3 Takeaways From Flyers’ Failed Comeback Against Wild

Some may not like that the Orange and the Black are wearing a jersey with a gray base (albeit a pretty dark one). The alternate Liberty Bell logo that first teased the design could probably be more incorporated than a relatively invisible helmet sticker, although there are reasons for that. It doesn’t dethrone the 2012 Winter Classic kits for the team’s top alternate jersey, but it’s a solid effort.

Snowball Effect

A huge part of the Flyers’ dismal performance this season has been their inability to limit damage. Just look at their last three home games for evidence. On Oct. 24, they yielded a fluky goal to the Anaheim Ducks while leading 2-0 in the second period. They quickly allowed an equalizer, and after getting an equally lucky goal to regain the lead, surrendered three straight, including the game-winner.

Two games later, the Columbus Blue Jackets blitzed them for three goals in 2:46 during the first period. The Flyers had to work until the final 10 seconds of regulation to erase the deficit. Even in their win over the Utah Mammoth on Sunday, two established players, Sean Couturier and Noah Cates, took late third-period penalties that Utah capitalized on to turn a 5-1 blowout into a somewhat tense finish.

The Flyers got off to a fairly strong start. Zegras had an excellent chance on his opening shift, and the team showed energy in the offensive zone, even though they struggled to find the net. Allowing a goal to the lethal Matt Boldy at 4:06 wasn’t ideal, but not the end of the world.

In fairness to the Flyers, Michael McCarron’s goal 31 seconds later was largely the result of a bad bounce off Porter Martone’s skate into the middle of the ice. But given how well the Flyers must play the rest of the season to overcome their awful start, it’s hard to give them the benefit of the doubt, even when they probably deserve it.

Barkey on the Board

Many of the Flyers’ centers took a while to get on the board this season. Couturier didn’t score in his first 15 games. It took Cates 13, Trevor Zegras seven, and Christian Dvorak six to get on the board.

But one was still missing entering Tuesday, even though he’d received the team’s sixth-most power-play minutes entering the night. Denver Barkey‘s goal slump has gone a bit under the radar so far this season. It’s his first full NHL season, but he doesn’t have the same upside as Porter Martone or Matvei Michkov. He’s getting assists at a higher rate than last season. Plus, his underlying numbers are strong, with the team’s best expected goal share (55.14%), per Natural Stat Trick.

However, he needed to light the lamp sooner or later. Ok, mostly sooner. Of course, there’s no time like the present, and less than two minutes into the third, when he ripped a shot from the bumper past Jesper Wallstedt to trim the Wild lead to one, burying a nice feed from Martone.

It’s worth remembering that Barkey is not only 21 years old, but also not a natural center. He played the position sparingly last season, first in game 82, then in an emergency test drive after Cates broke his foot in the second round of the playoffs. He’s shown some positive signs despite the long-standing goose egg. Maybe a tangible payoff will help him move forward.

What’s Next

It’s the Flyers’ second multi-game trip of the season, and at five games, it’s tied for their longest with their annual holiday trip. They don’t have far to go in their first game, visiting the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden, but then it’s a voyage to Western Canada for three games before swinging back around to finish against the Blue Jackets.

Following a brief two-game homestand, they go back on the road for three more games. If the Flyers aren’t on a run by the time they return home on Nov. 27, it becomes very difficult to see them hanging in the playoff race. After all, it will already be Thanksgiving.