Derick Brassard
The Flyers pay a visit to the New York Rangers for the first time this season, and get a former Ranger back in their lineup as well, hoping this could be one of the internal improvements that starts to turn their season.
Fletcher leaned on the difficulty of the team’s schedule and injuries over the course of the first 20 games of the season, placing more emphasis on a few early-season successes and less on the noticeable struggles the team has had over the last couple of weeks.
The Flyers are battered with injuries, but have faced teams dealing with significant losses in their own right and have struggled to keep up in a five-game losing streak. The New Jersey Devils have lost five of their last six game entering Sunday night’s action.
Following an off day on Thanksgiving, the Flyers return to the ice to face the top team in the NHL, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the annual Black Friday game. The Flyers used the hot goaltending method to earn a 2-1 win against Carolina on the road earlier this month and they may need another one to salvage a week that certainly hasn’t been good so far.
Less than 24 hours after a blowout loss in Tampa Bay, the Flyers face off on Wednesday night against the Florida Panthers.
The Flyers are proving that this roster is not equipped to get the job done. Maybe that has to do with the system, maybe that’s talent, but if they wanted to avoid another purge, things needed to improve. For everyone’s sake, it had better start on Wednesday, because this is going to become an ugly season quickly, and it’s only Thanksgiving.
A brutal week begins against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers suffered a 4-3 shootout loss to the Lightning last Thursday, and will have to dig deep again to try to earn two points and avoid an extensive losing streak for the first time this season.
The Flyers are having to survive the opposition more than driving play. They clearly have flaws in their play, and it’s fair to wonder how much longer they can go without addressing them.
Two goals in the third period extended the Boston lead to a 5-2 margin, the final from Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers closed out a three-game homestand.
The Flyers are 6-0 after a loss this season. They face another of those situations, as the Flyers welcome the Boston Bruins back to Philadelphia for the second time this season on Saturday night.
