The city’s undefeated run since the Super Bowl ends with the Flyers’ loss. New Phillies Manager Gabe Kapler addressed the media on the eve of camp opening. Relive the day that was for February 13th, 2018.

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the New Jersey Devils 5-4 in a shootout last night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers came out HOT in the first period as Travis Konecny continued his recent tear sniping two minutes into the game. The Flyers continued to press NJD throughout the first, nearly scoring multiple times, but the first intermission came with the score still 1-0.

The second period was much, much wilder as the Flyers and Devils traded goals as the Flyers’ supporting cast got into the action with Scott Laughton and Radko Gudas scoring before Captain Claude would snipe on the PECO Power Play. Taylor Hall would be the Devils’ savior, however, netting two on the night for his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season. 2017 1st overall pick Nico Hischier would score his 10th in the final minutes of the period two as the Flyers held on to a 4-3 lead.

The third period played out the opposite of the first: all Devils. The Flyers, despite having the only two power plays of the third, played on the very backs of their heals. New Jersey kept grinding away until Hall’s aforementioned second goal with a minute and a half left in regulation, forcing OT. Hall had left the game in the second after getting his bell rung by Gudas so it was good, health-wise not Flyers-wise, that he was alright. Despite a valiant effort from Flyers’ overtime unit, the period was scoreless, forcing the dreaded shootout. As expected, the Flyers continued their historically terrible trends in shootouts falling to the Devils. The loss was Philadelphia’s first since February 3rd, the day before the Super Bowl.

The Flyers once again showed a level of inconsistency that is concerning. Starting the game off hot is great if you can play a solid third period, but played scared when the other team bites back. Taylor Hall’s return embodies exactly what the Devils had last night and the Flyers will need going forward: resiliency.

Other NHL Scores:

• Penguins double-up Sens 6-3—Two things to check out from this game: Malkin’s no-look goal and Dion Phaneuf was traded mid-game to the Kings in a multi-player trade. NHL Trade Deadline season is in full swing.
• Preds edge Blues 4-3 in OT—The Preds rallied from a 0-3 deficit at the start of the third period to pull this game out. Nashville has taken the lead in the Central Division and seems to be getting hot at the right time.
• Knights beat Blackhawks 5-2—Along with a Sharks loss, Vegas now has a 10-point lead in the Pacific. I’m doing some serious looking ahead but could imagine a Vegas/Nashville playoff series!? Too early for that.

NBA Scores:

• Raptors hold off Heat 115-112—The Heat outscored Toronto 31-17 in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough. The Raptors improve a league-best 24-4 at home. We the North, indeed.
• Rockets beat T-Wolves 126-108—James Harden dropped 34 as Houston continues to dig at the Warriors’ heals in the West.
• Cavs drop Thunder 120-112—Don’t look now but Lebron and (new) crew are getting HOT. James nearly dropped a triple-double with 37/8/8 in 40 minutes.

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS ARE SET TO REPORT

I could not be more excited. The jury is still out for me on Gabe Kapler as the Phillies manager but he’s hitting the PR part of the job out of the park (thank god for baseball puns).

Quick Olympic Update: Shaun White won gold in the Men’s Halfpipe, redeeming himself from a fourth-place finish at Sochi. By far one of the most popular American athletes, White stunned Japanese boarder Ayumu Hirano who led by a full point before White’s final run. The gold medal, coincidentally, was the United States’ 100th gold medal in Winter Olympics history.

(cover photo via)