Lifeless: Flyers lose 6-1 to the Capitals

The Philadelphia Flyers are fighting an uphill battle. When they lose by huge margins against teams that they are trying to join in the playoff race, they are taking themselves completely out of contention. That is exactly what has happened and continues to happen with this Flyers team and last night was no different.
Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers were unable to go out and make any big moves at the trade deadline due to the fact that there are too many holes to fill. A day after the Flyers were sellers at the deadline, they lost 6-1 to the Washington Capitals. The game before they collapsed to the NHL-worst Sabres 5-3.
The Flyers were flat the second they stepped on the ice. Any hope that this team would have some fight or at the very least, anger inside them, after a disappointing few months, was nonexistent. Last night marked the Flyers’ fifth 6-1 loss of the season. They are now 19-17-6 and mathematically still have a shot at the playoffs, but at this point in the season, it doesn’t really matter. The Flyers are in sixth place and six points out of a playoff spot with 14 games left in the 2021 NHL regular season. The Bruins hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the East and have two games on the Flyers with an easier schedule down the stretch.
Last year, the Flyers owned the Capitals posting a 4-0-1 record against them while only allowing eight goals. This year, they have surrendered 10 goals (23 total) to the Capitals in literally just the first period of their matchups and the Caps are 4-1-0 against the orange and black.
The Flyers were down 4-1 at the first intermission. Brian Elliot made 26 saves on 32 shots. Sean Couterier was the only Flyers player to score a goal.
The nightmare continues Thursday as the Flyers are in Pittsburgh to play the Penguins at 7pm.
Mandatory Credit: The Philadelphia Inquirer