The Flyers couldn’t build on their recent momentum, falling 2–1 to the Ottawa Senators in a game that felt every bit as frustrating as the score suggests. Sloppy penalties, a stagnant offense, and another lifeless power play ended up being the difference on a night where the effort was there, but the execution wasn’t.

Ironically, the night started about as well as you could ask for. Just thirty seconds in, Tyson Foerster ripped a perfectly placed shot past the Ottawa goalie a clean snipe that gave the Flyers an early 1–0 lead and a jolt of energy. For a moment, it looked like they might pick up right where they left off from their last win.

But that quick start turned out to be the high point of the night. After Foerster’s goal, the Flyers completely lost control of the pace. Ottawa dictated possession, played faster, and exposed the same cracks that have been creeping into the Flyers game all season. What started with promise quickly unraveled into another night of chasing the puck and chasing the game.

From there, the Flyers couldn’t stay out of the box. The penalties weren’t just bad, they were untimely. Every time it looked like Philadelphia might start to build some rhythm, another whistle stalled any flow they had. Ottawa didn’t dominate possession, but the Flyers made life harder on themselves with self-inflicted mistakes that killed momentum and put their penalty kill on constant alert.

Offensively, it was a major step backward. The Flyers generated very few high-danger chances and looked nothing like the assertive group that fired pucks from all angles just a few nights ago. Zone entries were messy, support was late, and there was no sustained pressure in the offensive zone. The top six couldn’t find chemistry, and the depth lines offered little spark.

And then there’s the power play, a storyline that’s quickly becoming too familiar. It wasn’t just that they went scoreless; it’s how disorganized they looked doing it. The first unit was abysmal. Zone entries were messy, breakouts were painfully slow, and the group looked completely lost trying to set up in the offensive zone. There was no flow, no chemistry, and no sense of urgency to create anything dangerous.

It’s hard to find positives when a man advantage looks disconnected. Instead of generating pressure or momentum, the Flyers spent more time regrouping in their own end than threatening Ottawa’s. The lack of structure and confidence on that top unit is becoming impossible to ignore  and for a team already struggling to find offense, it’s the kind of problem that drags everyone down.

If there was one real positive to take away from this game, it was Dan Vladar. The Flyers gave him almost nothing to work with, but he still managed to keep them in it from start to finish. He tracked the puck well, stayed calm under pressure, and made several point-blank saves that should’ve easily been goals.

Vladar did everything in his power to give the Flyers a chance to win and frankly, he deserved a better result. His composure stood out, especially in the second period when Ottawa tilted the ice completely in their favor. There were long stretches where he was the only reason the game stayed close.

It’s a tough spot for any goaltender when your team takes bad penalties, struggles to clear the zone, and can’t generate offense the other way. But Vladar never looked rattled. If anything, he was the one stabilizing presence in a night full of breakdowns.

Vladar’s performance was one of the few things keeping this game from getting out of hand, but it also highlighted a bigger issue: one player can only do so much. Until the Flyers find a way to play with the same consistency and focus as their goaltender, nights like this will keep slipping away.

This loss wasn’t about effort; it was about discipline, execution, and urgency. The bad penalties, the slow power play, and the lack of offensive push all pointed to a team still struggling to play a full 60 minutes.

If the Flyers want to stay competitive, they’ll need to start turning lessons into habits. Staying out of the box, simplifying their power play, and finding some life at even strength are non-negotiables at this point. Vladar is giving them a chance to win now it’s on the rest of the group to match that level.

At the end of the day, this one came down to discipline and effort. Vladar showed up  the rest of the team didn’t.