There were signs through the first two weeks last season that the Philadelphia Flyers might exceed expectations. One of the clearest was their play at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers started 3-0-0 at home, shutting out the Vancouver Canucks in their 2023 home opener, taking advantage of a struggling Edmonton Oilers team that would soon make a coaching change and exploding for a then-season-high six goals against the Minnesota Wild.
They better hope their introductory showings to their fans won’t be as indicative of their full-season results this season, though. A 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals drops them to 0-2-0 at home. It took over five periods for the team to give the crowd something significant to cheer about (unless you count a first-period fight between Dylan McIlrath and Nic Deslauriers) when Travis Sanheim scored the team’s first goal on home ice.
But that couldn’t make up for an early 2-0 deficit and dull second-period performance alone, and two more Capitals goals (one of which came 62 seconds after Sanheim’s strike) kept Philadelphia’s early struggles going.
Power Play Returns to Old Ways
The Flyers’ power play was one undeniable positive out of the gates. Dead last in the NHL the previous two seasons and almost three percent worse than any other team, the Flyers went five for 22 on the PP, a solid 22.7% rate that marked 12th in the league and would have been tied for 10th a year ago. Four different Flyers have scored on the man advantage, which also ranked a respectable T-14th in expected goals per 60, although they were only 23rd on shot attempts per 60 entering this game.
But it was the biggest reason for their demise on Tuesday. The Flyers not only failed to score in three opportunities, they lost the expected goals battle while on the man advantage (0.31-0.24) and gave up not one but two shorthanded goals. Each of their first two PP opportunities ended with fishing the puck out of their net. As bad as the Flyers were on the power play last season, they managed to get through all 82 games without being burnt for two shorties in the same game.
The Flyers were outworked and outhustled on both occasions. Nic Dowd started the scoring by pressing Egor Zamula at the point, winning the race to the loose puck at center ice and beating Samuel Ersson upstairs with a nice backhander. It was Dowd’s 14th point against Philadelphia, his most against any other team. The second goal played out similarly, with Bobby Brink swarmed by two Capitals just inside the blue line and one of them (Connor McMichael) hitting an opportunistic Andrew Mangiapane, who beat Ersson over the blocker.
“Guys want to make plays, which is nice. And we have a lot of skill, a lot of players that can make plays. We just poorly executed there — twice — they get their bounces and execute on them,” said Sean Couturier.
The Flyers didn’t return to the power play until the third period, and while they avoided ultimate disaster again, the Flyers didn’t put a single shot on goal. On three PP chances, the Flyers took as many shots on goal (two) as they allowed goals. Suffice it to say that’s not a winning formula.
Offensive Struggles Continue
While the Flyers don’t have a particularly imposing forward group, they managed to play better than the sum of their parts last season. They were fourth in the NHL in shots on goal a season ago and 12th in expected goals per 60 at 5-on-5. While a lack of finishing talent and the power play woes sentenced them to 27th in goal scoring, the Flyers made teams work to contain them.
That hasn’t been the case so far this season. The Flyers have scored more than one five-on-five goal in only one of their first six games (they scored three in a 6-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 17) and haven’t had any in the two games since then. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz posted a list of notable Flyers without an even-strength point before Tuesday’s game, and while Travis Sanheim and Matvei Michkov technically got off the schneid on Sanheim’s 4-on-4 goal, they still don’t have anything at 5-on-5 (nor does anyone else on the list).
Key Flyers who don't have a single even strength point yet this season: Michkov, Konecny, Frost, Drysdale, Foerster, Tippett, Sanheim.
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) October 22, 2024
The Flyers have struggled mightily to generate shots and chances. They haven’t been able to consistently channel last season’s rush-based attack or improve their forecheck. Per HockeyViz’s graphs, the offensive slot has essentially been a black hole and the team is finishing at a below-average rate from nearly every area on the ice.
“I think the biggest key is there’s a frustration level, they want to play well, they want to win a hockey game, they want to score a goal in the home building. You can’t let the frustration turn into the cheating,” said head coach John Tortorella. “You can’t forget about your structure as we’re going through this. It’s kinda doubled up because it’s the start of the year and we’re in this jam.”
Tortorella later added that the team “overtried” as the game progressed, leading to counterattacks and just eight shots on goal in the final 40 minutes. It was telling he chose to preach patience and the process despite mounting frustration that caused boos to rain down on several occasions throughout the night. He wasn’t all passive, healthy scratching Tyson Foerster and jumbling the lines during the game. The team even got a boost from the season debut of Nick Seeler, who had been on injured reserve with a leg injury. But the Flyers haven’t found a rhythm yet.
“It’s tough on Torts if we’re taking so many penalties, it gets guys out of the flow of the game and you know, it’s trying to get everyone involved. That’s on us, we’ve gotta be more disciplined, it’s unfortunate. Last year, good thing for us is we were disciplined, we played hard whistle to whistle, and so far we’ve been taking way too many penalties,” said Sean Couturier.
What’s Next
The Flyers won’t have to wait long or go far to get a shot at redeeming themselves. Tuesday night began a home-and-home with the Capitals that concludes on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena. Washington has won four straight games and is looking to raise their ceiling above first-round fodder after a busy offseason.
“We know how they play. We kinda knew how they played. They’re a fast, big team that likes to get on the forecheck. They’re tight defensively,” said Couturier.
Related: Flyers’ Owen Tippett Has an Efficiency Problem
The Flyers are one of three teams in the NHL without a regulation win, with the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks pursuing their first later on Tuesday. While it’s taken the team a while to get going, the message from Tortorella and the players who spoke after this latest defeat was one of confidence.
“It’s gonna come. It’s early in the season, I’m not too worried about it,” said Travis Sanheim when asked how the team can change their puck luck. “There’s a lot of guys in this room that are goal scorers and we’re gonna get going here. I’m not worried at all.”
Advanced Statistics via Natural Stat Trick