In their seemingly never-ending quest to torture their fanbase in as many unique ways as possible, the Flyers may have hit a new low.
Despite leading 3-0 in the second period, and then 4-2 with eight minutes left in the third, the Flyers found a way to squander what seemed to be a sure-fire win late against Utah. Clayton Keller scored with 35 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it, and then again in overtime to win it, as the Mammoth completed the comeback in the extra frame.
But the Flyers blowing a lead and losing in overtime, on the surface, is not exactly a cause for outrage on its own. What really makes this loss sting, is just how close the Flyers were to icing it.
With nobody in front of him and the Mammoth net empty with just under a minute and a half to go, Garnet Hathaway strolled into the Utah zone with a wide open cage to aim at. The much-maligned winger has had his fair share of struggles this season, but this time it seemed as if he would have the honors of putting the finishing touches on a scrappy road win.
And, well…
Garnet Hathaway could’ve ended the game if he simply shot the puck
Instead the mammoth tied it with 35 seconds left
What an absolute disaster pic.twitter.com/IzYv5jNtCF
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) January 22, 2026
In what ranks as one of the more confounding decisions of the Flyers season, Hathaway decides to take a beat before letting the puck go. Faced with a situation where most NHL players would more than likely shoot almost immediately upon even sniffing the offensive blueline, the Flyers’ winger inexplicably decides to take his time and pick his spot… on an empty net.
Hathaway’s hesitation and lackadaisical effort allowed the back-checking Nick Schmaltz to track down the sluggish winger and basically pick the puck clean off of his stick, keeping the game going, and setting the Mammoth on track to their eventual game-tying goal.
The blunder brought to mind visions of Patrik Stefan’s embarrassing sequence vs. the Oilers in 2007, and underscores the worst elements of the Flyers season thus far. Offensive indecision, a lack of game sense, and a failure to rise to the moment were all on display during what will go down as one of, if not the most frustrating loss of the season.
On a night where the Flyers actually got two goals from their anemic power play unit, it seemed like a rare chance for them to get a win on a night where they didn’t look incredibly sharp. An opportunity was presented here to get back on track following a stretch where they had lost 7 of their previous last 10 games, but instead of securing a sloppy road win, the Flyers are left to wonder how they let this one slip through their fingers.