Brink makes NHL debut as Flyers yield 9 goals in embarrassing loss to Caps originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The playing-out-the-string Flyers were completely steamrolled Tuesday night by the playoff-bound Capitals, 9-2, at Capital One Arena.
The nine goals surrendered marked a season worst for the Flyers, who have nine games left on their schedule.
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The last time the Flyers gave up this many goals was March 17 of last season, when they were embarrassed, 9-0, by the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
In the nation's capital Tuesday night, the Flyers (23-39-11) lost Carter Hart and Cam Atkinson to lower-body injuries before the second period started.
James van Riemsdyk stood as the club's lone goal scorer, netting both of the tallies.
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The 2021-22 Flyers have matched the franchise's second-most regulation losses in a season. The 1989-90 and 1993-94 clubs also lost 39 games. Only the 2006-07 club piled up more regulation defeats with 48.
After beating the Lightning, Penguins and Bruins, the Capitals (41-22-10) cruised to their fourth straight win.
Sixteen different players recorded at least one point for Washington and 10 enjoyed multi-point performances.
• The Flyers surrendered six or more goals in a game for the 12th time this season.
This time, the worst of them all, it came on national television.
The Flyers had an ugly breakdown on Conor Sheary's second-period goal that ballooned the Capitals' lead to 5-1.
With Kevin Hayes, Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Ivan Provorov and Ronnie Attard on the ice, the Flyers left Sheary completely uncovered in front of the net. When Sheary received the puck, he had plenty of time to turn and deke Martin Jones.
At that point, the rout felt like it was truly on.
Attard and Kevin Connauton each finished with minus-5 marks on the Flyers' third defensive pair.
But a loss like that is on everyone. The Flyers got embarrassed as a team.
• If there was any bright spot for the Flyers, it was the NHL debut of Bobby Brink.
The 20-year-old winger recorded his first career NHL point with a third-period assist on van Riemsdyk's second goal.
In the same period, Brink also made a nice play to set up Hayes for a scoring chance.
The 2019 second-round pick finished with a plus-1 rating, two shots and two blocked shots.
Flyers fans will get a chance to see him in person Wednesday night.
"Hockey sense, competitiveness and obviously skill to go along with that," Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo said Monday. "Those have been the things that seem to get mentioned right off the bat when anybody's talking about him and the game that he brings."
• Hart allowed three goals in the first period and appeared to be laboring toward the end of the stanza.
The 23-year-old is 0-5-0 with a 5.13 goals-against average and an .850 save percentage in his last five outings.
Jones took over for him at the start of the second period. The 32-year-old made 21 saves on 27 shots.
Washington netminder Ilya Samsonov had a smooth and calm night with 19 saves on 21 shots.
• The Flyers are right back at it Wednesday when they host the Rangers (7 p.m. ET/TNT).
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