Flyers upbeat after launching 55 shots in loss
ANAHEIM, Calif. - There are two ways to look at the Flyers' 0-2-1 road trip that ended with a head-scratching 4-3 shootout loss in Anaheim on Sunday night.
ANAHEIM, Calif. - There are two ways to look at the Flyers' 0-2-1 road trip that ended with a head-scratching 4-3 shootout loss in Anaheim on Sunday night.
Glass half-empty: The Flyers lost valuable ground they had built by recently winning 10 straight games. They are just 1-4-2 since that streak ended and are trending in the wrong direction.
Glass half-full: The Flyers dominated the Ducks, outshooting them, 55-25, and equaling a franchise record for shots in a road game. Even though they lost, there are signs they are snapping out of the malaise.
Not too surprisingly, the Flyers are taking the second view.
"You get 55 shots, you're going to win most games," said defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who had seven shots turned away by goalie John Gibson. "It's unfortunate we didn't get the two points, but it's definitely a better game than the last two we played. We're just trying to get better each day."
The Flyers will try to end a four-game losing streak Wednesday against the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center.
"We know we've been in a little bit of a lull, but if we keep playing like we did [Sunday], we'll be successful," Del Zotto said.
"Getting one point out of six is disappointing, but I think we can build off this game," center Sean Couturier said. "Fifty-five shots is a lot of shots. That's a lot of scoring chances and we just have to bury them."
The Flyers won't get nearly as many scoring chances against a defensively strong Rangers team.
"This wasn't our best road trip," said Wayne Simmonds, who made a great move and appeared to have Gibson beaten on a backhander before the goalie stopped what would have been the winning goal in the shootout. "The games in St. Louis and San Jose, we thought we needed to compete harder and battle more. We did that [Sunday]. Unfortunately, we didn't get the results, but sometimes it's not that you change the page overnight and get the results you want. You have to keep working at it."
The other positives in Sunday's loss: Travis Konecny ended a 22-game goalless drought, and Couturier, who had been sidelined for five weeks before returning three games ago, scored for the first time since Nov. 17.
Both said their goals were confidence builders.
The Flyers outplayed the Rangers the last time they met but dropped a 3-2 decision on Nov. 25. The Flyers had a 78-39 domination in shot attempts in that game.
Breakaways
In shootouts, the Flyers are 4-4, Jake Voracek is a team-best 4 for 7, and Steve Mason has stopped 23 of 30 shots. Mason has started 21 of the last 23 games. . . . Radko Gudas had an ice pack on his wrist and knee after Sunday's game.
@BroadStBull