WASHINGTON -- OK, the preseason is over and so are the games.
So how did Flyers look? They lost. Again. This time it was 6-3 at the Verizon Center to the Washington Capitals.
Their 1-5-1 preseason record means absolutely nothing. Yet it also invites concern.
“I don’t like the record or the way we played some nights,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “We got to move on now. It’s obvious now it’s got to be better. We've got some work we got to do and clean up some things for the regular season.”
In fairness to coach Peter Laviolette, we need to point out that of the Flyers’ seven exhibition games:
• Four games saw them with a split roster
• One game was a “B” roster minus eight regulars
• Two games they had a full NHL roster but were missing key players in Luke Schenn (first game against New Jersey) and Jakub Voracek (final game).
That said, the Flyers came into this game absolutely goal-starved in the preseason with 12 goals scored and 18 against. They finished with just 15 goals scored from 15 different players.
“I wouldn’t get too worried about it,” Matt Read said. “I think we have a lot of scoring power on our team. Maybe it hasn’t clicked yet.”
They trailed 3-0 in the second period against the Caps, then scored three unanswered goals in four minutes, 45 seconds from Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds to tie it.
Washington scored three times in the third period to win it.
Defensively, the Flyers looked out of sync and out of position the entire preseason -- too many uncontested goals between the dots.
Also, their third periods, much like last season, lacked comeback ability.
Lopsided fight
Brayden Schenn, trying to ignite something in the first period after the Flyers fell behind 2-0, got dusted in a lopsided fight against a much larger opponent, Tom Wilson.
The potentially bad news is that Schenn took several shots to the head -- his helmet came off.
There were five fights in the game -- two involving Adam Hall.
No Voracek
Voracek, whose lower back (left side) has presumably been ailing him since going into the goal post against New Jersey this week, did not play.
He was supposed to play and that also raises a mini-alarm bell. Fortunately for the Flyers, the season does not open until Wednesday against Toronto.
Penalty killing
The Flyers came into this final preseason game No. 1 in the NHL in penalty killing, having killed off 25 of 26 power plays (96.2 percent efficiency).
Washington scored a power-play goal from Alex Ovechkin in the first period. That was actually a five-minute power play because of a Zac Rinaldo major for elbowing.
Rinaldo ejected
Rinaldo drew a game misconduct in the first period because of an elbow to Caps center Mikhail Grabovski that drew blood from his mouth. Grabovski was in a vulnerable position on the back boards.
Rinaldo appeared to get him with his shoulder, although he appeared to leave both his feet to deliver the hit. Normally, that would hurt his case with Lord of Discipline, Brendan Shanahan.
Except ... Grabovski never left the game and had no injury, which is always a factor in supplemental discipline.
Sources said the league has already looked at the Rinaldo hit and didn’t see an elbow, which would imply Rinaldo will escape any additional punishment.
Holmgren said he had not heard anything from the league.
When Ovechkin loudly objected to Rinaldo on the ice, the latter told him to, "Shut the [expletive] up."
It's important to point out Aaron Volpatti hit Flyer defenseman Nick Grossmann in the head with an elbow that same period without a penalty.