Struggles proceed as Flyers drop fifth sport out of 6 to begin season

Struggles continue as Flyers drop 5th game out of 6 to start season initially appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Possibly John Tortorella was proper to pump the brakes.

Initially of October, the top coach mentioned the Flyers had “so much s— to do” before they even started talking about the playoffs being the next step.

Thus far, that certain has regarded true.

The Flyers fell to the Capitals, 4-1, Tuesday evening on the Wells Fargo Middle.

Tortorella’s membership is 1-4-1 and has been outscored 25-13. The Flyers have scored just one purpose by two residence video games. They have been blanked by the Canucks, 3-0, three days ago in their home opener. They’ve misplaced 5 straight after choosing up a 3-2, season-opening shootout win over Vancouver.

Towards the Capitals, Travis Sanheim buried a shot at 4-on-4 simply 34 seconds into the third interval to attract the Flyers inside 2-1. However Washington took the purpose proper again at 4-on-4 a bit of over a minute later to shortly quell the Flyers’ momentum. John Carlson’s move deflected off of Egor Zamula’s skate and into the online.

“If we simply keep and play our sport — it isn’t a protected sport, it is a very aggressive sport — we’ll get our objectives,” Tortorella mentioned. “There is a positive line of taking part in aggressive, in your toes and checking ahead versus dishonest and hoping. That is when [the play goes] the flawed method, again the opposite method.

“So that is what we have now to look at for right here. We have got a gaggle of males right here which are going to determine this out. We simply need to do it collectively and never lose ourselves by panic or frustration and overlook about how we play.”

This was the primary sport of a home-and-home back-to-back set between the Flyers and Capitals (4-1-0).

• Samuel Ersson actually hasn’t been the Flyers’ downside. The 25-year-old has given the staff an honest probability to win in his 4 begins.

He made 25 saves on 29 pictures in opposition to Washington. Jakob Chychrun sealed the sport with 5:53 minutes left within the third interval.

The Flyers’ second energy play unit surrendered two shorthanded objectives within the first interval. Zamula struggled on the level on that unit, permitting the Capitals to get behind him on the 2 objectives. On the second marker, Bobby Brink flubbed on a move, which sprung Washington up ice.

Zamula completed the sport as a minus-3. Scott Laughton was a minus-4.

At 5-on-5 within the first interval, the Flyers performed fairly effectively. The ability play was tremendous expensive, although, swinging the momentum fully within the Capitals’ path.

The Flyers didn’t generate a lot in any respect offensively over the second and third durations. Their energy play went 0 for 3 on the evening.

Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren stopped 17 of the Flyers’ 18 pictures. He confronted solely eight pictures over the ultimate two durations.

From Jan. 18 to the end line final common season, Lindgren was the only goalie to play more than Ersson.

• The Flyers noticed the return of an necessary piece in Nick Seeler. The second-pair defenseman missed the primary 5 video games after taking a puck to the peroneal nerve in his right leg on Oct. 1.

“I’ve by no means skilled one thing like that — leg simply sort of shut off for some time,” Seeler said Monday. “Nevertheless it feels loads higher.”

The 31-year-old has been a glue man for the Flyers’ again finish. Courting again to final season when he missed time in March, the Flyers have gone 5-8-3 and surrendered 4.07 objectives per sport and 13 energy play objectives with out Seeler.

Taking part in instead of Erik Johnson, Seeler was alongside Jamie Drysdale, a crucial pair for the Flyers. Proper off the hop, Seeler made two efficient performs on a first-period penalty kill. The membership’s PK went 5 for five.

• After taking part in half of final Saturday’s residence opener on the left wing of the fourth line, Sean Couturier was again down the center of the ice. He centered Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov on the primary line.

By means of six video games, the Flyers’ captain has no objectives and an help. It sounds just like the winger experiment is not completely over.

“Sean, identical to all people else, has been up and down,” Tortorella mentioned Monday. “I really thought his greatest minutes, extra concerned, was him taking part in on the wing. … I really favored him there.”

• Jett Luchanko and Tyson Foerster have been wholesome scratches as Noah Cates and Nicolas Deslauriers drew into the lineup.

The 18-year-old Luchanko is 4 video games into what could be a nine-game audition. The 2024 first-round middle has gone scoreless with three pictures.

“He makes some actually good performs, he has made lots of actually good performs on his backhand,” Tortorella mentioned Monday. “Good performs, struggles at instances. Makes some actually good defensive performs, struggles at instances. He is 18, you understand? However I nonetheless like what he brings and we will carry on evaluating him and see the place we go from there.”

• The Flyers and Washington are proper again at it Wednesday, this time within the nation’s capital (7:30 p.m. ET/TNT).

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