Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Flyers’ latest loss prompted players-only meeting

Braydon Coburn, Steve Mason

Philadelphia Flyers’ Braydon Coburn (5) flies into the net after colliding with Steve Mason (35) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

AP

After a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Rivalry Night, the Philadelphia Flyers held a players-only meeting, CSNPhilly.com reports.

It’s understandable that players aren’t divulging specific details about that meeting - let’s face it, a good chunk of the content would probably need to be censored heavily, anyway - yet Steve Mason clarified that the team knows it can’t slip too far in the standings.

“It’s pretty easy to see things slipping away,” Mason said. “Points are up for grabs but other teams are grabbing them and you’re not and you’re falling behind.”

Head coach Craig Berube might not have been part of that meeting, but he probably echoed some of those sentiments in asking for better efforts from his team.

“We need to fight through adversity better,” Berube said. We need to stick with the game plan a little bit more. We stopped doing the little things.”

“We had some guys that aren’t competing and it results in goals against. It can’t happen. You need everybody on your team competing at the highest level all the time in this league; otherwise you will not win.”

With a road-heavy schedule through the start of 2015 (as detailed here and here), the Flyers will need to put forth maximum effort to stay in the hunt through a tough stretch of games. It’s never fun to lose, especially on national TV, yet last night’s defeat might just be the kind of wake-up call Philly needs to brace itself for the challenges up ahead.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins