Flyers regroup and get another shot at the Bruins after late collapse

Bad penalties. Bad penalty killing. Bad ending to a game the Flyers seemed to have under control.

The Flyers, whose penalty killing was dominating during their four-game winning streak, allowed three power-play goals in the final 8 minutes, 26 seconds Wednesday, turning a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 overtime loss to Boston at the Wells Fargo Center.

“You’ve got no time to feel sorry for yourself,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “You’ve got to get right back at it. That’s what we’re going to do.”

The Flyers (7-2-2) get a chance at redemption when they host the Bruins (7-1-2) on Friday, with the winner taking over sole possession of first place in the East Division.

“We know what the schedule is like this year,” said James van Riemsdyk, the sizzling left winger who had two more assists Wednesday, giving him eight in his last four games. “You get the chance to play the same team again. Ultimately, we’ll learn a little bit from this one and move on. We’ll be ready for the next one.”

In Wednesday’s nationally televised loss, the turnover-plagued Flyers were soundly outplayed in the first 15 minutes. Over the next 37 minutes, however, the Sean Couturier-less Flyers were the better team as they scored three straight goals and built a 3-1 lead. Their forecheck became active, they played with more physicality, and their puck management improved greatly.

But their strong play was wiped out as late penalties on Nic Aube-Kubel (closing his hand on the puck), Kevin Hayes (questionable hooking call with 2:01 left in regulation) and Scott Laughton (interference with eight seconds left in regulation) led to three Boston power-play goals. That included David Pasternak’s six-on-four goal with 14.9 seconds left in regulation, and Patrice Bergeron’s game-deciding rebound 31 seconds into overtime.

“They’re elite players and they found a way to make a difference in the game,” Vigneault said of the Bruins’ power-play unit, which went 3 for 4 on the night and is clicking at 35.3% this season.

The Flyers’ PK was 14 for 15 during their four-game winning streak, which ended Wednesday. But their PK has been manhandled by Boston this season. The Bruins’ power play is 7 for 11 in three wins over the Flyers. (The Flyers’ PP is 2 for 9 in those games.)

Carter Hart allowed four goals Wednesday, but he couldn’t be faulted for any of them, beginning with a fluke goal that bounced off defenseman Ivan Provorov and was credited to Pastrnak, who later completed his ninth career hat trick in just 393 games.

“He gave us a chance, especially early on when we didn’t have much going on,” Claude Giroux, who became the third player in franchise history to play in 900 games with the Flyers, said of Hart. “He closed the door.”

The Bruins are on a 6-0-1 run. They have won all three games against the Flyers – two of the victories went beyond regulation – and have scored a total of 14 goals. Ten of those 14 goals were scored in the third period or later.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher recently overcame a battle with COVID-19 that had him sequestered in a hotel. He is now feeling fine, though he still doesn’t have a sense of smell or taste. … Jake Voracek has points in seven of his last eight games. … The top pairing of Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere had a rough night Wednesday… Bobby Clarke (1,133 games) and Bill Barber (903) are the only players who have played more games with the Flyers than Giroux. … The Flyers are 7-2-2 despite the NHL’s largest negative shot differential. They are getting outshot by a 33.8-23.7 margin per game. They are averaging the fewest shots per game in the league.