3 Takeaways From Flyers' 5-2 Loss vs. Oilers

Some thoughts from the Flyers' brutal 5-2 loss on the final game of their latest road trip.

Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports - 3 Takeaways From Flyers' 5-2 Loss vs. Oilers

The starting goalies (Carter Hart and Stuart Skinner) might have been childhood pals, but the Philadelphia Flyers' 5-2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers was anything but friendly. A five-point night from Connor McDavid (including his 900th point) put the nail(s) in the coffin for the Flyers as the orange and black pack their bags and head back to Philadelphia. What points can they consider on their flight home?

Thank Goodness For Carter Hart

Hart was putting on a show for his hometown tonight, making a number of important saves to keep the Flyers in the game. The Oilers were firing on all cylinders, while the Flyers were more reserved on offense. Without Hart's heroics, the Flyers probably would've lost by a lot more.

While it’s great to see Hart putting on such an excellent performance, it does raise concerns on how much the Flyers have been relying on their goaltending to bail them out in recent games. Both Hart and Samuel Ersson have been essential to keeping their team in games while the offense procrastinates finding goals.

Moving Joel Farabee To the First Line Was the Right Move

It was becoming evident that the first line of Owen Tippett, Sean Couturier, and Travis Konecny wasn’t producing at the rate they should’ve been. Head coach John Tortorella seemingly recognized this, and replaced Tippett with Joel Farabee, who had been putting in great shift after great shift on the Flyers’ third line. A goal and an assist for Konecny and two assists for Farabee are all the proof Tortorella needs to keep this line going forward.

While it will bolster the Flyers' offense, it will also boost Farabee's confidence on the ice. He's already viewed as one of the most outgoing locker room personalities, and despite being only 23 years old himself, has been named as someone to look up to by newer players like Tyson Foerster. Playing a more influential role on the ice will do wonders for the New York native.

The Offense Needs to Be More Consistent Across All Three Periods

It's the same old story as fans have been seeing with the Flyers lately. The Flyers go down, then they pull back and look to be in the game, and then they drop off again. Yes, it's been an exhausting road trip. Yes, the Flyers were still able to keep up energy-wise even if they didn't get the win. However, sparking a fire and then immediately dumping water on it isn't going to cut it if the Flyers want to maintain their standing in the Metro and their hold on a playoff position.