It was a devastating loss for the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Despite a great 21-save night by netminder Dan Vladar, Philadelphia lost 2-1 in overtime vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was a low-event game, heading into the extra frame tied at just one goal apiece. It was one of those weird games, because despite it being such a low-scoring game, there was a lot to like from the Flyers.

Nikita Grebenkin has been playing with some extra juice the past two games and looked impactful again on Thursday. Owen Tippett, really, since Denver Barkey joined his line, has looked phenomenal, skating really well – it seems like he found someone that can match his pace and generate offense. Sean Couturier looked really solid as well, extending multiple possessions.

Despite his power play shot going wide, which led to Scott Laughton’s short-handed goal, Travis Sanheim was moving really well on Thursday, at least for the first two periods.

The Maple Leafs are a good team, one that has been a mainstay in the playoffs for the last 10 years. Even in a down year, without some of their best players, the Maple Leafs are a very good team.

An important step for the Flyers is to close out these tight games against good teams. On Thursday, they very well could have, but missed opportunities made it a much different outcome.

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Missed opportunities lead to heartbreaking loss vs. Leafs

Missed opportunities were the theme of the night for the Flyers, and boy, were there a lot of them. It was one of those games where you look back and think, ” Should this game have even made it to overtime?”

The short of it all is no, it should not have. Philadelphia had too many missed opportunities to count. If they want to become a serious contender, they are going to have to cash in more than just once, especially against good teams.

Denver Barkey had a miss on the breakaway early in the game, beating Dennis Hildeby but ringing the post – no goal.

The Flyers’ fourth line had a couple of really good possessions but could not get a goal.

Christian Dvorak had a couple of great looks but got tied up by the Leafs’ defense and could not get the shot off, and Trevor Zegras had a chance at the low right-flank one-timer that has been so dangerous, but whiffed on it.

In the third period, the Flyers were pushing and shoving at a puck near the goal line. They were convinced they had a goal, but after a review, the call on the ice stood: no goal.

In overtime, the Flyers had a few great chances, including a Trevor Zegras breakaway. Both Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier had a look at Hildeby, who was lost in the crease. But again, the opportunity was missed.

The Maple Leafs cashed in on their opportunities: a short-handed breakaway and an overtime rush on a new life after the Flyers could not put the game to bed.

Missed opportunities cost the Flyers the game on Thursday.

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