Flyers hope to break out of slump at Utah

Garnet Hathaway

Going all the way back to their entry into the NHL in 1967, the Flyers had never gone three straight games without scoring a goal.
Until Sunday.
A 2-0 loss at Colorado put the team in rarified air.
Seven times in their history they had suffered back-to-back shutout losses but always found a way to score a goal in the ensuing third game.
Not this time. And don’t think for a moment the Flyers aren’t aware of this historic drought.
No doubt a win, and a few goals, will be on their minds when they take on The Utah Hockey Club (formerly the Arizona Coyotes) on Tuesday night at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At Tuesday’s practice, coach John Tortorella gave the impression it’s only a matter of time until the offense breaks through. But he’s also concerned about getting a win, too.
The Flyers have had some rough stretches this season but this has become the big one.
“When you get shut out three times, there’s nothing similar to this,” Tortorella said. “We have to stay within ourselves, not get into a tizzy, try to get more pucks to the net and see where we go.”
Officially, the Flyers have gone 180 minutes, 15 seconds since their last goal on Monday, Jan. 26. But that was an empty-net goal at the end of a game (15 seconds remaining) against the Devils.
Unofficially, the Flyers haven’t put a puck past a goaltender since Garnet Hathaway’s goal early in the second period of that 4-2 win. So that streak is 217 minutes, 11 seconds.
Tortorella dismissed the notion the goal problem is getting into the players’ heads.
“No,” he said. “They just play. They’re trying. We had some chances (at Colorado). Had some odd-man rushes, a couple opportunities. Each shift they’re going out there and trying to do the best they can.”
The coach pointed out the Flyers were scoring better than three goals a game just a few weeks ago. Every team goes through slumps. Just not one quite like this.
“We just have to calm ourselves down, not talked into being panicked, play our game,” Tortorella said. “Find a way to score some goals.”
Hathaway looks at the situation from the perspective of a 33-year-old veteran.
“This is when we lean on each other,” he said. “The foundation of how we play. We’re a hard team to play against. I don’t think we’ve given up too much.
“No one in this league cares what teams are feeling like. No one around is thinking, ‘oh, let’s feel bad for them.’ In this game there are ups and downs. The journey in the season, when you find that slump, just find your groove a little bit more.”

>Status of new players still uncertain

As of Monday, the two players acquired from the Calgary Flames in last Thursday night’s trade had yet to clear U.S. customs.
Both Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier were unable to get to Monday’s practice. Their status for the Utah game is still up in the air.
“I’m not sure if the guys we traded for will be able to get here for the game,” Tortorella said. “Still working on that. There are a lot of moving pieces. Still a possibility.”
There is some good news: Forward Nick Deslauriers (on IR), who’s been out since November, has been cleared to play. Tortorella just isn’t sure if he will use him against Utah. Also, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who left the Colorado game early, is listed as a possibility for Tuesday night’s game.

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About Wayne Fish 2701 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.