the time for resolutions and the Flyers’ resolution may be to get back to what worked in 2023. After putting together a nine-game point streak, which included seven wins, they have lost four of five (1-2-2).

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Yes, they put on 31 shots and scored three goals, including two late to nearly come back, but a team notorious for blocking shots and playing hard struggled in that department. The Flyers finished with just 13 shots blocked — a far cry from the games that saw them post well into the 20s.

How the tables have turned for Egor Zamula.

The defenseman has been a healthy scratch for nine games across the first 36, yet there he was, out on the ice with the Flyers in need of goals in the last few minutes. Zamula was on the ice for more than three minutes of the final four and was rewarded with a goal.

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As he told The Inquirer recently, albeit it was about the power play, he was told to shoot the puck, and he did that with goalie Sam Ersson pulled for the extra attacker. His point shot got through and beat Jacob Markstrom to make it a one-goal game. The goal was his third of the season, and second in the past three games.

“He’s always been confident and really comfortable with the puck,” said Rasmus Ristolainen, who also scored. “He can make great plays and he can really shoot it. So it’s good to see him getting some opportunities and capitalizing.”

This game could have gotten off the rails quickly if it weren’t for Sam Ersson.

Since the calendar flipped to Nov. 1, he entered Sunday’s game 12-9-3 in his past 13 with the second-best goals-against average (1.96) and No. 5 save percentage among goalies with at least 10 starts. Oh, and two shutouts.

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He was also coming off a game — a win against the Vancouver Canucks — in which he left in the third period due to dehydration.

In the first period on Sunday, he made a couple of big-time stops. Ersson came out and made an aggressive pad save on countryman Rasmus Andersson 13:04 into the first period as the defenseman cut through the slot and tried to chip in the backhand.

The 24-year-old rookie then stopped Andrew Mangiapane from 6 feet out and Jonathan Huberdeau on a redirect attempt. In the second period, with the Flyers on a power play — a quick reminder the Flames have the same amount of shorties this season as the Orange and Black — the Flames broke out on a 2-on-1. Mikael Backlund fed Elias Lindholm, who was also robbed by his fellow Swede.

“He played unreal,” Couturier said. “He kept us in the game. We had a poor effort. We gave up a lot chances, he made the saves. He gave us a chance tonight, unfortunately, we didn’t back him up.”

Ersson was called for delay of game in the third period after he removed his helmet when a strap came off. Nazem Kadri ended up making it 3-1 during 4-on-4 action after MacKenzie Weegar was called for tripping.

“It popped off. That’s on me, maybe I did it a little bit too obvious,” Ersson said. “It’s happened before and I feel like it’s some sort of dangerous for us goalies that they don’t blow the whistle because, with goalies, we have that mentality, we’re going to try to stop the puck no matter what. … It’s on me. It’s stupid, I put the team in a bad spot.”