On Jan. 23, the Philadelphia Flyers extended their losing streak to three games, falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 6-3. Scoring three of the next four goals after falling down 3-0 in the second period, the Flyers came close to forcing overtime but ran out of time. Two empty-net goals in the last minute made the score appear less close, but it was ultimately a contest that the Flyers were chasing the entire way. What were some takeaways?
Penalties Destroy the Flyers
It was a bold strategy to take needless penalties against the NHL’s best power play in the Lightning, but the Flyers tested it and found out just how deadly it can be. Giving up two power-play goals and a tally right after a man advantage expired, Philadelphia might’ve won the contest altogether if they could just stay out of the box. Unfortunately, it was one of the biggest reasons for their demise.
The Flyers have had one of the best penalty kills in the entire league this season, but not even it could save them from Tampa Bay’s wrath. They have such elite talent, highlighted by Nikita Kucherov, that one of their biggest strengths immediately becomes one of their biggest weaknesses. It’s always a good idea to limit penalties, but it was especially aggravating against a team they knew they couldn’t do it against. They don’t necessarily need to prioritize their discipline moving forward, but they’ll have to make it a talking point in practice when facing teams like the Lightning.
Frost Still Shining
In some good news, Morgan Frost had himself a sensational game. He was all over the ice, dishing out beautiful passes and creating plays all night long. He’s been one of the Flyers’ better players of late, so to see him continue this is a good sight.
Frost, who had two primary assists in this contest, now has 11 points in his last 10 games. Picking up his game right around the time fellow forward Owen Tippett was placed on injured reserve was done at the perfect time, as the offense is just not the same without the latter.
Related: Flyers Place Owen Tippett On Injured Reserve
It should be expected that Frost cools off at some point, but he is riding his best stretch of the season by far and has proven himself to be one of the better players on the team of late. The offense has essentially lived and died through him, which is both good and bad news. He is producing, the Flyers just need those around him to get hot, as well.
Drysdale Gets His First
Continuing the good news, defenseman Jamie Drysdale got his first goal as a Flyer in this one. Striking on the power play, he has been one of the better players the Flyers have utilized on the man advantage recently, but the points just weren’t coming his way. Now starting to get into the swing of things on his new squad, he’s starting to fit in.
Even though they didn’t get the win, it was still great to see Drysdale both get on the board and have a noticeable contest. He was all over the ice like he’s usually been, showing off his elite edge work and getting in the proper areas to create chances offensively. He’s just 21, yet there’s still a lot of promise with him.
Drysdale should continue to improve as he learns the system in Philadelphia and what they’re all about, but he’s already been a good addition to the team. It would be great news for the Flyers if that could continue and he improves his game bit by bit at the same time.
Flyers Will Need More Offense
Even if two of the six goals the Flyers allowed were on an empty net and three of those were essentially on the man advantage, their defense has deteriorated recently. They’re not playing solid in their zone like they have all season — it has been one of the biggest reasons for their success, so this is a bit worrying. If they can’t play good defense, they can’t expect their goaltenders to bail them out every game. Allowing 18 goals in their last three games, something has to give, and it’s not looking like the defense will fix their issues magically. The offense will have to pick up that slack, instead — goaltender Sam Ersson can’t do it all himself.
What’s been promising about the Flyers recently is that they have gotten better performances out of their offense, but the only issue with that is they aren’t converting enough. They outshot Tampa Bay 32-21 in this one, yet a 6-3 score doesn’t really indicate that. The Lightning have elite talent, something the Flyers don’t, so it’s understandable that they convert more — that’s especially the case when they get open looks. The Flyers will need to luck themselves into some high-scoring performances until the defense bounces back, otherwise, they will get into a losing skid that they’ve essentially avoided all season long.
Next up, the Flyers will take on the Detroit Red Wings on the road on Jan. 25. A team within three points of them in the playoff push, the Orange and Black need to string together a few wins, especially against a team like them. Fortunately, Philadelphia has one of the league’s best road records at 14-6-4. This game could change the course of the season, as the schedule only gets tougher from here. At 25-17-6, there’s still some cushion and some time for Philadelphia to get going once again — not all hope should be lost.