Flyers Take Early Punch To Gut As Ot Goal Is Overturned In Loss

Flyers take early punch to gut as OT goal is overturned in loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Just when it looked like the Flyers had win No. 1 of the Rick Tocchet era Saturday night, it was taken away from them.

Bobby Brink had a goal in overtime wiped off the board by video review, which deemed that Travis Sanheim interfered with Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen (more on this below). Carolina scored just 37 seconds after the Flyers celebrated what they thought was a victory instead turn into a 4-3 loss at Lenovo Center.

Seth Jarvis buried the Hurricanes’ OT winner with 17 seconds left.

Brink, Sanheim and Owen Tippett provided the Flyers’ goals.

Noah Cates’ line with Brink and Tyson Foerster was very good again. The trio had a great shift that led to Sanheim’s game-tying goal with four minutes remaining in regulation.

The Flyers are 0-1-1 under Tocchet. The last time the Flyers dropped their first two games of a season was 2015-16, when that team also started 0-1-1.

Tocchet’s club has had a stiff schedule. The Flyers visited the two-time defending champion Panthers on opening night and then faced a Carolina team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons.

The Flyers have lost 14 of their last 16 games against the Hurricanes (2-9-5). Saturday night was their first of four matchups this season with Carolina, which is off to a 2-0-0 start.

• Sanheim was making a play to the net when he clipped Andersen on Brink’s overturned goal.

Andersen was in his crease but did appear to create some of the contact. It didn’t matter, though.

Here was the NHL’s explanation of the review, which was initiated by the league’s situation room:

“Video review determined Philadelphia’s Travis Sanheim impaired Frederik Andersen’s ability to play his position in the crease prior to Bobby Brink’s goal. The decision was made in accordance with Rule 69.1 which states, in part, ‘Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal.'”

• Matvei Michkov didn’t see the ice in overtime, which was an interesting call considering the 20-year-old scored three OT winners last season as a rookie.

But Michkov definitely didn’t have his best game in regulation, while the Flyers had some other forwards playing well. You can bet that Michkov will get his looks in overtime this season.

• Samuel Ersson was between the pipes after Dan Vladar got the call in the 2-1 season-opening loss Thursday night.

Ersson made some tough and timely saves, stopping 35 of 39 shots.

The Hurricanes took advantage of transition opportunities and scored all three of their regulation goals in the second period.

Carolina grabbed its first lead of the game at 3-2 when it forechecked the Flyers’ top line and third defensive pair. Jordan Staal finished the sequence as Noah Juulsen and Adam Ginning couldn’t break up the play.

Ersson was excellent in the first period, making 15 saves and giving the Flyers an opportunity to take a 1-0 lead on Tippett’s goal with 22 seconds left before intermission.

Andersen denied 20 of the Flyers’ 23 shots.

• Nikita Grebenkin made his Flyers debut and picked up his first career NHL point with an assist.

The 22-year-old winger showed what he can do when he’s in the lineup. He popped offensively and really hunted the puck. That’s what’s pretty intriguing about him is that he can play down in the lineup because of his competitiveness.

He didn’t look out of place at all in a fourth-line role. And he has the ability to climb into the top six.

Grebenkin and Jett Luchanko entered the lineup for Nicolas Deslauriers and Rodrigo Abols. Luchanko was on the fourth line with Grebenkin and Garnet Hathaway.

On the Hurricanes’ game-tying 2-2 goal, Luchanko had an offensive-zone turnover that sprung Carolina the other way. Taylor Hall scored on the rush.

• Tippett didn’t have a power play goal all of last season. He already has one two games into this season.

The 26-year-old is a player the Flyers believe Tocchet can unleash.

“He has played, he has seen the game from all angles, he has been around the league coaching for a while,” Tippett said last month about his new head coach. “I’m excited to continue to work with him and see what he challenges me with.”

• Cam York missed the season-opening two-game road trip because of a lower-body injury.

• The Flyers return to Philadelphia for their home opener Monday against the Panthers (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The organization will honor the late Bernie Parent before the game.