Flyers offense goes flat at worst time

MONTREAL - The Flyers' worst four-game production in a decade could not have come at a worse time.

They have managed a total of three goals in their last four games, all regulation losses, and fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Before that, they had won four in a row - scoring 18 goals in that span - and climbed into the playoff hunt.

In the last four games, the Flyers have scored one goal three times, and they were blanked by lowly the Buffalo Sabres, 1-0, on Saturday.

According to STATS LLC, it is the first time the Flyers have failed to score at least two goals in regulation over four straight games since Jan. 24 to 30, 2003.

"It's tough to understand with all the players we have and all the offense we have up front," said forward Danny Briere, whose team will play in Montreal on Monday night. "It's been frustrating in that regard. I wish I had an answer."

The Flyers were tied for No. 2 in the NHL by averaging 3.17 goals per game last season. This year, they are tied for 15th in the 30-team league, averaging 2.61 goals.

Briere had missed 10 games because of a concussion before returning Saturday. After a slow start, he began to get into a rhythm, and he fired a shot off the crossbar with one second left in the 1-0 loss.

"We have to find ways to create more offensively," he said. "It's not just that were not scoring goals; our chances are way down."

Briere has watched the Flyers up close and, while he was sidelined, from the press box.

"We're not moving the puck very well in the offensive zone," he said. "I don't know if we're trying to hold onto it because we don't trust each other or what's going on. We lose battles offensively. . . . I think we're strong holding onto pucks, but we're holding onto it too long. You [should] take one hit and spin off and move the puck instead of holding on for a second or third time. And that limits our offense."

Because of their offensive shortcomings, the Flyers have fallen nine points out of a playoff spot with seven games left. They will miss the playoffs for just the second time in the last 18 seasons.

Lately, the power play, which had moved to No. 1 in the NHL, has also been anemic. For most of the season, the power play has been forced to carry the Flyers' offense because their five-on-five play has been so weak - 28th out of 30 teams.

The power play is 0 for 16 in the last six games as the Flyers have held onto the puck too long and failed to create much havoc in front or rebound opportunities.

A club source denied a Hockey Night in Canada report that the Flyers were front-runners to sign undrafted Quinnipiac senior goaltender Eric Hartzell to an entry-level contract. Hartzell, a 6-foot-4, 188-pound Minnesota native, led the Bobcats to the Frozen Four final, but he allowed a pair of soft goals in Saturday's 4-0 loss to Yale in the NCAA title game. . . . The Flyers (17-21-3) are 5-15-1 on the road - last year, they were 25-13-3 on the road.

The Flyers haven't dropped five straight in regulation since late in 2009. . . . The Flyers and Canadiens (26-10-5) have split a pair of games this season. . . . Scott Laughton, who opened the season with the Flyers, scored his first pro goal - a shorthanded tally - in the Phantoms' 4-3 overtime win over Connecticut on Saturday.