(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
So, who’s ready for a break?
After a 6-3 loss to Boston on Saturday and a 5-0 loss to Washington on Sunday, a few days without Flyers hockey may actually be a good thing.
As said yesterday, you tend to notice things even more in an embarrassing loss, so let’s hit it again.
Here are 10 Postgame Points from Flyers-Capitals.
- For two periods, the Flyers were actually very solid with their backcheck. It was pretty obvious this was an area of weakness for the Flyers of late, particularly on Saturday, and they at least looked like it was something that was addressed.
- Shayne Gostisbehere returned to the lineup on Sunday. A lot was made in the first intermission by Mike Milbury about Gostisbehere’s play that led to a two-on-one for Washington. As an offensive-minded defenseman, Gostisbehere has to make a quick decision there. He chose to pinch and try to get up into the play. It didn’t work. That’s one play and one decision. A player should be evaluated on the game as a whole.
- The Capitals got the lead midway through the second because Michael Del Zotto whiffed on a rolling puck with a chance to clear on the penalty kill. That’s Del Zotto’s only glaring mistake of the game, but as a whole, he’s been a disappointment this season. In a contract year, he’s not only making the decision easy for Philadelphia, he’s not helping himself in terms of setting market value.
- The Flyers power play is, well, predictable. Possession time is all well and good, and the Flyers had a lot of it during their five power play. What they didn’t do was move the puck quickly or efficiently and that took away any good shooting opportunities. You can’t get five man-advantage chances against a team like Washington and go silent.
- Sean Couturier just doesn’t impress me as a puck carrier. He may be a good two-way player. He may be able to score 10 goals a season by going to the net. But when it comes to leading the rush or trying to carry the puck, he bobbles and mishandles way too much.
- Every time the Flyers play the Capitals, we’re reminded of the mistake the Flyers made in trading Justin Williams. Two more goals for No. 14 on Sunday afternoon.
- On Williams’ first goal, Radko Gudas followed Marcus Johansson behind the net, as he should have. But Mark Streit went too, and that left Williams wide open.
- The Flyers gave up four goals in five minutes from 1:36 of the third to 6:36. As Brian Boucher said on the broadcast, the Flyers totally quit on this game. At the NHL level, that is inexcusable for any team, especially one trying to make the playoffs. Here’s a little newsflash for the Flyers. That wildcard spot they somehow haven’t lost over a 3-8-3 stretch since their 10-game losing streak? It will be gone by the time they return from a five-day break. Which means for yet another season, a late-season push will be required to make the playoffs.
- Didn’t this game feel like a game from early or mid-November? That’s the way the Flyers defense is playing of late. In the last four games, the Flyers have allowed 19 goals, over four per game. This is the defense the Flyers had to start the season.
- What happens to a deflated and defeated team, which the Flyers were from the moment this became a 2-0 game? Your confidence completely disappears. This is a team with no confidence at the moment. None. It’s time to evaluate everything. There’s no one person at fault. It’s a collective problem. It’s coaching, it’s defense, it’s forwards, it’s goaltending. And it has to end at some point.
Bottom Line
What you watched in a matter of 24 hours is why the Flyers are still just a borderline team in limbo. But here’s the problem. What do you do, and what do you even say, when you get embarrassed on one afternoon, bring a better effort for 40 minutes the next day, and still get embarrassed? There’s almost nothing to say. It just brings into question everything about your hockey team.
The Flyers were on a 3-5-2 stretch before their 10-game winning streak. They are on a 3-8-3 stretch since. To sandwich a collective 17 points in 24 games around a span of 20 points in 10 games is not only the definition of consistency, it is the recipe of a team that experienced a great high over a small sample size, but wasn’t really that good of a team.
It’s still early for the Flyers. This is game 46 for the Flyers in an 82-game season, so there is nearly half of the season still to go. But to watch the way this team has crumbled in the last four weeks, well, it isn’t a collapse anymore. It’s becoming the story of a mediocre, non-playoff team that fooled us into thinking they were with a 10-game winning streak.
The break is what it is. Ron Hextall may not like it, but the fans certainly need a break after one of the worst weekends the Flyers have given in a long time. But if they don’t return from it with renewed energy and a level of play equivalent to what got them into the playoffs last season, any thoughts of the playoffs will be gone before you know it.
