A Tale of Two Tapes for the Flyers

Photo Courtesy of Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Coming off of the Philadelphia Flyers season opener last Friday which was a 5-4 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks the optimism surrounding the team seemed to be dwindling. Despite this, the Flyers managed to score a combined 12 goals in the following two games against Seattle and Boston and have now won two games in a row respectively at the scores of 6-1 and 6-3. The team is showing some real signs of placing the tendencies that plagued them last season into the rear view mirror and creating a new on ice identity for themselves.

In the season opener the Flyers looked eerily similar to the product on the ice that was seen last season. Though the team started out strongly in the first period, the second period saw the club relinquish their lead. The Flyers allowed certain plays such as not clearing the zone result in goals against which occurred fairly often last season. Some of this can be attributed to the team getting into penalty trouble although the team looked void of energy within that period. In turn the Canucks were able to dominate the Flyers both at 5 on 5 and on the power play as they cashed in multiple times with the man advantage. Another concerning aspect of this second period for the Flyers was the play of Carter Hart as the goaltender did look shaky on a few goals that could have been considered as wacky bounces. Evidently, that second period against the Canucks could have been mistaken for a period from last season. Specifically relating to how the Flyers were playing as a unit and their inability to clear the zone and minimize Vancouver’s scoring chances. Much like last season, in the third period up until the 3 or 4 minute mark left in the frame the Flyers did not do much of anything however, with the goalie pulled they managed to tie up the game at 4-4 and head to overtime securing a point in the standings. The overtime period saw more of the same occurring as though the team had some chances to score the Canucks dominated the extra period and did eventually win the game in the shootout. One major positive to take away from the remainder of this game was Carter Hart’s performance. After he allowed 4 goals in the second period the netminder shut things down and did not allow another goal in the game, all the while making some spectacular saves in overtime to ensure the Flyers got to a shootout. On a night where the Flyers looked like the same old team that underachieved last season, seeing Carter Hart rebound from a shaky period and give the team a chance to win is a welcoming sight. Ultimately providing the outlook that Hart will be able to respond to in game adversity in a much better manner than the 2020-2021 season.

On the other hand, the next two games the Flyers played against the Seattle Kraken and Boston Bruins showed a completely different side and gear that many were not sure existed. The team managed to shore up their penalty killing woes going 5 for 5 on the penalty kill in both games combined. Along with this, the Flyers also scored 6 goals in each game for a combined 12 goals. What these two games showed is that the team seems to be building a new identity and is looking to stray away from the issues that affected them and their performances negatively last season. A welcome sight has been the team actually sticking up for one another when other teams are attempting to take liberties with the Flyers best players. This is something that was virtually non-existent last season and the fact that we’ve seen the Flyers show some fight against other teams doing this bodes well for where the teams chemistry currently stands. It also exhibits that these players are willing to battle for each other on the ice. Obviously, this is not something that is measured on the scoreboard but it is a crucial part to team building and ensuring that all players are on the same page and know that the team comes first before anything else. 

Another sign that this Flyers team seems to be turning the page on last season was their ability to respond to some adversity in the matchup against the Bruins last evening. The Flyers were up 3-1 in the second period and looked firmly in control of the game until they gave up 2 quick goals and found themselves in a 3-3 tie headed to the third period. Normally, when this occurred last season it would spell a loss for the Flyers. When the team found themselves struggling on the ice they could not get out of the bad tendencies and would continue to make mistakes until it cost them the game. Surprisingly, the Flyers did not fall back into those habits that allowed the Bruins to tie the game in the second period. Instead the team reverted to what was making them successful in scoring 3 goals so far in the game. Which was forechecking hard, getting back into their own zone in a timely manner while backchecking to help their defenseman, and shooting pucks on net whenever the opportunity arose. Playing with such aggressiveness and not sitting back on their heels in the third period which is likely what the team would have done last season allowed the Flyers to take the lead and secure the victory against a very formidable Bruins team. Overall, the last two games have shown that this Flyers team looks to be much different from last season’s club. Their ability to respond to adversity on the ice and not immediately go into a defensive shell further cements that. The Flyers will look to keep up the strong play against an undefeated high octane offensive Florida Panthers team in their meeting on Saturday night. Below are some key takeaways heading into that matchup:

Pivotal Takeaways

1. Can the Flyers handle Florida’s potent offense? The Panthers are a team that scores a lot of goals in various ways. Due to this the Flyers will need to be solid defensively to stay competitive with the Panthers within this game. In Thursday’s tilt with the Bruins the Flyers second pairing of Sanheim and Ristolainen struggled mightily and may have been at fault for 2 goals against directly. This particular defensive pairing needs to be much better for the Flyers. If they continue to miss coverages and the opposition’s players enter the vicinity of the goalie’s crease unscathed it may be a difficult night for the pairing and the Flyers as a whole.
2. Will the Flyers continue to score goals at the pace they have been? One facet of this upcoming matchup that will be interesting to monitor is the Flyers goal scoring capacity. Entering the regular season it was thought by several NHL pundits that the Flyers may have difficulties scoring goals this season. The first three games have provided a welcome surprise though as the team has shown an ability to create numerous scoring chances and capitalize on them more often than not. The question remains if the Flyers can continue to score at this pace or at least one similar. It must be noted that if the team maintains the current contributions it has been receiving from it’s depth pieces they should have no troubles sustaining their early season scoring prowess.
3. How will Derick Brassard, Joel Farabee and Cam Atkinson perform? This trio has arguably been the best line for the Flyers in the early season especially offensively. Brassard seems to have turned back the clock after being reunited with former teammate Atkinson (the two played together in Columbus) and head coach Alain Vigneault as the veteran center already has 5 points in only 3 games played. Joel Farabee has also looked like the team’s biggest offensive threat so far this season and seems to be building off of his breakout 2020-2021 campaign with 6 points in 3 games to date. Lastly, Cam Atkinson is showing Flyers fans exactly why he was traded for. The speedy winger already has 13 shots on goal in 3 games exemplifying his shoot first mentality the Flyers have been desperately lacking. Not to mention, posting an impressive 3 goals in 3 games and a total of 4 points. With the Panthers having a very skilled first line, it’s likely that the trio of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny will match-up against Barkov’s line. In light of this it may be difficult for the trio to impact the game offensively as Barkov is one of the best defensive centers in the NHL. This leaves a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of scoring to Brassard’s line and in order for the Flyers to continue their winning streak they will likely need another big offensive output on Saturday from Farabee, Brassard and Atkinson.