A one-goal lead on the road heading into the third period? Not a bad position to be in.
That’s the situation the Philadelphia Flyers found themselves in Friday, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs. But things quickly spiraled from good to bad for the Flyers in the final period, leading to another disappointing loss.
Yes, the Leafs have a team with young players that have shown they’re capable of scoring and they can do so in bunches.
But the Flyers fell apart in the final period. Their starting goalie, Steve Mason, could now be the focal point for criticism from Philadelphia fans, especially given how goaltending has been an issue for that team.
The Leafs scored four times in the third period. On nine shots. The result of the Flyers’ collapse? A 6-3 win for Toronto, which had only 23 shots on goal.
Scoring hasn’t been an issue for the Flyers.
The same can’t be said for keeping the puck out of their own net, allowing 3.33 goals-against per game while deploying Mason and Michal Neuvirth as their goalies. At five-on-five, they have a league-worst 88.82 save percentage. (The Leafs are 29th in that category.)
“Yeah, I mean we’ve talked about it so much honestly back in Philadelphia, it’s kind of tiring,” Mason told the National Post. “But the goalies just haven’t been good enough. We realize that. We have to get better. It’s simple.”
Friday’s result isn’t likely to quiet the talk about Philadelphia’s goaltending situation.