Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators had the feel of a throwaway end-of-the-season contest even before the puck dropped at Canadian Tire Centre just after lunchtime.

In Game 80 of 82 for both teams, the afternoon started with lineup questions aplenty, as uncertainty surrounded Ottawa’s lineup as it prepares for the playoffs and the Flyers made the notable albeit short-lived call-up of Nikita Grebenkin — his emergency recall lasted only an hour before he was optioned back to Lehigh Valley. Ultimately, despite never trailing during regulation, the Flyers lost, 4-3, in overtime to the Senators in Ottawa, Ontario.

The action on the ice was slow to simmer, as the teams played to a goalless and largely uneventful first period in which Natural Stat Trick generously tallied four high-dangerous chances (3-1 to Ottawa). But both teams seemed to spark to life in the second, trading chances early in the frame — including a Travis Konecny post and a few good saves from Ivan Fedotov — without a breakthrough.

After 31 minutes, and 43 seconds of action, the icebreaker finally arrived from an unlikely source in Nick Deslauriers. Some good work down low from the fourth line of Deslauriers, Karsen Dorwart and Garnet Hathaway resulted in a point shot from Cam York and Deslauriers was there to clean up the rebound with just his second goal of the season.

The lead lasted just 43 seconds, though, as a beautiful stretch pass from Thomas Chabot sprung budding Senators star Tim Stützle, who left a flat-footed Egor Zamula in the dust before roofing one on Fedotov at the 12:36 mark of the second period.

The Flyers pulled back in front less than five minutes later via a Noah Cates wraparound. The most-improved Flyer this season continued his career campaign with a brilliant solo effort for his 16th goal of the year.

After receiving the puck at center ice, Cates skated unimpeded into the Ottawa zone and fired a low shot off the pads of Senators goalie Anton Forsberg. The rebound caromed out to Cates, who collected it on his backhand, quickly circled the net, and tucked it just inside Forsberg’s post and off Travis Hamonic’s skate.

Ottawa was back on level terms at 4:41 of the third, as deadline acquisition Fabian Zetterlund beat a helpless Fedotov top-shelf from point-blank range following a perfectly-feathered saucer pass from Shane Pinto. The goal came after Hathaway had failed to get the puck out at the right point.

Hathaway redeemed himself less than three minutes later as his bad-angle wrist shot squeaked through Forsberg to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead. But the Flyers surrendered their third lead of the day with just over seven minutes remaining, as Chabot picked up his third point of the game with snipe past a stickless Fedotov. Fedotov stopped 21 of 25 shots and could hardly be blamed for any of the four goals he allowed.

After both teams had chances to win it over the final few minutes, the Flyers went to overtime for the second consecutive day. They came up on the wrong end this time, as Ottawa capitalized on a power-play opportunity after Travis Sanheim took a questionable interference penalty just 19 seconds into overtime.

It was Stützle, the best player on the ice all afternoon, who cashed in the winner, as the German fired home a one-timer after some quick passing in the triangle from him, former Flyers captain Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson.

While the Flyers won’t be happy having failed to close the deal after playing from ahead the whole game, the team picked up a point for the sixth time in seven games under interim coach Brad Shaw (5-1-1). With the point, the Flyers are now tied with Seattle at 76 points for the league’s fifth-worst record, although the Kraken have a game in hand.

The Flyers will play the home finale on Tuesday night against Columbus (7 p.m. ET, NBCSP) before wrapping up the season in Buffalo on Thursday.

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