Flyers fall to the Minnesota Wild in overtime, 3-2, dropping their third straight

ST. PAUL, Minn. ― The Flyers may not be perfect, but they’re resilient.

Trailing the Wild, 2-1, with a minute and a half remaining in the third period, defenseman Tony DeAngelo scored the tying goal and the game went to overtime. However, Wild winger Mats Zuccarello scored the overtime winner, handing the Flyers their third straight loss and their second consecutive overtime defeat.

Coach John Tortorella started overtime with defensemen Cam York and Ivan Provorov, and center Scott Laughton on the ice. Laughton lost the face off, but their unit managed to keep the Wild from scoring. Once they were able to get a change, winger Travis Konecny generated a scoring chance with a shot on Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. But Fleury came up with the save, paving the way for Zuccarello’s goal and a 3-2 final.

The Flyers are 1-8 this season in overtime.

“That was a game of two willing teams,” Tortorella said. “That’s a hard team. Hard building to play in. I’m happy we get a point, but it leaves you wanting more.”

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The Flyers played the majority of the game without two of their forwards due to injury: wingers Wade Allison (lower body) and Zack MacEwen (upper body). Allison blocked a shot in the second period and went up the tunnel shortly thereafter. MacEwen got in a fight in the first period and did not come out for the second.

Thursday night’s game featured fighting with a side of hockey. Winger Nicolas Deslauriers kicked off the fight card with a heavyweight match against winger Ryan Reaves 10 minutes into the first period, and both players struggled to land punches. Fifteen seconds later, Allison pounced on center Mason Shaw, dropping him to the ice in the corner of the Flyers’ zone.

Then, just a second later off of the faceoff, MacEwen dropped the gloves with winger Marcus Foligno. All six players took up shop in their respective penalty boxes after officials assessed them five-minute majors for fighting. In the second period, center Patrick Brown got in on the fighting when he squared up with winger Brandon Duhaime just 2 minutes, 45 seconds into the frame.

“Seeing guys step up, I think that’s the identity that we’re trying to bring, that we never give up and nobody’s going to push us around,” Deslauriers said.

The last time Cates played in the Xcel Energy Center, he was making his NHL debut following a four-year career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The Stillwater, Minn., native made a splash early in the game in his return in front of roughly 50 friends and family testing Fleury with the first shot on goal of the game. Fleury made the stop, but he wasn’t done facing the wrath of Cates.

Just five minutes into the first period while the Flyers were in the offensive zone, Duhaime turned the puck over to defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen along the boards. Ristolainen fired a wrist shot from distance toward the net, which deflected off of Cates and trickled over the goal line past Fleury to put the Flyers up, 1-0. As Cates celebrated with his teammates, some of his childhood friends cheered along with him from their seats behind the net.

“I definitely have scored in other situations, high school and college, I think I scored here,” Cates said. “So definitely cool to get one in the NHL now.”

While the Flyers jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period, the Wild woke up after the Flyers’ go-ahead goal. They tested Carter Hart throughout the frame, generating 13 scoring chances to the Flyers’ seven, according to Natural Stat Trick. However, Hart stood tall, denying all seven shots on goal. But in the second period, the Wild continued to create chances — nine to the Flyers’ six.

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Eventually, they broke through, as Matt Boldy scored twice to earn his team the lead, once at even strength in the second period and another on the power play in the third. However, both goals came as a result of poor defensive coverage in front of him. In total, Hart denied 20 of 23 shots on goal.

“Skilled team, goes to overtime,” Hart said. “I’ve got to make a save there. And that’s the game. So, on to the next one.”

The Flyers continue their road trip when they take on the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday at 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Philadelphia).