5 observations: Flyers fans’ apathy, Carter Hart’s lack of support, Keith Yandle’s class, and more (+)

The shorthanded Philadelphia Flyers equaled an unwanted franchise record Monday, extending their winless streak to 12 straight as they fell to Dallas, 3-1, at the Wells Fargo Center.

Here are some observations:

1. Forget about the paid attendance of 14,868. There were only about 10,000 to 11,000 fans at the rather listless game, and that has to worry the Flyers’ beancounters.

Apathy has set in. The crowds have been getting thinner and thinner, and management needs to show it has a plan to get out of this mess. Maybe general manager Chuck Fletcher will reveal it when he addresses the media Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Yes, the injuries have crippled the Flyers, but truth be told, the team was struggling mightily even before so many players were sidelined.

There were scattered boos at the buzzer Monday.

“They want to see us win; they’re passionate about all their sports and about the Flyers,” goaltender Carter Hart said. “I mean, we want to win, too.”

Added Hart: “You can see they’re frustrated. For us, we can’t worry about that. Fans aren’t playing the game. We’ve just got to worry about inside our locker room. We appreciate their support. When we’re winning, they’re awesome.”

The Flyers haven’t won since Dec. 29, and they need a total rebuild.

Frost on his strong game: "I've definitely been struggling and want to play better, and first and foremost, I want to help the team win games." Says he has had productive chats with coaches and the veteran players. #Flyers

— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) January 25, 2022

2. Morgan Frost, who has been mostly ineffective since being recalled from the Phantoms, finally had a strong performance.

He centered Gerry Mayhew (five shots) and Max Willman (four shot attempts, two hits), and that line was the Flyers’ top unit. Frost, 22, had three shots, and two hits, and he generated several scoring chances. He also crashed the net with authority.

Interim coach Mike Yeo called it Frost’s best performance of the season.

“His competitive level was different — he raised the bar on that tonight,” Yeo said. “I thought he was very effective. The whole line was.”

3. Goalie Carter Hart deserves better offensive support. Much better.

Hart had another quality effort, stopping 33 of 35 shots, but once again the offense failed him.

Winless since Dec. 14, Hart has lost eight straight, during which the Flyers have averaged 1.75 goals per game.

Even Bernie Parent would have had problems winning with that kind of support.

Hart was asked about the 12-game winless streak.

“You just have got to find ways to stay positive, whether it’s going through game film and looking at some plays you made right, or whatever,” Hart said. “I think there’s a lot of things in our game tonight that are strides in the right direction.”

4. During their winless streak, the Flyers have been tied or leading in a handful of third periods, and you can just sense something bad is going to happen.

It happened again Monday when an uncovered Jacob Peterson put a close-range shot off Hart’s right arm and into the net with 3:25 to play.

“Bounces aren’t going our way and it’s tough,” Hart said. “For sure it gets magnified when we’re on a losing streak. but at the end of the day, you just have to put in behind you. I know it can be tough right now, but it is what it is. We’ve just got to find more ways to dig ourselves out of this.”

5. You have to be impressed by Keith Yandle’s amazing streak, and also by his humility.

Yandle, 35, played in his 964th straight game, tying the NHL record set by Doug Jarvis.

“To be honest, it’s one of those things I don’t talk about too much,” Yandle said about the streak. “I don’t know if it’s one of those things where I get too uncomfortable. I’m not the kind of guy who likes to talk about myself, or have a spotlight on myself. So if guys do talk about it, its kind of like one of those things where I try to change the subject.”

Humble guy, that Keith Yandle.