The 52nd season of Flyers hockey starts in a little over 24 hours. What a season this is going to be for the orange and black. Last season the Flyers were one game away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and this season they have revenge on their minds, and they are ready to go:
“I have tons of faith in this team. When Wednesday comes, we are going to be ready to go.” – Kevin Hayes
It’s no secret every point matters in this shortened season. That’s one reason why the Flyers have been practicing the shootouts after scrimmages, according to Alain Vigneault last week. He’s a smart hockey coach and in this shortened season one point could be the difference between making the playoffs or not. Fortunately it appears the Flyers are primed and ready, but understand they have to be ready:
“I think considering the format, come the 13th, 5:30, we are going to be prepared, we are going to be ready and we are going to go out there and compete,” Head Coach Alain Vigneault said following the scrimmage on Sunday, “That is what I expect this team to do every night.”
They just appear to be ready to go. Flyers coaches and players alike are saying the right things. They have to get off to a fast start, and be consistent. Fortunately, this group mainly remains intact from last season so the chemistry between the team should be there, “We’ve all seen the division we’re in,” Justin Braun said, “It seems like we got to play night in and night out and how important every game is. This team has the ability to put something special together.”
One game could really make or break the season, and they are very much aware of this. Vigneault has instilled this into the team, and if players do not play at a level Vigneault knows they can play at he will bench them, “When we went into the bubble and the playoffs, I thought Jake played well in that first round against Montreal,” Vigneault said last week, “I thought he wasn’t as affective against the Islanders. I talked to Jake about this and challenged him about this this upcoming year. There is a man that has been in the league for some time now and basically, he has won two playoff rounds. One in his first year, not his first year but his first year with the Flyers back in 2011-12 and this past year with me. I challenged him on that. I challenged the whole group obviously on that. The Flyers haven’t been in the playoffs in back to back seasons since I think 10-11 and 11-12. So making the players is non-negotiable here. We are getting in. it is going to be a challenge, but we are getting in. to do that, we need Jake to get his game to that top level. I think there are a lot of young players who are pushing him. he is going to have to earn that ice time that he has been able to get the last few years. But I also want him to challenge himself. We are not in this to win one round and if our expectations are to win, he knows that he is going to have to be a top performer in the role that he is given. Our expectations of Jake are very high.”
“This year our goal is to win a Stanley Cup and get into the playoffs,” Carter Hart said in training camp, “I know we have a good division with good competition. But we are in the metro every year, we always have good competition. It is nothing that we are not used to or familiar with. I think with the scheduling and how we are playing each team 8 times or so, it is going to create some competition and maybe some bitterness between teams.”
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This young Flyers team is ready, and understand that tomorrow night is a huge game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hopefully, this team gets off to a fast start tomorrow night and sets the tone early against their rivals in the Penguins.
