Flyers by the numbers: A look at the power play
The Flyers' power play has been in a slump recently, but not as bad as upcoming opponent Buffalo.
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Sean Couturier was crystal clear when asked where the game swung in Sunday’s loss to the Capitals.
“Power play,” he said bluntly. “We need to score one eventually, and get the killer instinct of taking over the game.”
» READ MORE: Schedule is no excuse: The Flyers rest for a day, then need to regain momentum
The Flyers sit in fifth place and are on the wrong end of the playoff line. They do have two games in hand and 34 games left.
“Power play, you can win games. Penalty kill, you can lose them,” said Couturier, a key member of both units. “Right now, we’re losing that part of the game. We’ve got to figure it out.”
Here’s a closer look at the club’s dismal number lately with the man advantage.
The Flyers power play entered Monday ranked 22nd. It was 16th two weeks ago and 14th last season.
The Flyers are 14-for-78 (18.0%) on the PP, with one player (James van Riemsdyk) scoring half the goals. Kevin Hayes (two), Travis Konecny (two), and Couturier, Gostisbehere and Nolan Patrick (one each) have scored the others.
Through 22 games last season, the Flyers were 17-for-82 (20.7%), and defenseman Ivan Provorov had four power play goals. He finished with seven, tops among NHL defenseman. This year, Gostisbehere has the only PPG by a Flyers D-man.