Two goals in three games.
Not hard to figure out why the Flyers dropped all three of their matchups this week, huh?
The worst offensive team in the NHL lived up to that billing, particularly in shutout losses to San Jose and Ottawa, and has now gone over 133 minutes without a tally.
In fact, the Flyers’ 34 goals through 20 games are a new franchise low for this point in the season. The team’s previous low came in 1968-69, when the Flyers recorded 39 markers through 20 contests. That was their second season as an NHL franchise.
Yeah, it’s that bad. There was, however, still plenty to take away from this week’s action. Let’s get to it!
• If Evgeny Medvedev is 100 percent healthy, which the Flyers say he is, what possible reason could Dave Hakstol have for keeping the veteran Russian out of the lineup? This week alone, we saw Brandon Manning quarterback the second power-play unit and Radko Gudas receive minutes in three-on-three overtime. Somehow, miraculously, that didn’t come back to bite the Flyers but it will eventually. When Manning and Gudas are considered your third and fourth best options in terms of skating ability and accuracy from point, it shows you exactly how much trouble your team is in when it comes to depth on the back end. Those are the exact type of scenarios Medvedev should be playing in. Isn’t that why Ron Hextall took out his checkbook to pluck Medvedev away from the KHL and sign him to a $3 million contract? The team wanted an extra puck-moving defenseman. They have one in Medvedev. What good is he sitting in the press box? With Mark Streit out, Shayne Gostisbehere, Michael Del Zotto and Medvedev give the Flyers three solid skilled blueliners. Split them up and pair them off with a combination of Luke Schenn, Nick Schultz, Gudas and Manning and the team has something — not much, but something — to build on. But you won’t be able to convince me that any of the four aforementioned players are an upgrade over Medvedev, regardless of who they’re skating with or how they’re used.
• There’s a lot to like about Gostisbehere’s game. He’s not without his flaws (more on that later), but we’ve already witnessed the positives that can come from having an offensive-minded difference-maker like Gostisbehere on the roster. The 22-year-old sprung Michael Raffl with a beautiful pass through the center of the ice against San Jose that led to a breakaway attempt on Sharks netminder Martin Jones. Raffl was unable to convert but the vision and shiftiness that Gostisbehere showed — all in one stride — was uncanny. He has no fear with the puck on his stick. He makes aggressive maneuvers in the defensive zone and at the point that most young defensemen would never dream about attempting. And he’s confident while doing it. Will that eventually lead to turnovers? Of course. It’s inevitable. But it seems like Gostisbehere already has a pretty strong feel for the NHL level and the rewards are certainly outweighing the miscues thus far.
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• OK, we covered the good. Now let’s take a look at where Gostisbehere needs to improve. On the Senators’ third goal in Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing of the Flyers, Gostisbehere made an ill-advised pinch at the blue line and failed to retrieve the puck. Zack Smith and Milan Michalek took it the other way on a two-on-one rush, which Gudas played extremely poorly, and the puck wound up past Steve Mason, albeit on a somewhat weak offering from Michalek. Gostisbehere got caught. It happens to every defenseman now and again but he needs to pick his spots better. In a 2-0 game still within reach, it'd be safer to hang back. I don’t have a problem with him stepping up there, but if he does, he needs to be 100 percent sure he can make that play. Gostisbehere showed he’s more than capable of playing high-percentage defensive hockey, too. Against Los Angeles on Tuesday, he made an excellent read on Dustin Brown, stepped up in the neutral zone and forced the Kings’ captain to simply dump the puck in the corner and concede possession. More of that, please.
• I’m not one to bash officiating but the Wayne Simmonds tripping call in the third period Thursday was just awful. First off, Simmonds’ stick never touched Matt Nieto’s skates. The replay clearly proved that. He may have gotten a good whack on Nieto’s twig but it wasn’t enough to warrant a penalty. Simmonds won a puck battle and Nieto fell. That’s hockey sometimes. Secondly, the timing was horrendous. The score was tied at 0-0 and there was less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. It’s not like the game was being tightly called, either. In that circumstance, the refs need to keep their whistles in their pockets. A call like that could have completely changed the complexion of the game, especially with three-on-three overtime looming. It felt like the refs were simply trying to inject themselves into a close game. That’s something you never want to see. Let the men playing the game on the ice determine the outcome.
• In a week where offense was at a premium, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare stood out to me. The 30-year-old was relentless on the forecheck and created quite a few quality scoring opportunities for himself. What really impressed me, however, was Bellemare’s ability to separate himself from defenders. His hard work paid off in two instances, too. He drew a holding penalty against Los Angeles and then a hooking infraction vs. Ottawa. The Flyers went up a man twice simply because Bellemare was outworking the opposition and they got lazy trying to cover him. What more can you ask for from a fourth-line center whose job is to create havoc and bring energy?
• Scott Laughton played just 23 seconds before being injured Saturday. Laughton was applying pressure in the offensive zone when he went for a loose puck and was driven head first — from behind — into the boards by Ottawa’s Alex Chiasson. That’s a play where Chiasson needs to restrain himself from making contact on Laughton, who was in a vulnerable position. It was a dangerous check and the refs somehow let it go. Now Laughton, who has a history of concussions, is hurt because of a reckless decision made by an opposing player who showed no regard for his safety. That’s really unfortunate and the Flyers can only hope Laughton won’t be sidelined for long. This team is already riddled with injuries.
• Gostisbehere would not have recorded his first NHL goal if it weren’t for Sean Couturier’s brilliant effort on Kings stud defenseman Drew Doughty early in Tuesday’s game at the Wells Fargo Center. Couturier was a thorn in Doughty’s side for an entire shift and eventually drew a tripping penalty after shielding the puck and driving toward the front of the net. That’s not an easy thing to do against Doughty, one of the NHL’s top defensemen. On the ensuing power play, Gostisbehere ripped a laser from the point past Jonathan Quick that was assisted by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. It was Couturier who truly deserved the helper, though.
• Where has Sam Gagner gone? After picking up four points in his first five games with the Flyers, the 26-year-old has been virtually invisible on the ice. That’s not a good thing when you’re greatest attribute is providing offense. Granted, Gagner hasn’t received a whole lot of ice time and has been relegated to a third-line role. But he’s still not making the most of his minutes. He’s gone nine games without a point and could be the most likely candidate to be benched once the Flyers are fully healthy. Don’t forget, Petr Straka and a few other prospects are performing well for the Phantoms. Straka leads the AHL with 11 goals and could be with the big club sooner rather than later. So Gagner needs to elevate his game ASAP if he wants to continue to play every night.
• Gudas is probably going to want to burn to the film from Saturday’s loss to Ottawa. Late in the first period, the rugged defenseman iced the puck with less than a minute remaining, presumably thinking the Flyers were still on the penalty kill. They weren’t. Then on the ensuing faceoff, he was caught in no man’s land and allowed Mika Zibanejad to sneak behind him and get excellent position in front of Mason. What happened? Cody Ceci fired a shot from the point through traffic, with Gudas standing directly in front of Mason and inadvertently providing a screen, and Zibanejad was able to step in front of it and deflect the offering for the Senators’ first goal of the night. Gudas had absolutely no clue his man was behind him. As a defenseman, he has to be more aware of what’s going on around him. Can’t leave guys unmarked like that. Brutal.
• Poor Mason. The 27-year-old was superb against L.A. and San Jose, turning aside 58 of the 61 shots fired his way in those two games. How was he repaid? With shootout and overtime losses, of course! It was a shame because Mason was really finding a groove headed into Saturday’s tilt in Ottawa. He received no support, yet again, and was on the hook for four goals on 31 shots in the loss to the Sens. The Flyers failing to produce for Mason is nothing new, though. The team is now just 18-10-7 when Mason has allowed two goals or less and completed the game from start to finish over the past two seasons. Call it the Cole Hamels effect.