That elusive fourth straight win remained as such for the Philadelphia Flyers. The only team in the NHL without such as winning streak this season could not get there once again with just four games remaining in the regular season.

The Detroit Red Wings took full advantage of special teams miscues by the Flyers, scoring three power-play goals and a shorthanded goal on the way to a 6-3 result on Thursday night.

How It Happened

An early power play allowed the Red Wings to jump out to an early lead at 2:28. Alex DeBrincat scored his 40th goal of the season with a nice shot from in close to make it 1-0.

The Flyers answered back at 13:24. Porter Martone‘s shot from the point was deflected by Christian Dvorak for his 18th goal of the season.

The Red Wings broke things open early in the second. They scored on both ends of a 5-on-3 power play, with Moritz Seider scoring his 10th of the season and Dylan Larkin adding his 32nd goal of the season. Larkin scored again on a shorthanded breakaway at 4:56 to make it a 4-1 game.

Martone scored a power-play goal at 9;25 of the second to cut the lead to two.

Detroit pulled away for good in the third with goals by Patrick Kane and the hat trick tally for Larkin. Luke Glendening added a goal with 1:51 remaining to cap the scoring.

Box Score1st Period2nd Period3rd PeriodBy the NumbersShots: Flyers: 27, Red Wings: 22Power Play: Flyers: 1-for-6, Red Wings: 3-for-4Faceoffs: Flyers: 48.1%, Red Wings: 51.9%Goalies: PHI Dan Vladar: 4 saves on 8 shots, PHI Sam Ersson: 12 saves on 14 shots, DET John Gibson: 13 saves on 15 shots, DET Cam Talbot: 11 saves on 12 shotsKey Performers

⭐ Dylan Larkin — The Detroit captain stepped things up big time with a hat trick and an assist for a four-point game.

⭐⭐ Moritz Seider — His 10th goal of the season was the headliner, but adding four assists for a five-point game was monstrous from the Red Wings’ defenseman.

⭐⭐⭐ Patrick Kane — Kane just keeps coming up big in key games. A goal and two assists for a three-point game was hardly the best on his own team, but a spectacular supporting role.

The Takeaway

Ugly. That’s all that’s needed to describe this game. The Flyers played a solid first period and came out of the opening 20 in a 1-1 tie. But the parade to the penalty box early in the second and the ill-timed shorthanded goal to open up a three-goal lead for Detroit tells you all you need to know. You can’t have games like this at this juncture of the season. The Flyers went 1-for-6 on the power play and 1-for-4 on the penalty kill while losing the special teams scoring battle, 4-1. They’ll have to find a way to correct both issues, and fast. Luckily, they got just enough help in the standings to keep their playoff spot and remain in control of their own destiny. But they’ve lost all margin for error in the process.

Up Next

The Flyers have one more game on the road in the regular season on Saturday night, taking on the Winnipeg Jets at 7 PM.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.

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