January 27, 2024
Kyle Ross/USA TODAY Sports
Charlie Coyle and the Bruins stopped Rasmus Ristolaine and the Flyers dead in their tracks.
The Flyers looked out of gas, out of sorts, and way out of their depth.
Already on a skid from a grueling stretch ahead of the All-Star Break, the best-in-the-East Boston Bruins came into the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday and put a painful bow on it, embarrassing the Flyers in a 6-2 blowout that was over by the first intermission.
That'll make it five straight losses for Philadelphia to counterbalance the five-game win streak that had them looking like one of the best teams in the NHL only a week ago, and a 1-5-0 record in the six games in nine days stretch that consisted of some of the league's fiercest juggernauts.
The Flyers have come a long way already, and have done so to many's surprise, but these past few games have been a brutal reminder of just how far they've yet to go.
"I like our team," head coach John Tortorella said postgame of his club now that it's the end of January. "When we played Dallas, it's probably the best game I've seen a team play under me in a number of years. We've lost ourselves a little bit here.
"I think we've lost confidence offensively, although I thought we generated some offense today. It's how the league works sometimes. You have some good weeks and you have some struggles. We're having some struggles now. We just gotta try to put our head down, see if we can solve some problems, and get better."
They're already a lot better from what they were this time last year, and they're still in the playoff picture heading into February even with the losing streak, but up against the league's elite like Colorado, Tampa Bay, and then, of course, Boston – they don't hold a candle to them. Not right now.
The experience isn't there. The structure and discipline, though slowly but surely getting better, isn't there yet either. And the game-changing, superstar-level talent in the way of a Nathan MacKinnon or a Nikita Kucherov or a David Pastrnak, it's going to be a while before they have that, and it's going to be a grind until then.
And with all due credit – a lot considering where the team has put itself at the outset of a clearly stated rebuild – the players have done well for the most part of staying with that grind and pulling off a good number of tough wins.
But it finally caught up to them this past week, and especially on Saturday with the Bruins looking faster, smarter, and far more talented.
The All-Star break, and the nine days off coming with it, couldn't get here soon enough.
"I think we just gotta continue to do what we're doing," winger Travis Konecny, who has gone cold offensively of late, said. "Remind ourselves every day that we've put ourselves in a great spot as of where we are right now in the season and what we've done as far as in the standings.
"No one believed in us that we'd be here. So maybe it's a good time for a break. Regroup, get some energy, enjoy some time with your family and friends, and then get back here."
Pastrnak lit the lamp twice in the first period to reach 33 goals on the season, first with an uncontested snipe that he threaded right through the legs of Travis Sanheim and over the blocker of Samuel Ersson to the far side post and in, and then with a loose rebound put home after cycling out from behind the net.
Always in the mood for some afternoon Pasta. 🍝
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 27, 2024
Catch the Bruins vs. Flyers action on Sportsnet and stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/3s3nxJdE0c
Pavel Zacha retrieved the puck in the corner then slipped a cross-crease pass by everyone in orange to an unmarked Charlie McAvoy who snuck down low to complete the play, and Brandon Carlo threw a shot on from the point that deflected off the sticks of Nick Seeler and then teammate Danton Heinen in front to send the puck flying into the twine over the shoulder of Ersson.
"This is what makes a team like the Boston Bruins elite." - @KevinWeekes
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 27, 2024
A beautiful pass by Pavel Zacha leads to Charlie McAvoy's seventh of the year!@NHLBruins | #NHLBruins | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/5gC9PjQtUc
The Flyer fell into a 4-0 hole all within the last six minutes of the opening frame, looking defensively lethargic on each surrendered tally, and leaving the ice to a chorus of boos from maybe the biggest crowd the arena has seen for a hockey game all season once the horn sound to signal the first intermission.
Ersson, who's now getting his look as the No. 1 goaltender, gave up those four goals on just 14 shots and was pulled for Cal Petersen coming back out for the second. Going back to last Saturday against Colorado, when he checked in for a yanked Carter Hart, Ersson has gone 0-4-0 with 16 allowed goals after standing tall for much of November onward.
Old friend James van Riemsdyk cleaned up on another rebound soon after the switch to make it a 5-0 game, and aside from Tyson Foerster's two goals late in the second and midway through the third, Boston pretty much cruised from there.
The Flyers, meanwhile, crumbled into aggravating penalties and defensive miscues that culminated in a final blunder from Sanheim that let Charlie Coyle score and pretty much summed up the entire day.
Charlie Coyle gets one! @NHLBruins | #NHLBruins | #NHLNShowcase pic.twitter.com/77O2f3UFO1
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 27, 2024
Yup.
"It'll be behind most of us within the hour here," Konecny said. "Just forget it. Burn the tape and move on."
Konecny will travel to Toronto for the All-Star Game festivities next week, while the Flyers on the whole will get nine days off to process their recent struggles, rest, and reset – which will also hopefully be enough time to get Owen Tippett back healthy.
They'll return to play on February 6 in Florida.
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