Coming into this season’s all-star game the Flyers are on a five-game losing streak. This comes after a five-game winning streak earlier in the month. Over this stretch the Flyers have been outscored 12 to 27. In most games the Flyers would fall behind early in the game and work back in the second half to make the game interesting. Just to give up multiple empty net goals to pad the opponent’s stat sheets. The only bright spots from this losing streak are the one going performance of Travis Konecny and Joel Farabee. Who are proving to be two of the best young forwards in the league. Travis Konecny will be the Flyers lone All-Star representative in Toronto this weekend. While Cam Atkinson has started to get hot after a slow start to the season.
The Flyers were without Owen Tippet for the last four games as he has been placed on IR with a lower body injury. He is expected to return after the All-Star break. Tippet recently signed an 8-year contract extension, making 6.2 million dollars a year. This would most likely make Tippet a Flyer for life. As well as giving him the current longest contract on the roster. While forward Ryan Poehling also signed an extension for two years at 1.9 million annually.
Philadelphia will be in a tough goaltending situation for the rest of the year relying heavily on rookie Sam Ersson who is eligible for the Calder Trophy this season. The Flyers had one of the best goal tandems in the league throughout this season, but they will be without Carter Hart for the foreseeable future. Cal Petersen has been called up from Lehigh Valley to be Ersson’s backup. Petersen has only played in three games for the Flyers, including their last matchup against the Bruins where Ersson was pulled after the first period. Through 15 games with the Phantoms Petersen has a 3.26 GAA and 0.890 SVV. It is safe to assume that unlike it was with Hart and Ersson where they had equal playing time. Ersson will start the majority of the time for the rest of the season, while Petersen will only play in one half of back-to-back games and an occupational midweek game.
Image courtesy of (Amy Irvin/ The Hockey Writers)