The Philadelphia Flyers continue their road trip up in Montreal, where they will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak in a bid to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Philadelphia Flyers continue their road trip up in Montreal, where they will be looking to snap a seven-game losing streak in a bid to keep their playoff hopes alive.
While it's clear that exhaustion has set in after a marathon few months, captain Sean Couturier said that "it only takes one game" for the Flyers to get their energy back and start winning again. The Flyers' resiliency has kicked in at some opportune moments this season, and now is as crucial of a time as ever to make one last comeback.
Finishing Touches
Head coach John Tortorella has insisted that he believes that his team has been "playing the right way," but have been lacking finishing (although not for lack of effort). It's been frustrating to watch their numerous good offensive chances go just wide, or ping off the posts, or get snagged by an excellent save from a goalie having the game of his life against the Flyers.
It's not outlandish to think that once this team can fix their finishing, things can seriously start turning around. After all, when the Flyers can finish, magic happens.
Switching It Up
Tortorella also mentioned that another possible solution to the Flyers' current slump would be switching up some lines and defensive pairings to find something more effective and refresh the lineup, which could be a much-needed change after what seems like a Groundhog Day-style run of games.
At the tail end of the season, where having no postseason is becoming a little more realistic, it might not be the worst idea to throw new ideas at the wall and see what sticks. With a number of prospects signing their ELCs recently, now could be a great time to start evaluating which current players might not be fitting super well in the system, and where these new guys could potentially fit in.
Eyes On The Prize
The past is the past, and the goal hasn't changed: the Flyers will still be looking to take every point possible away from their remaining games. While their chances have slimmed, they haven't been eliminated from playoff contention, and if there's one thing the Flyers have established about their new identity this season, it's that they simply don't quit.
Even if they don't end up making the playoffs, the fans and the league at large have learned quite a bit about the Flyers this season. Keep in mind that they're still in a rebuild, despite them exceeding expectations the entire year. They're still establishing their identity, learning how to translate their enviable locker room chemistry into more consistent on-ice play, and putting together the team that will carry them to the sustained success that GM Danny Briere has preached as the ultimate goal of this rebuild.
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tyson Foerster - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink
Olle Lycksell - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Joel Farabee - Sean Couturier - Noah Cates
Defense:
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Marc Staal - Erik Johnson
Starting Goalie:
Sam Ersson
Canadiens Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Cole Caufield - Nick Suzuki - Juraj Slafkovsky
Brendan Gallagher - Alex Newhook - Joel Armia
Tanner Pearson - Jake Evans - Josh Anderson
Michael Pezzetta - Christian Dvorak - Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Defense:
Mike Matheson - David Savard
Jordan Harris - Jonathan Kovacevic
Jayden Struble - Justin Barron
Starting Goalie:
Samuel Montembeault
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