William Nylander

The competition gets tougher once again, as the Flyers start a busy week ahead with Sunday night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Two quick goals made the game competitive again, but the Flyers rally fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday afternoon.

Before the holiday break arrives, the Flyers have two games remaining, starting with a rare Thursday afternoon matchup north of the border against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Following a 1-0 overtime loss to the New York Rangers, the Flyers continue their road trip by going north of the border to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.

Toronto got a goal late in the second period on a counter-rush to take a two-goal lead and never looked back, handing the Flyers a sixth straight loss by a score of 5-2 on Tuesday night. 

Facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team already playoff bound and in position to potentially host a first-round series, should help in the Flyers pursuit of a lottery pick. The Flyers enter Tuesday's game having lost five straight games.

Keith Yandle comes out of the lineup for the first time after 989 consecutive games. Ronnie Attard makes his NHL debut on the blue line, while other newcomers remain in the lineup looking to make a good impression. They get another matchup against a future playoff team, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The goaltending was something that continues to remain consistent in a positive way for the Flyers. The special teams and overall lack of scoring also remains consistent, which presents some concerns as the team hits the road.

For two periods, another game was competitive and within reach thanks to Carter Hart. For the rest of the team, the offensive struggles continued. The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and were held off the board in a 36-save shutout for Jack Campbell and the Toronto Maple Leafs, falling by a score of 3-0. 

This game begins a busy remainder of the month for the Flyers. They will play 11 games in the next 21 days, reaching the quarter-mark of the season in the process. It will be no easy task either, as a number of star players and elite teams will appear on the schedule. It starts with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have found a groove after a slow start with wins in five of their last six games.