Auston Matthews
Toronto quickly erased the deficit with two goals in the first period and added two more in the third in the Flyers 5-2 loss to the Maple Leafs.
Following a 1-0 overtime loss to the New York Rangers, the Flyers continue their road trip by going north of the border to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team already playoff bound and in position to potentially host a first-round series, should help in the Flyers pursuit of a lottery pick. The Flyers enter Tuesday’s game having lost five straight games.
Auston Matthews scored his 51st goal of the season and Morgan Rielly had three points as the Leafs finished off a 6-3 decision on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center.
Keith Yandle comes out of the lineup for the first time after 989 consecutive games. Ronnie Attard makes his NHL debut on the blue line, while other newcomers remain in the lineup looking to make a good impression. They get another matchup against a future playoff team, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For two periods, another game was competitive and within reach thanks to Carter Hart. For the rest of the team, the offensive struggles continued. The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and were held off the board in a 36-save shutout for Jack Campbell and the Toronto Maple Leafs, falling by a score of 3-0.
This game begins a busy remainder of the month for the Flyers. They will play 11 games in the next 21 days, reaching the quarter-mark of the season in the process. It will be no easy task either, as a number of star players and elite teams will appear on the schedule. It starts with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found a groove after a slow start with wins in five of their last six games.
How serious is Carter Hart’s injury? We may never know, though a report from NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Colby Cohen said that Hart was suffering from minor back spasms and should return soon. Teammates also said they believed it to be a minor deal and probably more precautionary than anything. So how concerned should the Flyers be with this?
For the entire season, Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen have been united together. Assistant coach Mike Yeo, who runs the defense, said that they have been the quickest to get up to speed.
Following the news of 11 positive tests for COVID-19 during Phase 2, a crucial week is ahead for the NHL in their efforts to return to play. This week could feature important updates on players testing positive and the selection of hub cities.
