Within the past three games, the Flyers have gone from two of their most spirited wins of the season, to a remarkably flat effort against the last-place team in their division (see recap).
Unsurprisingly, the Hurricanes have next to no shot at the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, and they were essentially ruled out once the puck dropped for the 2014-15 campaign in October. Yet their status as a playoff team provides a startling statistic for the Flyers — of their last 13 games against non-playoff teams, just five were wins.
It's an interesting dichotomy for the Flyers. When playing an opponent that's perceived to be better than them, they'll win with ease (hi, Pittsburgh!) but when facing a team far below them in the standings, they'll play down to their level. It's cost the Orange and Black on multiple occasions this season.
"When you say poor teams in the league, they're still full of good players," Rob Zepp told reporters after a 31-save effort. "They may not be having the best season, but it's a team that could hurt you if you don't play your game."
The Orange and Black failed to take control of the game from the 'Canes early on, as they were outshot by a healthy 35-24 margin. The Hurricanes' power play — which entered the game as one of the league's middle-of-the-pack units — capitalized on half of its opportunities, while their stalwart penalty kill held the Flyers without a goal in two opportunities.
To their credit, the Flyers out-hit and blocked more shots than the Hurricanes, without giving the puck away nearly as much. However, all of those factors still indicate that they weren't able to drive possession of the puck with consistency.
"I'm baffled," coach Craig Berube said. "We just didn't execute well at all, we lacked energy in the game.
"Looking back on the weekend, there were…two emotional games. The two big things for me tonight were energy and emotion, which were lacking in the game."
As is always the case with the NHL, the Flyers will have to put Tuesday's game behind them. They'll be facing yet another team that will watch the playoffs from the outside on Thursday, as they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Surely, there's a lot to learn from playing down to lesser opponents, especially with the playoff race getting closer and closer to the checkered flag.
"Tonight's effort definitely wasn't acceptable," Sean Couturier said. "We're in the playoff race — we can't get down on ourselves, and we just gotta focus on the next game now.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
