Flyers fall to Dallas Stars in overtime, extend losing streak to four games

DALLAS — The Flyers showed some heart deep in Texas.

After spotting the Stars a two-goal lead in the first period, they battled back and earned a point with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. Thomas Harley scored the game-winner 9 seconds into overtime to hand the Flyers their fourth straight loss.

The Flyers have one win in the past 10 games but have played better since embarking on a five-game road trip. In the last two games, each a 3-2 loss with Thursday’s coming in regulation against the Washington Capitals, they almost skated away victorious against two of the NHL’s top three teams.

“I never go in [the locker room] after games. I went in there tonight, right after the game [and] told them how well they played,” said coach John Tortorella. “I can’t tell you what I said, but we just got to stay, we just got to get to the next day now, right? ... I think all three games in this trip we have played well, we have been involved in all of them [but] haven’t found a result. Just keep banging away.”

Two shots. Two goals.

Ivan Fedotov saw one more for the day and that was it. He got pulled after the first period. It is the first time he’s gotten the hook after the first period since allowing two goals on seven shots on Dec. 5 — and after that game, he didn’t start another until Jan. 5.

On Saturday, the first goal by Harley found its way through a double screen as Fedotov was leaning to his left and the puck went past his right side. Nick Deslauriers went at Harley, setting one screen, while Cam York and Dallas’ Oscar Bäck were battling in front. To create even more havoc in front, Travis Sanheim and the Stars’ Sam Steel were tangled up a little to Fedotov’s right.

The second goal was one Fedotov will surely want back. Off the rush, Mikael Granlund hit the wide-open trailer Esa Lindell and he snapped it past the glove of Fedotov. The Russian netminder faced one more shot, a shorthanded chance by Lindell from 40 feet out.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Dallas had 11 shot attempts in the first period, with just one coming from a high-danger spot. The Flyers did block 20 shots in the game.

OK, rain is probably a strong term — although he came close — but Travis Konecny’s drought has ended. Skating on a reunited line with Sean Couturier and Matvei Michkov — the trio played together earlier in the season — he sent a snapshot from the right faceoff circle past Jake Oettinger.

The goal came off a neutral-zone regroup. After the reset, Couturier sent a cross-ice pass to Konecny as he skated down the right wing. He cut the Stars lead to 2-1. Konecny’s 197th career goal snapped a 13-game drought and is just his second goal in 24 games. He now has three in 29.

“Yeah, been getting lots of chances, so just sticking with it, and that one happened to go in,” Konecny said. “I know you guys want to talk about the goal, but obviously you guys know how we work. It’s frustrating when you don’t get the win.”

Konecny had a chance to score another in the third period when Nick Seeler sent a cross-ice pass to the winger, but his shot rang off the crossbar.

The feisty winger, who got into a slashing contest with Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin in the first period and got the Flyers a power play, was playing more active in the game and attacking the middle. Tortorella thought he took a step in the right direction on Saturday.

“Not relief for me, for him,” Tortorella said about the goal. “You could see it coming in the last game. You could see he was around the puck more. Hits the crossbar, almost gets another one there, but he just looks quicker. He looks more reactive. When I see him, more reactive, less thinking is going on. So hopefully he’ll feel good about that and keep going.”

Ryan Poehling had his legs all day long. The center, who started on a line with Owen Tippett and Jakob Pelletier, cut to the middle on his first shift and had a quality chance with his snapshot.

In the second period, he cashed in for his second goal in as many games. It’s also his third goal in five games.

“I’m just playing with the puck,” Poehling said about his recent goal-scoring. “I think we’re holding on to it and making a lot of good plays. Our team’s playing great so that obviously helps.”

Tyson Foerster sent the puck out of the Flyers zone to Michkov, and the Russian rookie carried the puck up the boards. Right before he got crunched by 6-foot-7 defenseman Lian Bichsel, he dished it to a streaking Poehling. The centerman had open ice and went right to the net before sending the puck against the grain and over the blocker of Oettinger to tie the game at 2.

“[Michkov] takes a hit, makes a great pass — made some great passes tonight — but that’s what you like about him. He’s a competitor,” Tortorella said. “He has a will about him and he knows the guys taking a run at him. I think he waits till the last second to bring him all the way to him and makes that play. So, that’s what you have with him. He can do a lot of those things because of his willingness, let alone his skill.”

Ersson came in and played well making 15 saves on 16 shots. Less than a minute into the second period, he stopped Mikko Rantanen’s quick shot from the bottom of the right circle. Just over a minute later, he made a big stop on Granlund and got some help from Noah Cates to make sure Matt Duchene didn’t bury the rebound.

“[He] played great, I thought, especially right away,” Poehling said. “There’s a couple of saves that he made that really kept us in when we were down two tips. As a goalie I can’t really relate to that. It’s got to be tough, but it’s nice to know that he can come in and do that.”

After Konecny got the Flyers on the board, Ersson got some help from his countryman to keep it a one-goal game. Ersson got the pad on the shot from Duchene as he cut across the crease. But Duchene hit it so hard, the puck popped up and over Ersson’s pad and was within a millimeter from crossing the line until fellow Swede Emil Andrae knocked it away.

The NHL did review it but said that “there was no conclusive video evidence” it crossed the goal line. It did look like a smidge of the puck was still in the red paint.

“We give up a little chance there and then I just saw the puck bounce off Erss and up in the air and, I don’t know, I just reacted to it,” Andrae said. “I didn’t know if it was in or not when I hit it there. But when I saw the replays, you can’t really see if it’s in or not but, yeah, we got that bounce with us.”

Ersson also stopped Duchene on a two-on-one to keep it a one-goal game before Poehling could tie it up. But in overtime, Harley scored on a backhand five-hole on Ersson. The goal, just 9 seconds into overtime, came after Ersson played a dump-in into Travis Sanheim and the Stars’ Jason Robertson, who fed Harley as he was cutting to the goal.

Garnet Hathaway missed his 11th straight game with an upper-body injury. ... The Flyers’ power play went 0-for-3. ... Seeler and Foerster had five hits each. Foerster finished with eight shot attempts, including six shots on goal. In the third period, he was left all alone in front and had a chance on a power play. ... Pelletier was moved up to the third line and played 12 minutes, 18 seconds. It is the most he’s played since being acquired from the Calgary Flames at the end of January, and the most since he skated 12 minutes against the Pittsburgh Penguins in his second game with the Flyers.

The Flyers will get right back to it on Sunday afternoon in Chicago against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks (3 p.m., NHLN, NBCSP).