Sitting at the podium following a big 2-1 Flyers playoff victory in game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens. A game in which Joel Farabee potted the game winner (First career NHL playoff game winning goal), Farabee was calm, cool and mature, “I just do everything I can to help the team, whatever my role is given that night,” Farabee said, “Obviously playing with Coots and G, they’re two world-class players and it’s a lot of fun playing with them. Hopefully we can keep this momentum rolling and keep getting better and better over this series.”
Well, the Flyers are off to a good start as they are 4-0 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Of course, with some highs, a team encounters some adversity with the injury to Michael Raffl. However, another man down, next man up has become a common theme for the Flyers before the pause, and they fought through that finishing in second place in the Metropolitan Division with 89 points. Farabee has made the most of this opportunity, “We know how to finish out games,” Farabee said, “Like Coots said, they are a really good team and made a really good push. We held them off. Our mindset is the same going into every game and we’re happy we closed that period out (Second period).”
A young 20-year-old in Joel Farabee has made an imprint in the 2020 playoffs. It’s a day he was waiting for his entire life, “Personally, just trying to stay ready,” Farabee said at Training Camp, “Doing whatever role I’m given that day, that’s what I try to do. Just trying to stay ready. If they need me, I’ll be ready.”
Farabee got another shot to make an imprint with the orange and black due to unforeseen circumstances with Raffl, and he has excelled. During the NHL playoffs you always have that one player that isn’t a household name, who makes the most of the moment. Joel Farabee is that player right now for the Flyers, and he now has two goals in three games played. Moreover, he has one assist and is a plus two, as well. Farabee has shown off his wheels, and is able to close gaps well defensively.
Drafted by the Flyers in 2018 at 14th overall. Farabee has seen action with the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he torched his opponents. For the Phantoms, he registered three goals, to go along with one apple in five games played. Not too shabby I must say. Moreover, Farabee plays a 200 foot game, and is just so darn good at killing penalties. It becomes very attractive to stay up with the big club for good, based off those reasons alone. Killing penalties will be crucial, as Raffl was an excellent Penalty Killer so Farabee could fill his void nicely, “From my perspective, you always know what you’re going to get from me in terms of work ethic and stuff like that,” Farabee said, “Personally, I’ve been pretty happy with how I’ve prepared for this camp and how well I’ve done. It’s the coaches’ decision to put the best roster out there for the game. I just got to stay ready. If my name is called and I get the opportunity, then I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
“He’s a smart player,” Assistant Michel Therrien said of Farabee, “We all like him. There’s going to be some experience during those four games that we’re going to play. Joel’s a smart player even if he’s young. His hockey IQ is right there. He needs some experience, obviously. He’s such a young player, but as a coaching staff, we really like the way he’s thinking about the game, his positioning, way he sees the game. Definitely, he’s going to have a really good chance.”
What Farabee brings is skating. Farabee can skate at top speed to push the play up the ice. Moreover, Farabee is an excellent skater, with the agility and edge work to get by defenders in one-on-one situations, and he has a great first step. Farabee is an outstanding playmaker off the wing, who possesses great vision of the ice. He is also a good defender. He remains focused and poised at killing penalties, and has a keen good hockey sense.
“He’s been great for us,” star defenseman Ivan Provorov said last night, “It’s his first playoffs, but it doesn’t look like it. He has poise. He’s been making plays. He’s been scoring and helping us big time. I think he deserves to play on that line and he contributes a lot. He’s been going. I think he complements Coots and G very well.”
This young man is a do it all by all standards, and his work ethic ranks off the charts. For Farabee, this is the moment he’s been waiting for his whole life.
