Flyers Show No Fight in Loss to Penguins
Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Well that wasn’t any fun now, wasn’t it?
A game after breaking a three-game losing streak the Flyers showed no fight in a 7-3 loss to the Penguins. There really isn’t much to say about this one the Flyers were just simply outplayed, and it just stings that much more coming from such a big rival. Nothing seemed to go right in this game, and it leaves this team in a very difficult position as the halfway point of the season nears.
The Penguins scored four times in the first period, more than the Flyers were able to muster in the entire game. Two of these goals came from the power play. This highlights a major problem the Flyers have had this season: their discipline. Too many times this year the Flyers are giving teams unnecessary advantages and the penalty kill unit has not been able to handle it.
The Flyers would come to within one in the second period. After Egor Zamula was the lone Philly goal in the first, Noah Cates and Sean Couturier would each find the back of the net to bring the score to 4-3. The one shining light of this Flyers game was Cates, who extended his goal streak to four games. The young forward’s recent success shows the hope that still exists for the future of this team.
In the same breath though, Matvei Michkov’s point drought now extends to six games. This is not a major concern, as every player goes through slumps, and I have no doubt that the 20-year-old phenom will right the ship at some point in the near future. However, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Michkov’s lack of production coincides with the Flyers’ recent poor play. Since his last point, Philly has gone 2-4-0.
Before the second period would come to an end the Penguins would get their lead back up to two, and from this point on the game was pretty much over. In between periods, John Tortorella pulled starting goalie Samuel Ersson for Aleksei Kolosov. For his part, Kolosov played well, but Pittsburgh was also playing pretty comfortably in the third, protecting the lead effectively and not trying to force a lot of shots up. Once the Flyers pulled Kolosov with under four minutes left, Sidney Crosby hit the empty netter to seal the game.
This should have been enough, but the Flyers would get another late penalty putting Pittsburgh on the power play again. They took this opportunity to rub salt in the wound by scoring their seventh goal of the game, making the final score 7-3.
This game once again places the Flyers under hockey .500 at 15-16-4. It was always known that they were going to be sellers at the trade deadline, but if this play continues we may see more players shipped off than initially expected. It’s of course too early for this type of talk, but the quality of play on the ice needs to improve.
We know that the Flyers won’t win every game on the schedule, and probably won’t even win most of them, but they can at least be competitive in their losses. This team has always been known for its fight, regardless of their talent level, and that cannot change now.
The Flyers have officially entered their holiday break. Their next game will be on December 28th in Anaheim against the Ducks. It can be watched on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
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Bo Lynett
Bo has been a fan of Philly sports his whole life and has spent the entirety of his four years at Colgate University working to start a career in sports media. Double majoring in Economics and Film & Media Studies gave him the opportunity to study both the financial/ analytical and broadcasting/ production sides of the sports world. Outside of the classroom, he’s worked as a director and producer for Colgate’s athletic events streamed on ESPN+ and a writer for the Colgate Athletic Website. Through all of this, however, it was his love of Philly sports that drove him to this career.
