PHILADELPHIA _ Facing a goalie making his first NHL career start couldn't help the Flyers end their skid Monday night.
They lost their seventh straight, dropping a 3-0 decision to the St. Louis Blues and rookie goalie Jordan Binnington, 25, who had struggled in two relief appearances this season.
Binnington had to make just 25 saves against a Flyers attack that has scored a total of seven goals over its last six games. They suffered their sixth shutout of their forgettable season and were booed off the ice as the final buzzer sounded.
Former Flyer Brayden Schenn scored a second-period goal at the Wells Fargo Center, and Vladimir Tarasenko made it 2-0 with a left-circle blast with nine minutes left in regulation. David Perron added an empty-net goal.
Goalie Carter Hart stopped 34 of 36 shots and was the Flyers' best player, but he received no offensive support. The Flyers have managed a total of four goals in Hart's last four starts.
Before he opposed his former team, Schenn said he looked at the Flyers' talent and couldn't understand their sad-sack record.
"It doesn't make sense," he said.
And then Schenn was shown, first-hand, why the Flyers have struggled as he was left all alone to knock in a rebound 41 seconds into the second period. On a four-on-two rush, Hart stopped Jaden Schwartz's drive, but an uncovered Schenn scored on the follow-up to give the Blues a 1-0 lead.
An inconsistent defense, goalie injuries, poor special-teams play for most of the season, and the regression of several young players have contributed mightily to the Flyers' fade.
The Blues have also been an enigmatic team, getting shoddy goaltending this season and not nearly enough scoring from a lineup that, on paper, should be much better.
The two underachieving teams met for the first time this season, and the 20-year-old Hart was actually the more experienced NHL goalie in the matchup. Hart was playing in his seventh game, while Binnington was making his first NHL start, though he had been used in relief three times, including twice this season.
Midway through the first period, Hart made perhaps the best save of his young career, sprawling and making a blocker stop on Schwartz's point-blank attempt.
The sleepy Flyers didn't force Binnington to make many difficult saves in the first 40 minutes. His best stop came with a little over 11 minutes left in the first when he denied Jake Voracek from the right circle.
St. Louis, which started the night as the worst team in the Western Conference, dressed only 11 forwards, and it lost top-line left winger Alexander Steen to an unspecified injury midway through the first period. The Blues were also missing another key forward, injured center Tyler Bozak.
Fans booed loudly after the second period. The Flyers had been thoroughly outplayed as the Blues continually cycled the puck in the offensive end and held a 27-17 shots domination.
Hart was the only reason St. Louis' lead was just 1-0 heading into the third period.
