Flyers allow two late goals in high-scoring loss to the Florida Panthers, 7-5

After squeezing 25 games in 50 days, the Flyers finally had more than a day or two between games before a Thursday night matchup with the Florida Panthers.

Rest is always welcomed, but maybe it came at the wrong time for a team that was rolling. The Flyers entered the night on a five-game point streak, including three straight wins.

Although they went toe-to-toe most of the night, the Flyers couldn’t hold the Panthers at bay, losing 7-5. Sam Reinhart scored on a power play with 1 minute, 59 seconds left after Joel Farabee cross-checked Sam Bennett, taking exception to a hit on Travis Sanheim Matthew Tkachuk added an empty-netter.

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Did the Flyers come out a little slow? A smidge, which is to be expected after a layoff. But they did have moments in the first period where one or two completed passes could have changed a 2-0 deficit after 20 minutes. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers had 20 shot attempts to the Panthers 21.

Maybe it was a sign that this wasn’t going to be an easy night for the visitors. But the Flyers had to first get through the opening frame.

Goaltender Ivan Fedotov, who was pulled after the first period, allowed a pair of goals on seven shots. The first came off the stick of the Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues after he held off Tyson Foerster for a loose puck down the ice. Florida’s Niko Mikkola made it 2-0 with a shot between the legs of Farabee.

For the never-say-die Flyers, a two-goal deficit means nothing. How about a three-goal deficit? Nope.

After the Flyers successfully challenged a Carter Verghaeghe power-play goal — Tkachuk cut through the crease and interfered with goalie Aleksei Kolosov, who relieved Fedotov — the Panthers did make it 3-0 later on the same power play. Aleksander Barkov took a Sam Reinhart spin pass and scored as Kolosov went down.

The Flyers and Panthers put 13 shots on goal apiece in the middle frame. Four of the Flyers’ shots went in.

Foerster got the Flyers on the board with a power-play goal at the 7:13 mark. Rookie Matvei Michkov waited patiently along the top of the right face-off circle before sending the puck in front. It caromed off Farabee and right to Foerster near the left post for his sixth of the season.

Then, 138 seconds later, Nick Seeler intercepted a pass by Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen that was intended for his center Anton Lundell on a breakout. Seeler grabbed the loose puck and sent a snipe past Panthers goalie Spencer Knight for his first goal since Oct. 26, making it 3-2.

Verhaeghe officially scored on another Panthers’ power play to make it 4-2, sending a nifty shot to the left top corner from the right side of the crease.

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But within 23 seconds, the game was tied thanks to Michkov and Owen Tippett.

With 2:19 left in the second period, the Panthers won a neutral zone face-off back into their end. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad got the puck and went to move it up but Tippett blocked the pass and no one knew where the puck went — except Michkov. He picked it up and passed to Tippett who fired off the puck from the bottom of the left circle.

Then the dynamic duo did it again. Michkov passed the puck up to Tippett on the boards and the forward carried it to the net. Tippett looked like he was going to toe drag but shot the puck instead, hitting it off the skate of Florida defenseman Nate Schmidt and right back to himself before he buried it.

And just like that, the game was tied. It also didn’t hurt that 13 seconds before Tippett’s second, Kolosov stoned Panthers forward Tomas Nosek on a breakaway.

In the third period, the Flyers took a 5-4 lead off the stick of a guy due for one. The last time Garnet Hathaway scored was in the Flyers 4-3 shootout loss to the Panthers on Nov. 9. This time he got a loose puck in the crease and buried the backhand after Scott Laughton knocked it free.

Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling tied it 5-5 with a shot from the point. Kolosov did not really react, as he may have been screened on the shot.

Michkov had three assists. He is the first Flyers rookie to have three in a game since Philippe Myers on Dec. 3, 2019. The last rookie forward with three was Michael Raffl on Dec. 15, 2013.

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The Flyers head to Boston for a Saturday matinee against the Bruins (1 p.m., NBCSP, NHLN).