Last year’s goal-scoring woes look to have followed the Flyers into preseason

It’s a simple concept — you have to shoot to score — but it’s one the Flyers have struggled to put into action this preseason. Even when they have shot the puck, it hasn’t mattered, which is reminiscent of one of last season’s most worrying trends.

Last season, the Flyers were outshot in 47 of their 82 games and were outshot by 10 or more 19 times. They finished in the middle of the league in shot attempts (31 per game), but only scored at an 8.3% clip, the second-worst rate in the NHL. Veterans they previously relied on to score, like Travis Konecny (7.3%) and Kevin Hayes (7.9%), posted the worst shooting percentages of their careers.

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So far this preseason, the trend has continued, as the Flyers have failed to outshoot their opponent in all three games and have only scored four goals in 180 minutes of play. They are averaging just 23.4 shots per game, lowest among teams that have played at least three preseason games.

The Flyers have, however, created more high-danger scoring chances than their opponents this preseason. Through three games, the Flyers are out high-danger chancing their opponents 21-15 at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick. That said, they are not finishing those chances, falling 2-1 to the Buffalo Sabres and 3-1 to the Washington Capitals this week. Even in last Saturday’s win over the Boston Bruins, the Flyers only managed two goals.

Hayes and Konecny have scored two of the Flyers’ four goals so far this preseason, but both know much more is needed.

“Starting with myself, it wasn’t a great display of Flyers hockey,” Hayes said after Wednesday’s loss to the Capitals.

This echoed what Konecny said the night prior after the Flyers’ 2-1 loss to the Sabres.

“There’s definitely a lot to clean up,” Konecny said. “It was far from, I would say, a good game from me, personally, and I’m sure other guys want to clean stuff up, too.”

While preseason isn’t a perfect science, given the inconsistencies of rosters and the presence of younger, less-developed players, the lack of goals is worrying, given last season’s well-documented struggles. It is worth noting that the Flyers are adjusting to a new coaching staff under John Tortorella and still haven’t worked much on systems yet.

While stars like Hayes and Konecny will need to see drastic upticks in their goal totals from last season, if the Flyers are to improve on last season’s 25-46-11 record, they’ll also need younger players to step up offensively. With Sean Couturier Joel Farabee, and Ryan Ellis injured, that becomes all the more imperative.

The other two Flyers goals this preseason have been scored by brothers Jackson and Noah Cates, both of whom have minimal NHL experience but are fighting for opening-night roster spots. The Cates brothers have excelled this preseason, scoring goals, impressing on the forecheck, and showing consistency throughout camp.

Noah, 23, has particularly impressed Lehigh Valley Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière.

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“He’s a coach’s dream,” Laperrière said of the younger Cates. “He does everything right. Doesn’t cheat. He plays the right way. And coachable. How can you not like a guy like that. I don’t know Torts much, but I know every coach likes players like that.”

Oft-injured winger Wade Allison also has impressed despite serving 17 minutes of penalty time in the preseason opener. On Wednesday, Allison tied for the team lead in shots on goal with three and was moved up to the first line as a reward. The energetic Allison took full advantage of that chance, creating the turnover that led to the Flyers’ lone goal.

On the other hand, some of the other younger players have failed to fire. Center Morgan Frost, 23, has had an up-and-down camp, as he has displayed playmaking ability, but he’s also been too slow to act in certain situations. Meanwhile, winger Owen Tippett (one shot on goal through two games) has yet to get going offensively. Tyson Foerster had five shots on goal in his first game but also has yet to find the back of the net.

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“I think just shooting the puck,” the 20-year-old Foerster said when asked how to find consistency at the next level. “I gotta get more shots on net. I gotta start taking more pucks to the net and creating more zone time in the O-zone.”

All three players are former first-round picks and were prolific goal scorers in juniors, but none of them have been able to translate that to the NHL. The Flyers are hoping that changes this season as they desperately need young players, particularly the likes of Frost and Tippett, to make a leap offensively if they are to surprise in the standings.

The Flyers may be looking to be “harder to play against” as Tortorella and general manager Chuck Fletcher have repeatedly said, but that won’t matter if they can’t put the puck in the net. With almost the same group of forwards as last year, the Flyers are gambling that players within the organization will step up and become the solution to the team’s goal-scoring problem. The early signs are worrying.