NHL Buzz: Should the Philadelphia Flyers Be Concerned About Their Slump?

The Philadelphia Flyers have dominated the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference pretty much all year. So it comes as a surprise then, to some, that they have been slumping recently.

They are currently fighting through a four-game losing streak. They have lost to the Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Bills and yesterday, the New York Rangers.

These are all teams that the Flyers would have beaten earlier in the year. The latest loss to the Rangers was a 7-0 blowout shutout, or a "beat down and a half," as captain Mike Richards put it.

Should the Flyers be concerned about their slump or is the media making too much out of the slump?

A little of both.

Cause of Concern: Penalties and Special Teams Play

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NEW YORK - MARCH 06: Mats Zuccarello #36 of the New York Rangers celebrates a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during their game on March 6, 2011 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

One of the biggest issues of the Flyers is their tendency to take penalties at the worst of times. They have been no different in their latest slump.

Meanwhile, when they get power plays, they aren’t able to capitalize on chances.

They’ll need to fix this before the playoffs.

Not a Cause of Concern: Still Have the Top Spot in the East

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PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 05: Kimmo Timonen #44 of The Philadelphia Flyers celebrates his short handed goal with Mike Richards #18 against The Buffalo sabres during their game on March 5, 2011 at The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo

Despite the four-game slump, the Flyers are still sitting in the top spot in the Eastern Conference.

They still have a two-point lead in the standings over the Boston Bruins.

They also still have a two-point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Atlantic Division.

Cause of Concern: Turnovers

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 05: Scott Hartnell #19 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates against Karlis Skrastins #37 of the Dallas Stars on February 5, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Stars 3-1. (Photo by J

Maybe it’s because they don’t have a sense of urgency, but they’ve been playing some sloppy hockey lately.

They’ve turned the puck over too many times, letting opponents get more chances and score.

They need to start playing with a sense of urgency. If they're urgent, maybe they won't make so many sloppy mistakes.

Plus, they excel in that position, as we saw from last season.

Not a Cause of Concern: They Can Afford to Slump a Little

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PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 05: Danny Briere #48 of The Philadelphia Flyers makes a save against the Buffalo Sabres during their game on March 5, 2011 at The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The NHL season is long: 82 games. Let’s face it: teams can’t stay winning forever.  They’re going to go through periods where they lose.

Four games really isn’t that many in the grand scheme of things—if it continues, then that’s a cause for concern.

However, if the Flyers get their stuff together in the next few games and get back to their earlier-season form, they'll still be in really good shape going into the playoffs.

Cause of Concern: Can't Close the Door

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PHILADELPHIA - FEBRUARY 22: Shane Doan #19 of the Phoenix Coyotes knocks Chris Pronger #20 of the Philadelphia Flyers into the boards on February 22, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tonight marks Doan's 1,098th game with the

The Flyers have become their own worst enemy. They lose games in the third period, when they should be able to seal the deal and get a win.

They play well in the first period, but it goes downhill into the second and especially the third.

The Flyers used to be a great third-period team—they need to get back to that form.

Not a Cause of Concern: Slump Now so They Won't Slump Later

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 05: Kimmo Timonen #44 and Brian Boucher #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrate against the Dallas Stars on February 5, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Stars 3-1. (Photo by J

The Flyers did this last year. They couldn't win games, which is why it ended up going until the final game to determine the final spot in the playoffs.

The only difference: Last year, they almost didn’t make the playoffs. This year, it is highly unlikely that they would fall all the way out of playoff contention.

They need to get this out of the way now so they can go into the playoffs on a roll and just continue. If they get stay too high all season, they risk getting blown out in the first round.

Cause of Concern: The Teams to Which the Flyers Have Lost

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 05: Ville Leino #22 of the Dallas Stars skates against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 5, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Stars 3-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Flyers have lost to Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo and the New York Rangers. The last three of those teams they could potentially meet in the first round of the playoffs.

Currently, the Rangers and Sabres are sitting at the seventh and eighth spots in the standings, respectively. The Maple Leafs are only five points behind the Sabres. If the Maple Leafs get on a hot streak, they could still make the playoffs.

This means that three of the teams that have beaten the Flyers recently could very possibly be who they're playing in the first round of the playoffs.

If these teams figure out how to beat the Flyers now, they will have an easier time with it in the playoffs.

Verdict

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SUNRISE, FL - FEBRUARY 16: Head coach Peter Laviolette of the Philadelphia Flyers talks to the team during a time out against the Florida Panthers on February 16, 2011 at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The Flyers defeated the Panthers 4-2. (

There are reasons for the Philadelphia Flyers to be concerned about their recent slump. However, it is best for them not to worry about it and just go out there and play hockey.

If they think about it too much, they could further the losing streak, and that would make it very concerning.

However, if they just get out of it, this could actually be good for them in the long run.

It is better for the Flyers to get grounded in reality now than to get grounded in reality in the playoffs. This way, they can fix their issues and have another good run in the playoffs.