Flyers meet Kraken, look to bounce back from OT woes

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After an exhilarating 2-1 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, the Philadelphia Flyers suffered a disappointing 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

There won’t be much time to dwell as the Flyers host the Seattle Kraken on Sunday.

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The Flyers are 1-9 in overtime this season, with three OT losses in their past six games.

Philadelphia, which earned one point with the overtime loss to Nashville, will look to move above .500 with a victory over the Kraken.

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“Every game after the break when you’re battling for a playoff spot is pretty important,” said All-Star Kevin Hayes, who scored the Flyers’ lone goal on Saturday.

Hayes has eight goals and nine assists since the calendar turned to 2023 — 17 goals and 30 assists overall for the season.

The game against Nashville was physical throughout, with two fights and hard checks from the opening faceoff to the final goal by the Predators in overtime.

“I feel like we turned the puck over too much and they had too many chances,” said Philadelphia’s Rasmus Ristolainen, who delivered a massive check against Filip Forsberg late in the first period that knocked him out of the game. “We had chances, too.”

With another game on Sunday, the Flyers must find a way to muster enough energy against the Kraken.

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“We’ve done a good job the last few games,” Philadelphia goaltender Carter Hart said. “We’ve got to get pucks in deep, grind and forecheck.”

The Kraken will look to snap a three-game losing streak when they battle the Flyers. Seattle is coming off a 6-3 setback to the New York Rangers on Friday.

Oliver Bjorkstrand had one goal and one assist and Brandon Tanev and Jared McCann also scored for the Kraken, who have struggled since the All-Star break ended.

Seattle was unable to overcome an early 4-0 deficit.

“We dug ourselves too much of a hole,” said Kraken coach Dave Hakstol, who once coached the Flyers. “They are big and they are fast. They were good at puck retrieval and keeping plays alive.”

The Kraken will look to improve on an 0-3 start to a five-game trip that continues in Philadelphia on Sunday.

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“We don’t want to lose games like that in a row. It’s something we’ve got to figure out,” Bjorkstrand said. “We’ve got to go to Philly and make sure we get a win. It’s a must-win, in my opinion. You just can’t lose too many games in a row. It’s not good for the team.”

Seattle went 1-for-5 on the power play against the Rangers, committed too many miscues in its own end, and ultimately played a poor hockey game.

After one day off, the Kraken must refocus against the Flyers.

“It’s tough to come back in a game when you’re down 3-0 in the first,” Kraken forward Jordan Eberle said. “We were slow. We gave them everything they had. They’re fast and they’re going to counter. I like the way we battled back, but ultimately it’s tough to come back from three down.”

–Field Level Media

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