So what did the Flyers think of those third-period penalty calls during their loss to the Bruins? | On the Fly

It was like when kids stick their tongues on a frozen pole or when a lion tamer puts his head — or any appendage — in the beast’s mouth. At some point, something bad is going to happen.

That’s sort of what the Flyers did Wednesday night. They had two points all wrapped up and swaddled away, then they gave one away to the Bruins. When you put that team on the power play three times in eight minutes, bad things are going to happen.

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— Ed Barkowitz (flyers@inquirer.com)

Flyers Twitter wasn’t real happy with referees Steve Kozari and Brandon Schrader. Three times in the last eight minutes, they whistled penalties on the Flyers and — bang! bang! bang! — the Bruins converted all three and skated away with their third consecutive win over the Flyboys this season.

It was hard to argue two of the calls. The other, a hold on Kevin Hayes with 2 minutes, 1 second left and the Flyers clinging to a 3-2 lead, is disputable. But he was whistled for grabbing Brad Marchand, a call that Marchand will get given his status as one of the league’s better players.

“The only one that I’m not 100% sure of is the one called on Hayesey,” Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. “But it’s 200 feet from our net, and if you wrap your arms around somebody” a penalty will be called.

Makes you wonder, though, if that call would have been made with 19,000 Flyers fans in the Wells Fargo Center.

The days of free-for-alls in the NHL in the third period went out with Kate Smith and games ending in ties. Nic Aube-Kubel committed the first of the three third-period infractions when he closed his hand on the puck with a little more than eight minutes left. It took 10 seconds for David Pastrnak to convert that advantage for Boston.

Pastrnak burned the Flyers again on the Hayes penalty with 14.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Since it was his third goal of the game, Pastrnak showed up to his postgame media availability with a straw hat that looked like it was sent down from Lancaster by an Amish farmer.

Scott Laughton completed the errors trifecta with an interference on Boston’s Sean Kuraly with 7.3 seconds left in regulation. The Bruins won it 31 seconds into overtime. Laughton’s penalty seemed to bother Vigneault the most.

James van Riemsdyk, who was whistled for a soft slashing penalty in the second period, offered a player’s take.

“[Referees] have a tough job, so there’s going to be a human aspect of it,” said van Riemsdyk, who was the Flyers’ best skater Wednesday. “For me, I thought just the consistency of the standard of the game [was missing]. Sometimes, I felt like they were letting us play. Other times, stuff seemed a little ticky-tacky.”

The Flyers entered the night having killed off 14 of 15 penalties, a remarkable achievement given that Sean Couturier — their best defensive forward — remains shelved with a rib injury.

But they hadn’t seen a power play like Boston’s before. Even when the Flyers lost two games up in Boston last month, giving up a brutal four goals in seven attempts, the Bruins were missing Pastrnak. The teams will play again Friday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

“We’ve got to try to adjust and adapt, because we know how good of a power play those guys have,” van Riemsdyk continued. “Unfortunately, their power play came through for them tonight.”

Top four qualify for playoffs.

1. Boston (7-1-2, 16 points): Pastrnak has 19 shots on goal in three games. That would put him in fourth place among the Flyers, who’ve played 11 games. Next: at Philadelphia, Friday, 7 p.m.

2. Flyers (7-2-2, 16 points): Top defensive pair Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere was not good Wednesday against Boston. Too many turnovers, especially early. Next: vs. Boston, Friday, 7 p.m.

3. Washington (6-1-3, 15 points): Top-line center Evgeny Kuznetsov and starting goalie Ilya Samsonov were still on the COVID-19 protocol list as of Wednesday. The Caps had been 4-0-1 without Kuznetsov until a regulation loss to the Bruins on Monday. Next: at N.Y. Rangers, Thursday, 7 p.m. (NHLN).

4. Pittsburgh (5-4-1, 11 points): Got some unexpected time off when their two games against the Devils this week were postponed. They’re using the down time to work on a power play that was 22nd heading into Wednesday’s games. Next: at N.Y. Islanders, Saturday, 7 p.m.

5. New Jersey (4-3-2, 10 points): A COVID-19 outbreak involving at least 14 players caused three games to be postponed. This will give the Devils at least nine days between games. Not good. Next: vs. Pittsburgh, Tuesday, 6 p.m. (NBCSN).

6. Buffalo (4-4-2, 10 points): It’s even worse for the Sabres, who, ESPN reported, weren’t happy that their game Sunday vs. the Devils was played. Buffalo might not play again until a week from today. Next: vs. Washington, Feb. 11, 7 p.m.

7. N.Y. Islanders (3-4-2, 8 points): Their two games against the Sabres this week were postponed. Anthony Beauvillier (lower-body injury) is close to returning. Next: vs. Pittsburgh, Saturday, 7 p.m.

8. N.Y. Rangers (3-4-2, 8 points): The divorce between the Rangers and defenseman Tony DeAngelo is at hand. DeAngelo, who hails from Sewell, N.J., has always been a loose cannon on and especially off the ice. He reportedly got into a physical altercation with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on Sunday and was put on the taxi squad two days later. “We’re talking about finding him another place to play and letting him move on with his career and wishing him the best of luck,” GM Jeff Gorton said. Next: vs. Washington, Thursday, 7 p.m. (NHLN).

Friday: Boston at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

Sunday: Flyers at Washington, 12 p.m. (NBC)

Tuesday: Flyers at Washington, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

Thursday, Feb. 11: New Jersey at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

Saturday, Feb. 13: New Jersey at Flyers, 7 p.m. (NBCSP)

The refs did not help things. The Hayes penalty was very soft. Laughton was stupid, but I have seen that many times not called — then it is called with 7 seconds left. The defense left open way too many guys right in front of the net, making it hard for Hart. Getting Couturier back should help, but this defense is not a championship defense. Moves definitely needed.

— Inquirer.com user Matthew76

Send questions or observations by Twitter (@EdBarkowitz), and they could appear in a future edition.