The Flyers are searching for answers - and Saturday afternoon, they came close to finding one. But in a game that saw flashes of resilience, they ultimately fell short in overtime, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Kings at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
This one stung, not just because of the result, but because of how close they came to flipping the script.
Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny lit the lamp for Philadelphia. Konecny’s third-period goal, a redirection just 25 seconds in, pulled the Flyers even and gave them a real shot at snapping their three-game skid.
And in overtime, he had the game on his stick - a breakaway chance with the goalie at his mercy. But the puck rang off the right post, a few inches away from salvation.
“I’ve got to put it away there in overtime,” Konecny said postgame. No excuses. Just accountability.
Instead, it was Quinton Byfield who played hero for Los Angeles, scoring the game-winner and sending the Flyers to their fourth straight loss. Philly is now 2-7 in overtime this season - a stat that’s starting to feel like a thorn in their side. They’ve been better in the shootout (5-3), but the extra frame hasn’t been kind.
The broader picture isn’t much prettier. The Flyers have now lost 11 of their last 13 games (2-8-3), and during that stretch, they’ve been outscored 58-34 - a rough 4.46 goals-against average that’s put a serious dent in their playoff hopes.
Just a few weeks ago, on January 6, they were sitting in third place in the division. Now, they’ve slid to seventh with 28 games left and are eight points behind the Islanders for that third spot.
But inside the locker room, there’s no white flag.
“Maybe you guys are doubting us; we are not doubting ourselves,” said goaltender Dan Vladar, who made 18 saves on 21 shots. “We are a confident group.
We know this is just a stretch - it comes for every team. Even if you look at Tampa, they didn’t start well, and now they’re hot.
It’s every team.
“It’s just up to us. We have a young group.
It’s up to the older guys, including myself, to bring up the energy and confidence. We still believe - the season’s not over.”
The Flyers will get another crack at the Kings on March 19, this time in Los Angeles. But first, they’ve got to find a way to stop the bleeding.
Saturday’s game didn’t start the way they’d hoped. Just 3:10 into the first period, Adrian Kempe got the Kings on the board.
Vladar was trying to recover after a scramble in front, and Kempe wasted no time, ripping a shot from the slot. Less than four minutes later, Kempe struck again - this time on a one-timer through the middle after the Flyers lost track of him.
Just like that, it was 2-0.
To their credit, the Flyers didn’t fold. They challenged a third Kings goal and won - video review showed the play was offside. They also killed off a pair of penalties in the opening frame, keeping the deficit at two.
Then came the response.
Zegras, who had been quiet offensively over the past four games, got the Flyers on the board just 39 seconds into the second period with a power-play blast - his 20th goal of the season. It was the jolt Philadelphia needed.
“You guys saw it - we were buzzing, making some good plays,” Konecny said. “A couple of bounces that easily could have went in.”
Vladar settled in after the rocky start, coming up with a big breakaway save midway through the second to keep it a one-goal game. That stop gave the Flyers a chance - and they nearly cashed in.
Konecny’s equalizer early in the third gave the crowd some life, and for a moment, it looked like the Flyers might pull off the comeback. But in OT, after Konecny’s near miss, Byfield ended it - a tough pill to swallow for a team trying to claw its way back into the playoff conversation.
Darcy Kuemper turned aside 19 of 21 shots for the Kings, doing just enough to keep the Flyers from grabbing momentum.
Samuel Ersson, who exited Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Bruins with a lower-body injury, was unavailable. Aleksei Kolosov was recalled from AHL Lehigh Valley to back up Vladar. No update has been given on Ersson’s status.
The Flyers will try to regroup before hosting the Capitals on Tuesday night. And while the standings are starting to tighten, there’s still time - but only if they can stop the slide now.
As Zegras put it: “It’s a long year. Sometimes you go through these ups and downs.
If you get too low or too high, it bites you in the butt. I think we’ve just got to keep our foot down and keep going.”