Bob Ford: Slow starts catch up with Flyers in loss to Lightning

The Flyers continued their pursuit of the NHL's Degree of Difficulty Trophy on Monday night as they fell two goals behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening period at the Wells Fargo Center.

If there's anything this team seems to like, it is spotting the opposition an early advantage and then working like crazy to take it back. It is a dangerous way to play hockey and on this night, the plan didn't work very well.

Tampa Bay took the lead, lost it and then got it back, winning 5-3 despite getting only eight shots in the final two periods. That definitely wasn't part of the plan.

In the last 49 games, the Flyers have had a lead in the first 10 minutes just three times - and got (27) wins in that span and at least one point in (32) of the games. Most recently, they have gotten away with the slow starts because goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has been excellent and the offense has been able to generate just enough goals to construct a comeback.

The nervous part of the equation, of course, is that the Flyers are only six games separated from the playoffs, and if the offense doesn't pick up the pace or if Bryzgalov suffers a downturn, it could be one of those short springs in the postseason.

There's no reason to predict a loss of form by Bryzgalov, except that is the nature of the position. Heading into Monday's game, Bryzgalov had a 10-1-1 record in March and a 1.22 goals-against average. He's been more aggressive challenging shooters and better handling the puck and has looked like the goalie the Flyers thought they were acquiring to begin with.

As for the offense, though, there's no reason to predict it will suddenly take off. The Flyers are built to dominate with special teams and goaltending. That's fine when big newcomers Nick Grossman and Pavel Kubina are cleaning up the crease area, and as a philosophy, the Flyers certainly wouldn't be the first ones to win with the idea that the game is won or lost at the back end of the rink.

Still, a lead every now and then wouldn't hurt. Those special teams let down the Flyers in the first period against the Lightning. Danny Briere lost the puck on a check during a Flyers power play and Ryan Malone walked in to score on the Lightning's first shot of the game. Then, just before the end of the opening period, Briere took an interference penalty and Tampa Bay scored on its own power play, on a whiff-and-recover shot by Steven Stamkos.

The goal was the 53d of the season for Stamkos, a new Tampa Bay franchise record, and it put a crimp in the Flyers' plan to focus on him and let the rest happen. Coach Peter Laviolette started his checking line, centered by young Sean Couturier, on the first shift of the game against the Stamkos scoring line. That served as a telltale not only of the emphasis for the evening, but the team's emphasis for the rest of the regular season and beyond.

Down 2-0 for the fourth time in the past six games, the Flyers tightened up in the second period and, as a result, started throwing the puck at the net themselves. They cut the lead in half on a sweet little give-and-go between Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn that ended with Simmonds circling the Tampa Bay defense to stuff in a shot at the far post and break a personal 16-game goal-free stretch. Late in the period, Matt Read tied the game on a diving shot that pushed home a nice Kimmo Timonen backhand pass across the crease.

It only took 40 minutes, but the Flyers were right where they wanted to be. Just not for long this time.

Bryzgalov's 11-game streak of holding the opposition to two goals or fewer came to an end at the start of the third period when Martin St. Louis got loose on a breakaway and picked a perfect spot high on the stick side. The last Flyers goalie with a similar streak that long was Bernie Parent, so it's hard to criticize Bryzgalov for finally giving up a third goal, especially when his teammates left him naked.

The fourth goal wasn't his fault, either, unless you expect an NHL player to knock an easy clearance into the post, which is what Matt Carle did with less than three minutes to play.

Regardless of who gets the blame, the come-from-behind scenario faltered this time. The Flyers outshot Tampa, 37-15, and did get a dying-light goal from Scott Hartnell, but couldn't muster enough offense to do more than make it close again until the inevitable empty-netter. The result probably locks the Flyers into the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup against either the Rangers or Penguins.

All of which is fine if the Flyers ever figure out that the first 10 minutes are part of the game, too.