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Flyers Notebook: Erik Johnson Shares Wisdom, Analyzes Struggles
Sitting at a disappointing 1-3-1 record with two back-to-back slates on tap this week, the Philadelphia Flyers are looking for ways to make it to “smooth sailing”.
The Flyers were forced to start the season with a four-game road trip that took them to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Seattle. Then they flew home to Philadelphia, getting skunked 3-0 in the home opener.
“It’s no excuse. The National Hockey League works this way,” head coach John Tortorella said after practice on Monday, dismissing the travel as an excuse for the Flyers’ poor start.
“When you have no respect in the league, as we do not, you get the schedule that you get. I don’t want to put all the blame on our home opener on that, but that’s a tough game for us.”
The month of October won’t become any more forgiving for the Flyers, either.
They have a home-and-home series with the Washington Capitals on Tuesday and Wednesday before hosting the Minnesota Wild and the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday and Sunday.
And then the Flyers have to finish the month with games against the Boston Bruins and the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 29 and Oct. 31.
Defenseman Erik Johnson, the sage 17-year NHL veteran and one-time Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche, isn’t in the business of making excuses for the Flyers either.
Sitting just eight NHL regular season games away from the prestigious 1,000 games milestone, Johnson knows, perhaps better than anyone else on the team, how much of a grind a full season is.
“Everyone’s got a schedule they have to manage at some point where it gets hard,” Johnson said. “There’s no excuses. The way we travel, the recovery options we have. No excuses from the travel at all.”