The scenery was beautiful with a bright sun shining when it set in the first period.
Everything got dark from there for the Flyers in their NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe game Sunday.
The Flyers handed another hat-trick to David Pastrnak, scoring four goals in the second period en route to an ugly 7-3 defeat for the Bruins in Stateline, Nevada.
If you go abroad without six key players, the odds against the Flyers are stacked before it falls. They needed Carter Hart to be out near lights. Instead, the 22-year-old goalkeeper was out of the game by the third period.
The Flyers (8-4-3) are 0-3-2 against Boston this season and 8-1-1 against everyone else.
The Bruins (11-3-2) outscored the Flyers 23-12 in the five games. The Flyers see Boston three more times.
• Heart seemed the opposite of itself. He really struggled to locate slides and stopped seeing. He usually makes so much of the savings.
Outdoor games are usually the most challenging for netminders. Who knows if the elements got the best of him. There were sound issues with Hart’s microphone playing. He asked a few questions, but his answers were inaudible. Not his fault.
The Flyers could not test the ice and sight lines before the warm-up over the weekend.
Regardless, Hart struggled tremendously and the game spiraled away from the Flyers. Boston owned the second period with goals from Pastrnak, Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle and Nick Ritchie. The Browns outscored the Flyers 15-3 in the midfield. For the overall game, Boston goalkeeper Tuukka Rask had to save only 16 times, 11 of which were in the first period.
It was a 2-2 game at the first break and after that it was not a game with the second break.
The Bruins scored the goal twice with Hart twice this season. It will not be a common occurrence in Hart’s career, but the young goalkeeper has been contradictory so far. He also faced a bunch of shots.
The Flyers were undermined, they were not very good against one of the NHL’s top clubs and Hart was not good at all. It was just a recipe for disaster.
Brian Elliott stopped 11 of 12 shots in the third period.
• In the first four games between the Flyers and Bruins, Boston dominated the third period. The last 20 minutes were the biggest difference in the Bruins which was a perfect 4-0-0 against the Flyers. They outscored the Flyers 11-5 in the final stanzas. In three of their four wins, they erased a backlog in the third period.
The Flyers actually conceded just four goals to Boston during the first two periods together in the four games.
Boston reversed that trend at Lake Tahoe by turning the game upside down on the Flyers. If the Flyers ’Lake Tahoe trip hasn’t soured a bit yet because the team didn’t have six players and made a bunch of adjustments on Saturday, the Bruins soured it with four goals in the midfield. They scored six goals over the first two periods.
‘In fact, these are obviously important players, but we had a good team tonight and we showed that in the first period. We played very smart and hard, ‘said Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault. ‘A few shifts got away from us in that second, but our guys struggled and competed. And at the end of the day, as a coach, coaching staff and organization, you want your guys to compete. We would like to have some of the shifts in the second time, but there is a bit of us away. ‘
The Flyers led 2-1 at one point and their first period was solid. They were shot 27-8 the rest of the way.
• The Flyers held Pastrnak in four games last season with one goal, including the round robin game.
Pastrnak dominated them this season with eight points (six goals, two assists) in three games.
There is no denying the odds on the Flyers, and problems with goal prevention relate to 15 games this season. These areas have been a staple for Vigneault’s club this past season.
• With concerns about the ice surface due to extreme sun, the NHL has changed the start time of the game twice before Sunday. The puck was dropped at 4:59 PT with a dazzling sunset. Although it was aesthetically pleasing to the viewer, it had to be challenging for the players.
“I thought the hardest part was probably in the first place with all the sun and being blinded by the sun in some places – it was dangerous at times,” said Sean Couturier. “It was the same thing for both teams. In the second and third, I think the environment, the playing field was better for both teams. They were better than us; we have to give them credit.”
This is a quote the NHL should consider when planning future outdoor games.
More: The Attractions of Flyers’ NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe Game
• One positive for the Flyers was that James van Riemsdyk grumbled offensively. He had a three-point lead (one goal, two assists) and scored 21 points through 15 games.
Couturier (one goal, one assist) and Kevin Hayes (two assistants) also had multi-point games, while Joel Farabee matched his total from last season with his eighth mark.
The Flyers appointed 11 forwards and seven defenders, with blue-liner Mark Friedman playing the right wing.
• Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton and Justin Braun remained on the NHL’s COVID protocol list on Sunday night. All six have missed the Flyers’ two games since the club’s seven-day NHL mandate imposed by the club was forced by several instances of COVID-19 in the team.
Giroux missed the first time since 20-25 February 2016 consecutive games when he was out for three consecutive games with an injury. Vigneault confirmed that Giroux tested positive for the coronavirus on February 9, that is when the captain and Braun were placed on the COVID protocol list. Voracek was added to the list on February 11, Lindblom and Laughton left on February 12 and Konecny was the most recent addition on February 14.
There are a number of contributing factors why a player may be placed on the COVID protocol list. If a player is out of COVID protocol, it does not mean that the player tested positive for coronavirus.
Players who test positive will not be able to rejoin team activities for at least 14 days from the initial positive test.
• The Flyers fly home on Monday, practice on Tuesday and host the Rangers on Wednesday (19:00 ET / NBCSN).
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