Joel Farabee
Perhaps the start of this week can provide the spark for the Flyers. They are playing the New York Rangers, another team not in the playoff picture. These are games the Flyers need to have in order to keep up in the race and make the head-to-head matchups against the top teams in the division more meaningful as the season progresses.
Last week, the Flyers had to completed a massive comeback to secure a win and two points against the Penguins, and it was their only win of the three-game series. They wrap up a three-game week with the Capitals on Saturday night, desperately in need of a win to get back on track in the division race.
After a 3-1 loss to Washington on Sunday night, the Capitals are back at Wells Fargo Center to face the Flyers for the next two games, starting with the third meeting of the season between the two teams on Thursday night.
They got the win, they got the two points, and offensively, they did a lot of good things that ultimately resulted in the number of goals they needed to get the game to overtime. But there are plenty of flaws that, at least this season, appear to be beyond repair, and that’s concerning with more tough matchups coming in the weeks ahead.
It took until late in the third period for the Flyers to complete the rally, but they did and forced overtime. The game required a shootout, and the Flyers scored on both attempts to complete the comeback and pick up a 5-4 win over the Sabres on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Buffalo Sabres make a visit to Philadelphia on Tuesday night as the Flyers look to put a 1-3-0 week behind them. The Sabres struggles have only continued since the Flyers met them last weekend, as they enter the game on seven-game losing streak.
The 3-1 loss to Washington marked the end of a 1-3-0 week for the Flyers, that produced just two points in the standings and pushed them below the playoff line. At 22 games into the season, there is still time left in the season and the panic button shouldn’t be pushed just yet. But there are ongoing trends that don’t bode well for the Flyers if this continues in the weeks ahead.
The Capitals grabbed two goals late in the second, then another in the third as they closed out a 3-1 result on Sunday night at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers will take on the Washington Capitals three times this week, starting with a Sunday night meeting to close out a stretch of six games in nine nights.
In the third period, the Flyers looked tired. They looked like the tank was empty. And the Penguins, certainly not at their best, were able to take advantage with one goal that proved to be the difference in a 4-3 result. And it doesn’t get any easier, as the Flyers are right back on the ice on Sunday.
