Flyers fall 5-4 to Predators in final minutes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After keeping up with the Nashville Predators through the majority of the game, the Flyers once again wasted an early lead in a 5-4 loss to the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

While they had a fraction of the offense in terms of both offensive zone time and shots, the Flyers made the most of the chances they got. Morgan Frost’s takeaway set up the first shot, which Travis Sanheim turned into a goal. The Flyers only had two more shots on goal, as well as three missed shots and a blocked one before they scored again on a Joel Farabee goal late in the period.

While Martin Jones had a strong performance through the first, the barrage of Predators shots finally broke through in the second. The Predators quickly halved their deficit when Yakov Trenin scored 41 seconds in.

“Obviously, when you give up that amount of time in your defensive zone, they’re going to find some looks,” interim coach Mike Yeo said.

Offense became the name of the game. Max Willman got one back for the Flyers, but Trenin’s and Luke Kenin’s two quick goals, scored 46 seconds apart, tied the game at 3-3. Filip Forsberg scored to briefly give the Predators the lead, but James van Riemsdyk’s goal tied it at 4-4 as the game headed into the third period.

After 18:21 of back-and-forth play, Tanner Jeannot deflected in the game-winning goal on a play the Predators kept attempting all night.

“A big factor tonight was tipped goals,” Yeo said. “And I thought that we, especially in the first, I thought we did a real good job clearing the front of the net, being strong in front of the net. After that, we weren’t doing a very good job as far as finding lanes. And they were able to get pucks through.”

Frost was the exception in the Flyers’ sluggish start.

While his teammates dragged, Frost won races to the puck and fought hard in battles. When he snagged the puck from Forsberg, he caught all the Predators off balance as he rushed the net. Instead of shooting, Frost passed it back to Sanheim, perfectly setting up the first goal.

“Frosty did a pretty good job on the forecheck,” Sanheim said. “I saw that their D was going to turn it over and saw a chance to jump up and he made a great play to me late.”

In addition to showcasing his play-making ability, the sequence also showed off Frost’s improved defensive play. He said it’s a good example of how he can create more offense by being stronger on defense.

“He’s been playing well on this road trip,” Farabee said. “I think his defensive game has grown exponentially this year. Definitely a lot to like from him.”

Frost also got some time on the penalty kill. He won the faceoff before skating off, but it helped the Flyers to kill the power play. There haven’t been any practices to help him prepare for the role, so he’s been studying film because he hopes to be able to contribute in every aspect of the game.

Frost finished with an assist, a shot on goal, two takeaways, and three blocked shots.

As Roman Josi carried the puck over the blue line, down behind the net, and back up to the point, the Flyers trailed behind trying to stop him. Instead, Josi took a shot from far out, and Trenin knocked it in.

The second goal was also a case of the Flyers’ defense getting beat. Kevin Connauton and Keith Yandle raced to the puck but Trenin got there faster for a clear shot at the net. The same thing almost happened again, but the Flyers just barely beat the Predators. On the third goal, the Flyers got caught watching as Kunin put in his own rebound. No one else was close to getting the puck.

There were many other instances where the Flyers defense dragged behind. While they didn’t all end in goals, the shot count was a clear indication of how much time the Flyers spent defending. They finished with 23 shots to the Predators’ 35, and the lack of defense lost them the game.

“The best offense is a good defense,” Farabee said. “So you’ve got to play defense first. I think at the end of the day, I think defense is what lost us this game tonight.”

The list of goal scorers on this road trip probably doesn’t look like most would have expected. Out of the last 14 goals, seven have been scored by forwards playing on the bottom two lines. While it’s generally good when the entire team can produce, Yeo said he looks at it on a game-by-game basis. And in the last game, he thought they weren’t very good.

Against the Predators, the Flyers’ offense was more even through the lineup. All the lines were buzzing at different points in the game, and none appeared to be a weak point. The first line, third line, and fourth line all contributed goals, and the second line took the most shots.

The Flyers head to Minnesota where they will have a practice Monday before playing the Wild on Tuesday.