It was another night of missed opportunities.
The Philadelphia Flyers played better than the scoreline suggests, but once again, their inability to finish chances came back to haunt them.
They controlled stretches of the game, got some timely saves from Ivan Fedotov, and continued to see strong play from Jamie Drysdale.
But it wasn’t enough.
A few soft goals, a continued scoring slump from key players, and a lack of sharpness in critical moments allowed the Senators to walk away with a 5-2 win.
The frustrating part? It’s not that the Flyers are playing bad hockey. In fact, they’ve strung together some of their more structurally sound performances in recent games. But when the same issues—goal-scoring struggles, defensive lapses, inconsistent goaltending—keep costing them, it starts to wear on a team.
1. Finishing Issues Continue to Plague the Flyers
We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it again: the Flyers are generating enough chances. They’re just not burying them.
Against Ottawa, they controlled play for long stretches. They got in behind the defense, they had numbers on the rush, they created scrambles in front of the net. But when it came time to put the puck in the net—with the exception of goals from Drysdale and Rodrigo Abols—they either missed their opportunities, ran into solid goaltending, or simply couldn’t execute the final touch.
It’s becoming a recurring theme—games where they look good but fail to capitalize on their best looks. It’s not for lack of trying, but the end result is the same. This team is built on hard work, structure, and a willingness to outcompete opponents, but that only gets you so far when the goals aren’t coming.
John Tortorella has stressed the need for certain players to "get going," particularly Travis Konecny, who remains in a frustrating scoring drought.
"We have guys that can score goals," he said postgame. "Those are the guys who have to step up."
"A big hole for us is TK," Tortorella continued. "He does a lot of the work as far as carrying us when we're struggling scoring goals."
He’s still making plays, still getting to the right areas, but the puck isn’t going in. And when your leading scorer is struggling, it creates a ripple effect throughout the lineup. Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov were also singled out by Tortorella as players who need to produce more.
This isn’t a team that lacks offensive talent. They have players capable of turning things around. But time is running out, and if they want to stay in the playoff race, the finishing needs to improve—fast.
2. Ivan Fedotov Had Some Strong Moments—But Gave Up a Few Soft Ones
Fedotov made some big stops in this game, continuing his really solid, if limited, starts in net. He showed flashes of why the organization still has a ton of belief in him—his size, positioning, and calm demeanor in net give the Flyers a solid foundation to build from.
But there were also a few goals he’d probably want back. The Senators had stretches where they overwhelmed the Flyers offensively, and they took advantage of the moments where Fedotov was just a little off his angle or where he let in a goal that looked stoppable.
It’s not fair to pin the loss on him, but in a game where the Flyers needed to be airtight to compensate for their scoring issues, those moments made a difference.
Fedotov continues to show how good he can be, and he’s had games where he’s been excellent. But there is no doubt extra pressure on him when the offense isn’t scoring a ton—every goal allowed carries a little extra weight.
3. Jamie Drysdale’s Confidence is Growing
Amidst the rampant negativity that has engulfed the Flyers' sphere, Jamie Drysdale has been a true bright spot as of late.
The young defenseman has been on a roll lately, and he continued that with another strong performance, capped off by a goal. He’s looking more and more comfortable jumping into the play, making confident decisions with the puck, and showing off his skating ability.
"He's been obviously playing really well," Drysdale's defensive partner Nick Seeler said postgame. "I think his confidence has been a lot better. You can just see it in his skating ability—he's getting up the ice and his first instinct is usually the right one, and he's acting on that now. It's fun to see."
When the Flyers traded for Drysdale, they did so with the belief that he could continue developing into a top offensive defenseman—a "rover" position, as Tortorella puts it. And while there have been ups and downs in his Flyers career, it’s becoming clear that he’s trending in the right direction.
What’s most encouraging is that Drysdale isn’t just playing safe hockey—he’s actively looking to make things happen. He’s carrying the puck with authority, driving offense from the back end, and stepping into the play at the right moments. If the Flyers’ forwards can start finishing with more consistency, Drysdale could be a major factor in turning their offensive struggles around.
It’s easy to focus on the negatives after a loss, but Drysdale’s emergence is a real positive. He’s playing with confidence, and that’s exactly what the Flyers need from him.
Final Thoughts
This loss felt like a microcosm of the Flyers’ recent struggles. The effort was there. The structure was there. They had moments where they controlled the game. But the same issues—finishing problems, defensive lapses, inconsistent goaltending—kept them from getting the result they wanted.
It’s frustrating, especially because they’re not playing bad hockey. They’re just missing that extra level of sharpness that turns close games into wins.
The key now is finding a way to snap out of this pattern before it’s too late. The playoffs are still within reach, but if the Flyers can’t start finishing their chances and getting more consistent performances across the board, they might run out of time.
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