The Philadelphia Flyers’ 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games might not suggest that they have been anywhere near a slump. Based on how they looked during some of those games — and, particularly through the majority of their last five games — a large losing streak seemed like a possibility. Despite them being 3-1-1 in that span, the way they won some of those contests was particularly worrying.
After the Flyers fell to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 5-1 in just the first period of play in their last game, they were playing some of their worst hockey of the season which already followed a few off games from the Orange and Black. Not getting any offense going and being outworked on defense, some huge red flags started waving.
Once that calamitous first period ended, the Flyers proceeded to have two of the best periods of hockey they have had all season. Scoring five straight goals over the next 40 minutes but still losing in a shootout by a score of 7-6, the defeat is not what mattered. In a flash, the Flyers returned to form. They are still sitting on a two-game losing streak, but the way they battled back suggests that might not last for long.
Flyers Find New Ways to Score
For the Flyers this season, they have relied on goals off the rush to get on the scoreboard. Namely, forwards Travis Konecny, Joel Farabee, and Owen Tippett are some of the best players in the entire league at it. Each of them is a top-three goal-scorer for the Flyers, and there are no surprises as to why. The Flyers are a great team in transition, and their best rushers just so happen to be their best scorers.
Recently, the Flyers’ offense off the rush has been essentially nonexistent. Their opponents have started to limit how many chances they’ve gotten in transition. In theory, this would be a big issue and lead to the Flyers losing countless games. Instead of finding themselves in a drought, they have found new ways to put the puck in the back of the net.
Against the Red Wings, the Flyers got back-to-back deflection goals from both forwards Sean Couturier and Morgan Frost that got them back in a game where they trailed by four goals. That sparked their eventual comeback, turning a would-be devastating loss into a point. Despite deflections being something that they weren’t particularly great at entering the contest, their ability to do so effectively changed the outcome of the match.
When the Flyers’ bread-and-butter rush game was countered, they found a way to answer. They haven’t scored a lot in transition since their 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Dec. 9, where that was where almost all their offense came from.
At their core, the Flyers are a team that feasts on opposing turnovers, minimizing the importance of star talent by getting a big chunk of their offense on breakaways and odd-man rush opportunities. For a team without superstars, the Flyers need to be different in some way. Their lack of a forechecking game and an ability to create offense on the man advantage is largely due to them not having enough star players. Despite their limitations, they still find ways to score.
Once the rushing game returns to form, it is likely that the team will, too. For now, the Flyers can still get wins without it being at its best.
Flyers Winning Despite Regression
In the months of October and November, the Flyers were outplaying teams in essentially every game. Despite that, they still lost a decent amount when doing so. They weren’t flawless, but their game was at an incredible level. Now in December, the Flyers haven’t played quite as well on a consistent basis, yet they have been winning much more frequently. In December, they hold a 7-1-2 record, making them one of the hottest teams in the NHL during that stretch. Their play hasn’t been at a higher level than it was previously, and there wasn’t some sudden evolution in their game. It could be argued that they’ve gotten worse; the wins are coming anyway.
The Flyers have been a well-oiled machine all season. Looking behind the bench, head coach John Tortorella and assistant coach Brad Shaw have both done a fantastic job. The former does all the dirty work, while the latter is largely responsible for the team’s dominant penalty kill as well as some individual improvements among defenders, such as Rasmus Ristolainen.
Prior to Dec. 14, the Flyers had only allowed eight goals at 4-on-5, while scoring seven of their own. On the penalty kill overall, they had only allowed 12 goals. This put them in some elite company, giving them one of the most successful shorthanded units in recent memory.
Related: Flyers’ Penalty Kill Among the Best in NHL History
Some regression was expected to happen to this count, and it has in recent games. The Flyers have allowed three power-play goals at 4-on-5 in their last five contests, scoring no shorthanded goals in the process. They are still one of the top units in the NHL in net penalty kill percentage, but they dropped from the best efficiency in that department down to third within a few games. In the games where they allowed those power-play goals, they came away with a 2-0-1 record. Even though their penalty kill has been a massive reason for their success this season, they are winning either way.
What’s even more shocking is that the Flyers’ offense ranks just 23rd in goals-for-per-game at 2.97. In a goal fest, they’d theoretically be crushed every time. When giving up seven goals to the Red Wings, they somehow managed to flip a switch and have one of their best offensive performances of the season. Everything up to that point suggested a blowout loss, but they hung in and had a marvellous night shooting-wise. Their uncanny ability to adapt to a specific environment suggests that a long losing streak might not be in the cards for Philadelphia as long as they keep their roster intact.
Flyers Rarely Blown Out
Once again visiting the Flyers’ shootout loss to the Red Wings, it’s still true that they are rarely getting blown out even if that was very close to changing. Aside from a 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 4, the Flyers have yet to suffer a truly one-sided loss this season. Even several of their multi-goal losses are misleading, like a recent 4-2 loss against the Nashville Predators where they gave up two goals in the final four minutes as well as a 4-1 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 28 where the exact same thing happened. Even when the Flyers lose by more than a goal, they typically make the game competitive the entire way.
Simply put, if the Flyers aren’t getting blown out often they have a chance to win every single game they are a part of. No matter how intimidating a certain opponent might seem, it is all but certain that the Flyers will give them a test. Even if they don’t win, they still give themselves a shot every night. As long as they’re making games close, they will continue to pile up points.
The Flyers are currently riding a two-game losing streak, but panic should not set in. If they played a full 60 minutes against the Red Wings, a narrow defeat could have been a massive win. Even when they were at their worst, they managed to collect themselves and make their trip to Detroit a worthwhile one. If they return to playing the impressive hockey they’ve shown through most of the season, their losing streak might not last much longer.