Talk about a killer instinct.
The third period is the only one in which the Flyers have been outscored. They've netted a combined 17 more goals than the opposition in the first and second periods; they've allowed two more than they've scored in the third.
Last night, it was a tic-tac-toe goal from Johan Franzen just 52 ticks into the third period that put the Flyers down for the count at Joe Louis Arena. Franzen's tally, which touched the stick of Nicklas Lidstrom and Henrik Zetterberg before the twine, allowed Detroit to match a Philadelphia record of 20 consecutive wins at home with a 4-3 victory. It also was the Flyers' fifth loss in six games, counting a shootout loss.
"We've been going into the period either down a goal or tied," defenseman Matt Carle said. "Come playoff time, these are the types of games you need to find a way to win. Right now, we're not."
The Flyers allowed a combined five power-play goals over the weekend, not counting Franzen's even-strength game-winner, which was scored 23 seconds after Marc-Andre Bourdon's boarding penalty expired.
With the loss, the Flyers went pointless for the second weekend in a row. More important, they've come up noticeably small in their measuring-stick games with the league's best. They're now just 3-4-3 in their last 10 games and sit eight points behind the Atlantic Division-leading Rangers.
This week, the Flyers will be in danger of falling back to fifth place in the Eastern Conference for the first time since November.
"The penalty kill has given up too many goals and our power play hasn't gotten us one, either," Scott Hartnell said. "Specialty teams win and lose you games. It's not our personnel, it's just being undisciplined. When you give these guys time and space to make plays, it's going to shoot you right in the foot."
