Flyers give up lead after making huge rally, fall to defending champs

After going four days without a game, the Flyers clearly had plenty of juice for a comeback Thursday night.

But they couldn't finish it off in a 7-5 loss to the Panthers at the Wells Fargo Center.

Sam Reinhart buried Florida's third power play goal of the night with just under two minutes left to win it for the Panthers. Florida tacked on a fourth power play marker with the Flyers' net emptied.

The Flyers rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the second period to grab a 5-4 lead in the third period.

Owen Tippett scored a pair of goals in 23 seconds to erase a 4-2 Panthers lead and send the Flyers into second intermission tied at 4-4.

Garnet Hathaway gave the Flyers their first lead at 5-4 with a hard-working goal 5:39 minutes into the final frame. But Gustav Forsling knotted things back up for Florida with a 4-on-4 goal over nine minutes later.

"I thought there were times that we played our aggressive style," Hathaway said. "On our toes, checking forward, things we talk about. I thought we did that for a good part of the game. I don't think we started with it, but I think we found it."

The Flyers (12-11-3) had their five-game point streak snapped (4-0-1). After winning three games in four days, the Flyers had four days to rest and practice before welcoming the defending champions.

Playing against the team that sent him to the Flyers in the Claude Giroux trade, Tippett did damage with a remarkable mini burst supported by Matvei Michkov. His goals came in the final 2:19 minutes of the middle stanza.

"We didn't get too down on ourselves, to come back in the second period there and make it a game going into the third," Tippett said. "You can't really get too down."

Michkov had three assists on the night.

"Mich has an ability to take something that doesn't look like there's much going on and all of a sudden it's a dangerous chance," assistant coach Brad Shaw said. "That's a skill that is pretty rare in our game."

John Tortorella's club is 0-1-1 against the Panthers (16-9-2) this season after taking two of three from them last season. The teams meet once more in January when Florida comes back to the Wells Fargo Center.

Tortorella did not hold his postgame press conference.

"It's 3-0, I loved our ability to stay with it and find a way," Shaw said. "Take that game and get it to 5-4, that's a great sign. The fact that we don't finish it off, that's something we have to work on. That's part of being a team that's not quite down the path as far as we'd like to be as a group."

• Ivan Fedotov was pulled at first intermission after giving up a pair of goals in the opening 6:57 minutes of the game.

The 28-year-old had somewhat of a leaky first period. He yielded the two goals on seven shots.

Evan Rodrigues outworked the Flyers before beating Fedotov in close to hand the Flyers a 1-0 deficit. Under four and a half minutes later, Niko Mikkola scored on a perimeter shot.

Tortorella turned to Aleksei Kolosov to open the second period. The 22-year-old finished with 16 saves on 20 shots. Three of the Panthers' four goals against him were on the power play.

Kolosov couldn't see Forsling's shot on the game-tying 5-5 goal.

Florida had a power play on its game-winning goal after Joel Farabee was whistled for crosschecking Sam Bennett and roughing Forsling. The Flyers' winger was defending Travis Sanheim after he took a hit from Bennett.

"We want to stick up for one another," Shaw said. "I'm not going to get into penalty calls and what somebody should have done or shouldn't have done. To me, that's the heat of the moment, he's doing what he thinks is best for the team and for his teammates. I've got no problem with what Joel Farabee does. That's just part of the game."

More: Farabee takes blame for costly penalty, felt Bennett 'cheap-shotted' Flyers

After joining the Flyers for a pair of practices this week, Samuel Ersson missed a 10th straight game because of a lower-body injury. Tortorella said Wednesday that Ersson would be an option against the Panthers, but the Flyers apparently wanted to give their No. 1 goalie more time.

"I think they're doing their job," Ersson said Thursday. "I trust them, they trust me, I think we had a great dialogue throughout this whole process. I think we're taking the right steps."

The 25-year-old was on the ice at the team's optional morning skate. He said there had been no setbacks over the previous four days.

"I'm feeling good," Ersson said. "Just nice to get back into it, get some full practices under the belt. I think it's good just kind of for the confidence and the body, as well. But it's just fun to be back."

The Flyers got after Florida netminder Spencer Knight, who stopped 29 of 34 shots.

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• The Flyers' power play went 1 for 4. It came in 4 for 44 (9.1 percent) since Oct. 27 after starting the season 8 for 31 (25.8 percent).

Assistant coach Rocky Thompson has continued to consult special advisors Patrick Sharp and John LeClair and pro scout Dany Heatley, a plan devised in the offseason.

Thompson pointed out that the Flyers hadn't had a lot of opportunities of late, a sign that their 5-on-5 game was better. Over the previous three games, the Flyers had just four power plays.

"It has been a challenge for us," Thompson said of the fewer opportunities, "but I think that plays to our advantage because our 5-on-5 game is good and positive."

Michkov gave the Flyers much-needed life 4:13 minutes after the Panthers pinned them in a 3-0 hole with a power play marker. The 19-year-old ignited the Flyers' power play goal from Tyson Foerster by finding Farabee in front.

Nick Seeler then scored 2:18 minutes later and the Flyers were right back in it with half the game to go.

"I think we had a really good second period there and crawled our way out of that hole," Seeler said. "Ended up getting the lead in the third. Would have loved to hang onto that one, but a lot of positives and I thought we produced offensively, which is great for us."

• Jamie Drysdale was out for an 11th straight game with an upper-body injury.

• The Flyers head to Boston for a matchup Saturday with the Bruins (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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