Defensive problems hounding Flyers and their goalies

The forwards haven’t been consistent in their defensive responsibilities, but when was the last time they were?

The goalies are certainly not playing anywhere near the level that they should be, or close to what they produced early in the season. But any casual fan could tell you that goalies with no protective barrier don’t last long before seeking the solace of the bench.

Or their nearest sports psychologist.

Witness the half-a-mess the Flyers have been of late and know that while the forwards and goalies Carter Hart and Brian Elliott have a long way to go before getting into something resembling playoff form, it’s the unsteadiness of the defense that has plagued coach Alain Vigneault and his team for much of the season.

Having seen signs for a few weeks that the club was wearing at the seams, Vigneault recently opened up some sleepy eyes on Zoom by admitting that top defender Ivan Provorov’s partner Phil Myers wasn’t cutting the mustard. It renewed a popular team topic of months ago, that of ... how exactly GM Chuck Fletcher and Vigneault were going to replace retired veteran defender Matt Niskanen.

It’s March. They haven’t done so.

“We haven’t found the Nisky that was with Provy back there,” Vigneault said in that same recent Zoom session. “We’ve tried different people, Phil being one of them. I like the way Ghost has been playing. I don’t mind the way Gus has been playing the last few games. (But) I just need Phil to be more consistent. And I do need somebody to step up and play in that role.”

Since then, the Flyers have gone from slipping to plunging defensively. The club continues to score, which is the only reason they’re still on the periphery of playoff possibilities.

But Ghost, better known as veteran Shayne Gostisbehere, turned on his heel in the wrong direction again, and has been a healthy scratch for the last three games. And newbie free agent Erik Gustafsson continues to look like a one-year signing mistake.

Meanwhile, through Friday, the Flyers had allowed 97 goals through 28 games, ranking 23rd of 31 teams. They allowed three thirdperiod goals Thursday to help the New York Islanders out of a three-deep hole and back into a tie before a late Flyers goal bailed them out in a 4-3 win.

In the instant rematch between the teams Saturday, the Flyers promptly gave up four goals in the first period.

That isn’t good. That isn’t acceptable. That is making a mess of Hart’s young career right now.

Heading into that rematch game, he was 8-6-3 with a 3.70 goals-against average and .880 saves percentage in 19 appearances. Those type of numbers aren’t worthy of a supposedly top NHL goalie ... nor are they worthy of a common NHL backup.

Not that there aren’t often two reasons in front of him for that.

“Last game, I didn’t think he had a lot of work in the first two periods,” Vigneault said Saturday about Hart. “The third period wasn’t easy. The first shot found the back of the net and obviously a team that’s behind like that will be coming at you in waves, and they were trying.

“I do think Carter is trending (better); we’re going to need him to find his game and he’s working at it.”

Several hours later, Vigneault realized that Saturday night wasn’t going to be the right time to expect Hart to find either his game or the puck.

But then, the Flyers haven’t found much help for him, either.

With Gostisbehere benched again, Gustafsson was in the lineup ... as was promoted defender Nate Prosser. It would be nice to say that he didn’t impress.

All of this, of course, was just two games after that momentous 9-0 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, a game Flyers fans would remember for years ... if there weren’t so many other bad ones over the past several years with which to compare.

This short campaign has a real chance to be one of the Flyers’ and Vigneault’s most forgettable seasons. But you get the idea Vigneault won’t accept that ... at least not until he accepts the fact that no one has given him a Ghost of a chance to find a viable replacement for Niskanen.

“He’s had a few game where, in my estimation and the coaching staff’s estimation, defensively he hadn’t been as solid,” Vigneault said of Gostisbehere. “We have given him the opportunity on a couple of occasions, a chance to redeem himself. After the last time we felt it was time for Gus to get back in. ... and Gus was all right but wasn’t great.”

What more need be said?