Have The Philadelphia Flyers Finally Reached Rock Bottom?

4-straight losses. Another goalie injured. Rock-bottom might have finally hit for the Flyers. What started out as a promising road-trip for the Philadelphia Flyers, quickly turned bad and got even worse.




After a 6-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres last Saturday, the Flyers road-trip couldn’t have started any better. Beating one of the Eastern Conference’s best, in their building, looked like the jolt the Flyers needed. However, that spark quickly went silent as the Flyers would start a 4-game losing streak in Winnipeg the next afternoon.

 

The things that went great for the Flyers quickly disappeared the next day in Winnipeg. Things would get even worse in Calgary a couple nights later. The Flyers would give up 3 goals in the last 1:43 of game time to lose 6-5 in overtime. Blowing a 2-goal lead with 1:08 left in the 3rd period.

 

Two nights later in Edmonton, the Flyers would continue their downfall against the league’s hottest team. After a poor start, the Oilers made a coaching change and are 9-2-2 since the change. A coaching change is something the Flyers should have done last month, but chose not too. A type of change that has proven to be a great turnaround in season time after time in the NHL.

 

Then, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. After the team tweeting Alex Lyon would start in Vancouver, a couple hours later, that would change. The Flyers would choose to go with Anthony Stolarz instead on a back-to-back and well… If you didn’t want one person to get injured, it was Stolarz. And, well, he did.




The situation that happened in Vancouver is so mind-boggling, it even has the attention of the national media…

 

What went wrong on a road-trip that started so good for the Flyers? Here are some observations from the Flyers 5-game road-trip…




Defensive Breakdowns

Time and time again this season, the defensive structure of the Flyers has broken down and resulted in opposing goals. Whether it was a sloppy turnover. Or a bad pinch. Or simply a Flyer being out of position. It seems an opposing team has scored on the Flyers in every breakdown possible.

 

On the road-trip, the Flyers defensive woes got even worse. Including costing them a game that they were leading by 2-goals with 1:08 left in the 3rd period. But, its not just one thing you can pick out the Flyers are doing wrong defensively. It’s multiple things.

 

Every defensive breakdown the Flyers have, it seems you can pick out something new that went wrong. Too many Flyers overloading on one side. Someone out of position on a rotation. A Flyer cheating out of the zone. Every possibility you can think of for a defensive breakdown, it seems the Flyers have went through.

 

Now, whether that is on the players for trying to do too much to break out of their slump. Or just poor coaching and a bad defensive structure remains to be seen. If you are comparing this Flyers slow start to last season’s slow start. The Flyers were already out of their slump and in the middle of a 6-game winning streak at game 31 last year.




Special Teams Continues Their Trends

The Flyers penalty kill has been trending upward. While, the power-play has been trending downward. This remained the same on the road-trip.

 

Since giving up a power-play goal in 9-straight games, the Flyers penalty kill has been steadily good. Starting the season 39 for 57 (68.4%) up until that streak ending. However, since that streak ended, the Flyers penalty kill is 36 for 45 (80%). Though, 6 of the 9 goals given up have come in two games. Both games against the leagues top power-play units, Tampa Bay and Winnipeg.

 

However, the power-play has gone in the complete opposite direction and continued to get worse. The Flyers power-play started the road-trip in the midst of an 0 for 8 streak. That streak would continue to 0 for 14 before the Flyers scored a power-play goal in Calgary. Their first power-play goal in 9 games.

 

But, a new streak has started since that goal. The Flyers return home in the midst of an 0 for 10 streak. Normally, it’s the Flyers penalty kill who cant string together a streak of stops. This season, it is the Flyers power-play who cant string together some goals on a consistent basis.




Playing From Behind

Something the Flyers have had to do all season is play from behind. Entering the road-trip, the Flyers had scored the games first goal in only 10 of the 26 games this season. When the Flyers return home today, they will have scored the games first goal in only 10 of 31 games this season.

 

Just like most of the Flyers games this season, they were behind first in every game on the road-trip. In those games, the Flyers were able to only come back once and losing the other 4 games. Going 1-3-1 on the trip.

 

If you could find one trait or identification for the Flyers this season. It would be this. For the season, the Flyers have trailed first in 21 of 31 games. In those games, the Flyers are 6-13-2. In 10 games when scoring first, the Flyers are 6-2-2. The Flyers have just given up the game’s first goal too often to start the season.




A Possible Change Coming?

Rumors were swirling Saturday about the Flyers making a possible coaching change when they returned home from the road-trip. Those rumors got even stronger as the game progressed and the Flyers lost their 4th straight.

 

Now, this is the move that fans have wanted to see for what seems like the latter part of two seasons now. But, it has yet to happen and the question is will it happen? Many fans thought the coach would be fired first before the GM. However, the Flyers chose to fire the GM first and bring in a new voice to lead the franchise.

 

That move to replace the GM first might have been the smartest decision the Flyers have made all season. To think backwards in a way, might have been the right move. Change the voice upstairs to bring in a new different experienced voice behind the bench. Would you want Ron Hextall or Chuck Fletcher picking the next coach of the Flyers?

 

In a way, firing Ron Hextall first might have been a blessing in disguise.




Results : 1-3-1, BUF 6-2 W, WPG 7-1 L, CGY 6-5 OTL, EDM 4-1 L, VAN 5-1 L

Record : 12 – 15 – 4

Next Game : Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia PA, NBCSports Philadelphia 7:00pm



By Brandon Sommermann | December 16, 2018