Photo Credit: Conor Doherty
The Flyers have ended their pre-season with a record of 2-3-1. They had a tough go against the Washington Capitals in their final game. A game where we saw all starters except the goaltender, as Martin Jones got the start. There were lots of things to notice from this game alone, but let’s look at the pre-season as a whole. Let’s dissect some of the good and bad things that came align with it.
Pros
The pairing of Ryan Ellis and Ivan Provorov looks sensational. The top defensive pairing looks like they are really settling in with each other, and they compliment each other very well. It was extremely important for Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher to go out and get a partner for Provorov. Well.folks, he did that exactly that.
Cam Atkinson has been a gift to the Flyers scoring ability. He tallied two goals in the final pre-season game, while adjusting to playing for a new club and reaching his potential. For his efforts, he led the Flyers in goals with there during the pre-season. He looks great in his skating and firing the puck. A nice compliment to a Flyers squad who lost Kevin Hayes for a period of time, and also Wade Allison, two players who could have seen score a ton of goals. Cam will have higher expectations with some key injuries as a leader, a veteran, and a goal scorer to keep up the pace and do what is expected. A great trade to bring him here.
The Flyers as a whole are playing like a team. Defending one another when a player is shoved, when the goalie is slashed, or when someone checks a player. Someone has been there to defend that said player. Take for instance last night. Garrett Wilson dropped the mitts while sticking up for one of his linemates. This was something the team has lacked last year most notably. Bringing in a core group of leaders, players that all wore a letter on the jersey shows that the team needed more leadership. The Flyers are playing well together, despite a 2-3-1 record.
Cons
The Flyers power play needs some work. They scored two goals with more than 12 opportunities to do so. The special teams has not been a thing of beauty thus far. The Flyers coaching staff must make some kind of adjustments and take advantage of the chances they get. They went 0-4 against Washington with the man advantage, and 0-5 earlier in the week. Not good at all by any means.
Travis Konecny has played on the first line with Giroux and “Coots” for the pre-season, and he hasn’t done much. Being on the top line you are expected to produce, and produce points. He’s been pretty quiet out there, only having one assist to his name this pre-season. Maybe a change in the first line might be due.
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There are certainly more we can take away from the pre-season, but these are just a few. Let’s get ready for October 15th as the Flyers open their season against the Vancouver Canucks.
Thats my story and i’m sticking to it!
