Flyers get West coast wake up call

The road trip to California ended in disappointment for the Philadelphia Flyers. In three games against talented Western Conference teams, they returned home pointless.

The road trip record: a 4-2 loss in Anaheim on Dec. 27, a 4-2 loss in San Jose on Dec. 30 and a 2-1 loss in Los Angeles on Jan. 2. The three losses following a five-day break and a very strong December prior to the road trip should serve as a wake up call for a team that was slowly climbing the standings before the holidays.

"We need more from everybody. We have to figure it out," Wayne Simmonds said. "We have to do whatever we can possible in our power to stop it. It’s not what we pictured. We have get our minds back into it."

Getting their minds back into it may not be enough for the Flyers to beat powerful opponents throughout the rest of the season in order to make it to playoffs. The excuses pile up; the holiday break, the "dead wood" on the team, the inconsistency. But in honesty, a big change needs to take place.

When asked if the holiday break affected the team, the only player to score a goal against the Kings, Brayden Schenn, boldly responded, "We don’t want to use that as an excuse. The rest of the league got the break off too, so for us, obviously, not the California trip that we wanted, but we’re going to have a good test in a few days against Montreal."

The team needs consistency on all fronts. The first line needs to produce goals. The rest of the lines need to find a rhythm. But most important, the Flyers need to correct a big problem on special teams.

In addition to a need need to stop taking unnecessary penalties, many for improper stick handling or stick infractions, the Flyers allowed six power-play goals on the road trip. On their power-play chances, the Flyers scored just twice, creating a very lopsided special teams battle.

The relentless turnovers need to stop as well. These obvious solutions for the team to rise above .500 have all been suggested even before head coach Dave Hakstol arrived on the scene. Not much has changed since his installment to the organization.

The question supporters do have on their minds at this point in the season: is part of the plan that GM Ron Hextall and the management have to just cruise through this season looking to the future, or are they going to make a decision and have the team qualify for the playoffs now? Fans are looking for excitement. It seems to be a strain on enthusiasm.

Does this needed change include Ron Hextall finally breaking down and making a trade? Why waive Sam Gagner and not send down a player like Scott Laughton to the AHL? What is the difference? When the team is in dire need of offense why have eight defensemen on the roster and dress seven? 

What will it take for improvement?

Certainly, fans have more questions that may or may not get answered. Only time will tell if the trip to California was a true wake up call for Philadelphia, or just one too many eggnogs.

Denise Mroz is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow her on Twitter @denisemroz10.