SUNRISE, Fla. -- Too complicated. Lackadaisical. Overlooking the opponent.
Those were the buzzwords Monday night from the Flyers after a 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers that ended their seven-game point streak (see Instant Replay).
It was their first loss in regulation play in eight games and first loss on the road in regulation since Oct. 12 in Detroit.
“We played too complicated and had some sloppiness in our game,” defenseman Mark Streit said. “Too many turnovers, a lot in the neutral zone, and it cost us the game.
“We played hard the last 5-10 minutes of the third period, but it’s not good enough in this league and that’s why we lost this game.”
The Flyers were brutal with the puck in the neutral zone for two periods and seemed to be second on the puck far too often through 40 minutes, as the Panthers got a 2-0 jump on them.
“That’s a good way to put it,” Flyer captain Claude Giroux said. “They were jumping. They wanted it more than us. In the third period we played a little better, but it was too late. We got out-battled the first two periods.”
The bottom line is the Flyers failed to do the little things they had done so well during their past seven games. Skate well. Be hard on the puck. Covet the puck in neutral ice. Slow down things in the middle.
“Our [defensemen] were taking their time getting the puck,” Scott Hartnell said. “Our forwards were slow getting back on defense through the neutral zone. They were coming pretty hard with back pressure. We were tired, turning the puck over right back at us. All the stuff we weren't doing the last half-dozen games.”
As for playing complicated hockey …
“We didn’t go north enough,” Hartnell said. “We tried to make behind-the-back passes. Not just one line, but all of us. We got distracted. Maybe we thought we were the better team coming in here and it [would] be an easy game. If you underestimate your opponent in this league, you are going to get screwed and lose the game. We did just that.”
Coach Craig Berube said his team had poor execution in the first two periods, especially in the neutral zone.
“We were lackadaisical a little bit,” Berube said.
Asked about overconfidence against the second-worst club in the Eastern Conference, he said that was addressed at the morning skate.
“Who are we to overlook anyone?” Berube asked. “We talked about it this morning about being ready and I’m not sure we were.”
Wayne Simmonds had the lone Flyer goal.
“We were sluggish and it carried through the second [period],” Simmonds said. “We didn’t play the game we wanted to … we were trying to make stupid plays in the neutral zone. They played a good game and they got turnovers.”