The Flyers have been plagued by several issues through the first six games of the season -- lack of discipline, poor play on the special teams and goal scoring most notably.
Tuesday’s matchup with the Vancouver Canucks (3-3-0), who have had problems of their own as of late, is the perfect opportunity for the Flyers (1-5-0) to turn things around.
With puck drop set for 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center (CSN), here are five things you need to know for Flyers-Canucks:
1) Stay out of the box
It seems fairly simple, but the Flyers can’t seem to stay out of the penalty box in the early going.
The orange and black have been shorthanded 33 times and have allowed seven power-play goals already this season. Head coach Craig Berube knows it’s an issue that needs to be corrected.
"We've got to stop taking penalties, we really do," Berube said after the Flyers’ 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday (see story). "It's been an issue in this organization for too long. The dumb penalties have to be eliminated altogether because they are unacceptable."
Although they entered the game 0 for 10 on the man advantage, the Red Wings burned the Flyers for three power-play markers.
The Flyers would be smart to use the loss to Detroit as a learning experience as Vancouver has also had its troubles on the man advantage. The Canucks enter Tuesday’s action 0 for 7 over their last four contests while up a man and are just 2 for 19 on the PP overall this season. That doesn't mean the Flyers should take them lightly.
2) The other guys
Defenseman Erik Gustafsson and forward Tye McGinn made an immediate impact in their first action of the season for the Flyers on Saturday. Each player netted a goal and they combined for seven shots.
Gustafsson, who admitted he had a poor training camp and sat out the Flyers’ first five games, replaced Andrej Meszaros on the blue line against Detroit. He was paired with veteran Kimmo Timonen and played over 18 minutes in the loss.
The 24-year-old was a turnover machine during the preseason but was solid in both ends of the ice in his season debut. Gustafsson will remain in the lineup for Tuesday’s matchup (see story).
McGinn brought a ton of energy and performed well while skating with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. He played just less than 17 minutes and created several offensive opportunities for the Flyers’ top line (see story).
With Scott Hartnell (upper body) out for two to four weeks and Vinny Lecavalier (lower body) sidelined for at least a week, McGinn has a chance to prove he belongs with the club. If he has more games like he did in Detroit, the 23-year-old will make it difficult for general manager Paul Holmgren to send him back down to the Phantoms.
3) Keep an eye on …
A key for the Flyers -- or any team playing the Canucks really -- is shutting down Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
That’s much easier said than done. The Swedish twins have combined for three goals, 11 assists and 40 shots through Vancouver’s first six games of the season.
In case you didn’t know, Henrik (No. 33) is the passer and Daniel (No. 22) is the scorer. One thing in the Flyers’ advantage is Henrik and Daniel’s usual linemate, Alex Burrows, is sidelined with a foot injury and won’t play on Tuesday.
However, new Canucks head coach John Tortorella switched things up in Vancouver’s 5-4 win in Calgary on Sunday. Toward the end of the third period, Henrik played on a line with Chris Higgins and Mike Santorelli while Daniel skated with Ryan Kesler and Jannik Hansen.
It’s still unclear if they will play together in Philadelphia, but one thing is certain: The Sedins have good numbers against the Flyers. Daniel has three goals and eight assists in 11 career regular-season games vs. the orange and black. Henrik, in the same number of games, has two goals and 13 assists.
4) It’s been awhile
Because last year’s 48-game, lockout-shortened season saw teams play only within their conferences, the Flyers and Canucks have not faced off since Oct. 12, 2011.
It was the lone matchup between the two clubs in the 2011-12 campaign, a 5-4 Flyers victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
Giroux had a goal and two assists to pace the Flyers. Henrik and Daniel Sedin had a goal and assist each for Vancouver.
5) This and that
• Matt Read has yet to register a point for the Flyers this season but is first on the team in shots on goal with 19.
• Canucks netminder Roberto Luongo is 2-3-2 with a 3.46 goals-against average in his last seven starts against the Flyers.
• The Flyers have just eight goals total and have not scored more than twice in a single game this season.