Alain Vigneault
In a 7-1 rout by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers losing streak reached eight games, with now three of those losses coming at the hands of the back-to-back champs. And the takeaways from this one are pretty simple. It can’t be much longer before more changes start coming. There isn’t much more to say about the play on the ice that hasn’t already been said during this streak. A season that was all about making the playoffs and getting back to winning has become the opposite in a hurry.
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.
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.
Tuesday’s game was the sixth of its kind, a 2-1 overtime win against the Flames that showed the team’s ability to adjust and once again their ability to get the best performance at the most crucial position and use an opportunity to seize the result.
Entering the third period on Friday night in Carolina, it was another similar case. Carolina had only one goal. Hart had 27 saves. This time, the Flyers gave him some run support, and Hart did the rest in a dominant performance that continued his hot start to the season.
The goaltending was something that continues to remain consistent in a positive way for the Flyers. The special teams and overall lack of scoring also remains consistent, which presents some concerns as the team hits the road.
The Flyers stayed the course, overcoming a questionable overturned goal call and a tight contest between a team desperate to get their first win. They finally broke through in the third, and their goaltender did the rest.
Carter Hart was once again a key reason the Flyers were in position to win on Tuesday night. Only this time, Hart was on the right end of the result, doing more than just getting the win, but nailing down a 29-save shutout in a 3-0 Flyers win over the Arizona Coyotes.
To this point in the season, the one thing the Flyers had done well, even in a pair of losses, was remain competitive in games. Saturday’s game was their first that would be classified as a clunker.
