After a very disappointing 5-3 loss against a terrible Buffalo Sabres team this past Sunday, the same type of play drifted in to the game on Tuesday April 13, 2021, a night when the Flyers could not handle the Washington Capitals. The Capitals outplayed the Flyers in every minute of the game en route to a 6-1 victory. Just an embarrassing loss, and for the seventh time this season the Flyers lost by five goals or more.
Flyers Goaltender Brian Elliott didn’t make anyone in Philadelphia happy on Tuesday night as he allowed four first period goals, to which some were not all his fault. The defense was also leaking like a water faucet.
Just 7:07 in to the opening period, the Capitals got on board as Daniel Sprong wristed a shot that was tipped in by Conor Sheary to give the Caps the lead 1-0.
About three minutes later, the Flyers lone bright spot occurred as Sean Couturier scored on a deflection to tie the game at one.
With 8:28 left in the first period, the Capitals got a power play goal by Tom Wilson when he took a wrist shot that went through Flyers goaltender Elliott’s arm to make the score 2-1 Capitals.
Late in the first period, Alexander Ovechkin fired a pass to Nicklas Bäckström and shot it in to the upper left side of the goal to make the score 3-1.
Two minutes later Carl Hagelin scored to make the score 4-1 Capitals at the end of the first period. Anthony Mantha (assisted by Nicklas Bäckström and T.J. Oshie) scored his first goal as a Capital as he blew a wrist shot past Elliott to make it 5-1 Capitals.
The Capitals scored their 6th and final goal on power play goal by Alex Ovechkin. It was Ovechkin’s 22nd goal of the year and made the final score 6-1capping off another pitiful performance by the Flyers. Unfortunately, the Flyers now fall to 19-17-6.
“I can’t say how the players feel,” Alain Vigneault said following the game. “I’m not a mind reader. This is our sixth game in nine nights, it’s a lot of hockey.”
NEXT UP: The Flyers will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 27-13-2 Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, April 15th at 7 PM. You can see the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia.”
Philadelphia can get behind a team that hustles and refuses to get outworked even if they lose. Philadelphia can get behind a team that outwardly shows disgust and anger when they are beaten, even when they lose.
Philadelphia cannot and will not get behind a team that quits, lazy skates and shrugs off another embarrassment as “Oh well, next time I guess” or keeps saying things like “we have to be better” without ever getting any better. There was a time, not SO very long ago, that a man named Ed Snider would never had put up with this quit level the team has shown. But now, the organization is corporate hockey, no passion or real ties to the character of the city they represent. I have been a Flyers fan from birth. And though I no longer reside in Philly, I hold dear my “where I come from mentality”. You NEVER EVER QUIT as a Philly person…and you took a chuck out of the victor that beat you so they at least remember you. That USED to be represented in this team too. It breaks my heart to see that the old days of grit hockey, angry losses and personal accountability are, in fact, gone.