from Ken Campbell of The Hockey News,

More than halfway through the 2020-21 season, it’s safe to say there has not been a more monumental disappointment than the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s probably also safe to say there is nobody in world history who has had a worse month of March than Flyers goalie Carter Hart. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch. Julius Caesar had a pretty bad March back in the day, what with his senators assassinating him and all.

The Flyers are in a free fall and so is their young goaltender. Since posting a 28-save shutout against the Buffalo Sabres Feb. 28, Hart has been dismal. He’s either started or mopped up in nine games since then and the best save percentage he’s posted in any of those appearances is .889. So far this month Hart has faced 211 shots and stopped just 172 of them for a save percentage of .815. His backup, veteran Brian Elliott, has been almost as bad. And once again, the Flyers are doing nothing to dispel the notion that NHL-caliber goaltenders go to southeastern Pennsylvania to watch their careers die.

The latest and most gruesome example of this came Thursday night when the Flyers lost 8-3 to the New York Rangers. Hart started the game and stopped six of 11 shots. He was pulled and replaced by Elliott, who faced exactly the same number of shots and stopped two more than Hart. It’s hard to determine who has been worse, the Flyers goalies or the guys playing in front of them. On the rare occasions they do win lately, it’s because they outscored their own terrible defensive play and the poor play of their own goalies. The Flyers are brutal defensively, and that’s compounded by the fact that their goalies can’t stop the puck. Prior to getting on the ice for a workout today, the Flyers had not practiced in 12 days. But they haven’t forgotten how to play the game.

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