The Philadelphia Flyers: Initial Thoughts and Looking Ahead

(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

The 2009-10 NHL season has kicked off and is in full swing. After three weeks of much anticipated hockey, the Flyers find themselves at the bottom of the pack in the Atlantic Division. Despite being in arguably the most competitive division in the league, Philadelphia faithful don't want to see the Flyers in fourth place in the Atlantic division or eighth place in the Eastern Conference as they now are.

After steamrolling Carolina and New Jersey and battling tooth and nail for a win over an improved Washington team, the Flyers were living up to all the hype created over the summer from their now-infamous off-season roster moves.

Pittsburgh was the next challenge. Since the Flyers acquired Chris Pronger their fans have been counting the days leading up to October 8th—the first time the two teams would meet since last season's playoff elimination. Despite an exciting matchup, it did not deliver what Flyers fans wanted.

The Flyers went on to lose a nail-biter against Anaheim via a shootout. Next, the Flyers were outplayed by the Florida Panthers and lost 4-2. Looking back at the past six games, what can be said about the much-anticipated Broad Street Bullies of the new millennium? The answer: a lot.

First off, a hockey game lasts for 60 minutes, meaning you need to play for 60 minutes to win. The loss to Florida is proof that no matter how many future hall-of-fame defensemen you sign, who is in net, and how many 25+ goal scorers are on your roster, you have to play every minute of every game to win. The Flyers were outplayed by Florida late in the game and they lost because of it.

The Flyers' losses to Pittsburgh and Anaheim were "acceptable" meaning that they played for the entire game, against Cup-caliber teams nonetheless. Additionally, they lost by only one goal. Add to that the fact that the Flyers lost their first six games last season and there are a lot of things to consider moving forward:

1.) The Flyers slump—The team has earned a reputation for getting off to a slow season and/or slumping after the all-star break. When the Flyers slump, they really slump. So far, the team has competed (for the most part) in every game and is keeping a .500 pace in what has historically been a very slow stretch of their season.

If the Flyers win only half their games while playing at their worst they will cruise into the playoffs. That's not to say that the Flyers can take a laid-back approach, it just points to the fact that Flyers have improved dramatically in opening season play. If the Flyers play at .500 when they are slumping then the rest of the league is in for a wake-up call when they come around and start playing in sixth gear. 

2.) Goaltending—There must be two sets of Flyers games broadcasted because in and around the Philadelphia area, Ray Emery has looked top-notch. However, many people outside of Flyerdom are still doubting his abilities in net and criticizing his play thus far. Did Emery come out and look like Martin Brodeur? No, but he wasn't supposed to. He has played consistently every night (including games against the three best scorers in the league). He is above a .900 save percentage and has already posted a shutout. Emery looks solid in net and he is expected to improve as the Flyers defensemen become more comfortable with their pairings.

Unless Emery completely self-destructs (picks up a gun and starts shooting people), expect great things from this guy. If the defense comes together and the Flyers get on a roll for an extended stretch or two during the season, Emery could net forty wins by June.

3.) Offense—No Lupol, no Knuble, no problem. Giroux and Van Riemsdyk have looked fantastic and will combine for an impressive number of points this season. If Briere stays healthy he will be a point per game player—and not just points, but big points in big situations because he can be a clutch player with the best of them. All three players have looked great thus far and collectively will net more goals than Briere, Lupol and Knuble did last year.

Barring any injuries Richards should outperform his outing last season. So far this season he is playing like a man possessed. He looks healthy, dangerous (in every way possible) and most importantly he looks hungry. Call it a little friendly competition with the other No. 1 young gun Jeff Carter, or just call it sheer anger resulting from being cheated out of the Selke Trophy; he is on the hunt. On the ice, Richards is Bobby Clarke incarnate.

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