Claude Giroux
The Flyers faced both the Capitals and Bruins on home ice, and at the time, each was at least in a tie for the most points in the NHL. Their only remaining road game before the All-Star break and bye week is also against a team tied for the most points in the standings. The defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues await in a Wednesday night matchup.
The Flyers take on the Boston Bruins on Monday night. The Bruins enter Monday’s game tied atop the league standings and on a three-game winning streak.
Andrei Vasilevskiy posted a shutout for the second straight game and the Lightning showed a real commitment to defensive play and taking away virtually everything the Flyers could have brought to the table. There was simply no room to operate, no room to execute and when the Flyers were able to pump the puck deep, they could not win the races because the Lightning were perfectly placed.
The Flyers next opponent was one of the bigger disappointments in the NHL a month ago, but since then, the Tampa Bay Lightning have risen to second place in the Atlantic Division and sixth in the league in points, due in large part to a current nine-game winning streak that they will bring to Philadelphia on Saturday night.
The Flyers next four games are against top teams in the league. It starts with the team right at the top of the NHL standings, the Washington Capitals, who dominated their way to a 6-1 win over Ottawa on Tuesday night.
It has been a long and trying road trip for the Flyers, who are 1-4-0 so far in five games. The road trip finally comes to an end on Tuesday night as the Flyers face the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Flyers take on the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night in the final game on the West coast during their six-game road trip.
The Flyers managed to rally back to make it a game, taking a 5-2 deficit to a 5-4 deficit early in the third, but that was as close as they would get in yet another loss on the road, this time to the Vegas Golden Knights.
The road trip continues with a stop against the Vegas Golden Knights, as the Flyers look to get back into the win column in their first game of 2020.
The Los Angeles Kings entered the game averaging 2.54 goals per game, but struck for four in the opening period. That helped them cruise to a win over the Flyers on New Year’s Eve by a score of 5-3.