Philadelphia Flyers: A Predictable Return to Mediocrity

By Tim Reilly | Jan 11, 2017

Jan 4, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers leave the ice after loss to the New York Rangers at Wells Fargo Center. The Rangers defeated the Flyers, 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

The Philadelphia Flyers’ lackluster performance in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres revealed the long road ahead for a team looking to become one of the NHL’s elite.

You have to hand it to the Philadelphia Flyers: they are nothing if not consistent in their ability to make things difficult for themselves.

There are precious few teams in the NHL who can pull off a 10-game winning streak before commencing a relentlessly regressive march to the mean. Since the streak, the Flyers have lost 9 of 11 contests, accruing 7 of a possible 22 points.

The Orange and Black hit rock bottom in Buffalo on Tuesday night. A brutal 2nd period effort against the Sabres doomed the squad, creating a 3-0 hole the team could not escape. Ultimately, the Flyers were defeated by a score of 4-1.

The Sabres’ third goal of the 2nd period was a particularly revealing display. With 9 seconds to play before intermission, the Flyers conceded an absolutely devastating goal. For a team hoping to make the playoffs in a crowded field, it was a costly error. For an organization that aspires to reach the upper echelon of the NHL, it was simply inexcusable.

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All Wayne Simmonds had to do was move the puck out of the defensive zone. If he accomplished the task, the period would have ended with the Flyers facing a manageable deficit. It’s a simple play, one Simmonds has made countless times in his hockey career. Chip the puck past the defender and into the neutral zone. He couldn’t do it.

Instead, Sabres’ defenseman Zach Bogosian blocked Simmonds’ clearing attempt at the blue line and Buffalo forward Sam Reinhart took possession of the puck. Flyers’ defenseman Andrew MacDonald blocked Reinhart’s pass with his skate, but the puck found its way on the stick of sniper Evander Kane. In an instant, Flyers’ goalie Steve Mason was beaten and the game was, for all intents and purposes, over.

Elite hockey teams thrive because they consistently make the simple plays. “Fundamentals” have earned their name because the accomplishment of these tasks, though elementary, are essential to a squad’s success. While hockey is foreign to many of us, the basic premise of the game is similar to many team sports.

Support your teammates. Move the puck out of danger, keeping it to the outside in your own end. The simple play is usually the right play. Move your feet. Do the job that has been assigned to you.

Time and again, the Philadelphia Flyers fail to execute the basics in the most crucial of situations. Defensemen make reckless passes in the middle of the defensive zone instead of chipping the puck along the safer route the boards provide. Forwards seem incapable of sustaining an offensive attack and do not create quality scoring chances. The opposing goalie does not have to fight through screens to get a view of the puck.

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Indeed, the fundamentals are easy to understand- another reason why they have been christened with the name. However, only the best organizations seem capable of performing them on a consistent, nightly basis. It’s what allows the elite to survive road games and to thrive in home contests. In Buffalo, the Philadelphia Flyers proved that they are not yet one of those teams.

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