For Flyers, special teams have been losing power

A losing streak - or a string of five losses in six games - is not the product of one problem. Rather, it is a multitude of issues - some related and some not - that all go wrong.

As Murphy's Law kindly states: When it rains, it pours.

For the Flyers, special teams have been a big part of their demise over the last 2 weeks. It's one of the reasons why, heading into last night, the Flyers were on the outside looking in at the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Their penalty kill, which was ranked fifth in the NHL at the start of November, has fallen to 14th. The Flyers allowed two power-play goals against in four different games in the month of November, in addition to the seven they have allowed in their last six games.

The Flyers are now killing off four out of every five power plays.

"Your goalie is always your best penalty killer," said Ian Laperriere, one of the Flyers' most consistent 'killers.

That hasn't been so for the Flyers recently. When Ray Emery won five straight games in net beginning on Halloween, he only allowed three power-play goals against. In three of those wins, Emery didn't let in any shorthanded.

Since then, Emery has allowed a power-play goal against in all but one of his starts - which was, coincidentally, the game in Colorado in which he was pulled after allowing four goals on 17 shots.

Surely, Blair Betts' shoulder injury hasn't helped the Flyers' kill.

But the Flyers haven't helped themselves by generating any shorthanded goals. They have just one shorthanded goal this season. Last night, moving the puck up ice when shorthanded - and getting shots on goal - was the key to their penalty-killing success.

Early in the second period, the Flyers staved off a Vancouver two-man advantage, with Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen in the box, with help from odd-man rushes by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Carter had a scoring chance on a 2-on-1 but was stopped by Roberto Luongo.

The Canucks were 0-for-4 on the power play last night, but the Flyers were 0-for-5 on their way to a 3-0 loss.

On top of the follies on the penalty kill, the Flyers' other special teams unit - the power play - hasn't been much better. Heading into last night, they had scored just twice in six games, and their once league-best unit was tied for third, operating at 24 percent.

"It's a matter of winning puck battles," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "We need to simplify and just get the puck up top and get it to the net with people at the net."

Both special teams are key to ending this skid.

Ian Laperriere, playing with a full face mask to protect a broken bone in his upper lip, swore that he wouldn't fight until he was fully healed. On Black Friday, he took a slapshot to the face, which knocked out seven teeth and required 50 to 100 stitches to repair the gash.

"I don't want to take advantage [of the facial protection]," Laperriere said Wednesday. "I need that bone to heal. If I can't take a punch, I won't fight and I don't want to take advantage of fighting with a shield. When I am ready to go and completely healed I will take everything off."

Although he's playing with a mask - and admittedly "playing on the edge" - he almost scrapped with Vancouver's Ryan Johnson in the first period last night. After a hit on the boards, Laperriere slashed Johnson on the shin pad and amazingly looked ready to remove his helmet to brawl.

That's just plain crazy.

Laperriere said he is waiting until after his career is over to get his crooked nose and teeth fully repaired.

"I will get a temporary bridge in 2 or 3 weeks when everything is less swollen, healed and the stitches are removed," Laperriere said. "When I finally retire, I will get some permanent teeth screwed in there. Then for the rest of my life I will have some nice teeth to go on with my life."

Hockey Canada executive director Steve Yzerman was scouting at the Flyers game last night. The man in charge of picking the Canadian Olympic team also watched the Flyers lose in San Jose on Nov. 20 . . . Mika Pyorala skated on the wing with Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk last night . . . So much for Brendan Shanahan coming to the rescue of the NHLPA. He was hired by the NHL yesterday as senior vice-president of hockey operations and will assist Colin Campbell with insights into trends that have emerged in the game. Many thought Shanahan, a 22-year veteran and three-time Cup champ, would succeed former players' union executive director Paul Kelly.