The Philadelphia Flyers have struggled all season, but after beating the hapless Toronto Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night, they have now won four straight for the first time this season. The 1-0 score shows that Toronto effectively shut down the Flyers’ top scorers, Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Injuries have been a large part of that, but the team is clearly in transition and nowhere near as good as they used to be.

The Flyers have had several small winning streaks that were ultimately done in by scheduling breaks that halted their momentum. In recent past seasons, the Flyers would struggle early in the season; then, once the calendar flipped to the new year, they would turn the intensity up and go on a run that would get them into the playoffs. That could certainly happen again this season, but they would also be just as likely to miss the playoffs.

It was a rather uneventful game. The lone goal was scored by Flyers defenseman Michael Del Zotto, his fifth of the season. The goal came at 4:05 of the first period, and the assists went to Petr Straka and Wayne Smmonds.

Steve Mason made 30 saves for the Flyers while James Reimer stopped 17 of the 18 shots fired at him by the Flyers. The Flyers are fifth in the Metropolitan Division, 11 points behind the Washington Capitals. They are fourth in the Eastern Conference Wild Card standings, but Washington is currently sitting in the second and final spot. The Flyers have a lot of work to do to even have a chance at the playoffs, but things are looking a little better after picking up their fourth straight win.

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