Wrap: Blow Out Loss in DC
Seven times in 42 games played during the 2020-21 -- or the equivalent of one game past the midway point of a normal regular season -- the Philadelphia Flyers have lost by a margin of five or more goals. Last night, the Flyers received a 6-1 beatdown from the Washington Capitals. The score was 4-1 by the end of the first period.
The Flyers were subpar -- in fact, downright non-competitive for long stretches -- in just about every facet of the game. In the first period, they allowed the Capitals free reign in the offensive zone: heaping portions of time and space to make plays while defenders puck-watched. To make matters worse, starting goalie Brian Elliott struggled with his reads, angles and movement throughout the disastrous opening stanza and was left to fend for himself all the while.
After their Keystone Kops like first period, the Flyers became the Washington Generals to the Capitals' Harlem Globetrotter for the next 30 minutes of action. In the second period, the Flyers produced a meager six shots on Ilya Samsonov, generating little more than one-and-done forays and allowing way-too-easy breakouts and clears. The Caps scored a goal apiece in the second and third periods -- once off the rush and the other on the power play -- more but were mostly happy to play keep-away with their passing game.
The Flyers long-suffering penalty kill, which had actually looked a lot better over the last week, crashed and burned again in going 0-for-3 as the Capitals moved the puck at will. A needless penalty by Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who has taken far too many of them this season, that led to a Nicklas Bäckström power play goal was particularly costly. It was at that point, with the score 3-1 in the Caps' favor, that the game went straight downhill from "rough start" territory to "disaster area."
Only very late in the game, with the outcome long decided, did the Flyers generate any semblance of sustained pressure. Even then, they made no dent in the final margin of defeat. Overall, the Flyers went down far too meekly and listlessly for a professional hockey team. The final score wasn't as astounding, perhaps, as the 9-0 or 8-3 losses to the New York Rangers or the context of suffering not just one, but two, 6-1 losses this season to a goal-starved Buffalo Sabres club but this performance was every bit as poor.
Somewhat surprisingly, Alain Vigneault left Brian Elliott in net for the duration of the game rather than replacing him with Carter Hart for the final 40 minutes. As poorly as the team played in front of Elliott and left their goaltender as a veritable tin can in a shooting gallery, Elliott was having his own problems in net. During the first period in particular, he lost his positioning a couple times, desperately whirling and twirling. Overall, he seemed to be laboring to move post-to-post. At least he fought for pucks unlike the team in front of him.
It is unlikely that a goaltending change after the first period would have resulted in any sort of a spark for the team. Vigneault was asked after the game if he let Elliott take one for the team so as to spare Hart from taking a beating, too.
"It was more about our guys playing better in front of Brian. I mean, Brian is an experience player and he's always giving us his best effort. We had to find pride in our game to stop the onslaught that was going on, and get better. We did get a little bit better. They had close to 20 shots (18 for Washington to 8 for the Flyers). We got a little bit better after that but obviously far from being good enough," Vigneault said.
For more on the game, see the
Postgame 5 on the Flyers official website.
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Quick Hits: April 14, 2021
1) On Tuesday, the Flyers signed free agent center Jackson Cates to an entry level contract as the 23-year-old Stillwater, Minnesota native elected to turn pro after three seasons at Minnesota Duluth. Previously, Cates attended the Flyers' 2019 Development Camp in Voorhees.
This past season, Minnesota Duluth reached the Frozen Four but was denied in its bid for a national championship three-peat (there was no Frozen Four tourney last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic) in a semifinal overtime loss. Cates posted 11 goals and 27 points this season as a junior.
The entry-level contract, a two-season contract under CBA rules due to his age, begins immediately and carries a $925,000 cap hit on the NHL side of the two-way terms (all entry-level deals are two-ways).
"Jackson is a player that our staff has followed closely throughout his college career," Flahr said in a statement. "He's a tenacious two-way center that has steadily improved his overall game each season. He's been an integral part of a very successful college program at UMD and we're excited to see him take his game to the next level."
Jackson's younger brother and frequent UMD linemate is 22-year-old Noah Cates. Drafted by the Flyers out of Stillwater High School and the USHL's Omaha Lancers in the fifth round of the 2017 NHL Draft (137th overall), Noah is considered to be a solid two-way forward who can play wing or center. His offensive stats as a junior this season were down a bit from last season but his overall game remained steady.
At the end of March, when Brian Smith and I interviewed Flyers vice president and assistant general manager Brent Flahr on the
Prospect Pipeline podcast on the Flyers Broadcast Network, Flahr praised the younger Cates brother's game-in and game-out consistency.
The Flyers have had discussions with Noah Cates and his agent on potentially turning pro this spring, too. He is currently weighing the decision on whether to forego his senior season to turn pro now or aim for a second NCAA championship as a senior. The organization has told him not to rush to a decision. Last year, both Tanner Laczynski and Wade Allison turned pro after completing their respective senior seasons in college hockey. However, many feel that Noah is ready for the pros and has the upside of a versatile bottom-six NHL forward.
2) On Sunday, April 25, the Flyers Warriors team will play the Camden County Warriors at the Skate Zone in Pennsauken in a fundraising game for the Flyers Alumni Association's
Every Child Deserves a Bike initiative: a program that builds and presents adaptive bicycles to special needs children in the Delaware Valley. If you cannot attend the game, please consider
making a donation in any amount.
Support from Flyers fans and corporate sponsors will be vital to the success of the Every Child Deserves a Bike's program goal of building and donating one adaptive bike per month to a special needs child in the community. Each bike costs roughly $5,000 to build and customize to the recipient.
3) If you have not done so, make sure to check out three Flyers-related podcasts hosted by Flyers Alumni or their family members. All are worth the listen:
* On the next edition of the Parent/Favell Generation X Podcast, hosts Kim Parent (Bernie's daughter) and Corey Favell (Doug's son) will be speaking to Ray Shero about what it was like to grow up as the son of the legendary, yet mysterious to many, Fred "the Fog" Shero. In the most recent edition, Flyers wives from the Broad Street Bullies era share their versions of what it was like from their points of view -- the many challenges, the good times, and the bonds they formed with each other and among their kids. To check out the podcast,
click here.
* Zak Kindrachuk (aka Zak Burns) is a professional broadcaster and a polished interviewer who puts guests at ease and can draw very honest insights as well as some good stories from them. In the current edition of the "My Father [Orest] Used to Play Hockey" podcast, Zak speaks to Flyers public address announcer Lou Nolan about his 54 years as an original employee of the team who has worked for the Flyers in different capacities for its entire history. Of course, Lou is best known as the PA announcer at the Spectrum and, later, the Wells Fargo Center. Other recent episodes include chats with Keith Jones and Dave "the Hammer" Schultz. To download an episode of your choosing,
click here.
* The most colorful of the Alumni-driven podcasts is the "Nasty Knuckles" show, co-hosted by longtime Flyers equipment manager Derek Settlemyre and Alum player/coach Riley Cote. Their show is the most likely to feature current Flyers or Alumni who played for the Flyers in the 2000s and 2010s. The current edition features Detroit Red Wings forward Bobby Ryan (who discusses, among other topics, his sobriety, his lifelong close relationship with Bob Clarke, and his current injury rehab). Other recent episodes had guests such as Jakub Voracek, Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Kimmo Timonen, Chris Pronger, Chris Therien, Neil Little, Zac Rinaldo, Arron Asham, Todd "Fridge" Fedoruk and Josh Gratton. To download an episode,
click here.
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