For the first time this season, the Philadelphia Flyers fell to their in-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins, this one by a score of 4-1. Falling to 20-14-6, the Orange and Black are still in a favorable spot, especially after adding Jamie Drysdale to their defense in the middle of the game. That aside, what were some takeaways from the defeat?
Philadelphia Didn’t Show Enough Push
After the Flyers trailed early in this one, they didn’t show the pushback to inspire that they could make a comeback. They’ve shown persistence in the past, but this was not one of those nights. They were outplayed by Pittsburgh from start to finish — this was one of their worst performances of the season.
Their 37 shots might suggest that the Flyers were good offensively in this game, but it really wasn’t their night. Their high-quality shots were lacking overall and the Penguins had a very strong performance. They failed to show up for this game, and it puts them in a spot where a regroup is necessary. They cannot afford to be dominated like they were in this one anytime soon.
One good thing is that the Flyers aren’t always going to be at their best, so they’re going to have some shaky games once in a while. They haven’t shown too much of their top hockey recently, but they’ve always been able to stay in games and be competitive — that happening is more common than what occurred in this game.
Power Play Stays Hot
In some good news, the Flyers made it back-to-back games with a tally on the power play, moving up from a single-digit scoring rate from their contest against the Calgary Flames into more respectable territory. Forward Owen Tippett hadn’t scored a single goal in his previous five matches but notched one here to get both him and the man advantage going again.
Tippett has struggled to get going a bit offensively recently, and that’s an issue when he has the most shots on the team and isn’t a particularly great player in the defensive zone, so him not being able to score is a massive issue if they want to be as competitive as possible. Though the goal ultimately didn’t end up mattering, it was good to see him finally get on the board.
This game was a letdown, but if the Flyers continue to score on the power play, they will win games because of it. They’ve found themselves in several one-goal contests, so just being around average on the man advantage could provide an incredible boost.
It should be assumed that the Flyers don’t take the next step, as it’s only a couple of games in a row where their power play has done solid work, but if it continues it could be gigantic. Getting back to the Drysdale trade, he could be the offensive defenseman the team needs to elevate it, whenever he can slot in. Perhaps that’s the big change they need.
Hart Kept the Flyers in the Game
Though goaltender Carter Hart didn’t have the prettiest stat line with 35 saves on 39 shots, he kept them in a game that they didn’t deserve to be in at all. The Penguins dominated on the high-danger scoring chances front, but the goaltender stayed strong for as long as he could. The Flyers weren’t ever truly out of it until he conceded a fourth goal on a chance that saw forward Evgeni Malkin have too much space for a shot.
His save percentage (SV%) of .897 won’t look too pretty on the stat sheet, but it’s unfair to hold that against him. He faced several high-quality chances and was by no means the reason they lost. He hasn’t quite been the same elite netminder as he was in October in terms of SV%, but he still gets the job done when needed.
With how good backup Sam Ersson has been since November, it’s easy to peek at Hart’s numbers and argue he shouldn’t be the starter at all. To his defense, the team did not have their best game. He could have certainly won if he was on a superhuman level, but that shouldn’t be expected. He is the starter and played a starter-level game. Whenever he slots in again, he will be ready.
Flyers Have What it Takes to Bounce Back
It’s easy to be pessimistic about the Flyers as they have only won a single game so far in the year 2024, but they have shown gradual improvement overall. They don’t deserve to be counted out quite yet, and they have shown their ability to turn a few bad performances into a great one soon after.
The Flyers have a knack for bouncing back when necessary. They did so against the Flames, and they will do it again at some point. Their 5-on-5 play wasn’t good here, so that’s something that could easily improve moving forward. Not all should be negative, although following up a season-long four-game losing streak with a loss after finally ending it isn’t ideal.
Related: Flyers’ 2023-24 Success Sustainable But Shouldn’t Change Rebuild
Thankfully, the Flyers have a schedule with some teams they haven’t faced at all this season upcoming. It’s a chance for them to show their brand of hockey and perfect it. First up is the Montreal Canadiens, who they face on Jan. 10 to end their homestand. Philadelphia is 1-2-0 at Wells Fargo Center in their last three games, so this will be a chance to even the score.