The Flyers got a little more life from their lineup Monday night, but not nearly enough to slow down Tampa Bay or stop this ugly start from rolling on.
Philadelphia dropped a 5-1 decision to the Lightning, and the final score matched the flow for long stretches. The Flyers spent most of the night chasing the game, chasing the puck and chasing a team that looked far more comfortable in every area that mattered. Tampa Bay controlled the shot count 36-14 and never really let the Flyers settle in.
That leaves Philadelphia 0-4 to open the season, with the early numbers telling the story as clearly as the scoreboard. The Flyers have been outscored 18-5 and outshot 158-76 through four games. They’ve had too little possession, too little finishing and too little pushback to suggest the skid is turning anytime soon.
There were a couple of small bright spots, though, and one of them came from Porter Martone.
The rookie’s night featured the kind of moments that make a young player stand out even when the result goes sideways. Martone was around the crease on the Flyers’ lone goal, forcing his way into the play and helping create the chance that ended with Tyson Foerster getting credit for the tally at 7:22 of the second period. It was the kind of hard-nosed, net-front sequence that fits the Corey Perry comparisons that have followed Martone.
He kept making himself a nuisance, too. Martone drew a roughing penalty from Lightning defenseman Charle-Edouard D’Astous after getting under his skin, and later in the third period Brandon Hagel caught him with an elbow that sent Martone to a concussion spotter. Martone eventually returned and finished the game.
Dan Vladar also gave Philadelphia something to hang onto.
After giving up seven goals on 38 shots in the opener against Pittsburgh, the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie looked much steadier against Tampa Bay. Vladar stopped 32 of 35 shots, and without him the night could have gotten a lot worse. That’s been one of the few early-season positives for this team: the goaltending has held up better than expected.
Everything else is still a problem.
The power play went blank again, leaving the Flyers 0-for-11 with the man advantage to start the season. That’s a familiar frustration for a team that has had the NHL’s 32nd-ranked power play in four of the last five seasons.
On paper, this group has more talent now, with Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov in the mix. On the ice, it hasn’t translated.
The bigger issue is the overall shot battle, and that one looks even uglier by the day. Philadelphia has been overwhelmed in that department, and Rick Tocchet’s team still isn’t winning enough battles to create sustained offense. When the Flyers do get the puck, they’re struggling to get into the zone and string anything together.
Denver Barkey’s return offered another small note worth filing away. The 21-year-old made his season debut after missing the first three games with a lower-body injury, and while he didn’t record a point in 13:06 of ice time, he showed a few flashes as he worked his way back into game shape.
For the Flyers, though, the big picture remains the same. The losses keep piling up, and the early-season margin for error is already disappearing.
In Other News...
Oilers Trade Interest In Young Center Suddenly Gets More Complicated
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Elsewhere around the league, trade chatter involving a young center has only added another layer to the Flyers corner of the rumor mill. Edmonton has reportedly talked with an Eastern Conference team about a possible deal, with Bostons Matt Poitras among the names being floated, though nothing has been finalized. For Philadelphia, it is the kind of background noise that can matter, especially as the club keeps trying to sort out its own scoring picture while other teams weigh whether to make a move. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Face Growing Pressure Around Two Crucial Roster Situations
The Flyers are back in the early-season spotlight for all the wrong reasons, with Rick Tocchet and his staff already feeling the heat after a winless start. There is always a little panic baked into October when the details slip and the results do not follow, and Philadelphia has given its coach and assistants no real cushion as they try to settle the group down and get the season pointed in the right direction.
Across the league, Detroit has its own roster questions building in the background, and those decisions could ripple well beyond its own locker room. Contract talks with restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson have yet to show movement, Dylan Larkins situation remains fluid, and Kris Drapers shift into the pro scouting department only adds another layer to the evaluation process as the Red Wings weigh what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Already Look Stuck With A Roster Problem They Created
The Flyers came into training camp with a roster that felt mostly decided before the competition even got going, and the shortened preseason only made that approach harder to challenge. Danny Briere acknowledged the team had a preset mindset, which meant there was limited room for younger players to force their way onto the opening night lineup even as Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko showed enough promise to at least keep the conversation alive.
Philadelphias caution has left it with a familiar early-season problem: a roster that may not have much flexibility when opportunities appear. Even with injuries creating openings, the Flyers still did not lean into them for a young forward, a choice that speaks to how carefully the organization is managing its prospects and how quickly a self-imposed logjam can turn into a real issue once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]