The Philadelphia Flyers are in the middle of their toughest stretch of the season - and it’s showing up in the standings. After dropping five straight games, including four in regulation, they’ve slipped out of a playoff spot in a jam-packed Eastern Conference race. With the Metropolitan Division heating up, every point matters, and right now, the Flyers are leaking them.
Thursday night’s 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins - their second defeat in three meetings with their cross-state rivals - was another gut punch. The Flyers couldn’t keep pace at PPG Paints Arena, and head coach Rick Tocchet didn’t sugarcoat what he saw.
“Guys are trying,” Tocchet said postgame. “But then, they’re running around at bad angles… one hand, sticks in the air.
We get too many stick infractions. Adversity has hit our team… it’s how we deal with it.”
So far, not well. The Flyers have now allowed five or more goals in four straight games - a stat that speaks volumes. That kind of defensive breakdown simply won’t cut it in today’s NHL, especially in the grind-it-out Metropolitan.
Goaltending has become a serious concern. With Dan Vladar sidelined after getting hurt in Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to Buffalo, the net has belonged to Samuel Ersson - and it hasn’t gone smoothly.
Ersson was shelled for seven goals against Tampa Bay last Saturday, and he struggled again versus Pittsburgh, giving up three goals on just 14 shots before being pulled in the second period. Aleksei Kolosov, up from AHL Lehigh Valley, came in and stopped 13 shots in relief, but the damage was already done.
Of course, it’s not all on the goalies. The Flyers’ special teams have been a major issue, and that’s putting it lightly.
While their 5-on-5 play has held up reasonably well, the power play and penalty kill have been dragging them down hard. Since December 28, Philly has scored just three power-play goals on 32 chances - and they’ve given up 12 goals while shorthanded in that same span.
“The special teams, we all know, are killing us,” Tocchet said. “The PK is leaking big time… 5-on-5 play is fine.
It just looks bad because our special teams is really bad. We’ve got to figure it out.”
The Flyers are now 22-16-8 and sit fifth in the Metro - four points behind the final wildcard spot. With the Rangers coming to town Saturday, this group needs to regroup fast. New York is in the middle of a re-tool, but they’re still dangerous, and the Flyers can’t afford to let this slide continue.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s the emergence of rookie forward Denver Barkey. Since making his NHL debut on December 20, Barkey has played in 12 games, logging nearly 14 minutes a night and notching five points. He added two more assists Thursday and continues to show promise in a tough stretch for the club.
“It’s a long season,” Barkey said. “There’s a lot of games. So, you’re going to go through your ups and downs… Just sticking together as a team through this, not separating, sticking together and sticking to the game plan.”
The Flyers have the talent to turn things around, but it’s going to take more than effort. It’s about execution - in net, on special teams, and in the details. The margin for error in the East is razor thin, and right now, Philly is on the wrong side of it.