Flyers fall to Capitals 5-2 and Tocchet runs out of answers

Rick Tocchet's Flyers dropped a 5-2 decision to the Capitals on Wednesday night, and the losses are stacking up fast.

It was the second defeat in as many nights. Philadelphia lost 4-3 in overtime to Columbus on Tuesday, then ran into a Washington team that took full advantage.

The Flyers have just 10 points. A back-to-back that could have changed the mood produced exactly one of them.

Washington's top end did the damage. Alex Tuch and Jordan Kyrou each scored twice, and Aliaksei Protas got the game-winner.

Dylan Strome added three assists. That's a quiet 3-point night that decided plenty.

In the Philadelphia net, Joseph Woll stopped 25 of 29 shots. Logan Thompson made 23 saves on 25 shots at the other end, and that gap is the whole story.

The Flyers did get some offense. Sean Couturier scored, and Matvei Michkov added a power-play goal, though he finished the night at -2.

Trevor Zegras had four shots on goal and an assist in 19:09. He now has 13 points in 15 games, and it still isn't translating into wins.

Flyers defense keeps coming apart in the Metropolitan Division race

The Flyers went into this one without Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett missing the game, and the lineup looked thin when Washington pushed.

Still, injuries only explain so much. Giving up five goals on the back end of a back-to-back is a structure problem, not a roster-depth problem.

Jamie Drysdale logged 23:26 and finished with a shot and a -1. When the top pair spends that much time on the ice and the puck still ends up behind your goalie, something is broken.

It's like bailing a boat with a coffee cup. You can keep scooping, but the water is coming in faster than anyone can throw it out.

Tocchet can keep shuffling forwards, and Zegras can keep producing. None of it matters if the Flyers allow four goals on 29 shots again.

There's also the Konecny question hanging over the room, with Konecny's reported stance on his no-movement clause already circulating. Losses like this make every rumor louder.

The Flyers host Utah on Sunday, November 1. Do they have anything fixed by then, or does the next opponent just find the same holes?