Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov (82) dives to cover the puck in front of Ottawa Senators center Josh Norris (9) during second-period NHL hockey game action in Ottawa, Ontario, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Philadelphia Flyers were shutout for the second straight game, this time falling 2-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Goaltending shined in a defensive battle, but the Flyers struggled on offense yet again. They seemingly play their best hockey of the year against the better teams in the league. Monday’s loss was just another game where that proved true, almost.
The defense and goaltending were there, but the Flyers were unable to break through on offense, leading to just another loss.
Three Flyers Thoughts
Fedotov At His Best
A few times this season, I have thought that Ivan Fedotov has just played the best game of his NHL career.
That is partially due to the fact that his rookie season last year was underwhelming, and this is only his second season in the National. This year, Fedotov worked his way from the basement of the Flyers goaltending depth chart to the number two role.
That said, Ivan Fedotov played another great game Monday night, holding the Lightning to one goal (they scored two total) on 22 shots faced. He made a number of big-time saves, coming up big for the Flyers against the good Lightning chances.
Fedotov also looked a bit less unorthodox than usual. He looked controlled in net, which is definitely strange. He was stopping pucks with flair–he played some of the best hockey of his NHL career.
However, Fedotov got the Zack Wheeler treatment: pitched a great game but got absolutely no run support.
Defensive Battle
Monday’s game was a defensive battle. Neither team eclipsed more than 23 shots on goal. The Lightning blocked 19 shots, while the Flyers blocked nine. Tampa had five takeaways, while Philly only had two.
There was not much time spent in the neutral zone either. Instead, both teams’ defense played a big role in keeping the game low-scoring. Both defenses did not allow many great chances. They played strong in front of their own net and did not allow many high-danger chances.
It seemed like bodies were in the way at almost every level of the ice, not allowing any real looks.
This kind of performance is rare for the Flyers, especially without Rasmus Ristolainen. The forwards checked really well, and the defensemen played great around the net. Against one of the better teams in the league, too, it was a really impressive night.
If you had told me that Fedotov only allowed one goal and that the opposition was held to just 23 shots on goal, it seemed like a fairly safe assumption that they’d win. It’s a shame that the Flyers got defense and goaltending on the same night. Just a below-average night offensively would have won that game for the Flyers. Instead, they walked out of Amile Arena with a loss.
MISSING: Flyers Defense
Aside from an outlier three (plus shootout goal) goal game against the Lightning back in Philadelphia, the Flyers have not scored more than two goals in each of their last seven games.
Monday’s loss was the second-straight shutout for the Flyers. Their offense has simply gone missing. Their power play has stagnated, and their best players have gone cold; the Flyers cannot generate any offense.
Monday’s game was just a continuation of the Flyers’ unending challenge. Travis Konecny cannot break his funk, which seems to have broken him. His turnover leading to the Kucherov goal is something you never see out of him. He missed the net on a great late-game two-on-one chance. They don’t always find the goal, but Konecny is usually on target.
Konecny is not the only one. Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, and even Noah Cates are all typically key contributors to the Flyer’s success, but they have gone quiet along with offense.
The Flyers offense is missing, and they need to find it.
