
PHILADELPHIA – One goal in the first two home games of the season?
Not exactly a proven formula for success.
That was evident once again on Tuesday night when the Flyers fell to the Washington Capitals, 4-1, at the Wells Fargo Center.
The scoring slump is a bit mystifying but the Flyers insist things are going to change.
When that happens is anybody’s guess but it might behoove the Flyers to get something going offensively soon because they play the same Capitals down in Washington on Wednesday night.
The setback dropped the Flyers, who delivered only 18 shots on goal in this game, farther into the Metropolitan Division basement.
The Flyers fell to 1-4-1 and, pending the outcome of the Nashville-Boston and San Jose-Anaheim games, only the Predators and the Sharks potentially had fewer than Philadelphia’s three points.
Goaltender Samuel Ersson, defenseman Travis Sanheim and coach John Tortorella all insisted the Flyers are going to get their scoring going in the near future.
“I mean anyone who is watching the games, we have chances,” Ersson said. “It’s a question of the puck just not going in the net. We have do things even better for it to go our way.
“But you cannot be too negative. You have to see it for what it is.”
Sanheim believes this team has more offensive potential than it’s shown so far. The Flyers have only 14 goals in six games, tied for next-to-last in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s just been our luck right now,” Sanheim said. “We seem to be holding the sticks a little too tight. If we can get a break here or there, a bounce here or there, it seems like maybe things would open up a bit. Play kind of a little looser. Than you might start to see more offense.
“It (puck luck) is going to come. It’s early in the season. I’m not too worried about it. There’s a lot of guys that are goal-scorers. We’re going to get going here. I’m not worried at all.”
Tortorella is of a mind that his team needs to continue to play within its structure. Eventually things will even out and the pucks will start to go in.
“I think that the thing that’s key is there is a frustration level (and) they want to play well,” he said. “They want to score goals. You can’t let the frustration turn into cheating, can’t forget about your structure.
“It (the pressure) is kind of doubled up because it’s the start of the year and we’re in this jam. So there’s even more pressure. We just have to play the way we’re supposed to. Hopefully we get some good things to happen and we can gain our confidence little by little.”
Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren was credited with the victory.
Not often is a game decided in the first period but in hindsight this one probably was.
It was not a stellar opening frame for the Flyers as the Capitals scored not once, but twice shorthanded. The two goals came against the Flyers’ second power-play unit.
On both occasions, the Flyers had the same five playerst on the ice: Egor Zamula, Bobby Brink, Sean Couturier, Scott Laughton and Joel Farabee.
“Our second unit on the power play hurt us,” Tortorella confirmed. “They (the Caps) score on two breakaways, we don’t. I don’t think we played badly in the first couple periods. The chances were basically even. We just don’t finish.”
The first shorthanded goal saw Nic Dowd dash in on a breakaway with no Flyer in sight. Dowd’s backhand shot eluded Ersson at 3:49.
It was more of the same later in the period. This time Andrew Mangiapane got behind Zamula, raced in and beat Ersson from short range at 15:07. Connor McMichael provided the outlet pass.
A goal by Sanheim just 34 seconds into the third period finally gave Flyers fans something to cheer about. Sanheim fired a rocket over Lindgren’s right glove from the left circle for his first goal of the season.
But just 64 seconds later the Capitals struck again. Dylan Strome redirected a pass into the net to restore the two-goal margin.
With 5:53 to play, the Caps made it 4-1. Jakob Chychrun scored from the top of the slot.
>Short shots
Nick Deslauriers, playing his first game of the season, didn’t need long to get into his first fight. This one came against defenseman Dylan McIlrath in a first period scrap. Both players landed some substantial punches but Deslauriers came away with a bloody cheek for his efforts. . .Noah Cates, playing in just his second game of the season, centered a line with Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway on the wings. . .It was Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov’s first chance to play against his boyhood hero, Alex Ovechkin. Michkov, who had an assist on the Sanheim goal, played on a line with Couturier and Owen Tippett. . .Chychrun and Sanheim exchanged unpleasantries in the second period. . .The Flyers’ minus-11 is the worst in the Eastern Conference.