The Flyers were in a 3-0 hole with only 2 shots on goal at the end of the 1st period. It was a Peanuts themed Halloween party at the arena but the boos at the end of the opening period had nothing to do with holiday spirits.

The 1st Columbus goal was a beaut. Kent Johnson with a perfect pass to Adam Fantilli for the dunk at the side of the net at 10:58.

Less than two minutes later. Kent Johnson deflected a Zach Werenski clapper as it whistled through a ton of traffic at 12:54.

Then at 13:44 Denton Mateychuk fired a wrister through traffic that beat Dan Vladar low blocker side. In less than three minutes of clock time Columbus created a three goal lead that the Flyers would be chasing all night long.

Columbus built that 3 goal lead on just 6 shots. They finished the 1st period with 7 shots on goal and ended regulation with just 13. The Flyers, on the other hand, managed 30 shots in regulation but could not overcome the Blue Jackets early lead. The opening period was eerily reminiscent of the team’s loosing streak at the start of the season.

Comeback

To their credit the Flyers did bounce back. They kept Columbus at bay while going on the offensive and getting plenty of pucks to the net.

Halfway through the middle period Porter Martone fired a shot at the five-hole of Cam Talbot. Talbot squeezed the pads but not quite tight enough. Noah Cates reached behind him to poke the puck into the net after it dribbled out from between the goaltender’s legs.

With just under 5 minutes left in regulation Trevor Zegras chipped in a rebound from very close range at the side of the net cutting the lead to just one goal.

The Flyers pulled the goalie for the extra attacker with just 1:21 left in regulation. Zegras entered the zone with the puck passing it off to Tyson Foerster at the right side of the net. Foerster passed across the slot to Jamie Drysdale in the blue paint for the redirect to tie the game with just 10.4 seconds on the clock.

Zegras is on a five game point streak. With a goal and an assist in this contest Zegras recorded his 3rd multi-point game of the season. He currently leads the team in points.

The Flyers were crowding the crease like crazy in this game. All three of their goals were scored from directly in front of the net. When your offense is struggling you gotta go for the greasy goals. And there’s always plenty of grease in the crease.

OT

The Flyers made two horrendous mistakes in the overtime session. Both led to 2-on-0 breakaways by the Blue Jackets. Dan Vladar managed to stop the 1st much to the delight of the Flyers faithful. Chants of “Vlady, Vlady, Vlady” filled the arena.

You don’t see netminders dealing with a two man breakaway very often. However in this case it was only seconds later that Vladar was back in the exact same situation.

The Flyers over-committed in the o-zone with an unsuccessful attempt that led directly to the game-winning-goal. Two Blue Jackets were once again streaking towards the Flyers net with no one back. This time Kent Johnson ended the game.

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There were things that happened in this game that should not be overlooked simply because of the final score. Everybody wants to see the Anaheim Ducks come to town, nobody wants to see them leave with the W. But that’s exactly what happened on Saturday afternoon when the Ducks downed the Flyers by the final score of 5-4. We can either dwell on that fact or look for some upsides.

Michkov

Flyers winger Matvei Michkov has been on an absolute tear as of late. Saturday’s game was no exception. Michkov scored twice in this game it was his 2nd multi goal game of the season. He is currently on a five game point streak.

Power Play

It seems like it took the entire Delaware Valley yelling at the top of their lungs to get Michkov more power-play ice time. It’s been working out great so please, keep yelling.

The Flyers scored twice on the power-play today. They’ve scored 5 goals with the man advantage in their last 4 games. Michkov and Porter Martone have certainly been clicking. Martone had the other power-play goal vs the Ducks.

Michkov has been seeing the ice and his options like he’s playing in a different time signature than everyone else. As Saturday’s game wore on the Ducks were giving him more room to work with not less. He was playing crafty and wise with the puck and it was keeping the opponents from committing henceforth giving him more open space and options.

Communication

Michkov’s improved ability to communicate with his teammates has to be making things a lot easier for everybody. I’ve been watching Trevor Zegras and Michkov since training camp pulling each other to the side and breaking things down together. Zegras had two assists vs the Ducks and is currently on a 4 game point streak.

Shoot the Puck

Two firsts in Saturday’s game. The Flyers scored more than 3 goals in a game for the first time this season. They also recorded 32 shots on goal their highest total so far. It may seem like a stretch to be celebrating shots on goal. After suffering through the tragic nine game start to this season you know all too well how much difficulty the Flyers were having getting pucks to the net.

At the start of the season it was not uncommon for the Flyers to be outshot by their opponents, sometimes by double. I totally understand that shots on goal shouldn’t be a news story. The key word in that sentence is “shouldn’t”.

Joseph Woll

Something that we are not used to seeing is goaltender Joseph Woll having a bad day. Another first. Every goalie is going to have a game that he’d like to have back. Woll has absolutely earned one. Many a night he has been the silver lining. He has been rock solid between the pipes and the only reason the Flyers even had a shot in some of the early contests.

Murphy’s Law was truly in effect for Woll on Saturday afternoon. One goal was the result of a miscommunication behind the net. Another was a shot that hit the post and rebounded in off his skate. He made a couple difficult saves that just seemed to dribble through him after the initial stop.

However for anyone who came out simply to give Cutter Gauthier a hard time Joseph Woll supplied the day’s most enjoyable highlight. Gauthier received a pass at the wide open side of the Flyers net. Woll got his pad out to stop a shot that looked like a sure thing. Gauthier picked up his own rebound and had a golden second chance. Woll flashed the leather and shut the whole thing down with a stunning glove save.

Extra Credit: Tyson Foerster scored the Flyers first shorthanded goal of the season.

Next Up: The Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.

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For ice hockey fans this was just a fun game to watch. It had it all. Tons of energy, great goaltending, hard hitting, fast moving, both teams aggressively playing to win. The Flyers won their 3rd in a row after dropping their 1st 9. Flyers beat Sabres 3-1. It was the 1st road win of the season for the Orange and Black.

Philly vs Buffalo

The Flyers hit the opening seconds of this match on the attack. They took an early penalty and the Sabres took control of the puck and ran the game for a bit at that point.

Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar was called on again and again to withstand the barrage. The Flyers went for 10 minutes without a shot on goal as Buffalo gave it their best shot. However there was no solving Dan Vladar.

The 1st period was punctuated with some huge hits and Cole Knuble’s first NHL goal. Denver Barkey back to Oliver Bonk at the point. Bonk unleashed the shot from the blue line. The rebound went to Knuble who backhanded his first as a Flyer past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen 14:49 into the opening period.

With just 41 seconds remaining in the period the Flyers scored on the power-play. Trevor Zegras batted in the rebound off a Matvei Michkov shot to send the Flyers into the intermission with the 2-0 lead.

2nd Period

The Flyers started the middle period with 1:59 of power-play time remaining. Buffalo had the best chance on the Flyers man-advantage, hitting the post on the rush.

You have to give this second round to Buffalo. They were relentless, spending several prolonged puck possessions in the Flyers end.

Things went on this way for most of the period. The Flyers went on a power-play and then picked up a lucky call to give them 1:12 of 5-on-3 with 4:28 remaining in the 2nd period.

An on ice official mistook Zegras’s high stick as belonging to a Sabre and the crowd was furious for the duration of the two man advantage.

The Sabres pulled off an excellent kill allowing just one shot on the 5-on-3 and one more on the 5-on-4.

Back at even strength Travis Sanheim picked up a legit high stick call and Buffalo scored on the ensuing power-play with just 34.5 seconds remaining in the period. Jason Zucker redirecting a wild pass from the top of the crease. 2-1 Flyers.

3rd Period

Just 3:03 into the final period Cole Knuble scored his 2nd NHL goal. He picked up a pass from Oliver Bonk and skated in up the right hand side. Luukkonen had the angle cut off. Knuble was patient with the puck, did not fire a shot, and appeared to be headed behind the Buffalo net. He shot the puck from below the goal line off the back of the netminder’s skate to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead.

The young guys ruled the roost in this solid Philadelphia win. Knuble with two goals, Bonk with two assists. Hunter McDonald with several big hits and another solid performance. Also a huge outing for Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar giving up just one goal on 28 Buffalo shots. Some of the stops he made in this game were flat out remarkable.

Next Up: The annual visit from the Ducks Saturday afternoon at 1PM.

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The Flyers suited up a very young roster due to a long list of injuries and skated away with a convincing win over the Avalanche. Colorado is the reigning Presidents Trophy winner and certainly not an easy team to play against. That’s makes two wins in a row for the hosting Flyers. This is a big turnaround after dropping 9 strait to start the season, a franchise record.

Philly was missing Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, and Nikita Grebenkin all due to injury. That gave way to call ups to Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, Jacob Gaucher and the NHL debut of Cole Knuble.

Philly vs Colorado

The Flyers got on the board first on the power-play 7:41 into the 1st period. Trevor Zegras fired a puck from the left circle that was redirected on net by Denver Barkey. Avalanche netminder Mackenzie Blackwood made the initial save however the rebound went right to Matvei Michkov at the side of the net. With Porter Martone screening just outside the blue paint Michkov fired the puck into the open side of the net.

The play was followed by a long review to see if Martone was guilty of goaltender interference. Martone was eventually acquitted of the infraction. This caused Colorado to be penalized again for the delay. The Flyers now rested power-play unit remained on the ice to start the next man advantage.

2nd Period

The Flyers coverage in their own end was much improved in this contest. The Avalanche controlled the puck with prolonged possessions in the Flyers d-zone for much of the middle period. However the Flyers kept Colorado to the perimeters offering much support for their goaltender Joseph Woll who put together another outstanding performance.

At 12:23 into the period is was Matvei Michkov again lighting the lamp to give the Flyers a two goal lead. Michkov took the puck from the top of the slot down around and behind the net. He came out from the other side back around to the point and then eventually firing the puck from his original position.

His shot beat Blackwood just over the pad but under the glove from the top of the slot. The assists were ceremoniously awarded to Zegras and Cates even though Michkov had toured the entire o-zone with the puck before shooting it.

Colorado pulled back to within one with just 2:08 left in the middle period. The Flyers had just killed off a penalty when Martin Necas wristed a rocket top blocker side from the top of the circle. 2-1 Flyers.

3rd Period

Noel Acciari restored the two goal lead 6:34 into the final period. Trevor Zegras passed back to Oliver Bonk at the right point. Bonk teed up a slapper that broke Acciari’s stick on the way to the net. Trevor Zegras assisted on all three Philadelphia goals. 3-1 Flyers.

With just 5:20 TJ Hughes put the Avalanche back in the running. Burying a fortunate rebound with Woll committed to the other side of the net. Final score, Flyers 3 Colorado 2.

Matvei Michkov was the first star of the night. He logged 14:37 in ice time, scoring two goals, and being offensively dominant in this contest. He was on the ice for almost all of the last two minutes of regulation with the Colorado goaltender pulled.

All The Young Dudes

All the young guys looked good in their call ups. You had dads and family in the stands and plenty of responsibility on the ice. During the later moments while protecting a one goal lead you still had the line of Bump, Barkey, and Knuble taking shifts with Bonk and Sanheim back on D.

Knuble had a gutsy play going for the net and paying the price but making it back up ice to be effective on the backcheck. Hunter McDonald delivered a very satisfying check to Cale Makar along the side boards that is worth watching at least a couple times. They all held up, they all did well, and the Flyers earned their second consecutive win.

Next Up: Flyers vs Sabres in Buffalo Wednesday night 7:30.

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In an era where some say tough guy hockey is for the dinosaurs Hunter McDonald stands up for himself and his teammates. Which is something the Flyers could definitely use right about now.

The team has recalled defenseman Hunter McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms placing Cam York on injured reserve with an upper body injury.

Hunter McDonald made is debut with the Flyers in the final game of the regular season last Spring against the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers had clinched their playoff spot the previous night with a shoot-out win over Carolina. McDonald registered and assist and was a +3 in the Flyers 4-2 victory over the Habs.

The 6′-4″ 238 lbs left handed defenseman was chosen 165th overall in the 6th round of the 2022 NHL entry draft. He signed a new two year deal with the Flyers this past summer. This season in Lehigh Valley with the Phantoms McDonald has 1-G, 2-A, and is a +4 in six games played.

Physical Presence

Not labeling McDonald as an enforcer however he is certainly an intimidating physical presence. Big hits, clearing the crease, and winning board battles are all characteristic of his game. He is said to have a “natural mean streak and agitation skills” which can make him quite miserable to play against.

So far this season with players like Garnet Hathaway and Nick Deslauriers no longer on the roster that element has certainly been missing. Some say the style is outdated or throw-back, but watching your talented players get mugged without support is a hard fad to swallow.

Stand Up

Opposing players take advantage of teams that allow it. Recently Porter Martone took a high elbow to the head from Tampa’s Brandon Hagel and nobody said a word. Tyson Foerster was tackled and punched in the head several times by Carolina’s Jordan Martinook. No penalty, no retaliation, no reason not to go for it again when the opportunity arises.

Hunter McDonald has logged 205 penalty minutes over his 153 AHL games with the Phantoms. In his only game as a Flyer he registered 5 hits in 15 minutes of ice time. McDonald is not a casual observer.

The team has been missing the physical capabilities of defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen who has been sidelined due to injury. Nick Seeler is another d-man who plays a punishing style while staying within the lines of what is legal, most of the time. Say what you want but it should not be enjoyable to meet up with the Flyers defense in their own zone.

Opponents have been much too comfortable in the Flyers end, moving pucks around easily, and throwing tons of rubber at the net. The Flyers goalies have been standing on their heads and deserve stronger support in the d-zone.

Personally I’ve been waiting for McDonald to get here. Hopefully he makes the most of this opportunity and his skills can keep pace at the NHL level. We’ll soon find out.

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Flyers captain Sean Couturier spoke of “simplifying their game” before the Flyers took the ice in Philly on Saturday night. The team picked up their 1st win of the season beating the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-1. And, to be honest, the keys to this game were much more complicated than just simplifying things.

The Flyers are a team in deep turmoil. This win doesn’t change that fact. It’s surly a step in the right direction but the fact remains. We don’t need to rehash all the dirty details again right now. After the game the Flyers captain summed it up this way, “it’s one win we still have a lot of work to do” and he’s not wrong.

Fighting for Time

There is still a disconnect here. Flyers leading scorer Matvei Michkov made this win happen. He set up the home team’s opening goal. He placed a perfect pass between the skates of a crouching Senator, across the slot, and right onto the tape of Porter Martone’s stick. Martone was in perfect position to snap the puck past Linus Ullmark, just over the pad but under the glove.

This goal by the 3rd line tied the score at one after the Senators struck first. After the game Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said, “I heard a bunch of guys, not a bunch but a couple of guys, I can’t remember who said it but they said hey we’re playing really well we’re still OK, so that was nice to hear.”

The Flyers “go-ahead” and eventual GWG was scored by the same combination of players this time on the power-play. The Flyers had just made a line change Michkov remained on the ice with the second unit. Martone fired a shot from the left hand side. The puck rebounded off Ullmark’s pad and right to Michkov who was camped out in the crease with a ton of net to shoot at.

After the game Tocchet was asked if Michkov was supposed to stay out there. The answer started out with “That depends.” So apparently Michkov took it upon himself to stay on the ice. Michkov is fighting for ice time. As a 3rd line winger he logged 14:29 TOI in this game which is slightly lower than his average time on ice per game of 14:52 so far this season. To put that in context Michael Bunting logged 15:29 in this same game.

This was Michkov and Martone’s 3rd game as linemates. After the game Michkov spoke of remembering his 1st season and of doing his best to support Martone. Martone said “as time goes on and you kind of develop more chemistry you know, I think we can bring a lot to this team.” Martone has been averaging 13:15 TOI per game so far, a considerable drop off from the 17:02 average his logged last season.

Keys

Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar played an exceptional game vs the Senators stopping 25 of 26 Ottawa shots. He made “that save” over and over again in this contest. Clutch, on point, and unshakable. This was arguably his strongest appearance so far this season. His glove was red hot, his positioning was on point, he was the Dan Vladar we got to know last season. He allowed just one goal, it was a two on one situation, and it resulted from a beautiful set up from take a wild guess.

Dan Vladar and the Flyers held the Senators at bay after getting outshot 11-4 in the 3rd period and killing a late Ottawa power play. Trevor Zegras scored on the open net to set the final score at 3-1 in favor of Philadelphia.

Inspiration

I just looked up Jason Myrtetus’s “official job title” because it seems like he does everything. That’s because he actually does. “Digital Content Creator, Flyers Daily Podcast Host, Radio pre-game, intermission, post-game host.” Flyers fans know and love Jason as an interictal part of their Philly hockey experience. He knows the sport and this team inside and out.

He was invited by coach Tocchet to speak with the team after the morning skate on Saturday. Both he and the coach chose to keep what he had to say private but in part it was focused on being grateful for the here and now so to speak. He reminded the team to to be happy because they are in the NHL and playing the game that they love.

Other than that all we know is the room was silent after he finished speaking. The Flyers went out afterwards and won their 1st game of the season after nine straight failed attempts. After the game Jason was awarded the game puck by the coach. Sean Couturier presented him with the celebratory “Rocky” gloves as the team surrounded him.

Jason is font of hockey smarts, a true gentleman, and the biggest heavy metal fan you’d ever want to meet. The battle he is currently fighting puts the rest of this mess in total perspective.

In his own words: “That win was not for me. It’s not about me. That win was for every fan. I could see the start of the season was hurting a lot of fans. I’m proud of the way the boys came together in that game. They had to deal with some adversity with the Sens scoring first, having to kill a late penalty, and they didn’t buckle. Now it is onto the next one knowing the only way to do it is together.”

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The Red Wings enjoyed their 2nd win of the season as they hold onto last place in the Atlantic Division. They handed the Flyers their 9th straight loss since the start of the 2026-27 regular season. Many are curious to see what major changes the team is willing to make to turn things around. Frustration is clearly building as the Flyers so far appear willing to stay the course and wait it out.

1st Period

The Flyers held their own in the 1st period. Taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after managing just 5 shots on goal. The team’s leading scorer Matvei Michkov scored his 3rd goal of the season after batting a puck out of midair and past Daniil Tarasov for the Flyers only goal of the night. The Flyers have scored 11 goals so far this season, they’ve allowed 32.

2nd Period

As is often the case the Flyers appeared to sag a bit in the 2nd period. As their 1st power-play of the night expired Anton Johansson exited the penalty box to join a two on one and slapped one home off Joseph Woll’s shoulder blocker side. It was his 1st NHL goal. The Flyers went 0-for-2 with the man advantage in this game.

3rd Period

The Flyers went halfway through the final period without registering a shot on goal. At that point the shots were 22-11 in favor of the Red Wings.

Joseph Woll played another strong game in the Philadelphia net. He has certainly been a bright spot in this historically unsuccessful season start. Woll has played four regular season games. He’s given up 10 goals on 244 shots faced. He’s posting a .914 SV% and a 2.95 GAA. On top of that Woll played 5 periods in the pre-season allowing 0 goals against. …He deserves a medal.

Detroit scored their second and final goal of the game with 4:38 remaining in the 3rd period. Woll got a piece of both the centering pass and the shot as it tinked in off his skate with David Jiricek chasing.

With under two minutes to play the Flyers chose not to pull their goaltender while they had possession in the Detroit zone. Nick Seeler picked up a tripping penalty to avoid a Red Wings breakout at 1:29 leaving the Flyers short-handed for the rest of the game.

The Wings played keep away with the puck in their own end on the man advantage as time was ticking down. Oliver Bonk made a great steal and almost tied the game whiffing a shot wide off a fine pass from Trevor Zegras.

There was a time out with just 1.8 seconds on the clock and a face off to the side of the Detroit net. Michkov watched from the bench. He logged 13:40 in this contest. Final score Detroit 2 Philadelphia 1.

Extra Credit: The all time NHL record for most consecutive losses to start a season is 15. The dubious milestone was reached by the New York Rangers at the start of the 1943-44 season.

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The Flyers 8th straight loss was different mostly because they did not go down without a fight. They played with heart, they battled back, they were competitive the entire contest.

Sure they are still building on the longest losing streak to begin a season in franchise history and nobody’s in the mood to hear “at least they tried” but that is exactly happened.

Aside from a Kraken power-play goal in the 1st period this tilt was pretty even. The Flyers were keeping pace and matching shots throughout the opening 20 minutes. The Flyers looked tentative at times, soft passes, lots of dump ins, but they were holding their own.

Dan Vladar

6:21 into the 2nd period Jamie Drysdale was penalized for slashing Jordan Eberle who was going in all alone on a breakaway. Vladar made the save but Eberle was awarded a penalty shot for the infraction.

Flyers Vladar missed on a poke check as Eberle cut from left to right, forehand to backhand. Vladar recovered, slid backwards with his pads outstretched, and made the save.

Moments later the Seattle was successful with a wrister through traffic from the slot increasing their lead to 2-0. At that point Vladar shut the door. He looked sharp and made several challenging saves throughout the remainder of the contest.

He was making pad saves on rebounds and second attempts that looked like the Dan Vladar we had all gotten used to seeing. This was his best showing so far this season. This was one of the key differences.

Turning Point

During this epic fail of a start one thing that has absolutely been lacking is intensity from the players. Games get away from them and they finish out their time on the ice going through the motions. Not sticking up for themselves or each other. It’s been referred to as “a lack of compete”.

That was also different tonight and it all started out with a confrontation between Trevor Zegras and Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer 14 minutes into the 2nd period.

Grubauer made a standing save and the puck appeared to be somewhere in his equipment but there was no whistle. Zegras went looking for the puck and of course the Kraken were not happy about that. There was lots of pushing and shoving and Zegras ended up getting called for slashing.

It’s important to note that the shots on goal were tied at 15-15 when this all started. The Flyers were 1:22 into the penalty kill when Noah Cates was called for a blatant trip in the Flyers zone. This gave Seattle a 5-on-3 advantage for 38 seconds.

The Flyers killed off both penalties and when they were back to even strength the shots on goal were 17-16 in favor of the Kraken. This was another big difference in this game. The Flyers have routinely been getting their shot totals doubled by the opposition.

As soon as the second penalty expired the puck went to Zegras right out of the box. He skated in and fired a shot that was gloved by Grubauer. Grubauer tossed the puck in Zegras’s direction after the whistle. Zegras knocked it back and started yapping at the Seattle goaltender. Grubauer threw both his hands into Zegras’s face and of course all heck broke loose. Zegras went right back to the box but the goalie was also penalized.

There are some who might say this was all frivolous nonsense. However after the way things have gone so far this season this was such a welcome change. Don’t take my word for it, the crowd was going nuts.

The place was finally showing signs of life. Nobody wants to sit there and watch their team get steamrolled. The fans have been waiting to see somebody do something …anything. Everyone was on their feet, the noise level was awesome, the energy was contagious. The Flyers were hitting everything that moved. They out-hit the Kraken 31-13 on the night. They had the crowd on their side.

Battling Back

Another big difference. They Flyers were down 2-0 going into the final period. Not out of character. Since the pre-season we’ve seen games still within reach going into the 3rd only to see the opposing team running up the score for the final twenty minutes.

In this game the Flyers managed to hold the Kraken scoreless for the remainder of regulation. Oliver Bonk went coast to coast with the puck before feeding it to Christian Devorak who beat Grubauer with a snap shot 6:07 into the period. Dan Vladar picked up the secondary assist.

Next it was Travis Sanheim with possession and patience in the Seattle zone. He waited till Zegras was streaking up the slot to hit him with a perfect pass and Zegras snapped it high blocker side to tie the game at two. The Flyers lasted through the overtime and eventually logged loss number eight in the shootout. Matvei Michkov was the only Flyers to score a shootout goal.

Key

While the Flyers were battling back in the third something very different was happening on the bench. Something we honestly haven’t see enough of so far this season, communication …a lot of it.

Next Up: The Flyers will be in Detroit to face the Red Wings Thursday night at 7:30.

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Sometimes in life you run into really big problems. You can treat the symptoms for a while before you come to the realization that something bigger is going on. You can’t stay in denial forever. At some point the rubber hits the road and you have to face it head on. You have to eventually accept the fact that all these little things are related, there is some sort of root cause at play.

For the Philadelphia Flyers there’s a growing list of questions as the team suffers through what is now the worst start in franchise history. The Carolina Hurricanes came to town on Sunday night to put the icing on the cake handing the Flyers their 7th consecutive loss.

For the Books

The Flyers have started a season by dropping six in a row only twice in team history. After losing 4-1 at home against the Hurricanes on Sunday night this line-up now owns the dubious distinction of being the only Flyers squad ever to go seven without a “W”.

Pile Up Pile On

And the win loss column is not their only problem. It’s not like they just can’t catch a break, they’ve been getting hammered out there. They’ve been outscored during this stretch 28-8. It’s not like they’ve sacrificed their defensive game to focus on throwing a ton of pucks at the opposing net. They’ve been outshot during these seven games 257-140.

It’s not a matter of a “couple guys stepping up”, or little “adjustments” here and there. It’s across the board. There’s not one player on the roster who is on the plus side of the plus/minus stat. In fact Nick Seeler is the only player who’s appeared in all seven games that is even at 0.

Goaltending

Dan Vladar allowed 7 goals on opening night and is currently rocking a 5.08 goals against average after three games played. This is surely not the start he was looking for. He’s shown flashes, but the Flyers goaltenders have been getting hung out to dry a lot so far. Coverage in front of the net and all the way up the middle for that matter has been far less than stellar.

Joseph Woll has been fantastic at times. He’s responsible for the team’s only two points. Both points were picked up one at a time from overtime losses where Woll stole regulation ties. He faced 84 combined shots in those two games. Woll has a 2.95 GAA and a .914 SV%. He’s faced 140 shots total in the four games that he’s played.

The Big Picture

You gotta feel bad for these guys on a human level at this point. It can’t be easy answering for the same short-comings night after night.

You can continue to focus on the symptoms if you like but at some point you have to look at the situation as a whole. What’s causing almost every single aspect of their game to fall apart simultaneously? Something is fundamentally wrong.

Answers

The answers to the big questions have not done much to clear things up. After Sunday night’s loss Trevor Zegras made it very clear that the team has not quit on their coach. He said the team is “fully behind Tocc. He’s an amazing person. He’s an amazing coach. He does so many little things for us behind the scenes.” So there goes the theory that the team has given up on their coach.

Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet has said lots of different things. He bounces back and forth between trying to shake things up while also being sensitive to his players. After Sunday’s loss he said this about his team losing battles along the boards. “Can it get better? Yea it has to or we have to, you know, find other people, you know, you just can’t loose those battles all the time.”

When asked about Oliver Bonk’s performance the coach said, “Yea he was a minus 3 but I thought he, you know there were some moments there. I thought he was, you know, I don’t think he was a minus 3 guy.”

Sticking Together

Zegras also spoke about this stretch stinging more because the Flyers are such a close group.

As outsiders we can only see the results. Someone on the inside is going to have to figure out what the bigger problem is. They have to stop running around emptying buckets and fix the roof before it totally caves in on them.

After Saturday’s 5-1 loss in Boston Tocchet said, “You got to stick together. We’re in the muck right now. There’s no other answer. We’ve all been in life in a situation where you’re in the foxhole, and we need some people to stay in the foxhole and stick together.”

This team is talking about being a close unit and facing adversity together, and that’s all good stuff, but the fact of the matter is this. If they can’t figure out what is going on and take action this tight knit group is going to come apart one way or another. It won’t go on indefinitely.

It’s in their hands, for now

Sunday night vs the reigning Stanley Cup champs the Flyers were two goals behind with just over 5 minutes left in the 3rd period. The contest had been locked in a scoreless tie up until the midway point. This had arguably been one of their better outings and the game was still within reach.

During the TV timeout as the crew was tending to the ice surface there was no conversation on the Flyers bench. No communication or white boarding, everyone was just looking straight ahead. As soon as play resumed the Flyers scrambled in their own zone allowing Carolina to take the 4-1 lead thus putting this game in the record books.

This team and their coach do not want to come apart. They seem really committed to making this work but their approach is way off. All too often during this epic fail of a start it seems as if they are just watching it happen and waiting for things to turn around. Time is ticking.

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The Flyers were in Ottawa on Thursday night looking for their first victory of the new season. Needless to say the search continues. The Senators beat the Flyers 2-1 in a down to the wire contest that was arguably Philly’s best effort so far.

The Senators were coming off a loss to Detroit on Tuesday night. This game against the Flyers was their season home opener. The place was packed and the Senators were obviously looking to show them a good time.

Spark

The Orange and Black did come out with a renewed vigor in this contest. Much has been said about the “lack of compete” in this group. This game was hard hitting, fast moving, and played with intensity until the final horn.

Goaltending

Both netminders deserve credit for playing an outstanding game. Linus Ullmark was virtually unbeatable in the Senators net giving up just one goal which could have easily been erased by a quicker whistle from the referee.

This was the third start in the Flyers net for new comer Joseph Woll who had another fine performance between the pipes. Woll stopped 24 of 26 Senators shots and made some challenging saves throughout the contest. He handles the puck well. His positioning and reaction time was on point. He’s been holding it together and proving himself to be a fine addition to the team.

Woll had an aggressive poke check on a Drake Batherson attempt from in close. He stopped Michael Amadio on a breakaway at a point where another Senators goal would have pushed the game out of reach. Bright spots have been few and far between so far this season, Woll has definitely been one of them.

Shots on Goal

Shots on goal should not be one of your biggest takeaways night after night. But in a season such as this one it most certainly is. Opponents have been regularly doubling the Flyers production in this area.

Tonight the Flyers outshot their opponent for the first time this season. The Flyers topped the Sens 29 to 26. Before this the most shots the Flyers have registered in a game was 25. They have been averaging 19.

The Flyers were outshooting the Senators 6-1 early. They were intentionally going for the net and taking every shot possible. They were also hitting everything and anything that moved. The momentum was definitely in the Flyers favor until they started racking up the penalty minutes. They took four consecutive penalties only seconds apart from each other.

Goals

The Flyers notched but one goal in this contest and it was a bit of a fluker. Trevor Zegras fired a shot from the top of the circle that hit Ullmark in the bread basket. He looked to have the puck pinched off. There was no whistle and the puck slowly piddled out behind him from between his legs. Matvei Michkov was camped out at the edge of the crease. He helped the dribbling puck over the goal line for the Flyers first power-play goal of the season. The Flyers have a total of 6 goals in their 5 games so far this season.

Nick Cousins scored for the Senators in the 1st period. It was a perfect redirection right in front leaving Woll without a chance. The game winning goal was scored by Carter Yakemchuk. It was a rocket from the top of the slot blocker side off a beautiful pass from Claude Giroux.

Up Next

The Flyers are in Boston next to face the Bruins on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM. The Bruins are currently 3-2-0. Every game is an uphill battle for Philly right now but this is probably their best chance of the weekend. They come home and play the mighty Carolina Hurricanes at 7 PM on Sunday night. This will be the second half of a back to back at the end of a road trip against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.

You gotta play the games to see what happens. As they say, anything can happen on any given night. But in this scenario if the Flyers don’t earn their first win on Saturday in Boston they very well could end up on Monday morning having gone seven games into the new season without a victory. At that point you would have to wonder what their next move may be.

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