Who Is To Blame After Another Flyers Embarrassing Blowout?

In what was supposed to be an easy two points for the Philadelphia Flyers to bring home, turned into an absolute embarrassment and nightmare for this hockey club. After once again losing 6-1 to a team in the NHL in such a vital part of the season, something more then a trade needs to be done.

So who was it that beat them 6-1? Was it the Islanders, Bruins or Rangers? No? For the  second time this season, the Buffalo Sabres hammered home six on the Flyers. Adding insult to injury, this was the Sabres first win are losing 18 games. Their last win was against the Devils back in February.

Coming into this last game, the Sabres had given up 73 goals while being shut out five times in that span and two times were by the Flyers. Philadelphia, in their previous match up before this blowout loss, came back on the Sabres in the third period and won in OT. But in all honesty, they should have never have been down in that game.

However, with the way their March went, it comes to no surprise. Especially after finding out that in that span, there was only two games the Sabres scored 4+ goals and both games were against the Flyers.

After once again being blown out this March, the Flyers ended this month giving up a club record 75 goals. They went 6-10-1 in March but leading into this nightmare, they were 11-4-3 and allowed 52 goals leading into it. It is no secret the goalies haven’t been good, but you can not put the blame on them when your defense gives up easy cross-crease tap- ins, wide open one timers on the PP and bad turnovers in your own zone leading to high danger chances.

With six games left before the trade deadline on April 12th, the question on everyone’s mind is if the Flyers are buyers in this situation. But there are bigger fish to fry in this creek before we can consider being buyers.

Shayne Gostisbehere was sent down to the taxi squad after clearing waivers and was replaced by Gustafsson in the lineup. We also found Patrick and Lindblom were replaced in the lineup after being benched for the majority of that 3rd period in their 4-3 OT win. They were replaced by Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski. The player who really suffered through this decision was Joel Farabee, the team’s leading goal scorer.

Don’t get me wrong, I get the situation with Gostisbehere. It helps them and Chuck Fletcher made the right gamble with, but he had been one of the team’s better defensemen this year. Playing him over Gus might have saved some trouble. But if this is leading to the Flyers getting a big name defensemen, then I get the taxi move to help create cap space. If not, I am lost.

I am not so much against giving Lindblom and Patrick a day to reset. Though Lindblom had been playing very good hockey since he was scratched last and Patrick had a big goal against the Rangers in their 2-1 victory in that Saturday Matinee match up. What has me thinking is replacing Gostisbehere with Gustafsson. He has not been good this season and has been nothing but a detriment to this teams progress and momentum at times.

This really showed when Gustafsson was on the ice for Steven Fogarty’s goal, which was also his first. The Flyers had clawed back to a 2-1 game before that. Fogarty had dropped his stick in the slot after having it knocked out of his hand by Morin. The puck goes to the corner and Morin goes to collect it. Twarynski and Gustafsson are both in the area but Fogarty happens to slip in between both of them. Gustafsson is hanging out in front of Elliot at this time, clueless to his presence. Ristolainen scoops up the puck and sends it to a wide open Fogarty who puts it home.