It was an ugly game for the Flyers, who trailed 3-1 after the first and lost Carter Hart and Cam Atkinson for the night before allowing six more goals over the final two periods in a 9-2 drubbing to the Washington Capitals.
The final 15 games for the Flyers will serve as a chance to evaluate. They will provide a look at some new faces entering the lineup in the last couple of weeks and maybe even a new face or two to come down the road. It is a way to take inventory going into the offseason – what does the team already have and what does it need even more of on the roster moving forward?
As the trade deadline passes and the Flyers open up a few roster spots, it presents more of an opportunity for younger players to get more of a look at increased roles in the NHL. GM Chuck Fletcher used Sunday's game as an example of what he hopes to see for the rest of the season, "energy, hard work, young players playing a bigger role and getting an opportunity to show what they can do for next year."
One day after officially being named a special assistant to the general manager, Danny Briere met with the media on Wednesday morning to discuss the new role and how he factors into those plans.
Flyers 2019 first-round pick Cam York, on his 20th birthday, and 2019 second-round pick Bobby Brink joined the rest of Team USA in claiming gold at the World Junior Championships with a 2-0 win over Team Canada on Tuesday night.
After Finland erased a 3-1 USA lead in the final 10 minutes of the third, Arthur Kaliyev scored with 1:16 remaining to give the US a 4-3 win in the Semi-final Round, advancing to the Gold Medal Game on Tuesday where they will face Canada.
Team USA – and Flyers prospects Cam York and Bobby Brink – held off a rally by Slovakia to claim a 5-2 win. Team Sweden – and Flyers prospect Emil Andrae – were eliminated on a last-minute goal in a 3-2 defeat to Finland. Team Canada defeated Czech Republic and Russia defeated Germany to round out the final four teams of the tournament.
The World Junior Championships has closed out group play and moved into the tournament portion with the Quarterfinals taking place on Saturday with four games on the schedule. All three Flyers prospects remain in the tournament, set for their own matchups on Saturday.