CALGARY, Alberta _ They chased the starting goalie. They rallied from a deficit with three quick second period goals, against one of the NHL's hottest teams, the Calgary Flames. They scored short-handed.
They even killed five of six penalties, largely thanks to the clutch goaltending of Anthony Stolarz, especially at those moments when it counted most. And still the Flyers lost, beaten by Johnny Gaudreau's overtime goal _ the Flames third within the final two minutes of action.
Sean Couturier's two goals, including a third period short-handed breakaway that gave the Flyers some breathing room, was the offensive story. But until that stretch the night belonged to the 24-year-old Stolarz, who stared down four third period power plays with gymnastic saves and held off the Flames until the final frantic end.
It was a point earned and a point given away. A little over year ago, on the same western Canada swing it was Brian Elliott whose performance triggered the Flyers rise from the NHL's dead. Last night, in the first of three games that mirrored that trip, it was the Stolarz who battled his way through the NHL's second most potent offense, giving the Flyers a shot-in-the-arm when they needed it most.
Once again the Flyers got the early jump they have spoken so often about between games. Once again their efforts produced only Phil Varone's crossbar-ringing semi-breakaway. They held the early shot advantage and once again they fell behind despite it, Sam Bennett's putback of Matthew Tkachuk's wraparound try providing the only goal _ on Calgary's third shot _ of the first period.
It triggered a momentum reversal, the Flames reversing that early 7-2 disadvantage to finish the first period with a 12-8 shot advantage over the Flyers, Stolarz providing adequate if not sometimes spectacular goal tending to keep the deficit at 1-0.
That loomed big after Travis Sanheim tied the game with what is becoming a signature move for him, taking a feed from Claud Giroux and swooping across the goalmouth to score with a backhander at 52 seconds of the second period.
The Flyers fell behind again on Mark Giordano's short-handed goal, but got it back immediately when James van Riemsdyk converted a pass from Sean Couturier at 5:55 of the second.
Moments later, Couturier tipped Jake Voracek's shot-pass past Calgary goalie Mike Smith to make it 3-2. Just over a minute later, Dale Weise fired a wrist shot from the blue line that Smith simply muffed, giving the Flyers a 4-2 lead at 7:43 of the second period.
It was an awful goal and a great opportunity. But the Flyers did not test Smith again until Varone's snap shot at 17:35 of the period. Between those moments, Voracek passed on taking a close shot to make a pass.
Repeatedly Flyers forwards pass on shots to make an additional pass, more often creating a lesser chance, or none at all. It is one of the clearest byproducts of a crisis in confidence and as much as its goaltending or special teams, it is killing this team's chance to right itself in time to make a run.
Calgary got one back at 10:13 of the second with Andrew MacDonald off for interference, Sean Monahan finishing off a nice passing display with Tkachuk and Gaudreau.
The Flames lifted Smith in favor of David Rittich to start the third period, and began pouring rubber on Stolarz. A power-play save on Monahan, another on James Neal and yet another on Monahan kept the Flyers ahead by that 4-3 margin. Playing frantically in front of Stolarz, the Flyers took four penalties in the final stanza, but thanks to Couturier's timely short-hander that made it 5-3 at 11:10 of the third _ had a victory that was important on so many fronts in their grasp until surrendering two empty net goals in the final one minute and eight seconds.
The primary one was the obvious one. Until then, they didn't just get good goal tending. They got game-deciding goaltending from a player who had never even visited Calgary before.
"Seems like he's relishing the opportunity," new Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher had said before the game. "First and foremost he's gone in and he's battled for his teammates. Usually when a goaltender does that, he gets that in return from the guys in front of him."
