Coming off a five-game winning streak that was ended by a loss in their last game, the Philadelphia Flyers doubled down with a 5-3 defeat against the Ottawa Senators. Losing the game off a goal with under five minutes remaining in the third period, they probably should have lost well before that. Outplayed from start to finish, it was a disappointing effort for them. What were some takeaways from the loss?
Zamula Saved the Flyers… Momentarily
After the Flyers were being outplayed early in the game, they needed something to get them going. A penalty and the subsequent kill of it stopped the bleeding for a bit, but then the Senators took a penalty that put the Flyers on the man advantage. From there, the Egor Zamula show started. His play was only enough to save his team for a bit, as their eventual loss was all but inevitable. Still, he nearly coasted them to a victory.
On that power play, Zamula took advantage of a weird bounce that fooled everyone on the Senators. A puck went high in the air back to the point, but nobody on the penalty kill had any idea where the puck was, with some assuming a whistle had blown. That’s where Zamula came in, and he fired a shot from long range into a wide-open cage.
After that lucky play, Zamula pulled off a pretty skilled one with a snipe that put the Flyers up 2-0 just a few minutes after his first tally. Even though the Flyers were nowhere near the better team, he gave his team a multi-goal lead that they frankly didn’t deserve at all. Still, the scoreboard is the only thing that matters in the end. He helped mask some of the Flyers’ issues, but that couldn’t last forever as the pucks started going in for the Senators. Regardless of the result, he deserves praise for his effort.
Ersson Kept the Flyers in the Game
Again, the Flyers didn’t deserve to be in this game, but Sam Ersson had other plans. Despite a very poor .879 save percentage (SV%) with 29 saves on 33 shots, the eye test shows he had another fantastic game. The Flyers were hemmed in their zone frequently, meaning he had to make several tough saves. Ironically, some goals were scored in a way that gave him no chance — opportunities where he was outmanned. A breakaway and 2-on-1 chance made a phenomenal contest for him look pretty miserable, but that wasn’t the case. The Flyers did not play for their goaltender here, as he was one of the only reasons why they had a shot to begin with.
Ersson’s stats don’t tell the whole story, and that’s at least some good news for the Orange and Black. Though it wasn’t their best effort, their netminder did everything he could to get them a win, or at least force overtime. He has played like a legitimate starter recently, which should inspire confidence in the 24-year-old.
Flyers Can’t Solve the Senators
For whatever reason, the worst team by record in the Eastern Conference has the Flyers’ number. They decimated the Orange and Black in their second game of the season, which still serves as arguably their worst loss of 2023-24. These two contests went identical — Ottawa won seemingly every puck battle, had sustained pressure, and got the Flyers out of their comfort zone.
It was a disheartening effort from the Flyers, especially after about six games of genuinely fantastic hockey. While Owen Tippett was unavailable due to injury, not even he could have prevented this. It was a matter of poor play, not one of their hottest forwards being hurt.
The Flyers only play the Senators one more time this season, but their inability to make up for their first performance against them under a completely different regime is definitely concerning. Their organization has changed drastically with a new general manager and head coach since they last faced, and still, the result was the same. If the Flyers cannot gameplan for teams they’ve struggled against and learn from the past, that’s a bit telling moving forward. It might just be a one-off game and they could very well win their final contest, but the two matches were eerily comparable. This isn’t the news the Flyers need to be hearing.
Flyers Desperately in Need of Bounce-Back Performance
With how tight the standings are in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers are going to need a bounce back in their next context. This doesn’t necessarily mean they have to win, although that would be ideal — they just need to play well. Like their game against the Colorado Avalanche that ended their winning streak, they were the better team but still lost. This contest against the Senators was the exact opposite, as they led for the majority of the afternoon despite being the much worse team. They earned their loss, and that has been uncharacteristic of the Flyers of late.
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The Flyers only have three games until their All-Star Break, so it’s not the best timing now that they are chasing points. Win or lose, they need to play better. They have this in them, and it could just be some rust resulting from a back-to-back. Still, they can’t have any excuses and need to show that they are the same team that demolished the Dallas Stars 5-1 just a few nights ago. If they aren’t this same club for a long stretch, that could be what destroys their playoff dreams.
Next up, the Flyers have the 24-17-5 Tampa Bay Lightning on their schedule on Jan. 23. Unfortunately, they are one of the hottest teams in the NHL with a five-game winning streak of their own. At home, the Flyers will have to do the improbable and have a solid contest against them. This could be a major turning point in the season, and a win might go a long way against one of their biggest competitors for a playoff spot.
