The Philadelphia Flyers hit a disappointing nine-game losing streak after the team fell 3-1 to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The loss meant that the Flyers ended their November slate with a 2-5-6 record, continuing their descent towards the bottom of the Metropolitan Division.
Shortly after San Jose defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic extended the Sharks lead, the Philadelphia faithful became boisterous towards the Flyers and especially towards third-year coach Dave Hakstol. Chants of "Fire Hakstol" reigned down at the Wells Fargo Center.
"Fire Hakstol" Chants start up#Flyers #SJSharks #SJSvsPHI #NHL #HockeyFightsCancer pic.twitter.com/fBFa1C5Ht6
— David Malandra Jr (@djmjr788) November 29, 2017
The Flyers held a closed-door meeting after the game, barring any and all media to enter until the conference's conclusion. When it was time for the Flyers to address the media, captain Claude Giroux came to the defense of Hakstol.
"It's not on him," Giroux said. "It's on everybody."
Philadelphia's goaltending has allowed three or more goals on eight separate occasions throughout the losing streak. Often times, the Flyers offense couldn't make up for the team's goaltending mishap during overtime or shootout periods. When Philadelphia has a strong, defensive outing it is the offense that isn't able to capitalize. It is the team's longest losing streak since 2006, where the Flyers lost nine straight in regulation.
When it comes to success, fans in Philadelphia have built a reputation of being one of the toughest to please. In 2011, the Philadelphia Eagles were considered a team to contend for the Super Bowl after signing prized free agent Nmandi Asomugha. The Eagles, instead, finished that season with a mediocre record of 8-8 and similar chants to the ones Hakstol heard were given to Eagles coach Andy Reid. He was fired a season later.
Hakstol was brought in with an impressive track record. After appearing in the NCAA hockey tournament in each of his 11 years of coaching, Hakstol led the Flyers to the playoffs in his first year as the Flyers' bench boss, but missed the playoffs the following season.
In all, Philadelphia holds a 8-10-7 record (23 points) and sits six points back of the second Wild Card position that's currently occupied by the Penguins. Luckily for the Flyers, the NHL is just past the quarter mark of the season and there is room to cut the gap between them and the Penguins. If the Flyers don't contend for a playoff spot, though, Hakstol may receive similar treatment that he did on Tuesday, and could ultimately receive a similar fate as Reid.