Flyers take long skid into matchup vs. Stars
The Philadelphia Flyers will attempt to snap an eight-game losing streak when they host the Dallas Stars on Thursday.
The Flyers' latest defeat came in a 5-3 loss at the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals on Tuesday. Two of the eight losses during the skid have come in overtime.
Philadelphia (15-22-6) is inching toward the worst winless streak in franchise history -- 0-8-4 in 1999.
The Flyers started goaltender Mike McKenna in their loss to Washington. McKenna was their seventh starting goaltender in 43 games, tying an NHL single-season record held by three other teams, the most recent being the 2007-08 Los Angeles Kings.
"I felt like myself. You just try to get your bearings a little bit and sort things out, but hockey is hockey," said McKenna, who was claimed off waivers from Vancouver last week. "It definitely wasn't my best game."
The 35-year-old McKenna made 21 saves on 25 shots as the fifth goal came in the waning seconds into an empty net.
"I didn't think we gave up a lot, but what we gave up was wrong. It shouldn't happen," Flyers interim head coach Scott Gordon told reporters. "We gave up enough of those wrong plays that they were able to cash in."
There was some uplifting news as Wayne Simmonds recorded his 200th career goal in a Flyers uniform. That goal sliced the Washington lead to 4-2. Captain Claude Giroux scored with 6.7 seconds remaining to briefly get within 4-3.
"The second period, we just stopped skating," Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek told reporters. "You play 40 minutes, you're not going to win many games."
The Stars (23-17-4) won their most recent game, 3-1 at the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, but coach Jim Montgomery said he was unhappy with his team's effort and execution.
"Whether we've lost or we've won, our third periods, we don't come out and take games," Montgomery told the Dallas Morning News.
"We hope to win, we don't play to win. We just got to get tougher, physically, mentally so that we can make the right plays. They're on a back-to-back. We shouldn't give up three scoring chances. We gave up like 12."
The Stars have allowed 49 goals in the third period, the sixth-highest total in the NHL.
"Before the third period, I said if we play the right way, we're on the right puck, we pressure, we pursue, we play together, we shouldn't give up more than five shots," Montgomery told the Dallas Morning News.
"The Blues were on a back-to-back. That didn't work, so got to try something else. I don't know. I just don't. We've tried a lot of different things, nothing's worked so far. But we're just going to keep pushing. The staff's going to keep on them. We've got to change our mentality. That's the bottom line."
In the two-goal win over the Blues, Tyler Seguin scored two goals and added one assist. Seguin, who has registered six goals and seven points in his last four games, has scored 17 goals this season.
--Field Level Media
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