*Let’s start with the hockey game, shall we? The Flyers lost to Carolina Saturday night, in what ironically may have been the best game they’ve played all season. It was the last game they’d play in what turned out to be a very interesting first month of the season. [Inquirer]
*Here’s what the Canes fans had to say about their win this weekend. [Canes Country]
*Zooming out a bit, we may be seeing the beginning of the exposure of the cracks in this team, which are many, and for the most part have been covered over by Carter Hart. The Flyers think they can outrun this with hard work, but sustaining that is going to be hard to do. [The Athletic]
*And now, the weekend’s news. Let’s start with the bad things we’ve learned since Friday: Sean Couturier had surgery and will be out several months at the very least. That’s the second back surgery this year for those keeping score. [NBC Sports Philly]
*So, what DEFCON level does this Coots news put us at? [The Athletic]
*The Flyers made another waiver claim as the need for warm bodies to fill the lineup increases, picking up Kieffer Bellows from the Islanders. He made his debut against the Canes. [NBC Sports Philly]
*Remember Artem Anisimov? Who is evidently still on his PTO? He’s apparently getting closer to being fully healthy and the fact that this is being reported makes one think he will be sticking around. [Inquirer]
*And finally, as we face the Coots reality and the lack of Cam Atkinson updates and the roster full of misfits and rookies and AAAA plugs, let’s talk about tanking. And if the league should do something to discourage trying to lose in order to win a prize like Connor Bedard. [ESPN+]
