Saturday afternoon the Flyers pushed one of the NHL’s top teams, the Dallas Stars, to overtime after going down by two goals in the 1st period. Samuel Ersson came into the game to start the 2nd period in the Flyers net after starting goaltender Ivan Fedotov allowed two goals on three shots in the opening stanza.
Ersson did a solid job rehabilitating the game before making an unfortunate puck handling decision that allowed the Stars to end the sudden-death overtime after just nine seconds of play. This loss had a little something for everyone. Travis Konecny brought his 13 game scoring drought to an end. The Flyers came back from a two goal deficit against a far superior team to earn just their 4th point in the month of March. And to the delight of the “tank for the draft” crowd the team suffered a deflating overtime loss.
Philly vs Chicago
I was a guest at the Philadelphia Flyers Fan Club’s watch party on Sunday afternoon for the game against the Blackhawks. The wonderful folks who make up the Fan Club gathered with special guest Flyers Stanley Cup Champion Joe Watson to watch on the big screen as the Flyers put on a mind boggling display of disorganization.
Ivan Fedotov was back between the pipes for his second consecutive start. This time he allowed three goals on nine shots in the 1st period. The Flyers managed three goals of their own in the first as well. Travis Sanheim snapped his scoring drought at 40 games. Matvei Michkov notched two assists in the period to reach the 50 point plateau with 20 goals and 30 assists. Michkov’s rookie season has offered some bright spots even during these dark days.
The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the few teams in the NHL this season with less points than the Flyers. The Orange and Black have a firm hold on the basement in the Metropolitan Division. Only four teams in the NHL currently have less points than the Flyers. Chicago went on to win this game 7-4. Ivan Fedotov remained in the Flyers net for all seven goals.
The Flyers have had some of their best efforts this season when they are in over their heads. When they are matched up against a lesser club like the Blackhawks their discipline flies out the window and we get games like we saw today in Chicago. No structure, no focus, no contest.
Death March
On March 1st of this year, just 23 days ago the Flyers were a game above hockey 500 (27-26-8) and had just beaten the top team in the NHL 2-1 in a surprise shootout victory. After that win against the Jets in Winnipeg the Flyers were looking forward to an extended seven game homestand. They still had a chance of making it to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Over the span of just 23 days everything fell apart.
The Flyers have lost 10 out of their last 11 games, 18 of their last 24. The team’s leading scorer Travis Konecny scored his first goal in the month of March this Saturday afternoon. The Flyers have gone 0 for 31 on the power-play over their last 12 games. The month of March was a total disaster for the Philadelphia Flyers. Their season broke beyond repair over the span of less than a month.
On the Horizon
It’s great to see good news scrolling by on some Flyers prospects. Alex Bump scored a double overtime goal to earn Western Michigan their first ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship. Jett Luchanko has just completed his season with the Guelph Storm, hopefully his last. And Nikita Grebenkin keeps putting up numbers for the Phantoms since coming over in the Laughton trade. Glimmers of hope.
Fan’s Perspectives
At this point in the season what Flyers Fans hope to see in these last ten games is a personality test more than anything else. There are those who just want to see the team in the best possible position when the draft lottery takes place. How low can you go? It’s one thing if you’re sitting at home already watching baseball and gloating on social media about every missed opportunity. Commit to the process, celebrate every loss, keep your eye on the prize and your focus on the future.
It’s another thing altogether if you’ve already invested a weeks pay into buying tickets to take the family to an upcoming game. No one wants to sit in a quiet arena watching their team get blown out for the sake of what may or may not happen somewhere down the road. If you bought your tickets a month ago this is certainly not what you were expecting.
It’s always great if you manage to catch that surprise “meaningless” victory after all seems lost. The building fills with excitement, you forget about everything else the team has going on, and you savor a glimpse of the better days that lie ahead.
And then there are some people who just don’t have it in them to root against their hometown ice hockey club no matter what. These die hard Flyers Fans are my personal favorite. They scoop up the tickets for these final games and they show up ready to make the most of it. They’re loud, they’re passionate, and they know how to have fun at a hockey game. The Die Hards rule, please don’t ever change.
Next Up: The Flyers will be in Canada to face off against Scott Laughton and the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.
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