Flyers Lose The First Official 3-on-3 Overtime In NHL History, Still Some Positive Takeaways

Flyers 2, Lightning 3 (OT) | (0-0-1)

Well another NHL season has arrived and the Philadelphia Flyers have picked up right where they left off; not being able to come away with 2 points in games that are tied at the end of regulation. Now if you got a chance to watch the full 3-on-3 overtime last night, I think you’ll agree that it was incredibly exciting. I forgot to breathe during the majority of it. Had a nice little head rush going by the end. The 3-on-3 overtime might be the best thing the NHL has done in quite some time. It’s just back and forth with non-stop action. Last night’s overtime had a playoff hockey feel to it and we’re only through 2 nights of the season. It was incredible. Unfortunately, however, the Lightning won the NHL’s first official 3-on-3 overtime while the Flyers skate out of Tampa Bay with a point.

For the past few years, one of the Flyers’ biggest downfalls was how goddamn atrocious they were in the shootout. So for the team and the fans alike, going to the new overtime format was like a godsend. But even with the new format, the Flyers still can’t seem to escape the dreaded shootout and are now 0-for-2 in penalty shots on the season (keep in mind we’re only through 1 game). The fist came earlier in the game as Claude Giroux was tied up on a breakaway and unable to get a shot off…

The move was sick. The only problem is that Ben Bishop is 6’5″ and has reach. The 2nd penalty shot of the night came during the 3-on-3 overtime on a pretty ticky-tacky call for Scott Laughton.

With the game on his stick, Laughts made the right move and had Bishop beat. He just wasn’t able to execute. But other than the penalty shots, I thought there were a lot of positives to take out of last night’s game against the reigning Eastern Conference champions. I mean, I guess this may be like an “everyone gets a participation trophy” type of mentality here, but the Flyers went toe to toe with a team that is favorited to be a Cup contender again this year. There were a few lapses in judgement here and there but for the most part, they played a solid consistent game all the way through. There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic after that performance.

The Misfits Came To Play

The first goal of the Flyers season came off the stick of Matt Read. A guy who really seemed to regress last season while dealing with a few nagging injuries. But at 29-years-old, Read can’t really afford to have any more regression years in his career and even though he’s locked up for a more more years, last night it looked like he was playing in a contract year. First off, that quick pass from Laughton was A+. Great awareness of where his teammates are at and I love it. But I especially love read going hard to the net and that 3rd line did a solid job on both ends of the ice last night.

This is a make or break season for Brayden Schenn. I’d love nothing more than for him to finally reach his full potential this year and be a mainstay with this organization through the next few years. And over the past few games (preseason + last night), he’s been doing everything he can to earn his keep around here. Baby Schenn is back to playing with Coots and Simmonds, and if that line can get some consistency going then I think they’ll finally be able to ease some of the pressure on the 12-28-93 line. But again, this is just a hard-nosed goal going to the net and finishing chances. And again, RJ Umberger with the assist. I know it’s only one game but Umberger certainly looks much better this year than he did last season when he could barely move. He has another gear on him now after that hip surgery and he looked 5 years younger out there. Whether or not that can be sustained through 82 games this season is obvsiously still yet to be determined, but last night was a good sign for Umby.

Stone Cold Steve Mason 

The overtime goal Mase let in last night was a little weak but for the most part, Steve Mason did exactly what he did all of last season and kept this team in the game. The biggest thing was his ability to rebound immediately after giving up a goal. That first shift after a goal is scored is always the most important shift in a hockey game. There are very few daggers sharper than getting scored on and then giving up another goal a minute later. The Lightning had plenty of chances to do just that but Mason stood on his head and kept the team alive. He had a few MONSTER saves during the overtime, and maybe one day he’ll get the league-wide respect he deserves because he’s a top 10 goaltender in the NHL easily. 

Hakstol Flexed Those Coaching Muscles In His Debut

I thought Hakstol did a great job at managing the game last night. He did a great job at spreading out the TOI between all the lines and it paid off as the game went on. Late in third he was still throwing out the 4th line for some major crunch time minutes and they were able to give the top line the rest they needed to be good to go for the overtime period. Plus, his orange tie was absolute fire.

The Other Guys

Again, it was a promising 60+ minute effort all around. There weren’t really any times during the game that the Flyers seemed drastically out-matched and over powered. The first half of the 2nd period was a little rocky and the 3rd period was a clusterfuck all around for both teams, but the Flyers went in to Tampa and put together a pretty good hockey game. Would have been nice to get out of there with a win, but I guess we’ll just have to wait even longer for the boys to finally figure out that 3-on-3 overtime.