Nick Seeler

PHILADELPHIA – Maybe things will change after the Olympic break, but right now the Flyers are stuck in a win-one, lose-two conundrum.
Proof of that was on display Thursday night when the so-so Ottawa Senators skated into the Xfinity Mobile Arena and beat the Flyers in overtime, 2-1.
The Flyers were held to a season-low 15 shots. Their previous low was 17.
So for the next two weeks, the Flyers get to mull their current situation, which isn’t pretty.
They hit the schedule gap with 61 points in 56 games and at that pace, they won’t make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Flyers’ mediocre home record, 13-9-7, has to take some of the blame. Against the Senators, Philadelphia needed the better part of 16 minutes after the opening whistle just to get a shot on Ottawa goaltender James Reimer.
The Flyers were down 1-0 until the final 1:14 when Jamie Drysdale scored for the Flyers.
But in overtime, Tim Stutzle scored at the 47-second mark.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet indicated his team will have to play better in the final 26 games than it has recently if it has playoff hopes.
“Some good, some bad,” was Tocchet’s assessment of the Flyers’ season up to this point. “We’re getting some chances but we’re not burying them.”
The players were pleased to get the point but they know they’re going to have to start getting two per night to get back into contention. Currently they have an eight-point hill to climb.
“As the year goes on, these are the types of games we’re going to have to get used to playing,” Sean Couturier said. “I thought we did a good job just sticking in there, getting a big goal at the end.
“Obviously it’s tough losing, not getting the extra point. We’ve slipped the last two or three weeks but we’re still in the mix. We believe in our group. We’re going into this break to recharge the batteries, get ready for the last stretch and make a push.”
Drysdale has come up big offensively the last two games. He’s holding out hope the Flyers can get back into the race in the final couple months.
“Everyone’s taking this break to reset,” he said. “But we have to come out swinging (on Feb. 25) right away, not waste a game.”
The defenseman blamed “lack of puck support” for the disjointed play on Thursday night and the low shot total (the lowest since a total of 11 were taken in a game against the Capitals in March, 2023).
“I think there was just a little bit of a lack of support,” Drysdale said. “Like puck support. A lot of one-and-dones. I think that was the case and they did a good job of defending as well.
“We were able to break through at the end but too little, too late.”
Ex-Flyer Nick Cousins has played for six other NHL teams since leaving Philly. In 18 career games vs. Philly, he had not scored a goal. That changed on Thursday night.
Cousins opened the scoring at 9:55 of the second period with a nice putback of a Shane Pinto shot directly in front of Dan Vladar.
It took the Flyers all of exactly 15:37 to get their first shot of the game and they finished the opening period with just two.
The Flyers have failed to win in the last eight straight games which have gone past regulation time.
When the game was over, Nick Seeler echoed what others had said.
“We need to continue to work on three-on-three overtime,” Seeler said. “Possess the puck. Those are things we’re going to have to correct and get that extra point. We know how important it is.”

>Olympians feted

In a brief pregame introduction ceremony, the Flyers’ three Olympic players (Travis Sanheim, Canada; Vladar, Czechia; and Rasmus Ristolainen, Finland and one coach (Tocchet, Canada) were given a nice ovation from the Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd. Rodrigo Abols was named to Team Latvia but is injured.

>Konecny’s impressive numbers

In Tuesday night’s 4-2 win by the Flyers over Washington, Travis Konecny recorded his fourth straight multi-point game, giving him 15 for the season. He needs five more of those to tie his career high of 20, set in 2023-24. The streak ended on Thursday night.

>Short shots

The Flyers’ next game will be Feb. 25 in Washington. Those players not in the Olympics will resume practice on Feb. 17. . .Defenseman Emil Andrae was scratched for a fifth straight game. . .With goalie Sam Ersson not quite ready to return, there was no point in putting him on the bench in a backup role so Aleksei Kolosov stayed in that spot.

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