The Philadelphia Flyers' struggles continued Thursday night in Pittsburgh, where special teams proved to be the deciding factor in a 6-3 loss to the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. The Flyers have now gone five straight games without a win (0-4-1), and this one showcased a familiar theme: too many penalties, not enough answers on the penalty kill.
Power Play Punches Flyers Early
This one started off on the wrong foot for Philadelphia-literally seconds after the opening faceoff. Cam York was sent to the box for hooking Sidney Crosby just 23 seconds in, and the Penguins wasted no time making them pay.
Justin Brazeau found himself wide open near the net and buried a back-door goal at 2:16, giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. The assists went to Bem Kindel and Anthony Mantha, but the real story was how easily Brazeau slipped behind the defense.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, that was just the beginning of their penalty-kill woes. After a brief reprieve where they managed to kill off a Travis Sanheim high-sticking penalty, they were back in the box again midway through the first.
Garnet Hathaway was called for tripping, and this time Bryan Rust made them pay. At 12:25, he beat Samuel Ersson glove side for his 17th goal of the season, assisted by Kris Letang and Crosby.
That goal marked the 11th power play goal the Flyers have allowed in their last eight games-a stat that’s starting to define this recent skid. Even more concerning?
It was Pittsburgh’s sixth power play goal in just 11 chances against the Flyers this season. That kind of special teams disparity is tough to overcome.
Missed Chances, Missed Momentum
The Flyers did get their own chances with the man advantage in the first. Denver Barkey drew a slashing call on Blake Lizotte during a promising 2-on-1 rush with Sean Couturier.
But the power play couldn’t get much going. Jamie Drysdale had a nice keep at the blue line, and Travis Konecny got a shot off, but nothing truly dangerous materialized.
Christian Dvorak and York added shots, but Jeff Skinner turned them all away.
By the end of the first, the Penguins held a 2-0 lead and a 14-7 advantage in shots. The Flyers were chasing-and the chase would only get harder.
Second Period Spiral
Just over a minute into the second, the Penguins struck again. Egor Chinakhov finished off a slick feed from Evgeni Malkin on a mini 2-on-1, pushing the lead to 3-0.
Thomas Novak picked up the secondary assist, and that was enough for Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet to make a change in net. Samuel Ersson’s night ended after just 22:06, having allowed three goals on 14 shots.
Aleksei Kolosov stepped in, hoping to stabilize things.
And for a moment, it looked like the Flyers might punch back. Rodrigo Abols got them on the board not long after the goalie switch, scoring his third of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1.
But just as quickly, Pittsburgh answered. Noel Acciari made it 4-1 late in the period, reestablishing the three-goal cushion and taking the air out of any potential Flyers comeback.
Third Period: Too Little, Too Late
The Penguins didn’t let up. Sidney Crosby, who had already notched an assist earlier, added a power play goal-his 25th of the season-to make it 5-1. Connor Dewar followed that up with his ninth, and suddenly it was a 6-1 game.
To their credit, the Flyers didn’t completely fold. Nick Seeler and Matvei Michkov each found the back of the net to close out the scoring. Michkov’s goal was his 10th of the season-a small bright spot in an otherwise frustrating night.
But the damage had long been done.
Looking Ahead
This game was a microcosm of the Flyers’ recent struggles: too many penalties, not enough discipline on the kill, and a power play that couldn’t tilt the ice back in their favor. They’ve now allowed double-digit power play goals over their last eight games, and it’s becoming a glaring issue that needs fixing-fast.
Goaltending didn’t help either. Ersson didn’t have his best night, and while Kolosov made a few key stops, he still allowed three goals on 16 shots. Meanwhile, Jeff Skinner turned aside 30 of 33 shots for the Penguins and looked sharp throughout.
The Flyers have the pieces to compete, but right now, the execution-especially on special teams-isn’t there. If they want to get back in the win column, they’ll need to clean up the penalties, tighten the PK, and find more consistency in net.
Otherwise, nights like these are going to keep piling up.