Why Shootout Woes Will Hurt the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014-15

The Philadelphia Flyers are winless in four games this season. The only two points the team has earned came from losing a pair of shootouts. Unless the Flyers correct this problem, which has plagued them for years, it could hurt their chances to reach the playoffs in the NHL's competitive Metropolitan Division.

A lack of success in shootouts is not a new problem for the Flyers. Last season, Philadelphia won just three of the skills competitions while losing eight for a paltry .273 winning percentage. As a team, the Orange and Black have now lost seven straight shootouts dating back to last season.

The team's all-time record in shootouts is now just 27-53 after the recent home loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The only time the team ever had a winning record in shootouts over a full season was in 2009-10, finishing 4-3. That was also the last time the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final.

Surprisingly, for a team with so many talented goal scorers, the Flyers struggle to score goals in shootouts.

This year, in two shootouts, the Flyers have one goal in eight attempts. Fans may say it's too early in the season to worry about that, but despite having seven 20-goal scorers on their roster last season, the Flyers converted only 11 times in 39 shootout opportunities.

Not surprisingly, captain Claude Giroux is historically one of the better shootout shooters on the current roster. He scored a pretty goal in the loss to the Ducks, which is presently the only score the team has this season in shootouts.

For his career, Giroux is 18-of-42, which equates to a very good 42.9 percent success rate.

However, Giroux can't do it alone. Wayne Simmonds is just 1-of-8 with the Flyers in shootouts. Meanwhile, Jakub Voracek is 0-of-3 and Sean Couturier is just 1-of-8. Some other players need to step up and find a way to get the Flyers some more points in shootouts.

After the loss to the Ducks, head coach Craig Berube acknowledged that the shootout is a big problem for his team.

"We obviously lose a lot of points in the shootouts," Berube told Rob Parent of The Delaware County Daily Times. "We just have to hope we can work, work, work on it and get it better.”

Len Redkoles/Getty Images

He added that the Flyers practice the shootout frequently and often do well at it.

"In a game, it’s completely different," Berube told Parent. "You are under a lot of pressure. It’s a different situation; different goalies."

How important can the shootout be when it comes time to deciding which teams make the playoffs at the end of the season?

Very important.

Last season, the New Jersey Devils were the league's worst shootout team, losing all 13 games decided by the skills competition. The Devils missed the playoffs by just five points.

Had New Jersey won just six of their 13 shootouts, they would have made the postseason last year.

This year, the Flyers will face a very tough race for the playoffs. Due to salary cap restraints, the Flyers were unable to make any major additions to their roster this past summer. The only major move they made was trading away Scott Hartnell for R.J. Umberger.

Meanwhile, look at the Metropolitan Division. The Pittsburgh Penguins with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and the New York Rangers with Henrik Lundqvist in goal are both favored by most experts to be strong playoff contenders.

The Columbus Blue Jackets made the playoffs last season and figure to be at least as good in 2014-15. Meanwhile, at least on paper, teams like the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals appear to have deeper rosters and should be more competitive than they were last season.

Missing out on five or six shootout points could make all the difference for the Flyers at the end of the season and the players know it.

"They’re big points,” Giroux admitted to Parent after his club lost in a shootout for the second straight game. “Maybe they don’t look like it right now, but at the end of the season those two points are going to be crucial, probably. So next time we have to make sure we get it done.”