NHL Analysis: Ottawa 6, Philadelphia 3
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by user Cjhaddick
Flyers Notch Dubious Franchise Mark Against Sens, 6th Straight Home Loss
PHILADELPHIA, PA., December 23 – Despite a spirited effort to close out the first period, the Philadelphia Flyers set a franchise high mark, losing their sixth straight home skate to the Ottawa Senators, 6-3, Saturday afternoon before an increasingly frustrated home crowd at the Wachovia Center.
Two critical turnovers of the puck , including a giveaway by the Flyers’ Derian Hatcher in the Flyers’ own zone which led to a Daniel Alfredsson goal at 9:34 of the third period, put the game out of reach and this Flyers group in the team’s hall of shame.
Alfredssen put up three points to lead Ottawa, his eighth and ninth goals of the year as well as assist number 20. His second goal was an empty netter at 19:35 of the third and his 700th career NHL point.
In the first, the Flyers put themselves in a customary hole after Joni Pittkanen took a holding penalty at 5:07, and Philly surrendered a power play goal to Ottawa’s Joseph Corvo a minute later (5th, 6:09). The Flyers evened it up at 12:30 with a goal from Ben Eager (2nd, 12:30), and late in the period went ahead 2-1 on Jeff Carter’s third goal of the year off struggling Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber (17:28). Eager’s continued hustle from Thursday night in Montreal lifted the Flyers, and they worked to keep their energy level up, and finished the period strong, outshooting Ottawa 16-7.
Ottawa came roaring back in the second, and for nearly the entire period held advantages in real estate and artillery, outshooting Philly 17-8, and keeping the rubber in the Flyers’ zone for most of the stanza. Flyers’ netminder Antero Nittymaki held serve, including a beautiful stonewall of a Sens 3-on-1 led by Patrick Eaves midway through the second. Nittymaki was left on an island, however, and Ottawa’s Chris Phillips added his 13th goal of the year at 13:34 tying things at two, and in a near flash, the Sens went ahead 3-2 on a slapshot from the top of the left circle by Denis Hamel, taking advantage of a neutral zone turnover by the Flyers.
It had all the makings of a tailor-made Philly collapse until with barely more than a minute left, Kyle Calder scored his second goal of the year to even things up at 3-3 (18:50), setting the stage for the Flyers’ last period before lighting the yule log.
But the gloom lifted temporarily by Calder's second period goal returned in full in the third period , as the Sens again outshot the Flyers, 18-5, and put the contest out of reach and the Flyers into the record books for all of the wrong reasons.
‘’News and Notes’’…Philadelphia begins a very long road trip following the Christmas Holiday on Wednesday night in Florida against the Panthers… Flyers C Peter Forsberg was a scratch again on Saturday, and is still suffering the lingering effects of a concussion sustained in a game against the Washington Capitols on December 16.
