The Philadelphia Flyers are heading west this week, and they’re bringing a six-game losing streak with them. It’s the kind of skid that can derail a season if it lingers much longer-and with the Olympic break fast approaching and the Eastern Conference playoff race tightening by the day, the Flyers are running out of runway.
This road trip isn’t just a chance to hit the reset button. It’s a gut check. The Flyers are staring down a gauntlet of top-tier opponents, starting with the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, followed by a tricky matchup against the Utah Mammoth, and capped off with a collision course against the league's juggernaut, the Colorado Avalanche.
Let’s break it down.
Game 1: Vegas Golden Knights - A Tough Opening Draw
The Knights may be sitting atop the Pacific, but their season has been anything but smooth sailing. At 24-11-12, they’ve piled up overtime losses-more than anyone in the league besides the Kings-and had a midseason slump where they dropped eight of nine. That said, they’ve rebounded in a big way with a seven-game win streak and are starting to look like the team that hoisted the Cup not long ago.
Their numbers are a mixed bag: ninth in goals for, 22nd in goals against. The power play is humming at fourth-best in the league, while the penalty kill sits just outside the top 10 at 11th.
For the Flyers, who have struggled to keep pucks out of their own net lately, this is a tough way to open a road trip. Vegas has the firepower to make a bad night look worse-and right now, the Flyers can’t afford another one of those.
Game 2: Utah Mammoth - A Must-Win Opportunity
If there’s a game circled on the Flyers’ calendar this week, it has to be this one. Utah has been streaky all season-starting hot, then cooling off, and now riding a modest three-game win streak. At 25-20-4, the Mammoth are clinging to a wildcard spot and have been solid at home with a 14-7-2 record.
They’re not pushovers, but they’re also the most beatable team on this trip. If the Flyers are going to stop the bleeding, this is the moment. A win here wouldn’t just snap the streak-it could inject some much-needed belief back into the locker room before the toughest test of the trip.
Game 3: Colorado Avalanche - The League’s Best
And here come the Avs.
Colorado has been nothing short of dominant this season. At 33-5-8, they’re on pace to match the record-setting 2022-23 Bruins, and they’re nearly unbeatable at home with a 19-1-3 record. Their plus-75 goal differential is eye-popping-nearly double that of the next-best team, Tampa Bay.
What’s wild is that they’re doing this despite a power play that ranks just 25th in the league at 16.7%. That’s their one statistical blemish. Everywhere else, they’re steamrolling the competition.
For the Flyers, this could get ugly-especially if Dan Vladar is still unavailable. Goaltending has been a serious issue during this skid.
Aleksei Kolosov gave up three goals on three shots in Saturday’s loss to the Rangers, and Sam Ersson has posted an .805 save percentage over his last three games. That’s not going to cut it against the highest-scoring team in the NHL, which has already racked up 184 goals this season.
If the Flyers can’t tighten things up defensively-and fast-this game could spiral quickly.
The Bottom Line
This trip is a turning point. Come home with a couple of wins, and the Flyers are right back in the playoff hunt with some momentum heading into the break. But if the losses keep piling up, we could be looking at a double-digit skid and a season slipping out of reach.
The challenge is real. But so is the opportunity.