Flyers Struggle Again, Beat 4-1 by Kraken on Saturday

In the wake of the NHL trade deadline, the Flyers put forward their third straight game of offensive struggle, falling to the struggling Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Saturday afternoon.

The Flyers’ record worsened to 27-29-8 with Saturday’s loss, putting them just four points away from the best odds for the No.5-overall draft selection.

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Lack of Offense

The first period of play in Saturday’s contest had very little offense.

Despite the Flyers having three power-play opportunities in the first period, they were unable to generate much offense. Neither team looked like a capable hockey team in the first period. The Flyers outshot the Kraken 11-7 in the first period–a relatively sad number considering they had three chances on the man-advantage.

There was not much of a defensive presence in the period, which one would think would lead to tons of offense. The first period was exactly what you’d expect in a match between two of the league’s bottom-feeders.

The ONLY offense in the first period was a miracle. Late in the period, Owen Tippett (19) scored off the rush. The play seemed dead, so Tippett just threw a shot up, and he got a lucky bounce off Kraken defenseman Ryker Evans, and was credited with the goal. Matvei Michkov (27) and Sean Courturier (21) earned assists on the Flyers’ only score of the game.

Kraken Dominate the Second Frame

While the Flyers did not dominate the first period, they brought a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

The second period was much more straightforward. The Kraken dominated the Flyers from the second period and beyond. It started with Tye Kartye (4) scoring while seemingly just throwing one towards the net. He skated along the boards, turned around, and literally just threw a shot on goal, and it went in.

A little later in the period, Matty Beniers (15) seemed to have fooled every skater on the ice, and had a direct line to the net, flipped one up, and it squeezed between Sam Ersson and the post, giving the Kraken the 2-1 lead.

Chandler Stephenson (11) turned a short-handed takeaway into a short-handed breakaway, and beat Ersson to extend the lead. It’s easy to understand the Flyers left their goalie stranded, but goalies need to be able to stop those one-man breakaway chances too.

The Kraken showed that sustained pressure in the offensive zone leads to tired skaters, and they were able to capitalize. The Flyers could not do much of anything against the Kraken in the second period. They dominated the puck, and did not give Philadelphia a chance.

Not Much to See in the Third

The third period proved to be much like the first. There truly was just not much going on.

Brandon Montour (13) scored the period’s only goal, burying one off the draw from the point.

Aside from the score, not much happened in the third period. It was the only period of the game in which neither team reached double-digit shots on goal. A mix of tired skaters and conservative play from the Kraken with the three-goal lead did not create any offense.

The third period just looked like a game between two of the worst teams in hockey.

What’s Next for the Flyers

The Flyers do not have much time to dwell on their third straight lousy effort. They will host the New Jersey Devils in the season series finale on Sunday in their second-straight afternoon game. The puck drops at 1:00 p.m. EST. at the Wells Fargo Center.

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