The Philadelphia Flyers suffered their fifth straight regulation loss to fall to a 25-19-6 record on the season, crushed by forward David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins by a score of 6-2. After the Flyers seemed all but destined to make a playoff spot before their losing streak began, they now seem destined to fall flat after losing five big games and getting no points out of them. What were some takeaways from their defeat?
Pastrnak Destroys All Momentum
Ironically, the Flyers weren’t just the better team to start the game — they were significantly better. As if it were destiny, Pastrnak had another one of his signature contests against the Flyers. Scoring two goals and an assist, he continues to approach the goal-per-game mark against the Orange and Black. Sitting at 26 in 29 games along with 16 assists, there might be no player more dominant against Philadelphia than he is in NHL history. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, he has had four hat-tricks against them — this is tied for the most against the Flyers in history, and he’s just 27 years of age.
After Pastrnak’s opening goal with just over six minutes remaining in the first period, it was all mayhem. The Bruins scored three straight goals afterward in the last minutes of the period and took the life out of the Flyers. They were on their way to actually winning and ending their skid, but the superstar forward had other ideas.
The Flyers went from playing relatively good hockey to falling completely flat once Pastrnak struck. They lost virtually every puck battle and made goaltender Sam Ersson’s life a living nightmare. It was unfortunate to see them play so promisingly and then have that flipped on its head, but it was a nice reality check for them. They simply cannot let their guard down for that long.
Flyers in Mediocrity Purgatory
Somehow, when the Flyers sold off as many assets as they could in the offseason, they returned to what they were trying to get away from — complete mediocrity. That sounds a bit harsh, but their fate when they’ve faced superstar players has been the same in January. They lost 5-2 to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, 7-4 to Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche, 6-3 to Nikita Kucherov and the Tampa Bay Lightning, and now 6-2 against Pastrnak and the Bruins. They have played some great games against top teams without true superstars like the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets this month, but those top players are that for a reason.
Most notably, the Flyers have Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the schedule three times, Kucherov and the Lightning two times, and the Bruins two more on the schedule. Recently, it’s been a theme that the Flyers get demolished by those who have talent far greater than them. They play teams without them well but sink when on the ice with the superstars. Not only does this limit their upside, but limits their floor, too. They seem to be in mediocrity purgatory — again.
It’s a good thing that the Flyers can even be considered this, but they still need to really look themselves in the mirror. With extensions of forwards Ryan Poehling and mainly Owen Tippett on Jan. 26, they can’t be delusional about their process. It’s still going to take a while, but this season has suggested they have more long-term pieces than they might have thought they did a few months ago. It’s been an overwhelmingly positive campaign, but there needs to be realistic expectations.
Playoffs in Jeopardy
With five straight losses in regulation, it should be obvious that the playoffs are in jeopardy. Despite this, the Flyers are still in a good spot with a five-point cushion in the Metropolitan Division standings once their game ended. That will inevitably change as they were the first team to reach 50 games played this season, but they’re not chasing. Even though they technically have nothing to worry about and there’s still plenty of time to turn things around, they are in a bit of a rut.
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Making the playoffs would simply be a nice thing for the Flyers and exciting for players and fans, not a necessity. Still, they should worry about their play recently. They’ve been getting off to bad starts in the goal department and have done nothing to inspire that they can be better. For the first time in a while, there should be more doubt than hope that they will find themselves in the postseason.
All-Star Break Couldn’t Have Come Sooner
Thankfully, the All-Star Break is finally here for the Flyers. They can finally lay back and get some rest for a little over a week to calm down a bit and get back to playing the game they know they can. In addition, Tippett could be back from his injury at that time, which would be great news.
Having Tippett back would be fantastic for the Flyers, and it might be the energy boost they need. He’s one of their more potent offensive players and can provide the scoring ability they need. He’s not a star, but he is important for the team’s winning ability.
Next up, the Flyers take on another juggernaut in the Florida Panthers on Feb. 6 on the road. They do have a star in Aleksander Barkov, so that might be a game they want to forget as soon as it’s over. Still, this next stretch will have to be a turning point for them. If they keep faltering, their playoff chances will keep falling, and it could be a tough last few months for the Orange and Black.