Flyers Western Struggles Continue

The Flyers skated to another disappointing result Saturday.

Keith Yandle and the Phoenix Coyotes took advantage of Philly’s momentary confusion Saturday night as Yandle scored a power-play goal with 9:41 remaining to help the Coyotes beat the Flyers 3-1.

“I just found a lane and Lombo (Matthew Lombardi), he's a great passer,” Yandle said. “He found me and I shot it where I wanted it. It's usually not like that.”

Yandle's goal came moments after Adrian Aucoin bobbled a bouncing puck on the blue line. As coach John Stevens and the Flyers bench screamed for an offside call, Aucoin moved the puck to Lombardi, who passed to Yandle at the top of the left circle. Yandle took one stride in and beat Ray Emery with a hard wrist shot past his outstretched glove.

“I guess the other guys, the other team, thought it maybe was an offside,” Lombardi said. “Yands just found a hole there and I kind of threw it to him and he made a great shot.”

After the game, Stevens and Flyers players said one linesman was raising his arm to call offsides while the other waved off the violation.

“We all thought it was offsides and the players reacted to it,” Stevens said. “But we still have to kill off the power play.”

“You can't blame Ray for that one. He thought what we all did,” added Scott Hartnell who scored the Flyers only goal.

Phoenix’s Lombardi had a power-play goal and an assist, and Shane Doan added an empty-net goal without putting the puck in the net for the Coyotes.

Doan was credited with a goal with 39.9 seconds after Chris Pronger hooked him while attempting to shoot on the empty net after Emery was pulled for an extra attacker.

“He (the referee) said I got him on the hands but I got him on the stick,” Pronger said. “I disagree. I didn't think it should have been a goal. I didn't even think it was a penalty. He had his stick down. How am I going to get him on the hands when I lifted his stick?”

The Flyers have lost two straight after winning seven of their previous eight.