Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
As the NHL headed into its required three-day Christmas break, the Flyers were in a good place. They had won four of their previous six games — including a thrilling come-from-behind win against St. Louis before starting their break.
They stretched their record to 15-12-7 — not exactly over .500, but it could have been worse. Fans were thrilled to receive Santa Sacks and tickets for Christmas, as it looked like they would be getting the opportunity to see a strong Flyers team in the near future.
Then all of a sudden, the Flyers were ready to resume play, and kicked off a three-game road trip that saw them traverse the state of California. "Ready to resume play" is used quite loosely here, as the Orange and Black played like a lost team for all three games.
When the trip opened last Sunday against the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers were ultimately done in by ill-timed penalties, and were completely gassed in the third period (allowing the Ducks to capitalize on two goals). On Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks, the Flyers held a 2-1 lead in the third period, and watched as it slipped away as the period went on (against a team that had previously won just four games at home all season, no less). And Saturday against the Kings, the Flyers could not match the Los Angeles Kings' quick pace and could not solve the all-world Jonathan Quick until it was too late.
Just five goals were scored over that three-game span, compared to 10 goals conceded. Of those 10 goals allowed, six came while the Flyers were a man short. Subsequently, the Orange and Black now stand at 27th in the league on the penalty kill, at a bleak 77.3 percent.
By now, the Flyers' propensity to struggle against weak teams and do well against good teams is well documented. The Ducks game was another classic example, as the Ducks entered that matchup as the cellar dwellers of the Western Conference, and also sat with the Flyers at the bottom of the NHL's offensive rankings.
While the Sharks' 18-17-2 record reflects their status as a mediocre team, their 4-10-0 home record at SAP Center looked like a solid game for the Flyers to bounce back. They were not able to capitalize on that, however, and left the 'Shark Tank' as the prey instead of the predator.
The Kings were no doubt the toughest opponent on the trip. They held a commanding Pacific Division lead, and entered the contest on a four-game winning streak. They showed just how hot they were, and jumped out to a 2-0 lead entering the first intermission. Quick handled the rest, as he made 22 saves over the remaining 40 minutes.
The Orange and Black had found themselves within three points of a wild-card spot prior to Christmastime, and are now in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division (just four points ahead of last-place Columbus). They are now seven points out of the second wild-card spot, and would have to leap-frog five other teams to snag it.
Their skid could just as easily continue as well, as they are scheduled to take on Montreal, Minnesota, the New York Islanders, Boston and the New York Rangers. All of those teams have winning records. A sluggish road trip like the Flyers just finished does no wonders for a team's confidence, especially when the next five coming up are against strong opponents.
Dave Hakstol now has the tough chance of helping his team regain their confidence, and bounce back out of the trench that they dug themselves into.
If there's one thing the Flyers do have to their benefit, it's the addition of the steady Mark Streit to the lineup. Their roster (for now) is completely healthy (despite a Chris VandeVelde scare against the Sharks).
The Flyers have been plagued by several glaring weaknesses as their season gets close to its halfway mark, two of which are not playing a full 60 minutes and a slouching penalty kill. Those weaknesses were more than evident during their three-game California series, and will require attention as the rest of the season carries on.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
