Flyers may have found a groove despite shootout loss

PHILADELPHIA — More than a month into the season, the Flyers keep thinking they may have found that one moment that may send them on a consistent streak for a stretch of games.

Through it all, they’ve looked a lot like last year…playing quite well against the top teams and, uh, not so well against the teams in the basement of the standings.

Tuesday night, they think once again they may have found that moment. Only this time it wasn’t one play, one shift or one goal. They played very well the whole night despite losing 3-2 in a shootout to the Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Kings.

“It was the first time in 18 games that we played really good hockey,” said Jake Voracek, who missed time in the second period when a puck cut his lower lip, requiring stitches. “I think what we did well today, we were moving well through the neutral zone on entries. Me and (Claude Giroux) were skating really well and (Brayden Schenn) had a couple good looks as well. I think it was the best game so far for our line this year.”

The Flyers stayed with the Kings nearly shot-for-shot in the game. This comes a game after they struggled mightily to stay with the lowly Carolina Hurricanes. The team has, at times, looked like they didn’t have legs and often times paid for it the next day with a rather laborious practice.

Don’t expect coach Dave Hakstol to run his team ragged Wednesday after playing one of the most entertaining hockey games the Flyers have had all season.

After an early power play, the Flyers got on the board with their new defensive toy Shayne Gostisbehere. The rookie, who only played five games between the NHL and AHL last year thanks to a knee injury, fired his first NHL goal past Jonathan Quick at 3:41.

“It's a dream come true,” Gostisbehere said. “Every kid who has ever played hockey wants to play in the NHL let alone score a goal. I mean it's really a dream come true. I really didn't know what to do out there, I was just very happy.”

The Flyers gave the lead back toward the end of the first period when L.A. defenseman Jamie McBain’s power-play shot got through traffic and by Steve Mason, who made 38 saves on the night.

Schenn nearly gave the Flyers the lead back at 9:28 of the second period. It was deemed on the ice to be a goal, but a video review said that he kicked it behind Quick, instead.

“The puck went off my chest and then I got a whack on it and the puck hit the post,” Schenn said. “I was looking up at the ceiling. I didn't mean to kick it. I didn't even know where the puck was. It just went off my skate.”

“I don’t know why that wasn’t a goal in the second period,” Voracek added. “Schenner is laying on the ice. I don’t know how it’s possible to try and kick the puck when you’re on the ground, but it is what it is.”

Despite the disallowed goal, the Flyers were more offensive. They had 38 shots on the night, the most they’ve had since Oct. 10, in their embarrassing 7-1 loss that produced a postgame players-only meeting after only two games.

Still, it followed the theme of last year, in which the Flyers played well against the good teams and bad against the ones they should beat.

“After 18 games or whatever it is, it looks that way,” said Giroux, who gave the Flyers the lead with less than nine minutes left in the third. “We need to find a way to be consistent against a good team or a bad team and if you want to be a successful team we have to do that game in and game out.”

With less than a minute left, the Flyers surrendered a game-tying goal when Jake Muzzin’s shot went off Sean Couturier, then Tyler Toffoli, then the post before Milan Lucic potted his sixth of the year.

“I thought that was a well-played hockey game,” Mason said. “They’re a tough team to play against but I think we matched them pretty good. Like G touched on, we can’t have those efforts against the top teams and then follow it up with a lesser team.”

Mason and Quick starred in the 3-on-3 overtime, but the Flyers fell in a shootout when Anze Kopitar picked a corner up high on Mason for the game-winner.

“We’ll take a look at why we gave up the (tying) goal, but our team played well tonight,” Hakstol said. “I always call a spade a spade, good or bad: Our team played hard and we played well tonight.”

Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479; disaac@gannettnj.com .