Jeff Carter To Blame for Philadelphia Flyers' Three Game Losing Streak?

When the Philadelphia Flyers departed on their five game road trip expectations were high, and rightly so. Up to that point, the Flyers had amassed a very impressive 11-5-1 record, good enough for third in the Atlantic Division and 11th overall in the NHL standings.

Fast forward to game four of the five game road trip and the Flyers are now tied with the New York Islanders and New York Rangers for third place in the Atlantic Division (or last, depending on how you look at it) with 25 points, 17th overall in the NHL standings.

Mired in a three game losing streak, tying their season high of three loses in October, I gotta ask the question: “What’s the dilly in Philly”?

Well, there are plenty of reasons for the Flyers' fall. Poor defensive coverage, missed assignments, average goaltending, injuries, fatigue, and, perhaps, a little overconfidence.

Now, one player can never be blamed for a team's trials and tribulations, but, upon further review, it appears as if Flyers superstar Jeff Carter has struggled on this road trip and, as it turns out, for most of the season.

As I already stated, no one player is responsible for a team's demise, but Carter is a key reason that the Flyers are struggling; here’s a look at the proof...

Before last night’s tilt against the Colorado Avalanche, a game in which Carter scored twice, Carter had not scored a goal in four games. Sure, it happens to the best of NHL players, but the Flyers needed Carter to step up and, until last night, he had not done so.

Through the first four games of the five game road trip, Carter has a plus/minus rating of minus-four and, despite his two-goal performance against the Avs, was a minus-two on the evening.

Comparatively, Mike Richards is a plus-four on the road trip (plus-five on the season), Rookie James Van Riemsdyk is a minus-one on the road trip (plus-seven on the season) and Sophomore Claude Giroux is a plus-one on the road trip (also plus-seven on the season).

To be fair, none of these players has been perfect on this road trip—far from it. That said, as one of the Flyers' leaders, Carter’s numbers stand out for all of the wrong reasons.

The fact is, in eight out of 21 games this season, Carter has been a minus player. That’s about 40 percent of the games—not good when you consider how dominant the Flyers have been for most of the season. Comparatively, Mike Richards is a plus-five, Rookie James Van Riemsdyk is a plus-seven, and Sophomore Claude Giroux is a plus-seven.

When you look at the bigger picture, you find out that Carter has not scored in 15 out of the Flyers' first 21 games. Sure, he has scored two goals three times this season, which is all well and good, but the Flyers need a more consistent effort in order to be successful.

Keep in mind, at one point this season Carter went seven games without a single goal, not what you want from your apparent goal scorer. Carter has registered 93 shots on the season, third most in the League. That said, his 9.3 percent shooting ranks him 267th in the league.

Judging from the stats, effort is not the issue; accuracy sure as heck is.

Four of Carter’s goals have come on the Power Play this season. Some quick math tells us that means Carter has only scored five goals while playing five-on-five hockey. That’s five even strength goals in 21 games, which, simply put, is not good enough.

Am I giving up on Carter? No, far from it, I mean, it’s not all bad in Mr. Carter’s neighborhood. The fact is, Carter is on pace to score 36 goals and register right around 80 points on the season and, although he has struggled to light the lamp this season, he is still the biggest scoring threat in the Flyers lineup.

Let’s face it, 36 goals would be far off Carter’s 46 goal performance (33 of which came at even strength) of 2008-09, which is a point of concern for the Flyers. Carter registered a plus/minus rating of plus-23 in 2008-09. If he keeps up his current pace, Carter will end up around a minus-eight on the season, which is a huge drop.

Bottom line? Jeff Carter needs to dig deep, throw down and bring the noise on a nightly basis. His performance, or lack thereof, is hurting this Flyers team and, without improved results, may very well cost the Flyers Home ice advantage, maybe even a playoff berth.

Here’s hoping Carter finds the magic he had in 2008-09. I know more than a few Flyers fans are routing for him...

Until next time,

Peace!