The Flyers’ penalty kill got caught out of position a couple of times during Friday’s 3-2 shootout loss in Winnipeg. However, what happened versus the Jets doesn’t mean we’ll see a more patient or cautious approach should Philadelphia go shorthanded versus Ottawa tonight.
“That’s part of the point of being the penalty killers -- you want to get pressure, not let them have ice, not let them set up and make plays,” Flyers forward Matt Read said, per CSN Philly. “You want to keep them to the outside and try to be on them as quick as you can. As soon as there is a fumbled puck, get on them and try to create pressure.”
The first Jets’ power-play goal, by Dustin Byfuglien, was mostly a matter of getting caught on a poor line change.
On the second goal, also by Byfuglien, Flyers forward Adam Hall may have been guilty of over-pursuing the puck-carrier, opening up the big shot from the point.
“[Hall] was close, but not close enough there,” said Philly head coach Craig Berube. “Sometimes that’s just the way it goes on the penalty kill.”
Overall, the Flyers’ PK has been decent, ranking 13th in the NHL (83.1%). It’s the power play that’s been their biggest special-teams problem. Even after scoring four times with the man advantage in the last three games, the unit still ranks a lowly 24th (13.9%).