The Philadelphia Flyers returned home Thursday night with the trade deadline looming and the faintest hint of optimism. A season-high-tying three-game win streak had the team at least somewhat back on track after a dysmal January, even if their failures then slashed their playoff hopes to the bone.
But instead of building up the excitement, the Flyers turned in one of their most lethargic efforts of the season. With Travis Konecny missing his second straight game due to injury, plus defenseman Nick Seeler also sidelined, the Flyers were kept in check by the Utah Mammoth from start to finish. Here are two takeaways from their 3-0 defeat.
Offense Non-Existent
It’s one thing to be shut out, but another to almost not show up in the offensive zone. That’s what it felt like on Thursday for the home team. Utah held the Flyers to 16 shots on goal, tying their season low. After generating a season-low 1.03 expected goals (xG) at 5-on-5 in their last game, Philadelphia managed only a marginally better 1.4 xG against the Mammoth (per Natural Stat Trick).
For a team that’s typically shown a lot of fight late in close games, even when they lose, the Flyers ran out of gas as the game progressed. They generated just 0.08 xG at 5-on-5 in the third period despite entering the frame facing a 2-0 deficit. After generating 20 scoring chances and six high-danger threats in the first 40 minutes, the Flyers were held to two and zero, respectively, the rest of the way.
“We were soft. Execution was tough… it’s one of those games where you have a tough time saying who had a good game,” head coach Rick Tocchet said after the game.
Things weren’t any better on the power play (PP), which generated just one shot on goal across three attempts, one of which was cut short due to a necessary penalty taken after Dan Vladař got a bit sloppy while aggressively playing the puck. The PP has scored just one goal in five games out of the break.
By contrast, the penalty kill had been a strength, with a run of 18 straight kills broken by William Nylander’s late third-period goal on Monday. On their first kill Thursday (and the only full power-play chance Utah had), Dylan Guenther needed just eight seconds to dash to the slot and set up Nick Schmaltz for a slick one-timer down low. Given the Flyers’ familiar offensive struggles, that was all the visitors needed.
Should They Stay or Should They Go?
While the Flyers aren’t expected to be major players before Friday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, there’s still some uncertainty looming. Any faint hopes for the players of dissuading general manager Daniel Brière from looking to sell in the right spots after their aforementioned win streak should be all but erased by Thursday’s outcome.
Rasmus Ristolainen‘s 800th NHL game was respectable. While he was on the ice for Utah’s lone five-on-five goal, he did finish with a respectable 55.08% xG share and was credited with a couple of blocks in 22:05 of ice-time. With Colton Parayko declining to waive his no-move clause to go to the Buffalo Sabres, a reunion with the team that drafted Ristolainen is still possible. Utah itself made a trade for a right-handed defenseman in MacKenzie Weegar at a fairly similar price to what the Flyers reportedly want for Ristolainen.
Carl Grundström also had one of the few great scoring chances for Philadelphia, with Vitek Vanecek robbing him on a backdoor feed. He, too, drove play at a nice rate, which is impressive given the struggles of one of his most frequent linemates. The other pending unrestricted free agent up front for the Flyers, Nic Deslauriers, put up a goose egg in the xG category as the Flyers were outshot 4-0 in what was easily a team-low 5:21 time on ice.
Looking Ahead
After the deadline, the Flyers have a five-game stretch that could easily be the breaking point for their dwindling ambitions. It includes two crucial games against fellow bubble Metropolitan teams in the Washington Capitals and Columbus Blue Jackets. There’s also a must-win game on Monday against the New York Rangers, who could be even further weakened after the deadline passes.
Related: Dos & Don’ts for a Flyers’ Rumored Rasmus Ristolainen Trade
First up, though, is a Battle of Pennsylvania at a rare 5:30 p.m. start time on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The last time the Flyers went to PPG Paints Arena, the Penguins furthered that extended January skid with a 6-3 beatdown that was even more lopsided than the score suggests. The Flyers’ archrivals can further drive a stake through them with another win over the weekend.
