Photo Credit: Zack Hill
There are multiple reasons for NHL teams to make a playoff run, to include good special teams, good goaltending, good defense, or balanced scoring. The Flyers playoff push is being fueled by balanced scoring, which is a good thing. Yes, Brian Elliott and Carter Hart have played well this year, but the Flyers have become a nightmare to match up with lately.
On any given night different Flyers players, and any of their four lines step up in a big way. It’s not the same players, or same lines stepping up each night. Right now the fourth line is rocking with Micheal Raffl, Connor Bunnaman, and NAK. It’s great to have four well-balanced lines, as the Flyers are that much more difficult to match up with. Opponents have to pick and choose who their best defensemen will align with that night. This becomes a positional nightmare, and people can thank Alain Vigneault for that. Here are some goal totals for the Flyers season thus far:
Travis Konecny- 19
Kevin Hayes- 17
Sean Couturier- 16
JVR- 16
Claude Giroux- 15
Oskar Lindblom- 11
Jakub Voracek- 11
Ivan Provorov- 10
The Flyers have eight different players in double digits for scoring, and Scott Laughton (9) and Travis Sanheim (8) are both knocking on the door. Moreover, the orange and black average 3.1 goals per game (13th in NHL), have tallied 165 goals and given up 151 goals, which is good enough for 10th in the league in scoring differential with a plus 14.
With the Flyers having the 11th lowest GAA in the league, they will have to continue their balanced scoring attack to continue to fuel their playoff push. It’s great for once that the orange and black do not have to rely on one single player to score for overall success. In the past the Flyers relied on Giroux, so it’s great to see this balanced attack for once. Hopefully, it pays off with a playoff berth.
