It's been well-documented how consistently inconsistent the Flyers' season has been. They've come out looking like Stanley Cup contenders on some nights, but have looked like frontrunners for the Great McDavid/Eichel Race of 2015 on other nights, with not much in-between. This has especially held true in recent weeks, when they'd beat good teams but lose to worse teams.
Sunday's 5-2 loss to New Jersey (see recap) was essentially a microcosm of the season. It looked like the Flyers had control of the game as the first period ended, as they headed to the dressing room tied at 1 with a 9-6 advantage in shots.
"Not good enough," Wayne Simmonds told reporters, describing the Flyers' play against the Devils. "If we're not angry, then there's something wrong with us. I thought we played pretty good against Boston, we had a few mistakes.
"Today was awful, no one really played a good game. We left 'Mase' out to dry, and it killed us."
Two Devils goals in the second period — a Jacob Josefson shorthanded goal and an Eric Gelinas power play strike — entirely shifted momentum in the Devils' favor. At that point, just about nothing could go right for the Orange and Black, while the Devils were able to capitalize on just about every single opportunity.
"We wanted to correct some things and get better as we went, but it turned the other way," Simmonds said. "Things just snowballed from there."
As a result of one of their most frustrating weekends, the Flyers now sit seven points away from Boston for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot. It's a number that surely seems (somewhat) manageable with 15 games to go — hey, stranger things have happened — but close to impossible, as the Bruins have two games in hand.
The Devils have established themselves as a thorn in the Flyers' side all season, reflected in their 3-1 season series win over the Winged P. They've trailed the Flyers in the standings for the better part of the season, but have still beat them — convincingly, nonetheless — in those three games.
"Coming here, we know what type of game Jersey plays," Steve Mason said. "It's a patient game, and a frustrating game to play against, but we didn't find ways to break down and come out on top."
Could it perhaps be that the Flyers are over-analyzing their matchups, and what they go against on a game-to-game basis? Even if so, that's a problem that just about every team has to deal with.
"We're thinking too much. Everybody's pretty frustrated," Claude Giroux said. "We need to stop thinking too much, and just play the game."
Ultimately, a lack of consistent play has been the Flyers' biggest undoing this season. If they miss the playoffs this season — which has an increased shot at happening now — it will be the biggest reason why.
"You can see what type of team we can be" Mason said, "and the problem is it's not there on a consistent basis. That's been the problem all year, is the consistency.
"We're in the situation we are because of ourselves."
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
