Photo Credit: Our very own Michael Reaves
The Philadelphia Flyers started a six-game road trip back on December 23rd in Pittsburgh and will conclude on January 5th in Toronto. So far, they are 2-2-0 with two games remaining against the Vegas Golden Knights and Toronto Maple Leafs.
This road trip has shown Flyers fans that they have as much resiliency as they possibly can and that they can not show up and play at the same time. It’s a whole bunch of things that a rebuilding team goes through. While the Flyers may not be a cup-contending team right now, they certainly have a few characteristics of one.
Let’s break down the strengths and weaknesses of this road trip so far.
Power Play/Penalty Kill
The power play has been an area of struggle for the Flyers for years. Unfortunately, it still is. You’d think that the power play is a team’s best chance to get on the board, tie a game, take a lead, etc. However, when it comes to the Flyers, they just can’t seem to take advantage of these opportunities.
With top rookie Matvei Michkov now playing with the Flyers, you’d think the numbers would increase. He can’t be the only one doing all the work, however. Power play coach Rocky Thompson has got to figure things out if this team is going to be successful in the future.
The penalty kill hasn’t been as successful as it was at the beginning of the season. They currently are ranked 20th in the league with a penalty kill percentage of 78.10. On the road trip, they have faced nine power plays and have killed off five. The Flyers are trending in a better direction but still are struggling quite a bit.
Within this six-game road trip, the Flyers have had nine power play opportunities and scored only one goal. This isn’t a recipe for success at all if you ask me. With the Knights and Maple Leafs coming up, they’re going to need to capitalize on every chance they get.
Goaltending
The Flyers have turned to Samuel Ersson to be their number-one goaltender after the departure of Carter Hart. With this being his first season as a “starting” goaltender, some would say he’s performing quite well. Through 19 games played (18 started), Ersson holds down a 9-6-2 record, a 3.02 goals against average (GAA), and a .884 save percentage.
Backup goaltender Aleksei Kolosov, since coming over from Russia, has played fairly decent as well. Through 14 games played (10 started), Kolosov holds down a 4-7-1 record, a 3.39 goals against average, and a .872 save percentage.
The injury bug has hit Ersson once again as he sustained an injury in the Flyer’s last game against the San Jose Sharks. He had come way out of his net to play the puck and got run over. He currently is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
The Flyers will now have to rely on Kolosov and Ivan Fedotov until Ersson returns. They’ll have their work cut out for them in the coming games, that’s for sure.
Players stepping up
As every fan knows, hockey is a team sport. There’s no “I” in team. The Flyers know how to play like a team when they’re playing well. Even with head coach John Tortorella changing up lines to find chemistry, the team still finds ways to work together.
The hockey season is a long one and every player needs to contribute in some way. The Flyers are getting a lot of contributions from their young guys such as Owen Tippett, Matvei Michkov, Morgan Frost, and Noah Cates. Although the team is relatively healthy other than Ersson, it’s always the next man up.
Whether it’s working hard along the boards or setting guys up with nice passes, the Flyers are going to need to continue getting help not only the young guys but the veterans as well.
Flyers Next Game
The Flyers take on the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at 10 pm in Vegas.
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