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Flyers can’t claw back from early deficit in 7-3 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins

The Flyers got within one point in the second period after a Sean Couturier goal, but could not keep up with Pittsburgh's scoring pace. The loss was the Flyers' fourth over the last five games.

Flyers' Egor Zamula returns to the bench after scoring during the first period against the Penguins.
Flyers' Egor Zamula returns to the bench after scoring during the first period against the Penguins.Read moreMatt Freed / AP

PITTSBURGH ― It was an uphill battle from the start on Monday night.

Facing a Pittsburgh Penguins team that had won eight of its past 12, the Flyers were on their heels early, and while they were able to find their game and try another comeback — they have seven this season — the Orange and Black ultimately fell short, losing 7-3 to their cross-state rivals. They have now lost four of their last five and seven of their last 10.

It was not the start the Flyers wanted. On the Penguins’ first shot 89 seconds into the game — their only shot for the first 9 minutes, 19 seconds — the home team took a 1-0 lead. Sidney Crosby sent the puck up the board to Bryan Rust, who stepped into the one-timer from above the right faceoff circle for his 15th goal of the season.

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The Flyers tied it up less than five minutes later on a goal by Egor Zamula. With the Penguins trying to regroup in their own end down the right boards, Garnet Hathaway came barreling in and applied pressure on two Penguins, causing a loose puck. Scott Laughton snagged it and fed Ryan Poehling, who went to Zamula at the point. The defenseman skated in before scoring his second goal of the year.

And then the wheels fell off in the first period.

After a goal by the Penguins was overturned on a coach’s challenge for offside at 12:46, the Penguins did make it 2-1. The Flyers couldn’t clear the puck and Rust made a quick pass across the slot to Rickard Rickell for the goal. Michael Bunting then made it 3-1 on a power play when he was left alone at the far post to tap in a pass from Evgeni Malkin.

Philip Tomasino made it a three-goal lead for Pittsburgh with a power-play goal on a wild scene. To start things off, the Flyers broke out shorthanded three-on-one with Laughton putting a shot on goal that Tristan Jarry nabbed with his glove. Did everyone in the building expect a whistle? Yep, but Jarry played the puck with three Flyers deep in his zone.

Crosby and Bunting broke out two-on-one with Crosby putting a shot on Flyers goalie Sam Ersson that he sent into the corner. Seconds later, after the Penguins retrieved the puck, Crosby fed a wide-open Tomasino atop the crease.

The second period was a better one for the Flyers as they had more shot attempts (17-12) and outscored the Penguins 2-1.

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Noah Cates got things going with a goal in his fourth straight game as his line continues to roll. Bobby Brink hit Rakell in the neutral zone, allowing Cam York to retrieve the puck freely and send a stretch pass back to Brink. The forward carried the puck down the left wing, turned toward the boards, and then fed Cates at the hash marks of the right circle for the quick shot to make it 4-2.

Sean Couturier returned to the lineup and made it 4-3 with his seventh goal of the season, and the first since becoming a dad for the second time over the weekend. He took a pass from Travis Konecny and skated down the left wing before scoring five-hole with Kris Letang draped on him.

The Penguins’ lone goal of the period — one of five shots they had — was scored by Bunting to make it 5-3. The Flyers got the puck out of their own end but the Penguins transitioned right back in with Malkin sending a pass over to Bunting for a slapshot past Ersson from the high slot with 1:12 left in the frame.

Ersson was pulled after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Aleksei Kolosov entered the game and made a spectacular save on a Matt Nieto one-timer off a cross-ice pass. He did allow one goal on the power-play by Blake Lizotte in the waning minutes to make it 7-3, but stopped six of seven shots to keep the game close.

Breakaways

Crosby had an empty netter to make it 6-3. ... Brink had five hits, the most by any player in the game. ... For the first time this season, the Flyers did not have a power-play opportunity.

Up next

The NHL takes a break for the holidays for the next three days. After the break, the Flyers head west for their annual road trip while Disney On Ice takes over the Wells Fargo Center Dec. 26-Jan. 4. The Flyers will practice in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday before taking on Cutter Gauthier and the Ducks on Saturday (4 p.m., NBCSP).