Flyers lose key piece on scary play, have comeback attempt thwarted by Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers' winning streak was halted at two Thursday night as the club suffered a 6-3 loss to the Panthers at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
The team also suffered a loss in its lineup during the second period. Scott Laughton was forced to exit with a head injury and did not return.
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At the time, the Flyers were down big, 4-0. The injury to one of their leaders spurred a comeback attempt. The Flyers ripped off three goals in the middle frame, trimming their deficit to 4-3 at second intermission, but Florida put them away in the final stanza with goals from Anthony Duclair (power play) and Sam Reinhart (empty net).
The Flyers (18-29-10) have won more than two games in a row only once this season, when they strung together three straight from Dec. 10-14.
They have yet to win on the road in the year of 2022.
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The Flyers went 0-2-1 against the Panthers (40-13-5) in their three-game regular-season series.
Reinhart finished with a hat trick for Florida. The Flyers have given up 10 hat tricks over the last two seasons.
• The Panthers, a bona-fide Stanley Cup contender, came in scoring an NHL-leading 4.12 goals per game.
They put up four on the Flyers in the first period. Reinhart scored a pair, both on the power play, and Carter Verhaeghe deposited the other two.
Carter Hart was not to blame. Florida ambushed the Flyers, who were not nearly sharp enough to withstand its firepower.
Fresh off his career-high 47 saves, Hart denied 31 of 36 shots.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad collected four assists apiece for a Panthers team that looks scary good.
Florida netminder Sergei Bobrovsky went 3-0-0 against the Flyers this season with 92 saves on 98 shots.
The former Flyer stopped 36 of those shots Thursday night.
• Following the injury to Laughton, the Flyers had a charge themselves to make it a game.
James van Riemsdyk, Cam Atkinson and Travis Konecny scored goals.
The Panthers eventually closed the door in the third period.
• On the day he signed a five-year, $25.5 million contract extension, Rasmus Ristolainen had a rough first period.
He committed two penalties and Florida scored on both power plays.
The 27-year-old defenseman ended up playing a team-high 24:14 minutes. He finished with an assist, a plus-1 rating, three shots, five hits and two blocked shots.
More: Ristolainen deal is a fine one, but Flyers need to hold up their end
• Back with the big club, prospect Cam York recorded an assist and a minus-2 rating in 15:38 minutes.
• The Flyers have a back-to-back set over the weekend. They visit the Hurricanes on Saturday (3 p.m. ET/ABC) and then come home to host the Canadiens on Sunday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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