(Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers will try to extricate themselves from an early-season funk when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers began the year with a 2-0-1 mark, but have since dropped three straight games in regulation. Philadelphia has scored a total of five goals during the skid and has gone just 1-for-14 on the power play over that stretch.
Philadelphia will also try to close out its five-game homestand with a victory. The Flyers won the opener of the residency against Colorado on Oct. 11, but then went on their current slide.
The Flyers were edged, 3-2, by the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, as Ryan Getzlaf scored the game-winning goal with 1:46 remaining in regulation. There was some confusion surrounding the decisive goal, but a replay ultimately confirmed that it was a good score. Getzlaf poked at the puck while bearing down on Philadelphia goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the disc trickled into the front right side of the net, just barely over the goal line.
Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers, while Bobrovsky made 19 saves in the losing effort.
"It's alarming. It's disappointing we lost this game," said Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette.
Bobrovsky, a 22-year-old rookie, has started the last two games for Philly and been dealt consecutive losses after beginning his NHL career 2-0. Laviolette may opt to start Brian Boucher, who hasn't played since losing to Tampa on Oct. 14.
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have cooled off from their 4-0 start, dropping their last two games, both of which were played on home ice.
Toronto was dealt a 2-1 overtime loss by the New York Islanders on Monday and then lost by the same score in regulation to the Rangers on Thursday. Ruslan Fedotenko and Artem Anisimov scored 61 seconds apart in the first period to lift the Rangers to the close win at Air Canada Centre.
Colby Armstrong scored a third-period goal for Toronto, while Jonas Gustavsson made 30 saves in defeat.
Jean-Sebastien Giguere is expected to get the start tonight in goal. Giguere is 2-4-1 with a tie in eight career games against the Flyers and has a 3.52 goals-against average in those outings.
Philadelphia won three of four from the Leafs last season and has taken five of seven overall in the series. Toronto has also dropped four straight and five out of its last six in the City of Brotherly Love.