The Philadelphia Flyers’ season is unraveling at breakneck speed after a 6-3 drubbing by the Penguins Thursday night pushed their losing streak to five games and ignited fears of a repeat of last spring’s late-season collapse.
At a Glance
- The Flyers have been outscored 25-9 during a winless 0-4-1 slide that began Jan. 4
- Goaltender Samuel Ersson surrendered 15 goals over his last three starts and owns a career-worst .855 save percentage
- Five consecutive playoff misses-the franchise’s longest drought-loom if the skid continues
- Why it matters: Philadelphia entered January in wild-card position but now risks another March free-fall that doomed its 2023-24 push
Rodrigo Abols, Nick Seeler and Matvei Michkov supplied the offense, yet the Flyers trailed 4-1 after 40 minutes for the third straight contest and were down 6-1 before a pair of late consolations. Head coach Rick Tocchet’s group (22-16-8) has mustered only nine goals during the spiral while giving up 25.
Goaltending Woes Deepen
Ersson stopped 11 of 14 shots before getting yanked in the second period, extending a brutal personal stretch that has seen him allow 15 goals on 88 shots since Jan. 7. Backup Aleksei Kolosov, recalled from Lehigh Valley after Dan Vladar exited Wednesday with an undisclosed injury, turned aside 13 of 16 attempts in relief. Vladar has not been placed on injured reserve, an indication his issue may be short-term.
Special-Teams Bleeding
Philadelphia’s penalty kill continued its nosedive, yielding two first-period power-play goals. Cam York’s hooking minor and Garnet Hathaway’s tripping call set the table for the Penguins, who have converted twice with the man advantage in three straight meetings. The Flyers have now faced a 1-0 deficit in 32 of 46 games this season.
Injury Updates
- Bobby Brink was retroactively placed on injured reserve, clearing a roster spot for Kolosov. The 24-year-old winger has sat five straight games with an upper-body ailment and can be activated once cleared
- Rasmus Ristolainen missed a second consecutive contest and remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury
Michkov Provides Lone Spark
The 20-year-old rookie ended a personal 11-game goal drought by batting in a Denver Barkey feed late in the third. Earlier, Michkov dropped the gloves for the first time in his North American career, defending Barkey after a heavy hit from Blake Lizotte and drawing a five-minute major.
Barkey later returned the favor, notching his second assist of the night on Michkov’s tally. The sequence offered a rare moment of push-back in an otherwise listless performance.
Playoff Race Reality Check
Thursday’s defeat leaves the Flyers 1-2-0 in the season series against Pittsburgh (22-14-10) with one matchup remaining March 7 at PPG Paints Arena. More pressing, Philadelphia has slid from comfortable wild-card footing to the fringe of the Eastern Conference pack. The franchise has not qualified for the postseason since 2019-20, matching a record five-year drought.
Up Next
The Flyers return home Saturday for a 1 p.m. faceoff with the New York Rangers, the first of four games in the next six days. Points are at a premium if Tocchet’s club hopes to avoid a sequel to last spring’s 1-9-1 collapse that torpedoed a promising playoff push.
Key Takeaways
- Goaltending carousel: Ersson’s confidence appears shattered, Kolosov is inexperienced and Vladar’s health is uncertain
- Special-teams disaster: The PK has allowed six power-play goals in the last three games
- Fragile psyche: Three straight contests seeing 4-1 second-intermission deficits hint at a fragile collective mindset
- Injury reinforcements: Brink and Ristolainen nearing returns could stabilize depth, but solutions in net must come quickly
Philadelphia still controls its postseason destiny, yet the clock is ticking on a response before the standings-and morale-turn irrevocably sour.
