Philadelphia Flyers First Quarter of the Season: Hungrier Than Ever
With the first quarter of the season out of the way, it seems the hangover from an Eastern Conference Finals victory and a heart-breaking defeat in the Stanley Cup Finals didn't last very long.
The Philadelphia Flyers, who lost to the Chicago Blackhawks last year in the Finals, have had the deck stacked against them since Patrick Kane trickled a shot through the legs of Michael Leighton.
There has been a curse in the NHL since the 1997-98 season that the team that loses in the Stanley Cup Finals doesn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs or misses them all together (the 2001 Dallas Stars are the lone exception to the rule).
The Flyers also faced offseason personnel changes and many offseason surgeries, those for including Chris Pronger, Ville Leino and Daniel Carcillo.
They have started the season efficiently and look to be trying to avoid another late-season struggle to get into the playoffs like last year. It took the Flyers until the 82nd game of last season, in the shootout, to clinch a playoff spot.
The Flyers want to have a spot secured earlier so that they can get and stay healthy for the playoff run.
This slideshow is my report card for the first quarter of the NHL season for the Philadelphia Flyers. Enjoy!
Offense
1 of 6Grade: A
The Flyers offense has started off hot through the first 20 games. They are leading the NHL with 70 goals overall and are averaging 3.5 goals per game.
The scoring on the Flyers has been widespread this season, with eight players who have double-digit points and two players (Claude Giroux and Daniel Briere) with at least 10 goals. If Briere and Giroux continue their torrid pace, they will score 40 goals each and could be real contenders for the "Rocket" Richard Trophy for most goals in the NHL.
There seems to be a real gelling with the players of this team. It seems to have carried over from last postseason and the team is already on a roll.
Captain Mike Richards and star forward Claude Giroux have been lighting up the scoreboard, both tallying 21 points apiece and leading the team emotionally.
Defense
2 of 6
Grade: B-
One of the biggest questions concerns going into this season was the depth at defense.
The Flyers answered that bell.
They added wily veteran Sean O’Donnell and young talent Andrej Meszaros to secure up the third defensive pairing and it has worked out well. They are both leading the team in plus-minus with plus-12.
Last year proved that our top two defensive pairings of Chris Pronger/Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn/ Kimmo Timonen were good enough to sustain the long playoff push. Now with the added depth, you can limit minutes for the older defenders and spread the time on ice out more evenly to ensure the crispness needed in the playoffs from your defense.
This year, our defense has helped allow the 11th-fewest goals against and is second in the league with 333 blocked shots.
They have been getting better every game that passes—whether it’s because of getting familiar with each other or just getting healthy, they are showing their strength defensively.
Goaltending
3 of 6Grade: A-
With a team goals-against average of 2.45, it shows that the team has been solid in net. The reason behind this success is a rookie netminder named Sergei Bobrovsky.
The “Iron Curtain” Sergei Bobrovsky has played amazingly well in his opportunity to start for the Flyers. He has played in 16 of the first 20 games of the season and has won 11 games. He has maintained a stingy .925 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average.
Philadelphia Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette has been known to ride a goalie, so expect a strong dosage of “Bob” until Michael Leighton comes back from injury.
Laviolette will have another goalie situation on his hands when the returning veteran Leighton heals from offseason back surgery.
.png?w=256 "Stanley Cup Playoffs Predictions")
Special Teams
4 of 6
Grade: C+
The Flyers started the season two-for-27 on the powerplay and looked terrible trying to set up any kind of play in the offensive zone during their opportunities.
The Flyers are now ranked seventh overall in the league with 17 power-play goals scored. That’s a turnaround!
The penalty kill has been consistent all year on the other hand.
The Flyers lead the league with five shorthanded goals and are 10th in penalty-kill percentage.
They have some of the best defensive forwards in the NHL in Blair Betts and Darroll Powe and look to continue to improve in both aspects of special teams.
Overall
5 of 6Grade: B+
The Philadelphia Flyers have exceeded my expectations this year and are really rounding into shape.
The Flyers are 12-6-2 over their first 20 games and are leading the Atlantic Division by two points over the hated, crosstown rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
With 26 points, the Flyers are second in the Eastern Conference and tied for second across the entire NHL. The team is also second in the league with 12 wins thanks to great overall offensive play from the key forwards and role players, solid defensive play across all three defensive pairings, and quality goaltending from a rookie.
There was serious concern about the year after losing in the Finals and there were questions about whether or not the Flyers could repeat another strong playoff performance.
They are trying to avoid the late-season crunch that they faced last year and seem to be putting themselves in a good position to make another deep run into the playoffs.
Check Out These Other Great Articles
6 of 6
NHL Power Rankings: The Top 50 Defensemen Right Now!
Philadelphia Flyer Sergei Bobrovsky: Breaking Down the "Iron Curtain"
Sweet Home Philadelphia: Why Jeff Carter's Extension Was the Smart Decision
Donald Wood’s Sportswriter Profile
.png?w=480 "Stanley Cup Playoffs Predictions")
.jpg?w=480 "Bleacher Report")
.jpg?w=600 "Could Sharks Trade for Jason Robertson? 🤔")
