Photo Credit: Len Redkoles/Getty Images
The first month of 2022 hasn’t been kind to the Flyers. In fact, it’s been so bad that it’s led to a franchise record 13-game losing streak. It’s almost February and the Flyers have yet to secure a win.
The last time they secured two points in a game was back on Dec. 29, 2021 when the Flyers defeated the Seattle Kraken by a final score of 3-2. Since that win, the Flyers have put together a record of 0-10-3.
With the 2021-22 season now halfway complete, the Flyers are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. As of today, the Flyers sit 17 points out of the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. The team that they’re currently chasing is the Boston Bruins, who have 54 points and three less games played.
Using the word ugly would be sugarcoating it. Disastrous is more like it.
On Saturday, the Los Angeles Kings (21-16-6) come to town. It’ll be another chance for the Flyers to put an end to what’s been a miserable start to the New Year.
Coincidentally, the Flyers started off the new year with a 6-3 loss to the Kings earlier this month in LA. Kings forward Viktor Arvidsson scored only 12 seconds into the game and the Kings never looked back. The Flyers never held a lead in that game coming as close as 4-2 when Kevin Hayes scored a power play goal, and 5-3 when Ivan Provorov scored with less than four minutes remaining in regulation.
Strangely enough, they get a chance to secure their first win of 2022 against the same team that handed them their first loss of the new year.
Practice Notes
For the most part, the lines remained the same for the Flyers. The only change to the forward lines came on the Flyers fourth line. Isaac Ratcliffe will slot into the lineup on Saturday afternoon versus the Kings replacing Linus Sandin.
Ratcliffe, who was drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2017 NHL entry draft, will make his NHL debut. In 31 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, the 6’6” forward has registered 10 points.
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As for injuries, both Morgan Frost and Oskar Lindblom took high sticks to the face Tuesday night versus the Islanders. Fortunately, both guys were on the ice this morning for practice.
Forward Lines:
Lindblom-Giroux-Atkinson
JvR-Laughton-Konecny
Mayhew-Frost-Willman
Ratcliffe-Bunnaman-MacEwen
The defensive pairs remained the same. Cam York remains on the third defensive pair with Keith Yandle. One learning curve that comes with playing with Yandle is the fact that York is playing the right side as opposed to his natural left side when paired with the veteran defenseman.
“I haven’t played the right side my entire career,” York said. “It’s definitely new to me”. . . .
The 21-year-old defenseman has played in only 14 career games at the NHL level. One thing that has helped him succeed early on in his career at the NHL level is being able to have a good understanding of where guys are going to be.
“I think it suits my game perfectly,” York said. The better the structure the more I’m able to jump up into the rush and be effective that way. In the AHL, some things don’t flow. The flow is just a little bit different. I think the flow at the NHL level is just a little bit more predictable.”
Defensive parings:
Provorov-Braun
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Yandle-York
Yeo emphasizes fast start
Slow starts have been a thorn in the Flyers side all season. Over the course of their 13-game losing streak, they’ve been outscored 18-9 in the opening period. They’ve lacked jump out of the gate and have dug themselves a deep hole in a game more than once.
Flyers head coach Mike Yeo believes that a fast start to Saturday afternoons game is very high on the list of importance for the Flyers to get out of this funk.
“I think it’s critical every game,” Yeo said. “As quick as you can you want to get to your game. Some of that is faceoffs. Some of that is compete level. There’s 50/50 pucks we need to come up with. Some of that is your execution, the ability to get up ice, the ability to put the team on their heels. Some of that is your checking game, if they have the puck, how quickly can you get the puck back. Starts are critical. I don’t want to be a team that just because their team scored the first goal means that we’ve lost the game as well. We want to score the first goal and that’s obviously our goal, every single game. But I think more of a mindset of let’s get to our game, and we do that we have better chance of scoring the first goal, we have better chance of not giving up the first goal and you know, now we’re in the game where whatever happens, we’re able to deal with it and we continue to play.”
Atkinson preaches “staying positive”
As losses pile up, it gets easier and easier to point fingers at one another. Cam Atkinson believes that looking at the losing streak as a learning experience rather than a negative can really help the Flyers.
“No one feels sorry for us”, Atkinson said. “Everyone can look at it as a negative but I look at it as a learning experience. You have to stay positive. I think that’s the only thing you can do because it’s easy to point fingers and blame other people instead of looking in the mirror. As soon as you go down that road you’re done. . . . It is what it is. We’re in this and we have to get out of this together.”
Since being acquired by the Flyers this past summer, Atkinson has done just what the Flyers envisioned him doing when they went out and traded for him. Over the course of 43 games, the 32-year-old forward has registered a total of 32 points, He’s currently tied for the team lead in goals with 15 along with captain Claude Giroux.
