Flyers Postgame Thoughts: Who is this Team?

After the Flyers’ 4-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken, they look like a shell of the team they were earlier this season.

In no way am I saying that the Flyers ever looked great, or that I even for a second thought that making a deep run was a possibility. The Flyers have looked painfully mediocre all season. However, painfully mediocre is better than what has occurred on the ice the past three games.

The Flyers proved time and time again this season that they are a .500 team. They can hang with the best of the best, yet they tend to let the bottom-feeders hang around in games too. Obviously, that was not the case in EVERY game this season, but it was a trend that proved consistent for most of the season.

Now, the Flyers have seemingly lost their juice. They flat out look tired. They’re not generating shots, they’re letting teams beat them in critical areas on ice, and they stopped playing tough in front of the net for their goaltending. It is hard to see the Flyers as the same team they were in mid-January.

At least one thing is consistent: the power play is still terrible.

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Flyers had 24 Shots on Goal

24 shots on goal undoubtedly is not enough to win you games. However, that is not particularly what I am looking at here.

The Flyers totaled 24 shots on goal… while having four power-play chances–five if you count the 18 seconds on the fourth penalty before a Couturier penalty made it four-on-four.

Even if the Flyers averaged just three shots per power play chance, that would total half of the day’s shots. In their four chances (plus 18 seconds) with the man-advantage, the Flyers totaled six shots. The Flyers had four shots on goal during the four-on-four.

Two of the Flyers’ full power play chances were held without a shot on goal.

So, let’s circle back to the Flyers’ shot total: 24 shots on goal while having eight minutes and 18 seconds with the man advantage. Seattle lacked discipline, but the Flyers lacked offensive ability. It was a disgraceful performance from the Flyers’ power play that bled into even-strength play. If it is not already ready, Rocky Thompson’s seat running the power play has to be getting scorching hot.

Whether or not the power play is the main issue or not, the lack of shots is still an issue. Point blank, the Flyers HAVE to find ways to shoot the puck.

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What is Going on with Travis Konecny

The offensive struggle for Travis Konecny is beginning to get out of hand.

The Flyers’ star has played multiple games where he looks lost. It really is not for a lack of effort on Konecny’s part, either. He is doing everything he can to break this funk, but nothing is falling for him.

He is still playing with the high intensity we’re used to. In all honesty, I have seen maybe one example of this slump affecting his intensity, and that was a play against Winnipeg where he got walked and was behind the goal scorer.

A great example of Konecny’s slump from Saturday’s loss came late in the first period. He had a great zone entry and charged the net. It was hard to tell whether he just whiffed on the backhanded shot or was trying to find someone with the cross-crease pass. Regardless, nobody was home, and the play went dead, leading to Konecny smashing his stick against the board and watching the clock expire with frustration.

It’s clear the slump is getting to Konecny. You can tell how badly he wants to be better. You have to wonder if maybe a game or so as a healthy scratch to get him a mental reset would benefit him or not.

Shades of Ersson’s Previous Self Showed, But Current Sam Still Showed Up

It is no secret that Sam Ersson has been struggling lately. Starting with the road game against the Penguins, Ersson has not been anything near what he had been for the Flyers before the 4 Nations break.

The Flyers netminder played his fourth-straight less than impressive game on Saturday. However, he showed flashes of the player he was before this skid on Saturday.

It’s not like there are excuses for all of the goals he allowed. The Tye Kartye goal was inexcusable. The Matty Beniers could have benefited from literally any defense at all, and the Chandler Stephenson goal was the result of a really bad turnover–however, an NHL goal should be able to stop a one-on-one chance.

The Brandon Montour goal should have been saved, and Ersson recognized that postgame. However, he was screened by Tyson Foerster, who missed blocking the shot by probably a half a foot.

Ersson showed signs of improvement. He made some big saves, and it seemed like he was forcing Seattle to shoot towards the outside of the net, which led to lots of Kraken shots ringing off the iron. He showed flashes of the high-level of play he had been playing at before the rough patch began. But ultimately, Ersson’s struggles still showed.

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