After splitting their last two games of the year against the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers need to get on a roll if they want to keep their faint playoff hopes alive.
With just nine games left in their regular season, the Flyers sit 11 points behind the Boston Bruins, who hold down the last playoff spot in the East Division. The Bruins have built some breathing room by going 6-1-0 since the trade deadline, and still hold one game in hand over Philadelphia.
-
Ep 59: Stanley Cup Final Preview; Game 1 Thoughts
by Full Press Coverage on June 4, 2023 at 1:43 am
Jim and Chris give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final between Vegas […]
Over the same span, the Flyers have gone 2-3-1, falling seven points further behind. Inconsistency continues to plague the group, which hasn’t strung together back-to-back wins since late March and struggles to deliver a 60-minute effort within individual games.
But Philadelphia has a chance to re-write the script this week, with four straight games against New Jersey.
The Devils went down swinging when they scored five third-period goals in their 7-6 loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, which officially eliminated them from postseason contention. But a third-straight loss to the Penguins on Saturday stretched their current losing streak to nine games. Since beating the Flyers 4-3 a month ago, on March 23, they’ve gone 2-13-2, collecting just six points.
Games in Newark on Tuesday and Thursday are bookended by a pair at Wells Fargo Centre — this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, then next Saturday at 7 p.m.
Will Hart Return?
Missing Carter Hart for the last four games due to what’s said to be a mild knee sprain, Alain Vigneault couldn’t tell the media whether or not the 22-year-old is ready to get back into the goaltending mix.
Alain Vigneault not sure if Carter Hart will be available to play Sunday vs. the Devils: "I haven't checked on what's going on at home so I can't answer that question for you."
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) April 24, 2021
Hart was good in his last start on April 15, making 31 saves as the Flyers down the Penguins 2-1 in a shootout.
While Hart has been on the shelf, Brian Elliott and Alex Lyon have shared the load.
Making his first two NHL starts since Feb. 1, 2020, 28-year-old Lyon went 0-2-0, giving up five goals against the Washington Capitals and four against the Rangers.
Elliott fared better, collecting three of a possible four points with a 1-0-1 record. He gave up just a single goal, in overtime, against the Islanders last Sunday. On Thursday, he held the Rangers to one goal in the first 58 minutes of the game, setting the stage for a Philadelphia comeback win.
Scor | Scor | Scor | Scor | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rk | Player | Age | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS |
1 | James van Riemsdyk | 31 | LW | 47 | 16 | 21 | 37 |
2 | Jakub Voracek | 31 | RW | 44 | 9 | 26 | 35 |
3 | Sean Couturier | 28 | C | 36 | 13 | 20 | 33 |
4 | Claude Giroux | 33 | C | 45 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
5 | Joel Farabee | 20 | LW | 46 | 15 | 16 | 31 |
6 | Travis Konecny | 23 | C | 41 | 9 | 20 | 29 |
7 | Kevin Hayes | 28 | RW | 47 | 11 | 16 | 27 |
8 | Ivan Provorov | 24 | D | 47 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
9 | Scott Laughton | 26 | C | 44 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
10 | Shayne Gostisbehere | 27 | D | 37 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
11 | Oskar Lindblom | 24 | LW | 41 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
12 | Travis Sanheim | 24 | D | 46 | 2 | 10 | 12 |
Team Total | 47 | 130 | 232 | 362 |
Scoring Required
The Flyers’ defensive woes during the month of March are no secret. The team gave up a league-worst 4.41 goals per game.
At 3.08 goals against per game in April, the Flyers are tied for 19th best — not great, but certainly an improvement. And it’s actually New Jersey that has struggled the most defensively, giving up 4.62 goals a game in April.
Now, the Flyers are at the bottom of the league at the other end of the ice. With just 24 goals in 12 games this month, Philadelphia’s 2.00 goals scored has them tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in that category.
Travis Konecny and Jakub Voracek are leading the way offensively in April, with eight points each, and Voracek leads the team with four goals. Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov each have six points, and Shayne Gostisbehere has five, including three goals.
From there, offensive production falls off a cliff.
New contract or not, Scott Laughton’s last point came on March 20. Nolan Patrick has just one assist in April, and only eight points for the year. He was healthy-scratched on Friday to make room in the lineup for newly signed college free agent Jackson Cates.
After a red-hot start to the season, Joel Farabee has just one goal and three assists in his last 15 games. And what has happened to Kevin Hayes — the seven-million-dollar man who came through in the clutch with five game-winning goals last season? This year, he has been invisible for long stretches. In April, he has no goals and three assists.
Latest Flyers News
- NHL Rumors: Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers
- New Jersey Devils To Host Stadium Series Game
- NHL Trade Deadline Report Card – Metropolitan Division
- NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers
- NHL Rumors: Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks
Prospect Pipeline
Cates didn’t hit the scoresheet in his NHL debut on Friday. Known as a solid two-way player during his three years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he won an NCAA championship in 2019, Cates did record three shots on goal. He also went 5-for-8 in the faceoff circle as he centered Oskar Lindblom and Nicolas Aube-Kubel on Philadelphia’s fourth line.
Now a grizzled veteran with five NHL games under his belt, Wade Allison continues to play an energetic game. His only point was a goal against Washington a week ago, but he has earned Vigneault’s trust. On Friday, he started on the Flyers’ second line, with Farabee and Hayes.
In Lehigh Valley, the club has more tantalizing young talent stashed away. Tyson Foerster and Zayde Wisdom will now play out the year in the AHL, after the Ontario Hockey League officially cancelled its season earlier in the week. And fresh college signing Cam York is looking for his first pro point, playing in his third game with the Phantoms on Saturday night.
Transfer rules limit the number of call-ups that an NHL team can make after the trade deadline. But if the past couple of weeks are any indication, Vigneault is going to use every opportunity that’s available to him to assess his prospects as the regular season winds down.
-
Ep 59: Stanley Cup Final Preview; Game 1 Thoughts
by Full Press Coverage on June 4, 2023 at 1:43 am
Jim and Chris give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Final between Vegas […]
-
Ep 58: Stanley Cup Finals Set, Changes In Toronto, And More
by Full Press Coverage on May 31, 2023 at 11:12 pm
Jim and Chris give their early thoughts of the Stanley Cup Finals between […]
-
2023 Stanley Cup Final Talk - Vegas Golden Knights with Willie G. Ramirez
by Full Press Coverage on June 5, 2023 at 12:39 am
Jim Biringer speaks with Willie G. Ramirez of ESPN Las Vegas, The Sporting […]
-
Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Final Talk With Bill Lindsay
by Full Press Coverage on June 3, 2023 at 2:34 am
Jim Biringer is back once again as he is joined by former NHLer, current […]
-
Ep 83: Stanley Cup Playoffs Are Here; Can Bruins Keep Up Pace?
by Full Press Coverage on April 17, 2023 at 4:06 pm
Ian and Chris are back to give their thoughts on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, […]
-
Ep 82: Bruins Set Wins Record, Pasta Hits 60, Playoffs Around The Corner
by Full Press Coverage on April 10, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Ian and Chris react to the Bruins 63rd win of the season, David Pastrnak's […]
-
The Hockey World Revolves Around Toronto
by Jim Biringer on May 23, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Jim is back for a fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey as he is […]
-
S4Ep28 - Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Final Preview
by Jim Biringer on May 16, 2023 at 7:28 pm
Jim is back for the fourth season of the Final Word on Hockey previewing […]
-
Panthers at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on June 3, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Golden Knights at Stars
by Broken Controller Media on May 29, 2023 at 4:20 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Stars at Golden Knights
by Broken Controller Media on May 27, 2023 at 4:05 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Golden Knights at Stars
by Broken Controller Media on May 25, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Stack the Pucks gives a breakdown of every NHL Game on the card. For more […]
-
Episode #141: Tend The Goal
by Full Press Coverage on May 25, 2023 at 2:24 pm
The 2023 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs have reached its final four teams, and […]
-
Episode #140: Stone Cold's 4th Line
by Full Press Coverage on May 23, 2023 at 1:41 pm
And then, there were four. The 2023 AHL Division Finals have concluded, […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 769
by Charlie Saunier on June 4, 2023 at 4:31 am
Ep 769 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Game 5 Preview Game 6 Milwaukee […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 768
by Charlie Saunier on June 2, 2023 at 9:19 am
Ep 768 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Game 4 Preview Game 5 Milwaukee […]
-
Full Press Kraken - Thursday, June 1st
by Full Press Coverage on June 1, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Kraken have offseason work to do, AHL Playoff update. Learn more about […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Thursday, June 1st
by Full Press Coverage on June 1, 2023 at 12:15 pm
What could the Blackhawks do to trade up in the 2023 NHL Draft? Who on the […]
-
Full Press Blackhawks - Tuesday, May 30th
by Full Press Coverage on May 30, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Does picking Connor Bedard speed up the Blackhawks’ rebuild and few […]
-
Renegades Of Puck Ep 767
by Charlie Saunier on May 30, 2023 at 4:01 am
Ep 767 The Renegades Of Puck Recap Game 3 Preview Game 4 Milwaukee […]
-
6/2 - Nuggets Take Game 1, Barry Bonds, Stanley Cup Chat w/ Jim Biringer
by Full Press Coverage on June 2, 2023 at 2:03 pm
Ian and John discuss the Nuggets Game 1 win over the Heat, the upcoming […]
-
6/1 - NBA Finals Preview, Aaron Rodgers, and More
by Full Press Coverage on June 1, 2023 at 1:53 pm
Ian and John discuss Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Nuggets and Heat […]
-
5/30 - Heat Dominate Celtics; Vegas Advances; Jimmy G
by Full Press Coverage on May 30, 2023 at 3:35 pm
Ian and John discuss the Celtics disappointing Game 7 performance against […]
-
5/29 - Celtics/Heat Game 7; DeAndre Hopkins Released
by Full Press Coverage on May 30, 2023 at 12:12 am
Ian and John discuss Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat as well as the […]