This marks five straight losses against Metropolitan Division teams.

Things were going well for the Philadelphia Flyers—until they weren't. 

They jumped out to a 2-0 in the first period, thanks to goals from Bobby Brink and Owen Tippett—both assisted by Morgan Frost, propelling him to the 100 point mark of his career—but were quickly overrun in the second period, and couldn't find their way back after that. The collapse was concerning, to say the least, and seriously dented the Flyers' playoff hopes as the Metro race squeezes even tighter around them.

Now You're Gonna Get It, Bobby

Brink looked on track to have a second statement game since being recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He scored on his first shift within the 2:30 minute mark in back-to-back games, and continued looking good on his line with Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. However, he failed to get back in time to help Sam Ersson out when the Flyers' goalie got caught out and left a sizable piece of the net exposed for the Capitals to score on. It was a costly defensive mistake, and head coach John Tortorella made sure that Brink knew it.

Brink was benched for the entirety of the third period (along with fellow Phantoms call-up Olle Lycksell), a move that Tortorella had no hesitations about making.

"Not after that stupidity," he said post-game. "[Brink] and Lycks weren't seeing the ice again."

It was disappointing to see Brink punished so harshly when he wasn't the biggest contributor to the Flyers' loss. He messed up, yes, but it feels a bit unfair to see him sit out the third period when other forwards like Joel Farabee and Sean Couturier stay on the ice when they haven't produced much offense in the Flyers' last month or so of games. It will be interesting to see what happens to Brink's lineup spot against the Ottawa Senators on Mar. 2. 

Center of Attention

In more positive player news, Morgan Frost had a solid individual game, recording two assists and reaching the 100 point milestone of his career. Beyond that, however, he's completely revolutionized his game and propelled to being an indisposable figure on the Flyers' offense. 

Despite being the youngest of the group, he's performing better than any other Flyers center. 

He's also managed to be a bright spot on the Flyers' infamous power play.

Once in Tortorella's doghouse himself, Frost has completely seized control of his playing and his future with the Flyers, and has emerged as a player this team can't afford to lose.

The Walls Are Closing In

The Flyers are still hanging onto third place in the Metro with 69 points, but their competition isn't far behind. The Capitals (4th place) now have 65 points with two games in hand, while the New York Islanders (5th place, two games in hand) and New Jersey Devils (6th place, one game in hand) are tied at 64 points. Even the Pittsburgh Penguins have a flicker of hope still, even though they sit second-to-last, with 62 points. 

This loss is the third one in a week for the Flyers against Metro opponents. In March, 12 of their 15 scheduled games (the most in any single month for them this season) will be against Eastern Conference teams. The playoff chances are by no means completely out the window yet, but that spot is theirs to lose. If a loss like this isn't a hard enough slap in the face for the Flyers to hunker down and play better, they don't deserve to be in the playoffs. 

The Flyers' next game is back on home ice against the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. EST. 

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