PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Keith Yandle tied the NHL record for consecutive games played with 964 and the Philadelphia Flyers tied a franchise record with their 12th straight winless game, losing 3-1 to the Dallas Stars on Monday night.
Jason Robertson scored the go-ahead goal with 3:25 left and Joe Pavelski added an empty-netter to seal the win.
The Flyers have lost all 12 games over that span, matching a mark for futility set during the 1998-99 season when they lost eight games and tied four over a 12-game stretch. There are no ties to save them from this indignity.
The Flyers can hit their all-time worst streak — and Yandle can take his spot in history — on the road Tuesday against the New York Islanders.
Yandle waved to the crowd from the bench after his shift helped the defenseman tie retired center Doug Jarvis atop the NHL’s Iron Man list.
The 35-year-old Yandle started his streak March 26, 2009, with Phoenix, and he has played 1,074 games with the Coyotes, New York Rangers and Florida Panthers.
A three-time All-Star, Yandle is in his first season with the Flyers and set the mark when he hit the ice minutes into the game for his shift.
Jarvis, a senior adviser for the Vancouver Canucks, said Monday he would call Yandle and congratulate him on the streak.
“I just commend him. I think the streak is a real tribute to his character, his commitment, his love of the game to be in there every night,” Jarvis said.
Arizona’s Phil Kessel is third on the list at 940 straight games and could also pass Jarvis before the end of the season.
The Flyers already became the first team in NHL history to suffer two 10-game losing streaks within the first 40 games of the season.
The Flyers also lost 10 straight from Nov. 18 to Dec. 18; the first skid cost coach Alain Vigneault his job after the first eight games in the skid. Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo lost the final two games of that one and, of course, all 12 in this streak that started Dec. 30 at San Jose. The Flyers went 0-8-4 from from Feb. 24, 1999, to March 16, 1999.
Roope Hintz beat Carter Hart on a breakaway for a 1-0 lead in the first and the Stars gave the Flyers a rare break in the second period. Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov’s shot from the boards knocked off John Klingberg’s skate and into the net for the tying goal.
STREAK INTERRUPTED
Yandle's tenure with the Panthers ended with one giant asterisk in his Iron Man status: Yandle had played in 57 straight playoff games, but was a healthy scratch in three of Florida’s playoff games last season.
UP NEXT
Stars: Play Tuesday at New Jersey.
Flyers: Yandle goes for the record against the Islanders.
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