A 4-0-1 run earlier this month lifted the spirits of the Philadelphia Flyers.
A pair of losses, however, has served as a reminder how far the Flyers must travel as they head into Saturday afternoon’s clash against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.
Last Saturday, Philadelphia reached the NHL’s version of .500 thanks to a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres that kicked off a five-game homestand on a positive note. The Flyers were snapped back to reality with a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday and a 4-1 defeat against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.
The Flyers were tied 1-1 with the Hurricanes going into the third period before being undone by turnovers.
“The thing that bothers me the most, and I think it’s the biggest correction we have to make, is we have to manage the puck better in the neutral zone,” Philadelphia coach John Tortorella said. “(Carolina) wins so many sword fights in the neutral zone, the 50-50s. They have such good sticks. You think you’re going to get a pass by them, or you think you’ll be able to skate by them one-on-one, and they get you.”
The good news for the Flyers is they know the issue and that it can be addressed.
“We were hanging right with them, thought we were doing a good job through the first 40 (minutes),” defenseman Nick Seeler said. “We got away from our game.”
The loss also snapped Travis Konecny’s seven-game point streak in which he had collected 13 points (six goals, seven assists).
The Blackhawks arrive on a positive note during what’s already a trying season. Chicago snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-1 home victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday.
While The Blackhawks remain tied with the Nashville Predators for the fewest points in the league (15), they can see positives if they follow the plan.
“We had a commitment to winning hockey,” forward Nick Foligno said. “You know, it wasn’t perfect. It never really is, but it’s just you’re not making blatant errors and taking the life out of your own game. … That’s the big message here; it’s great, and we’re really excited about winning, and let’s do it again.”
Despite facing the defending champs, the Blackhawks set an early tone with a first-period goal and seized a 2-0 lead midway through the second.
That said, rising star Connor Bedard is mired in an 11-game goal drought. The 2023 first overall draft pick and last season’s Calder Memorial Trophy recipient as the NHL’s rookie of the year failed to register a shot on goal in 19:32 of ice time against the Panthers.
“I think he played a good game,” Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson told The Athletic of Bedard. “I thought he back-checked really hard to basically even up a two-on-one in the second period and stopped in front of the net. We didn’t get him here to be a defensive specialist, but the responsibility of playing against good lines comes first. … He did everything right on the defensive side of the game against one of the top centermen in the league, playing against (Aleksander) Barkov’s line. It was a great game for him.”
–Field Level Media
