Don’t be fooled by the 6-3 final score. The Philadelphia Flyers were embarrassed by the Calgary Flames in front of their home crowd Tuesday night.
It was an important game for several reasons. It marked the beginning of a seven-game homestand, it came just two games before the March 7th NHL trade deadline, and the Flyers were (maybe are) still in the playoff hunt. Yes, statistically, the Flames were the better team, but this was a very winnable game for the Flyers. However, the Flyers were never really in the game and were beaten and battered vs. the Flames Tuesday night.
Don’t get caught up in the score, shot totals, or even the faceoff percentage. It was an ugly game for the Flyers.
Flyers Report Card
Let’s start with one of the few bright spots in the game.
Noah Cates is heating back up. His goal tonight marked his sixth point in the last four games. His impact has extended beyond the offensive game; he has also been a shutdown defensive forward.
Cates has been a bright spot for the Flyers, even when things are blatantly dark. His goal tonight gave him his career high at 14.
Andrei Kuzmenko had a good game himself as well. He had a goal and an assist against his former club. His goal may have been his best play in a Flyers’ uniform during his short time.
Kuzmenko battled a tough, checking Flames team that dominated the neutral zone all game. He won possession of the puck and took it himself to beat Dustin Wolf.
Ivan Fedotov was thrown into a tough spot. He certainly was not expecting to get thrown into the fire, especially before the halfway mark of the first period. However, a quick three goals for the Flames put the Flyers in a deep hole, and Fedotov was called into action.
Coming off of his best game for Philadelphia, Fedotov definitely did not match his last game, but he still played well.
He let up a goal he should have stopped late in the first that took the wind out of the Flyers’ sails, but he looked poised in the second period. Fedotov made a couple of big stops throughout the night. The Flyers’ backup had 25 saves in just over 50 minutes for the Flyers. The second goal allowed came off a great chance from the Flames power play.
Fedotov’s performance could have been better, but given what was asked of him, it certainly could have been worse.
Sam Ersson has been a rock for the Flyers since the calendar turned to 2025. He is one of the primary reasons why the playoffs are/were back in sight for the Flyers. One bad game will not taint how well he has played since. These games happen for goalies, but it just came at an inopportune time for the Flyers.
Ersson faced just five shots in less than ten minutes on Tuesday, stopping just two. Head coach John Tortorella quickly pulled him, and rightfully so.
He did not look like himself. I am not going to call it a regression. Ersson’s mental game is one of his best qualities–his ability to bounce back will decide how his season is remembered.
The Flyers’ star is truly snakebitten.
Travis Konecny has just two goals in his last 20 games, and the drought continued Tuesday night. It was not for a lack of trying. He is undoubtedly getting the ice time to make things happen. His shot totals have been inconsistent, especially compared to his shooting earlier in the season.
Konecny did not do anything particularly bad Tuesday night, but he needs to find the back of the net. The Flyers cannot win games when their star is not scoring.
Hopefully he can break his skid and go on a heater as the season approaches, but the Flyers need more out of their $70 million man.
As a team, the Flyers put forward a sloppy, careless effort.
The Flyers looked nothing like the team that hung around and eventually beat the Winnipeg Jets in a shootout. They looked like a shell of that team. There were flashes, especially when the Cates line was on the ice. However, a game filled with turnovers and a poor effort around their own goal ultimately led to their loss.
To win hockey games, no matter how good the opponent is, you cannot be dominated in the neutral zone. You have to maintain control of the puck through the neutral zone if you want to get a good zone entry, and you have to check well in the neutral zone to prevent those great zone entries. It seemed like the Flyers were doing neither.
Sitting on this one during Wednesday’s day off may leave a sour taste. Maybe they’ll come out hungry on Thursday against Winnipeg.
