By Sarah Berkowitz
The Flyers’ ship, which seemed to be sailing toward the playoffs a week ago, is now sinking fast.
Frustrated from a pair of weekend defeats that further hindered their playoff chances, the Flyers look to get back on track Tuesday night at the Wells against theDallas Stars.
With five weeks remaining in the regular season, Philly (28-26-13) is 11th in the Eastern Conference and seven points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot.
After yielding the tying goal with 14.1 seconds left in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins, the Flyers showed little fight while falling 5-2 at New Jersey a night later.
“During the year we give a lot of points (up),” forward Claude Giroux said. “I think it’s built up, frustration’s built up. We think we’re standing better than we are in the standings for the playoffs. At the end of the day we’ve got to be ready for games.
“Guys care a lot, we compete, but maybe we don’t compete the right way.”
After Ryan White tied the game at 1 in the first period Sunday, the Flyers allowed the next three goals.
With three more failed chances on the power play, Philly is 1 for 12 with the man advantage over the last five contests. Boston and New Jersey went 3 for 8 against them over the weekend.
”We’re just not good enough,” forward Wayne Simmonds said. ”We should have been angry a long time ago.”
Perhaps Philly can channel that anger and frustration into continued success at home, where it’s lost once in regulation over the last 12 games and is currently amid a 4-0-2 stretch. Simmonds has seven goals in the last 11 at home.
The Flyers have won two straight and eight of nine overall versus Dallas (29-27-10), which has dropped four in a row at Philadelphia. The Stars’ franchise has won three times in the last 37 trips to Philly, and enters this visit trying to bounce back from Saturday’s 5-4 loss at Tampa Bay.
Owner of the third-fewest points in the West and 10 back of Winnipeg for the final wild-card spot, Dallas led 3-2 heading into the third period before the Lightning scored three in a row. The Stars’ 83 goals allowed in the third period are the third-most in the league and their eight defeats when leading after two periods also are among the most in the NHL.
”We give away wins and we did it again,” said star forward Tyler Seguin, who scored twice in his return from missing 10 games with a sprained knee. ”It’s on all of us. Can’t make excuses for it.”
Initially expected to miss four-to-six weeks, Seguin said he felt good in his quick return to the ice.
”It felt more comfortable as the game went on,” said Seguin, who ranks among the league leaders with 31 goals. ”Ten games is a long time in this league, or feels like a long time.”
With a career-high four assists during the 6-5 overtime loss to Philly on Oct. 18, Seguin has seven and three goals in his last three games against the Flyers.
Giroux, who scored the winner on the power play in that contest, has two goals with five assists in his last four versus Dallas.
