The Philadelphia Flyers are feeling the chill in more ways than one right now. With the city locked in a deep freeze, the team’s recent slump continued Thursday night against a red-hot Boston Bruins squad that’s showing no signs of slowing down.
Boston came into the matchup winners of nine of their last 11, and they wasted no time flexing their form. Two quick goals in the first period set the tone, and by the end of the second, the Bruins had blown the game wide open en route to a 6-3 win - their 10th victory in their last 12 outings. For the Flyers, it marked their 10th loss in the same span.
It started with Viktor Arvidsson, who found space in the slot and slipped one five-hole past Sam Ersson at the 9:49 mark of the first period. Just 41 seconds later, Pavel Zacha capitalized on a defensive lapse in front of the crease, burying his 15th of the season to make it 2-0. The Bruins controlled the early pace, but the shot totals through 20 minutes stayed close - 10-9 in Boston’s favor.
The second period brought more of the same - and then some. Fraser Minten added to the lead with a goal off the rush just 2:27 in, giving Boston a commanding 3-0 edge. But the Flyers showed some life less than a minute later when Travis Konecny notched his 21st of the season, cutting the deficit to two.
That momentum, however, was short-lived.
Boston struck twice in the final 90 seconds of the period. Casey Mittelstadt and Tanner Jeannot each found the back of the net, stretching the Bruins’ lead to 5-1.
And while Philadelphia answered quickly - Nikita Grebenkin scored just 25 seconds later for his fourth of the year - the damage had been done. Through two periods, the Flyers actually held a slight edge in shots, 21-20, but the scoreboard told a very different story.
To make matters worse for Philly, Ersson didn’t return for the third after suffering an injury. He exited after stopping 15 of 20 shots. Dan Vladar stepped in and turned away all six shots he faced in relief, while Jeremy Swayman held down the fort for Boston with a 33-save performance on 36 shots.
The Bruins tacked on one more in the third - an empty-netter from Marat Khusnutdinov - before Matvei Michkov added a late power-play goal for the Flyers, his 13th of the season.
Konecny led the Flyers with a two-point night, but the Bruins had the more balanced attack. Mittelstadt and Minten each tallied three points, while Andrew Peeke and Jonathan Aspirot chipped in with two assists apiece.
The Flyers now return home for a three-game stretch, starting with a Saturday matinee against the Los Angeles Kings. With the season entering a critical phase, Philadelphia will need to thaw out quickly - both on the ice and on the scoreboard - if they want to stay in the hunt.