The Flyers didn’t play a good game against a top team and the result showed it.
They fell to the Jets, 5-2, Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Owen Tippett drew the Flyers within 2-1 in the middle stanza. But Winnipeg responded just 1:21 minutes later with a goal off a whacky bounce to send the Flyers into second intermission trailing by two.
“I thought Tip was probably our only guy that played well tonight,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “Then we give them that goal, that was a killer.”
About midway through the third period, Mark Scheifele put the next dagger in the Flyers with his second goal of the night, this one on the power play.
“I think it just comes down to execution,” Tippett said. “I don’t think they did anything special. It just comes down to execution and they buried on their chances and we didn’t.”
Matvei Michkov picked up a late goal before the Jets tacked on an empty-netter.
“We made some mistakes, for sure,” Travis Konecny said. “There was definitely opportunity there. I think they came out flat and so did we. It was not how we wanted to start the game. Regroup, put it aside.”
The Flyers (1-2-1) have dropped three of their first four games.
“It’s the fourth game of the year,” Tocchet said. “I know coaches say it all the time, but we can learn from this.”
The schedule hasn’t been easy. The Flyers have faced the two-time defending champion Panthers twice, a Hurricanes team that has made the playoffs in seven straight seasons and a Jets club that won the Presidents’ Trophy last season.
“It’s a tough stretch,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “You’ve got to play them eventually. We’ve got some quality opponents right away. There’s no easy game in the NHL.
“We go from the Stanley Cup champs to the Presidents’ Trophy champs. It is a tall order, but even in practice today, I see guys want these moments. … We’re looking for big moments from players. But in the meantime, you have to have the small moments to add up to the big ones.”
The Flyers don’t see the Jets (3-1-0) again until April 11 when the clubs meet at Canada Life Centre.
• At morning skate, Tocchet said the Flyers would be in trouble if they committed turnovers against a team like Winnipeg.
The Flyers had a bad one lead directly to a Jets goal in the second period. Nikita Grebenkin couldn’t handle a pretty low-key pass from Travis Sanheim. Winnipeg pounced on the mishap as Scheifele blasted a shot past Samuel Ersson to put the Flyers down 2-0.
It was a critical momentum swing because the Flyers had just come up empty on a power play.
“Winnipeg kind of played kitty by the door and they waited for their chances,” Tocchet said.
The Flyers Postgame Live crew broke down the team’s 5-2 loss Thursday night to the Jets.
• Ersson was not particularly sharp and the Flyers weren’t, either.
The netminder surrendered four goals on 14 shots.
The Jets opened the scoring 5:45 minutes into the action when Vladislav Namestnikov buried a rebound at the doorstep. Before Winnipeg got the puck in deep, it looked like Jett Luchanko had an opportunity to clear the defensive zone, but he was quickly pressured and lost the puck.
“They made a good play, I’ve just got to be able to advance the puck,” Luchanko said. “They were able to pounce on us from there.”
In the second period, the Jets countered that Tippett goal when a shot ricocheted off Adam Ginning’s stick and then clanged off Noah Cates’ backside to make it 3-1. On the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast, Ginning could be seen saying “no way” after the puck went into the net.
“Ginning makes a good block and then it takes a bad bounce,” Ersson said. “It’s a little sh–ty goal.”
Connor Hellebuyck, last season’s Hart Trophy winner as the league’s MVP, stopped 15 of the Flyers’ 17 shots.
“They played a perfect road game,” Tocchet said. “Plus, they’ve got Hellebuyck in net.”
The Flyers fell to the Jets, last season’s Presidents’ Trophy winner, with a 5-2 decision Thursday night.
• Michkov recorded his first point of the season with his goal late in the third period. That could be a silver lining for the Flyers, who would love to see him get going offensively.
• Cam York made his season debut after missing the first three games with a lower-body injury.
The 24-year-old played on the top defensive pair alongside Sanheim and finished with 22:32 minutes.
With York’s return, Emil Andrae was sent back to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
The Flyers play their third of four straight home games Saturday when they welcome the Wild (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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