Photo Courtesy of, Tim Nwachukwu, Getty Images
In 51 games played this season the Philadelphia Flyers are sporting a hockey .500 record of 21-21-9 at the moment. Currently that record gives them 51 points and places the Flyers 6 points back of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Based on the above, it’s clear the Flyers have made an overall improvement from last season and their performances as a whole. When dissecting the team’s play it has been more competitive and consistent this season. This ties into the positive results the Flyers have seen as of late and the effort being shown on the ice. Not to mention the 21, 1 goal games the team has found themselves in through 51 games played so far. Demonstrating how close some of the teams wins and losses have been.Â
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It has been impressive watching this Flyers team battle back and keep games close this season in certain situations. Seeing consistent responses from the Flyers while being down in games has shown the team’s new found resilience. Whereas last season’s team in most cases would get behind and find themselves unable to dig their way back into games. Overall, the Flyers on ice product has improved in comparison to last season with their resilience being an integral factor.
At this point last year through 51 games the Flyers had a record of 15-26-10. Only cementing the improvement they’ve made under Head Coach John Tortorella. The Flyers are 4 wins shy of matching their win total from last season which was 25. Despite the unlikely nature of the Flyers making a push for the playoffs, the fact they have been competitive and have shown effort on a nightly basis is a good starting point. Especially when compared to last season’s team.
The foundation of their identity surrounds hard work, winning board battles, forchecking effectively, transitioning the puck up ice quickly, and paying attention to the defensive details of the game. All of which have made the Flyers a harder team to play against this season.
With 31 games left in the regular season and this Flyers team showing signs of improvement as a whole. It begs the question, what can be expected moving forward?Â
After arguably playing their best and most consistent hockey of the season during the month of January. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Flyers continue down the path they’ve been on for the majority of this season. Other than the 10 game losing streak where they were plagued by injuries, the Flyers have been competitive in the majority of their match-ups. That will likely continue as the season moves along, aside from the matchups where they take on the truly upper echelon teams in the league. Continuing to be competitive in the majority of games and improve while taking on top tier teams in the league will certainly be the goal for this Flyers team the remainder of this 2022-2023 campaign.
Player Development
Another important aspect of the final 31 games to play will be the development of the team’s younger players. To this point players like Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Cam York and Noah Cates have shown their promise and potential. They’ve also had struggles on the ice at times throughout this season, coupled with stretches where they’ve looked very impressive. There’s no denying the talent these younger players have displayed. However, there is still more there to be untapped.
Over the final 31 games it will be interesting to see if the aforementioned 4 skaters continue their strong play, develop their consistency further, and produce to an even higher level than has been shown before. The above would certainly be in the Flyers best interests. With the deployment Head Coach John Tortorella has given them it would not be out of the question.
Throughout the final stretch of regular season games we may also get looks at some other highly touted Flyers prospects. This would probably include either Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster or Cutter Gauthier. It would be a benefit for the Flyers to allow these 3 some playing time as the season rounds out. Doing so provides them a bench mark and understanding of what it takes to play in the NHL and compete at the NHL level. Such an experience can be a learning tool to use for these prospects as they prepare for next season and look to crack the opening night lineup. It’s also an experience they could draw from and use to their advantage during a future Phantoms playoff run later this season.
One thing that must be noted is from 2021-2022 to this current season, the Philadelphia Flyers have become considerably more interesting to watch in regards to their on ice play. I would expect that trend to continue over the final 31 games of the regular season as well.
Gettin Gritty Wit It, Episode 146: Hockey Is For Everyone & Marketed To No One
This week Yariv is back with a shorter episode than usual due to the All Star Break. But he still dives into all the hot topics surrounding the Flyers and the NHL. Here’s what was discussed below:
-Trade Deadline talk, possible returns?
-Next steps we can expect from the Flyers
-NHL All Star game and what needs to change
-NHL viewership down, is it a marketing issue?
-Phantoms talk and potential off-season plans
Thank you all for listening and for the continued support. Have a great week everybody!
