Flyers’ Slide Continues with Fifth Straight Loss in Tough Night Against Penguins
The Philadelphia Flyers are officially in a rut. Thursday night’s 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena marked their fifth straight defeat - and this one stung in more ways than one.
The Flyers got goals from Rodrigo Abols, Nick Seeler, and Matvei Michkov, but it was far from enough against a Penguins squad that capitalized on nearly every mistake. Pittsburgh lit the lamp six times, with goals coming from Justin Brazeau, Bryan Rust, Egor Chinakov, Noel Acciari, Sidney Crosby, and Connor Dewar. But it was the Penguins’ power play that truly broke the game open, going 3-for-4 and exposing a Flyers penalty kill that’s been leaking oil for weeks.
Let’s break down how it all unraveled for Philly.
First Period: Special Teams Set the Tone - and the Trouble
The Flyers didn’t even make it out of the first minute before they were on the penalty kill. Rickard Rakell drove hard to the net and drew a holding call on Cam York just 27 seconds in. For a Flyers PK unit that’s been struggling, it was a dangerous start - and it didn’t take long for Pittsburgh to make them pay.
With just seven seconds left on the man advantage, the Penguins executed a textbook tic-tac-toe passing play: Anthony Mantha to Ben Kindel to Justin Brazeau, who finished it off cleanly to give Pittsburgh the early 1-0 lead.
And the Flyers weren’t done parading to the box. Travis Sanheim’s high-sticking penalty was killed off, but Garnet Hathaway’s tripping call later in the period gave Pittsburgh another chance - and this time, Bryan Rust made no mistake. Set up by Kris Letang and, of course, Sidney Crosby, Rust hammered home a one-timer from the left dot to double the Penguins’ lead.
Meanwhile, the Flyers’ own power play came up empty on two chances, and they went into the first intermission down 2-0 - with special teams clearly tilting the ice in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Second Period: A Glimmer of Life, Then More Trouble
Whatever message was delivered in the Flyers’ locker room during the first intermission didn’t take long to test. Just 1:16 into the second, the Penguins struck again. Tommy Novak found Evgeni Malkin lurking in the neutral zone, and while the Flyers’ defense keyed in on him, Yegor Chinakov slipped behind the coverage for an easy finish and a 3-0 lead.
To their credit, the Flyers responded. Rodrigo Abols got them on the board after redirecting a Cam York point shot, with Carl Grundstrom picking up the secondary assist. That made it 3-1 and gave Philadelphia a flicker of momentum.
That’s when head coach Rick Tocchet made a bold move: he pulled starting goalie Sam Ersson and turned to Aleksei Kolosov, freshly recalled and looking at his first NHL action.
And for a stretch, it looked like the change sparked something. The Flyers played with more urgency, got heavier on the forecheck, and tightened up in their own zone. The effort was noticeably better - but the Penguins weren’t done.
A gritty shift from Pittsburgh’s fourth line led to their fourth goal. After jamming the net, Noel Acciari managed to sneak one in off Kolosov’s shoulder, assisted by Blake Lizotte. Just like that, the Penguins had snuffed out the Flyers’ push and took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.
Third Period: Michkov Fights, Crosby Strikes, and the Door Slams Shut
The third period opened with some fire from Matvei Michkov, who dropped the gloves with Blake Lizotte after a hit on Denver Barkey. Michkov got the instigator penalty - served by Trevor Zegras - but the Flyers’ bench was energized.
Unfortunately, Sidney Crosby has a way of silencing that kind of noise.
On the ensuing power play, the Penguins’ stars went to work. Rust to Malkin to Crosby - a vintage triangle of pain - and just like that, it was 5-1.
Pittsburgh wasn’t done. Tommy Novak found Connor Dewar with a cross-crease feed, and Dewar banked it in off Kolosov to make it 6-1. The Flyers had officially lost control of the game.
They did manage to tack on a couple late goals to make the score look a bit more respectable. Nick Seeler ripped one from the left faceoff circle, assisted by Barkey and Noah Juulsen.
Then Michkov cashed in on a pretty feed from Barkey, with Sean Couturier also picking up a helper. That made it 6-3, but the damage had long been done.
Where Do the Flyers Go From Here?
This wasn’t just a loss - it was another game where the Flyers looked disjointed, undisciplined, and overwhelmed in key moments. The penalty kill continues to be a major issue, and with the offense sputtering and the goaltending in flux, there are more questions than answers right now.
The good news? There’s still time to right the ship. But if this losing streak stretches much longer, the Flyers could find themselves sliding out of the playoff picture faster than they ever expected.
They’ll need more than just effort - they’ll need execution, discipline, and someone to step up and lead. Because right now, the Flyers are searching for answers in all three zones.