After an impressive stretch that saw the Flyers win five games in a row, they’ve now lost five of their last six and extended their losing streak to three games thanks to a 2-0 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Steve Mason was strong in net, only allowing two goals on 27 shots, but it was not enough to get his team the win. The Flyers got 37 shots in on Sergei Bobrovsky, who turned away all he saw. James Wisniewski got the first goal of the night thanks to a powerplay in the second period, and Brandon Dubinsky added on another just a few minutes into the third.
The Flyers looked sloppy and discombobulated in the first period, but seemed to bounce back in the second, dominating the Jackets for the majority of the frame. They led in shots 17-9, but weren’t able to get anything past Bobrovsky.
In the third, they looked just as they did in the first. There was little desperation to their game and they spent most of the period trying to play catch-up, especially after Dubinsky’s goal. At least in their prior two losses, they seemed to put up a fight. Tonight, there was no such fight in their spirits, and they suffered for it.
With just six games left in the season, the Flyers need to start playing with more energy and like they want the chance to go to the postseason. Perhaps they got comfortable after that five-game win streak that had them sitting pretty in third place in the division, but they can’t think like that. Every game is important, and with the playoff race as close as it is, they need to take every precaution to make sure that they see action after their regular season ends on April 13th.
Scoring summary:
James Wisniewski, CBJ (Letestu, Tyutin) – PP, 17:07 2nd
Brandon Dubinsky, CBJ (Atkinson, Wisniewski) – EV, 3:20 3rd
Penalty summary:
Mark Letestu, CBJ – slashing (1:02, 1st)
Matt Read, PHL – hooking (10:54, 1st)
Nick Foligno, CBJ – hooking (13:51, 1st)
Matt Calvert, CBJ – boarding (17:31, 1st)
Mark Streit, PHL – delay of game (6:41, 2nd)
Ryan Johansen, CBJ – hooking (8:37, 2nd)
Sean Couturier, PHL – slashing (15:13, 2nd)
Claude Giroux, PHL – slashing (19:37, 3rd)
Notes: This day marked one year since Steve Mason was traded to Philadelphia from Columbus… Vincent Lecavalier appeared in his 1,100th game tonight… Claude Giroux is now on a three-game pointless streak… The Flyers face Boston on Saturday at 1pm.
