Flyers-Hurricanes 10 Observations: Bad Officiating, Worse Preparation

Historically, the Flyers have been simply awful coming off a break.
 
They had a six-day break in December, came back and lost three in a row.
 
They had a five-day "bye week" in January. Came back and looked lethargic during a loss at New Jersey, yet regained their composure and won three straight to go into the All-Star break.
 
So what happened in Carolina after that three-day break? Disaster.
 
Dave Hakstol's club got spanked, 5-1, Tuesday night in Raleigh against a Hurricanes club desperate to catch them in the wild-card chase (see story).
 
As poor as the officiating was, the Flyers were terribly unprepared to meet the challenge the 'Canes threw at them.
 
Luckily, the Flyers open a five-game homestand on Thursday against Montreal.
 
With apologies to my former Inquirer colleague, Bill Lyon, here are 10 things I think, I think:
 
1. Watching the first period, it was hard to figure out that the team on a three-game winning streak more closely resembled a team that had a five-game losing skid at hand. Carolina simply outskated the Flyers from the get-go. That never changed as the game went on.
 
2. One of the knocks Hakstol has had this season regarding rookie Travis Konecny has been his penchant for trying something fancy that backfires. Konecny's ill-timed drop pass in his own zone - a no-no - resulted in Sebastian Aho's first goal. Aho had a hat trick.
 
3. Claude Giroux had an equally ghastly turnover soon after on a wayward chip pass in the neutral zone that came back quickly on goalie Steve Mason and resulted in Aho's second goal. Early on, the Flyers' biggest problem was being careless with the puck in their own hands - not Carolina's.
 
4. Konecny had a chance for redemption with a breakaway and as sometimes happens, his carbon-fibre stick simply shattered when he went to shoot the puck.
 
5. How totally unprepared were the Flyers? Through the first 32 minutes, 29 seconds of play they had just four shots on goal. Through 40, just six total. Michael Raffl was the only Flyers forward with a shot. You can't blame the officials for an appalling lack of shots or for the lack of effort exhibited by your own club.
 
6. Lee Stempniak, who was already having a battle with Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonald every time they were on the ice together, deserves a suspension for his elbow to MacDonald's head during what was whistled a two-minute boarding penalty but should have been a five-minute major. Stempniak targeted Mac's head.
 
7. How does Jeff Skinner not draw a high-stick for what he did to Brandon Manning only seconds before he scores a critical goal with Manning down on the ice, to make it 3-0 late in the second period? Game over.
 
8. The above play is why Giroux lost his composure, took a bad penalty, and then Aho scored on the power play to blow it open at 4-0.
 
9. Don't see it often, but the Flyers had two penalties called on them on the same shift to give Carolina a 5-on-3 power play in the third period. When it rains, it pours. Carolina scored once.
 
10. Finally, how apropos that Brayden Schenn's 100th goal came on the power play? He leads the NHL with 12 power-play goals, three times the number of even strength goals (4) he has this season.