It’s actually quite mesmerizing how close the Flyers have been to winning when you take a step back and look at the current six game losing streak.
Another thought? It’s also downright depressing and things don’t look to be improving at all.
Third Period Nightmares
The Flyers started out the season 4-2-2. They arguably had just one bad game in those eight, and hung with, and beat some of the upper echelon teams in the process. Things looked like they might turn out just fine this season.
Then the Buffalo Sabres rolled into town and took down the Flyers. Bad game, get em’ next time. Then the Devils came into town and rolled the Flyers. Bad game, we’ll rebound.
Are you starting to see a trend?
The Flyers now haven’t won a game since October 24th against the New York Rangers. In the process of losing these games, they’ve played lifeless hockey, and have given games away, literally. Just how bad is it?
During the current losing streak, the Flyers were either tied or had a lead going into the third period three times. During the losing streak, the team has been outscored 12-3 in the third period or later.
Flyers looking to score their first power play goal since July 4th, 1776
— Scott T. (@NHLFlyera) November 6, 2015
As you can see above, It’s gotten so bad that not only is the Flyers power play operating at 0% over those six games, but their penalty kill is a measly 70%, but their third period penalty kill is at 75% during those games as well. They aren’t killing penalties when they need to, and they aren’t scoring on the power play when it matters most.
All of this even more shocking because the Flyers had one of the best power plays in the NHL last season.
The Downward Spiral of Production
This one is really no secret. The Flyers can’t score goals anymore, period.
No one on the team has more than four goals this season, and the only forwards that have more than two are Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux. That’s extremely disheartening when you consider the fact that there are eight guys on the Flyers roster who have scored at least 20 goals in a season at some point in their career.
If you’re keeping track, that means just two forwards are on track for more than 12 goals this season. Two.
Just another mystery that looms over the Flyers if you look at recent history.
Two seasons ago (2013-14) the Flyers were 8th in the league in goals per game, the only major difference between that team and this one is that Scott Hartnell and RJ Umberger swapped teams.
Even back to the 2011-12, the Flyers still had a lot of the same core guys (aside from Jagr and Hartnell), and that team was tied for second in the league in goals per game.
Despite what it may look like, the Flyers defense is still keeping them in games as well. They aren’t great but they aren’t horrible either, they’re giving the Flyers chances to win games (save one for the goalies as well) and the offense just isn’t showing up. One or two goals will get you a win or two, but in today’s NHL, three plus goals is going to secure you a win. Incase you’re keeping track at home, the Flyers have scored more than three goals just one time this season.
The Flyers aren’t suffering from lack of talent. They’re suffering from a severe lack of production. And that’s an extremely scary thought because at 13 games into the season, we have yet to see any real offensive production out of this team. That’s made even more evident by the fact that Mark Streit is tied for the team lead in points.
There are guys on this team, like Simmonds, Voracek, Schenn, and Read, who need to step up their production to a level it’s been at in the past, because if they don’t the nightmare will continue and there will be a lot of very stale hockey being played in Philadelphia.
