You sensed this would happen. Past history suggested it was a real possibility. The Flyers had played an emotional, leave-it-all-on-the-ice game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. They won in the final 1:31 when every player was spent. Return home to Wells Fargo Center for Thursday’s back end of a back-to-back against the struggling Florida Panthers. And … “We all knew it was going to be a challenge,” Mike Knuble said. “And quite frankly, in the first 5-6 minutes, it was obvious we weren’t up for it and it cost us the game.” It wasn’t so much the Flyers weren’t skating. It was a series of turnovers and sloppy defensive play that killed them in the opening period of a 5-2 spanking. “I don’t usually make excuses; I’m usually straight-forward,” Kimmo Timonen said. “You saw a tired Flyers team today. “Coming back from six-game road trip and play a really hard-charged game yesterday, get back at 2 a.m. We were tired.” Before the game, coach Peter Laviolette addressed the letdown scenario with his team. “We talked about positive things as opposed to negative things,” Laviolette said. “It’s a big game for our team. We want to make this game mean something. It’s an opportunity to get back to a starting point. “We’ve been sub par the entire season so far and I think the guys recognize that. It’s been a … very tough ride with regard to a lot of things. Tonight is a chance to get back and take a quick breath.”