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Slumping Giroux knows ‘I need to play better’

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, but Sunday’s 4-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks was especially vexing.

It wasn’t just that the Flyers lost or that his personal pointless streak extended to a fifth game, his worst slump since 2013-14.

Giroux was also dominated in the faceoff circle, losing 14 of 16 draws, including 12 of 13 against Ryan Kesler (who apparently slashed Giroux during the contest).

Philly’s captain didn’t use that slash as an excuse for an unusually tough night, easily his worst in the faceoff dot this season. Instead, he put the blame squarely on himself, according to CSNPhilly.com.

He didn’t throw new linemates Brayden Schenn or Michael Raffl under the bus, either.

“Raffl and Schenn are playing great,” Giroux said. “I need to play better. I need to find a way to help them more.”

Give Giroux credit for saying the right things, but looking at his stats with Schenn vs. his numbers with Jakub Voracek, one wonders if he should really stick with Voracek and Raffl. In other words, perhaps he should complain, even if he does so privately.

Granted, it’s tough to complain too loudly when your team is the second-lowest scoring squad in the NHL, as is the case with the Flyers.