Every Philadelphia Flyers fan carries a secret supply of excuses. Mine is well stocked. After 16 games, Philadelphia sit at 4-8-4: twelve points, an opening run of 0-6-3 (nine games, not one win) and just 35 goals scored and 54 conceded. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about hardship being a gift. I did not ask for it to arrive quite so quickly.
So I did what any self-respecting fan does when the scoreboard won’t cooperate. I went looking for mitigating circumstances. Specifically: who, exactly, have they been playing?
The case for the defence
For each of the 16 games, I took the opponent’s current record (wins-losses-overtime losses) and added them up by how the Flyers’ night ended. A repeat opponent counts each time they show up.
|
Result |
Games and opponents’ record |
Points % |
|
Flyers won |
4 games. Opponents: 34-21-5 |
.608 |
|
Lost in regulation |
8 games. Opponents: 66-39-12 |
.615 |
|
Lost in OT or shootout |
4 games. Opponents: 34-19-3 |
.634 |
|
All 16 games |
Opponents: 134-79-20 |
.618 |
|
League average |
All 32 teams |
.555 |
Points percentage = points earned divided by points available. Not the same as win percentage.
Look at that third row. The teams that dragged the Flyers into extra time are the strongest of the lot: Carolina (currently the best record in the league), New Jersey, Seattle and Columbus. And the opening nine games, the 0-6-3 hole, came against teams now sitting at .657. Carolina twice, Boston, Tampa Bay and New Jersey are all in the league’s top seven. If you must start a season badly, do it against the elite and call it character building.
When the Flyers finally won, it was against Ottawa, Colorado, Buffalo and Utah: a combined .608. Not a soft touch among them.
Now the honest bit
Allow me a moment of fairness, which does not come naturally in November.
Those records include the games against the Flyers themselves, and the Flyers have been generous hosts. Take those out and the 16 opponents come to .608, against a league average of .555. Still better than average, but less of a gauntlet than the headline number suggests.
Also, “current” is not “at the time”. In 14 of the 16 games the opponent had already played, and only four of those had a losing record on the night: Carolina (after two games), Detroit, Anaheim and Columbus. Count Buffalo, at 4-3-2, if you treat overtime losses as losses, and it’s five. The Flyers went 0-2-2 against the four. Pittsburgh, Anaheim and Columbus sit 26th, 25th and 27th on points percentage today, and all three beat Philadelphia.
Sixteen games is also barely a chapter. None of this proves the schedule is to blame.
So, bad luck or just bad?
Somewhere in between. The opposition has been a bit better than average, and the first nine games were properly tough. But the Flyers also lost to three of the bottom teams, and a side that has scored 35 and conceded 54 can’t pin it all on the fixture list. Tonight Minnesota visit Philadelphia. Another chance to retire the excuses. November is not just Movember. It’s make or break time for the 2026-2027 season and any hope of making the playoffs!
What is your favourite excuse for a team you love? And have you ever caught yourself using it?
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PS this isn’t the first time I’ve written about a long Flyers’ losing streak. My first time was in 2008! SEE HERE
