The lack of game-changing talent on the Philadelphia Flyers’ roster has become more and more apparent by the game.
When we split the season in half at the midway mark of the season, we noticed a massive shift in possession, chances being created, better defense, and an offense that was finally waking up. Since then, the Flyers have played 14 games and have gone 6-5-3 while being outscored 38-35 – or 2.71 goals against per game versus 2.5 goals per game.
We examine it even further and they have averaged 2.3 goals per game in their last 8, while only allowing a pretty decent 2.6 goals per game. After enjoying relative success from mid-December to mid-January, the Flyers’ offense has gone stone cold and it brings us back to win one, lose one mentality that’s going to keep them in purgatory all season long.
Currently they sit 26th in the NHL in goals scored with 148, ahead of only the Arizona Coyotes (144), Nashville Predators (140), Montreal Canadiens (140), Columbus Blue Jackets (134), Anaheim Ducks (132), and Chicago Blackhawks (125). Due to the amount of games they have played this season, their goals per game average is 27th-best at 2.69, ahead of the same teams previously mentioned except the Predators.
In their first 22 games they were 7-10-5, being outscored 74-53, had a 14% power play, and their possession numbers were below 45%. 53 goals scored in 22 games had them at 2.4 goals per game compared to the 74 goals they allowed which was good for 3.36 per game. They seemingly cleaned up their act because in the following 21 games they went 11-8-2, outscored their opponents 69-63, power play improved to 20% success rate in that span, and their possession numbers were at 50% or above. Since then, they’ve hit a snag where they’ll essentially win one and then lose one, keeping them in the barely hanging in a playoff race they have no reason to be in.
The Flyers are 4-5-3 in their last 12 games, are being outscored 34-27, and their power play is converting at a 12% clip. Their defense and goaltending has finally figured it out with John Tortorella and company because outside of that 6-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, they are only allowing 2.54 goals per game, which is so much better than they’ve been all season, let alone years. The struggles offensively are far too evident and it starts at the top.
Travis Konecny is still having a great season with 24 goals and 49 points through 49 games, however he has gone 13 games without a goal after scoring a hat trick against the Washington Capitals on January 11th to tie his career-high in goals. In that span he only has 3 assists and has been held without a point in 11 of the 13 games. This is coming off the heels of a 10-game point streak where he scored 12 goals and 20 points and flying high with 24 goals and 46 points in only 36 games.
Scott Laughton has figured himself into a more offensive role this season as he is only 1 goal and 1 point away from tying his career-highs. After scoring 8 goals and 18 points through an 18-game stretch from the 5th of December to the 14th of January, he has only scored 1 goal and 6 points in the following 12 games but is averaging a whopping 20:21 TOI. Owen Tippett, who is currently 5th on the team in points and 3rd in goals, has had a good season overall but after enjoying a run of 7 goals and 14 points through the same 18 game stretch as Laughton, he has scored 2 goals and added 4 assists in his last 12 – 2 of those points coming in his most recent game.
The list continues with Morgan Frost, who scored 7 goals and 16 points in 18 games from the 11th of December to the 19th of January but has since gone goal-less in his last 8, adding only 4 assists along the way.
Joel Farabee has struggled this season and could have something to do with the offseason surgery he had to undergo coupled with his very quick and early return to the ice. In his last 29 games he only has 4 goals and 11 points and 0 goals and 1 assist in his last 12. After returning to the lineup from his broken finger that kept him out for 6 weeks, James van Riemsdyk scored 5 goals and 14 points in 17 games and played very well with Frost and Tippett. Since then he has 2 goals and 3 points in his last 10 and has gone without a goal or a point in 8 of those 10.
On defense, the Flyers carry 4 players who have a knack for being aggressive with the puck on the offensive side of things. Unfortunately, Ivan Provorov’s offensive numbers have taken a slide this season. In his last 29 games he has scored 2 goals and added 6 assists but has played a lot better defensively than the beginning of the season. After a revitalizing second half last season, Travis Sanheim has failed to match his offensive numbers. In his last 20 games alone he has 0 goals and 2 assists but similar to Provorov, is playing a better brand of hockey. Even Cam York has hit a snag offensively with his 0 goals and 3 assists in his last 16 games compared to the 7 assists and 8 points he had in his previous 10 games. At the very least they have played better defensively, which has helped keep games close but without the offense from the backend, the Flyers’ forwards have been helpless.
2 players who have been doing well offensively – whether from the same December dates as their teammates or the last 12 games with the offense going cold – have been Tony DeAngelo and Kevin Hayes. Since December 1st, DeAngelo has scored 6 goals and 21 points in 25 games, while Hayes has 8 goals and 17 points in 18 games since the New Year. You are not going to win many games if your top scorers have gone goalless or are in goal slumps over a 12-14 game stretch. They have only scored 27 goals in their last 12 games and have only won 4 of them, while losing an additional 3 games in overtime.
A big part of that is the improved play in net from Carter Hart because since the 15th of December, Carter Hart has posted a .918 SV% with a sub 2.50 GAA. He has gone 8-7-3 in that 18-game stretch and a lot of that has to do with the offense going silent. He only received 42 goals of support from his teammates for a whopping 2.33 goals per game, which includes a 6-2 win against Arizona, a 5-3 win against the Washington Capitals, and a 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets. Take those 3 games out of the equation and it drops to 27 goals in the other 15 games for a 1.8 goals per game average.
Since Konecny’s struggles, the Flyers haven’t been the same either – so as he goes, the team goes. Of course the team isn’t built to win games this season, they’re not built to blow you away offensively, and outside of Konecny they don’t really have an impact name. Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost have played a lot better than most expected, Joel Farabee has severely struggled all season but that could be linked to his offseason injury, Scott Laughton has exceeded expectations, James van Riemsdyk has been hot and cold as usual, and Kevin Hayes has been the only consistent forward in the last month and a bit. Just in their last 8 games alone, Konecny, Farabee, Frost, van Riemsdyk, Laughton, and Tippett have combined for 4 goals – 2 from Tippett and 2 from van Riemsdyk.
With the goaltending improving and the defense playing a lot better, it’s unfortunate the offense can’t chime in and help. The Flyers have had a lot of hard fought losses that could’ve easily translated into victories if they were able to finish. They were tied in the first game against the Jets when they were down 3-0 but then quickly coughed it up, then they lost to the Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild in overtime by scores of 4-3 and 3-2, respectively. They also lost to the New York Islanders 2-1, followed by another overtime loss to Nashville by a score of 2-1, and then a 4-3 loss to Seattle. Their offensive woes truly culminate into the 3-on-3 overtime sessions with their paltry 1-9 record, using two defensemen, and losing a lot of their games on the first shift – in other words, having zero puck possession.
At one point the Flyers were averaging over 3 goals per game for a stretch of 21 games so it’s not otherworldly to be puzzled by their most recent stretch of offensive struggles. It always seems that 2 of the 3 facets of their game – goaltending, defense, offense – are clicking at most but it’s a rare sight to see all 3 come full circle and be clicking at the same time – which brings us to their struggles that have lasted well over a decade. When the Flyers were good for a short stretch, every component of their game was working like a well-oiled machine. The way this team is constructed and the way this team operates makes that very difficult.
With 27 games remaining on the season, it remains imperative that they end on a good note heading into next season. Players like Konecny, Tippett, Frost, and especially Farabee need to get over their offensive woes in short order, not just for the team but for their own games as well.
