The Philadelphia Flyers have struggled in their first four games, posting a 0-2-2 record and have been outshot 158-77 so far this season. They have yet to secure a regulation win and sit alongside the Winnipeg Jets and Los Angeles Kings as the only three teams without a one in the 2026-27 season.
The Flyers opened their season with a 7-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins,
the largest road shutout in an NHL season opener. The team then traveled to New Jersey, where they lost in overtime to the New Jersey Devils, led by Jack Hughes. They then lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2 in overtime. Still seeking their first regulation win, the Flyers headed to Tampa Bay, where they fell 4-1 to the Lightning.
In their first four games, the team has been outscored 17-5.
Head coach Rick Tocchet acknowledged the team’s struggles with the media on Sunday.
"I know everybody wants shots, everybody wants us to score and all that, but we've got to go through the ABCs to do that,"
Tocchet said. "We had an opportunity to hit the middle at least six times last night with speed, and we're shoveling it up the boards. I don't know if it's the summer or nervousness, the hype. I do feel some guys are a little bit nervous out there because there are reads to be made, but we're just kind of taking the safe one and just throwing it down."
Captain Sean Couturier highlighted the positives so far from the season.
I think we want to become Stanley Cup champions," Couturier said. "We want to play late in June and play those big meaningful games. I think this is kind of a wake-up call, realizing that, you know, we need to put the effort in, the work, the competition to push ourselves to the next level."
Is it time to press the panic button?
To put it simply, no.
While the Philadelphia Flyers have dropped four straight to start the season for the first time since 2014-15, several positives have emerged in the first four games.
The team has also already made a move to try and prevent further damage, signing Michael Bunting to a $1.2 million deal after he went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
It's also worth remembering the size of the leap the Flyers took as a relatively new unit in 2025. To make the playoffs and spring a first-round upset shocked many across the NHL. But as much as reality hit hard in the next round, this is a young team with the upside to accomplish that feat and hold their own in postseason play. As easy as it is to be disheartened early on, the core of this team is bound to go through growing pains, but the ceiling has already been flashed, and that should be something to forecast, not a benchmark of where the team's really at.
The Flyers need to find a way to win a game, but there are positives to look at as they head into the next 80 games.
