It’s been said many times over this season, but there’s really no other way to describe the Philadelphia Flyers’ week: it was very, very rough. Two losses in a week to extend the current losing streak to four is bad enough. But when those two losses come against division rivals, and the archenemy of Philadelphia fans himself hits an impressive milestone against the Flyers? Even worse.
This week, the team dropped both of its games. The first was an overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the second was a regulation loss to the Washington Capitals. Through these three games, some players facilitated the team’s success. However, others did not perform quite so impressively. Each week, we’ll take a look at Philadelphia Flyers players who are on a hot or cold streak. This week, we’ll examine Travis Konecny and Isaac Ratcliffe.
Be sure to check out last week’s streaks as well.
Hot and Cold Streaks, Including Travis Konecny
Hot Streak: Travis Konecny
Oftentimes, players can slip under the radar when they’re not racking up goals. Oftentimes this season, Travis Konecny seems to have fallen into that category – which is disappointing, because he has been a consistent contributor to the Flyers’ offence, he certainly deserves more credit than he’s gotten.
Take this week, for example. No, Konecny did not score any goals. But he recorded two assists, had a +3 plus-minus, and extend his point streak to five games. Against the Penguins, he corralled a bouncing puck along the boards, then sent a pass right to where Nick Seeler was winding up for a slap shot at the point. Konecny’s feed was perfectly accurate, allowing Seeler to shoot the second the puck got to him and blast it past Casey DeSmith. That goal gave the Flyers their first lead of the game. Then on Thursday, Konecny zoomed up the right side of the ice with Travis Sanheim to his left. He drew Ilya Samsonov out of the net, then fed the puck cross-ice to Sanheim. Samsonov couldn’t get back in time, and just like that, the game was tied.
Though even Konecny’s efforts couldn’t buy the team a win this week, it’s encouraging to see him driving play. With him now producing consistently, the Flyers can at least be confident that their offence will continue to get dangerous opportunities when he is on ice.
Honourable Mention: Gerry Mayhew
After a painful face-first collision with the boards in last week’s bout with the Detroit Red Wings, it was impressive that Gerry Mayhew played at all this week. He missed the game against the Penguins, then came back against the Capitals with a nasty-looking shiner. But in what is quickly becoming typical Mayhew fashion, he not only played against Washington, but scored two critical goals – a snipe on the man advantage to tie the game at one apiece, and a tap-in to put the Flyers up 3-2. And even beyond his obvious offensive capabilities, Mayhew’s infectious energy will come in handy as the team tries to snap this new losing streak.
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Cold Streak: Isaac Ratcliffe
Just last week, Isaac Ratcliffe claimed the hot streak title. This week, he’s on the cold streak. Why? It boils down to penalties, as these things often do.
First, it was a delay-of-game call for flipping the puck over the glass against the Penguins – somewhat understandable, given the pressure Pittsburgh’s forwards were putting on the Flyers’ defence all night. (Cam Atkinson, a noted veteran, made a similar mistake against Washington.) That penalty, thankfully, did not lead to any terrible consequences. But Ratcliffe’s second of the night – a tripping call – led to a Jake Guentzel power-play goal that began the sudden erosion of the Flyers’ lead. And two nights later, he picked up a third penalty for interference on Michal Kempny.
Granted, this isn’t intended to detract from some of the good work Ratcliffe did this week. He’s solidified himself as a dependable front-of-the-net type player, excellent in screening the goalie and using his size and physicality to create point-blank chances. But he is still inexperienced, and that inexperience came to the forefront in the swath of penalties he took. Ratcliffe looks to have a promising upside, but he’ll need to clean up his game as he gets more time in the NHL.
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