At least we got to see Joel Farabee attempt a Michigan goal in front of John Tortorella.
The Flyers are all about balance—they followed up a thrilling five-game win streak with an equally disappointing five-game losing streak. Their most recent loss, a heartbreaker against the Boston Bruins, might have been tough to experience, but it did show what needs to be addressed over the All-Star Break.
A Break is Exactly What the Flyers Need Right Now
The Flyers have had the most frenzied month of any team in the league—from the head-spinning Cutter Gauthier-Jamie Drysdale trade to Owen Tippett's lower body injury to Carter Hart's potential involvement in the latest Hockey Canada scandal, you can't blame the Flyers for being exhausted. They've still put in some great performances, even in losses, but—whether you like it or not—outside noise has an effect on the locker room, and that can seep into on-ice performances. For a team as close as the Flyers, it would be naive to think that having all of these events hit one right after the other wouldn't take some kind of toll.
Of course athletes have to know how to work through intense adversity, but the mental side of the game is just as important as the physical side. A break to relax, reset, and re-energize could really do wonders for the Flyers.
The Goalie Struggles Rear Their Ugly Head
It was nice having two solid goalie options while it lasted, but with Carter Hart's indefinite leave of absence and increasingly uncertain future with the Flyers and Sam Ersson being thrown into the No. 1 spot, the Flyers are once again facing troubles in the goaltending department. However, the Flyers' full support is behind Ersson, despite him getting pulled after the first period. During post-game media, Tortorella made a point to say, "Don't put [the loss] on Sam." The players also praised Ersson for the way he's been able to step up on such short notice.
Tyson Foerster is Getting His Swagger Back
A 6-2 loss is obviously not the result the Flyers wanted this afternoon, but a bright spot in that score is the fact that both goals were scored by Tyson Foerster. Foerster had his struggles on offense in the past month or so, but in January, he's been making incredible strides to show that he's getting his fire back.
Even more impressive for the 22-year-old is his response to netting two goals against a very defensively solid Bruins team. When asked about his goals, he maturely stated, "I'd give away those goals for a win anytime."
The Flyers (with the exception of All-Star Travis Konecny) will get a week off before returning to the ice away to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 6 at 7 pm EST.