Articles by Kevin Durso (5321)
Alain Vigneault’s postgame press conference lasted about two and a half minutes. But it was his tone and clearly visible frustration that told the story. The Flyers coach and his staff may have received a vote of confidence of sorts from Fletcher just a day earlier, but the veteran bench boss knows when the ship is sinking and he becomes the first guy on the chopping block.
It wasn’t a result that was as out-of-hand as the others recently, but it was a defeat all the same, as the Flyers took the loss for the seventh straight game, 4-1, to the Rangers.
The Flyers pay a visit to the New York Rangers for the first time this season, and get a former Ranger back in their lineup as well, hoping this could be one of the internal improvements that starts to turn their season.
Fletcher leaned on the difficulty of the team’s schedule and injuries over the course of the first 20 games of the season, placing more emphasis on a few early-season successes and less on the noticeable struggles the team has had over the last couple of weeks.
There’s really no end in sight for the Flyers losing trend, not without some serious adjustments. That was fully evident in the most recent defeat, a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.
Three goals in the third proved to be the difference for the Flyers, as they were handed their sixth straight loss, 5-2, to the Devils on Sunday night.
The Flyers are battered with injuries, but have faced teams dealing with significant losses in their own right and have struggled to keep up in a five-game losing streak. The New Jersey Devils have lost five of their last six game entering Sunday night’s action.
The Flyers were blown out again, this time by a 6-3 margin against the Hurricanes on Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center, sending the Flyers to their fifth straight loss.
Following an off day on Thanksgiving, the Flyers return to the ice to face the top team in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the annual Black Friday game. The Flyers used the hot goaltending method to earn a 2-1 win against Carolina on the road earlier this month and they may need another one to salvage a week that certainly hasn’t been good so far.
After stopping six shots for the Panthers to start the 3-on-3, Martin Jones couldn’t stop a one-time blast from Aaron Ekblad in a 2-1 overtime loss for the Flyers on Wednesday night.