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SUNRISE, Fla. -- If only the Flyers had converted on that overtime power play …
Had that happened, Flyers rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere could truly celebrate his storybook goal that forced OT while playing his first game against his hometown team.
But the overtime goal didn’t happen, and then Flyers went 0 for 2 in the shootout.
The result was a 5-4 loss Saturday night to the Florida Panthers (see Instant Replay) that left the Flyers two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and three behind the Detroit Red Wings in the chase for the two wild-card berths in the Eastern Conference.
The Red Wings visit the Flyers in a huge game Tuesday after traveling to Toronto to face the Maple Leafs on Sunday.
But as for the Flyers' power play failure in overtime?
“I’ll take responsibility for that one,” said captain Claude Giroux, spouting the types of things that team captains say.
The bottom line on Saturday depends on your perspective. The negative is the Flyers lost a point to the Red Wings, who beat the New York Rangers in overtime. Pittsburgh was idle.
The Flyers had their three-game win streak broken, although they have still won six of their past eight.
On the positive side, the Flyers rallied on Gostisbehere’s goal with 1:55 left in the third period to force overtime.
“He finds ways to create room for himself,” Giroux said of the rookie. “When the game is getting tighter, he elevates his game.”
Gostisbehere, who last season became the first born-and-raised South Floridian to appear in an NHL game, finally played against the hometown Panthers, and he came through. And he did so at the arena in which he used to watch his Panthers while growing up.
The 22-year-old is having a great season, breaking NHL rookie records for overtime goals (four) and consecutive games with at least one point (15).
“That was awesome,” Gostisbehere said of his game-tying goal Saturday. “Of course, you want a better result there at the end. But it was a dream come true. You grow up watching all the games in this building, and you go out there and score a goal — it’s pretty cool.”
Flyers forward Sam Gagner, who had two assists on the night, thought so, too.
“It was a huge goal,” Gagner said. “A great feeling for us.”
Now if only the Flyers can solve their issues on the second halves of back-to-back games. They are 4-6-1 in those situations this season. And they face five more back-to-backs before the campaign concludes on April 10 in Brooklyn against the Islanders, which just so happens to be the second game of a back-to-back set that begins by playing host to the Penguins.
“It’s always tough to play back to back,” Flyers goalie Steve Mason said.
Mason, who had allowed just three goals in the previous three games — all Flyers wins — took a positive outlook even after a performance that was not his best.
“Three points out of four this weekend was pretty good,” Mason said, also referring to the win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday, the Flyers' first win in Tampa in over five calendar years. “We were able to push (Florida) to the extra frame and get a big point.”
The Flyers went 1 for 5 on their power-play chances. Only Ryan White’s goal, which gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead in the second period, came with the man-advantage.
Florida tied the score in the second on a goal by Jonathan Huberdeau that was set up by Jaromir Jagr, who carried a Flyers defender on his back before dishing to his teammate in the slot.
“That’s my new move,” Jagr said jokingly. “I want to show these young guys before I retire. I don’t want to take it to my grave.”
The Panthers could afford to joke. It was their night — literally.
Twenty years ago, the Panthers eliminated the Flyers in the Eastern Conference semifinals en route to the first and only trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history.
On Saturday, many of the Panthers from that team were at the BB&T Center for a reunion, including coach Doug MacLean and star goalie John Vanbiesbrouck.
The event drew just the ninth sell-out of the season for Florida — the crowd was announced at 19,404 and included a significant amount of Flyers fans.
They saw the Panthers win a seventh shootout — the most in the league this season.
Flyers coach Dave Hakstol, like Mason, put a positive spin on the loss.
“Our guys battled hard, no quit,” Hakstol said. “We kept pushing to get the fourth goal and tie it up. It’s tough to lose in a shootout. … But we move forward.”