Panthers deny Flyers in shootout

IT HAD all the makings of a classic, call-it-from-a-mile-away trap game.

The Flyers were coming off their most impressive - and most important - win of the young season, topping a tough Tampa Bay team Tuesday in a nationally televised game in both the United States and Canada. It was an emotion-sapping win.

The next opponent was a less-than-scintillating draw in Florida, the same team the Flyers thumped by six goals less than 2 weeks ago. It was the Panthers' worst beating in almost 6 calendar years.

This time, the only problem was that Florida brought with them three key pieces - Kris Versteeg, Stephen Weiss and Erik Gudbranson - who weren't in the lineup on Jan. 26.

And the Flyers didn't bring the same jump. They started flatter than South Philly the day after the Mummers Parade.

"The start was bad," the Flyers' Kimmo Timonen said. "We can't come out and play like that in the first period. Every game matters. And if I can say why we lost one point today, that's probably because of the first period."

Despite two power plays in the final 8 minutes of regulation, and a bevy of scoring threats in the extra session, most of the Flyers' players still pointed to their first period as the reason they lost the extra point in Thursday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Panthers.

Looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season, the Flyers were just beginning to climb the Eastern Conference ladder. Through Thursday's action, the Flyers are one point back of a tie for eighth place - but they are tied with four other teams, including the Panthers.

"You can't take a victory in the past to heart," said Matt Read, who has scored all four of his goals this season against Florida. "They were a different team tonight. They got their star players back for the game and we took it just like any other game."

It was the Flyers' first game past regulation this season. Jonathan Huberdeau and Peter Mueller bested Ilya Bryzgalov on two straight shots to win the shootout; Read and Claude Giroux were held scoreless by Jose Theodore.

The Flyers are 23-42 all-time in shootouts.

"It's the same story, it seems," Danny Briere said. "I felt we probably shouldn't have gotten there, and found a way to win it before. I think it's the first period I would like to have back. We were a little slow out of the gate. Maybe if we come out a little better, we jump ahead 1-0 instead of playing from behind."

The Flyers were actually able to overcome their uninspired start, crawling out of the first frame with a 1-1 score thanks to Jake Voracek's power-play goal.

Special teams reared their ugly heads in the third period, causing the Flyers to not only blow their 2-1 lead but also miss out on a go-ahead goal. Weiss knotted the game on the power play. The Flyers' second power-play unit failed to follow up on the momentum built by the first.

"That's how you improve your spot in the standings, capitalizing right there, being timely," Mike Knuble said. "It was a real timely situation for us to score and pull out a win with 5 or 6 minutes left. It's frustrating to not be able to manufacture more."

The Flyers' power play is 3-for-34 in their seven losses, including Thursday's power-play goal by Voracek, and 6-for-16 in their four wins. The difference is night and day. So, too, was their effort in the first period - compared to both Jan. 26 and Tuesday's win over Tampa.

"It's frustrating to lose a point tonight," Knuble said. "If it's an 80-game season, you don't sweat it so much. But we're trying to climb the ladder and you need everything you can get.

Claude Giroux started the game 7-for-7 on faceoffs before finishing at 60 percent. He has won more than he has lost in eight of 11 games this season . . . Florida forward Alex Kovalev was a healthy scratch . . . Matt Read has six goals in six career games against Florida, and four in his last two thanks to his hat trick on Jan. 26.

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