Flyers-Penguins 5 things: Exposing stretch continues?

Share

Flyers (31-29-8) vs. Penguins (43-16-9)
7:30 p.m. on NBCSN, CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App

With their postseason hopes on life support, the Flyers welcome the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.

Let's get you set with five things to know:

1. True Flyers
In many ways, the Flyers have been exposed over their three-game losing streak.

Looking at the schedule, this was an obvious make-or-break stretch -- four straight games against teams either headed for the playoffs or right in contention.

And the Flyers have shown they just aren't there yet.

They've lost three crucial games to the Maple Leafs, Bruins and Blue Jackets. Sure, maybe they're only a bounce or deflected puck away from different circumstances, but how many times can you roll out that excuse?

The Flyers' weaknesses and lack of winning plays are most evident in the standings.

2. Wild 'n out?
With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Flyers' chances for the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot have not looked bleaker than this moment.

Dave Hakstol's club is seven points behind the Islanders, the race's current leader at 77 points. The Flyers, with 70 points, also trail the Lightning (77), Maple Leafs (76) and Panthers (71), while the Hurricanes (68) are closing in.

To make matters worse, the Flyers have only one game left against the four teams ahead of them -- and that's vs. the Islanders on March 30. And, including Wednesday night, the Flyers still have two more meetings with the Penguins and Blue Jackets -- both of whom are in the top three of the NHL standings.

3. Power search
The Flyers can't go 1 for 8 on the power play and expect to beat good teams.

That's what happened in Monday's 5-3 loss to the Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are 2 for 26 on the man advantage in March, good for the third-worst percentage in the NHL at 7.7.

Expect some changes on the power play, involving Ivan Provorov and Jakub Voracek.

"Obviously, teams are adjusting and we have to do a better job of coming up with different plays," Brayden Schenn said Monday. "Maybe we're a little bit stationary now.
 
"We need more puck movement and player movement and maybe that will open up some lanes for guys to shoot the puck. It's something we have to look at. It's frustrating."

4. Keep an eye on ...
Flyers: Travis Konecny is coming off his best game in a Flyers uniform as he scored two goals Monday but was left accepting blame afterward. Let's see if he can harness his energy and channel it in a positive way for the Flyers.

Penguins: Evgeni Malkin is on a scary run right now with seven goals and three assists in his last six games. The 30-year-old center has killed the Flyers in his career, with 63 points (24 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games against the orange and black.

5. This and that
• Flyers goalie Steve Mason is 3-2-1 with a 1.97 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in his last six games.

• Penguins goalie Matt Murray is 2-0-0 with 75 saves on 79 shots faced in three career games against the Flyers.

• Pittsburgh has won five of the last six meetings with the Flyers.

• Flyers forward Jordan Weal is out and day to day with a lower-body injury.

• Penguins defenseman Mark Streit, who the Flyers traded on the March 1 deadline, is considered a game-time decision with a lower-body injury. Streit has a goal and three assists in six games with Pittsburgh.

• Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist (concussion) is expected to be out.

Contact Us