And, yes, Claude Giroux and Zac MacEwan both scored against the Flyers.
The Flyers played their second game of a back-to-back weekend, taking on the Ottawa Senators at home. They were hoping to shake off the massive disappointment of a 7-4 loss against the Colorado Avalanche, but only rubbed salt in the wound as they fell 5-3 to the Senators. There's a lot to process and a lot to learn from what can only be described as a really, really weird game.
Joel Farabee Is a Chef Now?
From how much he was cooking today, you could be forgiven for thinking that Joel Farabee made a career switch, but he just played some really good hockey. With a goal and two assists, Farabee was clearly on a mission to prove any doubters wrong about how much he deserves to be in this lineup.
This Farabee - Frost - Atkinson line has been a joy to watch, but Farabee has also proven that he looks great on a line with Couturier and Konecny. The important takeaway is that Farabee can play extremely well wherever John Tortorella puts him, and is the kind of player that makes the guys around him play better too. He's had his detractors, but it's getting harder and harder to deny how much Farabee contributes to the Flyers' offense.
The Flyers Can Score Power Play Goals!
The Flyers have been notorious this season for having quite literally the worst power play in the entire NHL, but netted two power play goals this afternoon. The noticeable improvement of the power play in January is one of the most positive turnarounds this team has made—utilizing the likes of Egor Zamula, Morgan Frost, and the addition of Jamie Drysdale have things looking up when the Flyers have the man advantage.
Ersson Continues to Make His Case to Be No. 1 Goalie
It's hard to argue against Sam Ersson being the first choice for the Flyers when he's officially in Calder Trophy contention alongside names like Connor Bedard, Luke Hughes, and Marco Rossi. He put in another great performance, and has proven yet again that while Carter Hart is not a bad goalie, Ersson is simply the better choice right now.
The message was clear when Tortorella pulled Hart in the third period against the Avalanche and didn't follow his usual formula of giving Hart back-to-back starts before alternating to Ersson. It's becoming a very real possibility that Hart could be stuck opening and closing that bench door more often than he would like in the near future.
The Flyers' next outing will be against John Tortorella's former team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Jan. 23 at 7:00 pm EST.