Flyers’ Special Teams Struggles Highlight Deeper Issues as Skid Continues
PHILADELPHIA - The Flyers are in a funk, and while there’s no single culprit, one area is clearly dragging them down: special teams. Right now, they’re anything but special.
Heading into Saturday’s matchup with the Rangers, Philadelphia’s power play sat dead last in the NHL at just 15.0 percent - a full 5.8 points below the league average. That’s not just a cold streak. That’s a system-wide outage.
But if the power play has been underwhelming, the penalty kill has been just as concerning. After starting the season in the middle of the pack, the PK has slipped to 23rd overall, killing off just 77.8 percent of opposing power plays through 46 games. That’s a steep drop for a team that prides itself on structure and discipline.
Against the Rangers, there were some encouraging signs - the Flyers looked more composed shorthanded - but they still surrendered a power-play goal on three attempts. And just two nights earlier in Pittsburgh, the penalty kill was torched for three goals in a 6-3 loss. That game capped off the second half of a back-to-back, a situation that’s become a recurring problem for this group over the past couple of seasons.
“Yeah, you have to look at the whole picture,” head coach Rick Tocchet said before the Rangers game. “Special teams have been a problem, they’re biting us, especially right now. The PK has been leaking oil.”
Tocchet pointed to the heavy workload on players like Christian Dvorak - who’s been logging time on both the power play and penalty kill - and raised the question of fatigue. It’s a fair concern. When the same guys are tasked with carrying the load on both sides of special teams, legs get heavy, decision-making slows, and mistakes pile up.
Discipline has also been an issue. The Flyers had been shorthanded 144 times entering Saturday, more than 19 other teams. That’s a lot of time spent chasing the puck instead of pushing the pace.
And when they do get their own man-advantage opportunities, they haven’t been able to capitalize. The Flyers have just 20 power-play goals - the fewest in the league. That’s a brutal stat for a team that’s been in tight games and needs every edge it can get.
“There seems to be a little bit of nervousness,” Tocchet said. “If you look at the last game (at Pittsburgh), we had three chances at the top of the slot.
I think we had two blocked. That’s execution.
These are the things we’re not getting right now.”
Tocchet also emphasized fundamentals on the penalty kill, pointing to things like stick positioning and structure. He wants his players checking with both hands on the stick - not reaching or lunging with one hand, which often leads to breakdowns and missed assignments. And while structure matters, so does goaltending.
“Do we need a save here and there?” Tocchet asked. “Goaltending has just been OK the last four or five games.”
That’s not exactly throwing his goalies under the bus, but it’s a clear call for more timely stops. When the PK breaks down, you need your netminder to bail you out. That hasn’t been happening consistently.
Konecny Speaks Up
After the Rangers game, Travis Konecny - now in his ninth NHL season and wearing an ‘A’ as one of the team’s alternate captains - didn’t shy away from addressing the team’s slump.
“We have to understand there are going to be lows like this,” he said. “There’s plenty of time to turn it around.”
That’s the kind of perspective you want from a veteran voice, especially during a stretch like this. The Flyers came into this five-game skid without having lost more than two in a row all season.
Now? They’re searching for answers.
“I thought the effort was there,” Konecny added. “We all put in the time in practice.
Things go the other way, the bounces and then we get frustrated. It’s been like a weird, frustrating two weeks.”
Sometimes it’s not a lack of effort - it’s the mental toll that comes from doing the right things and still not getting the results. That frustration can creep in and compound issues. Konecny’s comments suggest the locker room hasn’t lost belief, but the urgency is definitely rising.
Injury Updates: Vladar, Brink, Ristolainen
Goaltender Dan Vladar, who left Wednesday’s game in Buffalo with an injury, is listed as day-to-day. Tocchet said it’ll depend on how he responds to treatment over the next 24 hours, so his status remains up in the air.
Forward Bobby Brink didn’t suit up against the Rangers but is a possibility to return during the upcoming road trip through Vegas, Utah, and Colorado. Brink skated Saturday morning, and if doctors give the green light, he could be back in the lineup as early as the Colorado game on Friday.
As for defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, he won’t be making the trip. Tocchet doesn’t believe the injury is long-term, but he did say it could be a “week thing.”
Michkov and Barkey: A Spark of Chemistry
One bright spot in the recent rough patch has been the pairing of rookie Denver Barkey with Matvei Michkov. Tocchet put the two together for the Pittsburgh game, and the result was immediate - Michkov notched his 10th goal of the season, and the duo looked energized.
“They seemed to have a little fun playing with each other,” Tocchet said. “There was a little bit of pep in their step.
For them it’s being close together. A little chemistry, finding each other.
I want them to have some fun and make some plays.”
That’s the kind of spark the Flyers could use more of - young players finding their rhythm, building confidence, and giving the team a jolt of energy. With the veterans grinding through a tough stretch, a youthful boost from the likes of Michkov and Barkey might be just what the Flyers need to shift momentum.
The Flyers aren’t out of time, but the clock is ticking. Special teams are dragging them down, and the margin for error is shrinking.
Whether it’s tightening up the PK, finding rhythm on the power play, or getting a timely save, something has to give. And soon.