Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Let’s go deep on Flyers’ 10-game losing streak

Boston Bruins v Philadelphia Flyers

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 02: Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates off the ice as the Boston Bruins celebrate the win on December 02, 2017 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.The Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Getty Images

When fans are booing you out of the building and management is straining to defend you, things can start to get out of hand.

The Philadelphia Flyers will either end their current 10-game losing streak or see it go to 11 games on Monday as they take on the Flames in Calgary. PHT will monitor that contest, but in the meantime, it might be entertaining, informative, and yes, a bit frustrating to see how the wheels came off.

Will there be some themes to this 10-game skid? Yes, it seems there will be.

Games 1 and 2: Shutout losses to the Wild (1-0 at home on Nov. 11; 3-0 in Minnesota on Nov. 14)

For Wild fans, Devan Dubnyk’s shutout streak probably feels pretty distant right now. Still, his hot run really cooled off the Flyers, as Dubnyk stopped 32 and 30 shots for those goose eggs.

[More on Dubnyk’s hot streak here.]

Game 3: 3-2 shootout loss to the Jets.

One theme, at least early on, of this losing streak is blown leads. In the case of this contest against Winnipeg, the trio of Sean Couturier, Jakub Voracek, and Claude Giroux helped the Flyers build a 2-0 lead through the first period, with that second tally coming about five minutes into the opening frame.

The Jets’ second goal really had to sting, as Mark Scheifele sent the contest into overtime with less than a minute remaining in regulation.

Game 4: Flames 5, Flyers 4 (OT).

Another game where a substantial first-period lead eventually dissolved into a defeat.

In this case, Philly went up 1-0 and then 3-1 in the opening frame. Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, and the Flames turned the game on its head in the second period, which included Monahan’s first NHL hat trick:

Game 5: Canucks win 5-2.

The Flyers scored first in this one, but that lead only lasted for 1:12 before things quickly went off the rails. Brock Boeser scored twice and Daniel Sedin had a rare strong night during a fading season with two points.

Game 6 and 7: Two OT losses against the Islanders.

On Nov. 22, the Flyers saw leads go away, and then John Tavares ended the game with this outstanding combination of will and skill:

The second contest probably generated more unrest, as the Flyers squandered a 4-2 lead heading into the third period, ultimately seeing Nick Leddy’s OT goal extend the misery.

Game 8: The temperature rises another level with another squandered lead, and an OT loss to the hated Penguins.

While Pittsburgh generated a 1-0 lead through the first 20 minutes, the Flyers exploded for three goals to make it 3-1 entering the final frame. Even with things crumbling, they shook off the game being tied 3-3 to take one more advantage at 4-3, only to see Jake Guentzel send it to overtime with a late tally.

Then, to turn the knife in deeper, it was Sidney Crosby who scored the game-clincher:

And tweets like these started to surface.

Game 9: Boos and votes of confidence.

With a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks for their ninth in a row, things were getting pretty ugly in Philly.

[Ron Hextall gives Dave Hakstol the vote of confidence]

Game 10: After losing 3-1 to the Sharks, the Flyers dropped a 3-0 defeat to the Boston Bruins.
***

Basically, the Flyers have either been shut out/blown out of games or given up significant leads during this 10-game skid, generating five standings points in the process. Really, this slump could probably be traced back longer; Philly began 2017-18 with a 5-3-0 record, yet now they find themselves at 8-11-7. Yes, that means 15 losses in their last 18 contests.

Maybe Hextall is correct in believing that this team hasn’t played poorly as of late, but they also haven’t played particularly well. It might just be that this squad, as constructed - or with its current coach, or both - simply stands in hockey purgatory.

Monday presents another opportunity for the Flyers to end this streak, as they take on the Flames in Calgary to begin a three-game road trip. If they don’t get it together, we’ll once again learn that votes of confidence only mean so much.


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.