Photo by Darryl Webb | Courtesy of AP
Nolan Patrick entered this 2020-21 season with a chip on his shoulder. He wanted to prove to his doubters that he could stay healthy, as well as, produce. Patrick has a world of talent and people have seen flashes of this throughout his two years of playing for the Flyers (2017-18, 2018-19), as he has accumulated 62 points in 156 games played, “See how camp goes and go from there,” Patrick said on the first day of training camp. My gosh has he crushed expectations in the early part of the 2021 season believe it or not.
Patrick may not be keeping up pace with James van Riemsdyk in terms of points (2g,4a in 11 games played), but he has played sound defensively. He needed to step up on the defensive side of the puck with the Flyers number one Center being absent in Sean Couturier, and boy has he delivered. He is winning puck battles, skating hard, and in the right spots defensively.
This young 22-year-old in Patrick has backchecked well, and creates turnovers. He also is not shying away from using his body to his advantage. Patrick appears to be in the right spots to pick off pucks, and moves players into the boards thus forcing a turnover. Patrick has also registered eight hits this season, and also has blocked five shots. He takes away space, as his gap control has been impeccable on the defensive side of the puck. There is a reason he is currently playing on the top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek.
Take a look at the second goal below from Wednesday night’s game:
This second goal does not happen if Patrick does not head to a tough area in the slot where he knows he’s going to hit, and win the puck battle. Patrick battled for the puck in a tough area, and Voracek capitalized off of such. Moreover, Patrick has been a beast on faceoffs all season winning 67 faceoffs out of 127 chances, which is good for a 51.1% faceoff percentage.
Patrick is producing even though he only has registered six points through his first 11 games back from a Migraine Disorder that sidelined him for the entire 2019-20 season. “We battled hard,” Head Coach Alain Vigneault said following Wednesday’s game against the Boston Bruins, “We had a 3-1 lead. I liked the way we played on 5-on-5.” Patrick played well, and really battled hard for pucks as he has all season. He has been hit, and continues to take hits to make the play.
Whatever the case maybe for Patrick. He is producing, and honestly a bit faster than some may have thought. Producing isn’t just producing offensively, it is doing the little things on defense too. The little things that Couturier does so well, and Patrick has picked up in Couturier’s absence. There is little doubt that Patrick will turn it up offensively, and when he does…watch out.
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I have reason to believe that he can be this generation’s Peter Forsberg. Definitely a great asset to any team.
Have you actually watched Patrick play this year? He is as over rated as a player in the NHL can be. He and Lindblom are killing the flyers in 5 on 5 play. Both are Turnover machines and neither can finish! Yes, both are nice come back stories but they are both huge disappointments of we are honest with ourselves!!