Is the Philadelphia Flyers season finished? Not technically. But things won’t get any better for them if they keep coming up short in some key categories. Scoring has been tough to come by for the most part this year, and I can point to a pair of culprits as to why that is.
Further, the Flyers have dealt with suspect goaltending seemingly all season, and it’s another aspect of their game that’s hurt them so far. Let’s take a deep dive into those two scoring categories and break down what’s gone wrong with their overall netminding.
1 - Power play
If the Flyers plan on taking the next step, their power play has got to improve from its meager 15.44 conversion rate. What makes this even more of a pressing need is how the Flyers aren’t half-bad at drawing penalties, having done so 149 times as of Wednesday while the league average sits at 148.
Only Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov have been remotely viable on the man advantage, having scored eight and six times, respectively. Nobody else on the Flyers has notched over a trio of goals, and even that feat’s been limited to just one player. Tyson Foerster, in case you’re curious.
2 - Save percentage
This one’s been painful to watch all season, and it sheds a ton of light on why the Flyers are ranking so low in the standings. This was a season in which we’d see who the real Samuel Ersson is if Ivan Fedotov was the real deal, and what the team had in Aleksei Kolosov.
So far, it’s hard to believe in either, given the Flyers 0.877 save percentage in all situations, which sits nearly 0.2 percent under the league average. As for save percentage at 5-on-5, that number is a meager 0.903, while the rest of the league is averaging roughly 0.920.
At this point, Ersson may be the only viable player, with a 2.84 GAA and a pair of shutouts. A 0.517 quality starts and 0.894 save percentage aren’t bad, but both can improve. As for Fedotov and Kolosov, it’s a stretch, as neither have looked good this season.
3 - Shooting the puck
The Flyers shooting percentage in all situations and at 5-on-5, aren’t to par, yet they’re not so far off that I’d call it a problem. But they have a tough time getting shots on goal, and so far in 2024-25, that number has been a meager 1,492 in 55 games.
Do the math, and the Flyers are averaging 27.1 shots on goal per contest, so it’s no wonder that the team is ranking 20th in the league in goals scored. Still, they make the most of these opportunities, judging by their 117.8 expected goals for, even if their actual goals for sit at just 103.
But imagine if they averaged at least something in the realm of 28.5 per game. Since we know the Flyers are rather good at making the most of their opportunities, they must find a way to start firing the puck more at the net.