Date Published: 10-31-2022
Photo Courtesy of Yong Kim, The Philadelphia Inquirer
With 8 games played in the regular season to date the Flyers have concluded their 3 game homestand with a 1-1-1 record. Based on the level of competition they’ve taken on in San Jose, Florida and Carolina, such results and securing 3 points out of 6 games isn’t ideal. Although, hints of process related improvements have emerged as the homestand concluded.
The team arguably played their worst game of the season last Sunday evening while taking on the San Jose Sharks from a process perspective. In regards to keeping their structure in the defensive zone, clearing the zone efficiently, and breaking the puck out up the ice they were severely lacking in most areas. Despite the poor performance in the first game of a 3 game homestand the Flyers did play better against the Panthers on Thursday in certain situations.
The defense as a whole did a better job of boxing out some Panthers players in front of the net. They also kept some scoring opportunities and shots to the outside. Aspects of their play were improved but this specific style of hockey is not a complete recipe for success. There were still turnovers and difficulties clearing the defensive zone. However, establishing some puck possession and scoring chances got better compared to the matchup on Sunday with San Jose. Mainly resulting from players getting in on the forecheck and defenseman pinching in on plays in the offensive zone with better timing and anticipation.
Even though, the Flyers did some things well in the tilt versus Florida, allowing as many shots as they did is clearly not a consistent way to win games. The Panthers controlled play for sections of all 3 periods. Continually allowing another team to do so will usually not result in winning results for a sustained period of time.
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With that in mind, after securing a victory in their matchup with the Panthers in a way that is typically not sustainable, the Flyers put forth a much better showing when taking on the Carolina Hurricanes. The 1st period was probably one of the worst the team has had in terms of creating opportunities versus the sustained pressure being applied by the Hurricanes throughout the period. John Tortorella even mentioned a similar statement in his press availability after the game,
“I thought our first period was a struggle. We beat the puck up, then the second period goal got us rolling and the third period. I thought we played two good periods.”
The Flyers then found themselves in a familiar circumstance down 2-0 once again. Putting their new found resilience on display in the 2nd and 3rd periods of the game versus the Hurricanes. They’ve trailed by one or more goals to begin games in 7 of their first 8 outings this season. In the vast majority of those games they’ve battled back from deficits to make the games competitive and even win some of them.
Through their improved breakouts and neutral zone play in the 2nd and 3rd period the Flyers began creating scoring opportunities in transition. Doing so allowed them to establish some sustained puck possession and shifts in the offensive zone which contributed to their control of the play and increased puck control time.
Arguably, the Flyers played their best two periods of the regular season so far, while facing off with a tough opponent in the Hurricanes. Their ability to hang in and come back against a good Hurricanes team that was projected by many to finish atop the Eastern Conference and Metro Division is an encouraging sign. Flyers head coach John Tortorella also took the team’s performance in the 2nd and 3rd period as an improvement as compared to their prior two outings. His statements only further these sentiments.
Question: You’ve said over the last couple of games that you guys haven’t controlled play but were making big plays at key times. Was that just what wasn’t there today?
“No, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I thought we played two good periods, the second and third. I thought it was the two best periods we’ve played in quite a while.”
Question: You’ve talked about the other day how the power play was coming out big for you guys, you had six opportunities and only one goal, does that feel like a turning point for you guys?
“No, I felt the power play goal was important for us. Holy shit guys, glass is half full, not half empty.”
Question: Do you take away a lot of positives out of this game?
“You’re goddamn right I do.”
From the thoughts Tortorella put forth it’s obvious the game was not a perfect one. Nonetheless, the Flyers battled hard, played hard, were tough on puck battles, stuck to their structure as a 5 man unit and played aggressively in the nature Tortorella is expecting.
Unfortunately, that’s how hockey can be epitomized. Teams can play a great game and lose said game. While a team could play a poor game and end up winning the game. This exact concept is easy to understand. Especially with the Flyers game against the Panthers that they likely deserved to lose and won due to spectacular goaltending from Carter Hart as the prime example.
What must be noted is during most seasons teams that control play for stretches of games consistently, forecheck aggressively and create high danger scoring opportunities at a decent clip usually win games at more substantial rates. Other factors into such success would be defensive gap control, not giving up the blue line to oppositions and the ability to transition the puck up the ice. Additionally, limiting turnovers and defensive zone coverage are also integral factors into building a process that can continually win games.
It’s evident the Flyers do not have all of those things mentioned operating at even close to full capacity with their play as of late. But every team has to start somewhere. What appears to be occurring is the Flyers are improving their puck possession, how they box out other teams players in their own end, and their counter attack. Contributing to their creation of scoring chances off the rush. These factors point to the team gradually getting better with time moving along as they become more familiar with John Tortorella, Brad Shaw and Rocky Thompson’s coaching philosophies and tactics.
Regardless of the 5-2-1 start to the season it’s still too early to really make a concrete observation and declaration of what this Flyers team is yet. Just as it seems John Tortorella is doing. We simply need to observe and see more of this team. A wait and see approach where patience is involved to understand what exactly they are and how effective they can be on a nightly basis throughout this upcoming season is what’s needed.
Early returns do look good in relation to facets of the Flyers game that were underwhelming last season. For example, the Power Play is 16th in the league and clicking at a 21.4 percent rate. A substantial increase compared to their last place Power Play from the previous season that connected at a 12.6 percent clip. In addition, the Penalty Kill is much improved and is 15th in the NHL at 80.8 percent while their PK last season was 26th in the league and had a percentage of 75.7 percent.
Special teams units that are undoubtedly more effective should increase the Flyers chances of being more competitive on the whole. That’s already a welcomed change from the last two seasons where the special teams were atrocious. In many cases being a good special teams club has a correlation with teams that are more competitive and achieve sustainable success during a season.
Another stat to focus on is the Flyers sporting a 3.0 goals for per game average. Along with a 2.63 goals against per game average in the first 8 games of the season. Whereas last season the franchise averaged 2.59 goals for per game and 3.59 goals against per game. Just the above indicates the Flyers have been a higher scoring team per game so far, and are not conceding as many goals as last season. Both are improvements that will make a significant difference in the teams performance and results as the season continues to move forward if they continue.
Considering it’s only 8 games into the season it’s still very early and hard to tell exactly what this Flyers team is and ultimately will be. There’s still so many games left to be played and the 30 game mark is the traditional point in the season where the stats and performances can be pointed to with more validity as the sample size is larger.
One specific tweet that can be attributed to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jordan Hall and is the perfect way to temper expectations can be seen below:
Due to the fact the Flyers had a record of 5-2-1 through the first 8 games the past 2 seasons it paints the picture of being cautiously optimistic about this start. Though certain aspects of the process involved with this Flyers team’s 5-2-1 record looks better than seasons past. Improvement as the season progresses and the ability to win games in different ways will be needed to reinforce this Flyers team can continue to perform at this level. As the games continue to elapse we’ll discover more about this Flyers team, the myriad of question marks surrounding it and how young players will perform. All of which play into the team’s overall implementation of John Tortorella’s systems and their eventual impacts.
