Philadelphia Flyers: What Have These First Two Weeks Taught Us?

One of the marks of being a Philadelphia sports fan is being able to give a no-holds-barred, 100-percent confident assessment of any local sports team without having to wait for a season’s worth of evidence to prove our claims.

This is why Michael Vick and Kevin Kolb can both be the obvious choice as the Eagles’ starting QB two different times in a season that is barely a month old.

This is why we can declare Roy Halladay the next Cliff Lee after one career postseason start.

And this is why I feel perfectly fine assessing the Flyers’ season after just five games.

In those five games, we Flyers fans have learned five very important lessons that will shape the remainder of the season, for better or for worse.

1. Our Goaltending is Hot and it’s Cold, it’s Yes and it’s No…

Consistency in net hasn’t exactly been the mantra of the Flyers in recent years, and 2010-11 looks like it will be no exception.

We’ve seen youngster Sergei Bobrovsky look brilliant against the Penguins, look decent against the Avalanche and then look bad against the Pens.

To be fair, Bobrovsky has outlived the initial expectations that one would apply to a 22-year-old playing in the United States for the first time.  But the team in front of him has the talent and capability to go further in the playoffs than a rookie goaltender is going to take them.

Brian Boucher looked solid against St. Louis and played a decent game against Tampa Bay, but nothing about his play has screamed “consistency,” and I doubt there are many Flyers fans out there who see him as the answer to the goaltending question.

Michael Leighton may prove to be a savior when he returns, but don’t be surprised if Paul Holmgren has some late nights near the trade deadline inquiring about available netminders.

2. Our I-95 rivals may be dropping out of the rivalry.

Okay, so they aren’t exactly dropping out of the rivalry.  But the Devils and Rangers have two wins in ten games, combined, and sit at the basement of the Atlantic division.

While the Flyers aren’t exactly trailblazing their way to the playoffs at the moment, the early struggles of the Devils and Rangers are a good sign. 

The Rangers tend to be a pest for the Flyers at the end of the season, and the Devils almost always find themselves in contention for the division title.  If Marty Brodeur’s boys are finally on the decline, it means the Flyers can concentrate on the one and two spots in the division between themselves and the Penguins.

One less competitive rival means a little more peace of mind on Broad Street.

Unless the Islanders are done rebuilding…

3. A healthy Danny Briere is worth $6.5 million on the salary cap.

Ever since Briere signed with the Flyers in the summer of 2007, injuries and questionable numbers have made Holmgren’s move to ink the 179-pound boy scout to a deal that lasts until 2015 look riskier and riskier.

But for whatever reason, Briere has come into 10-11 with new resolve and that old scoring touch.  He has four goals in five games and has scored the Flyers’ first goal in three of those five games. 

The bigger bodies around him will be responsible for making sure he has room to move and that he can stay healthy.  If this happens, then Briere will almost certainly be the team leader in goals.

4. It’s safe to go spend $150 on a Claude Giroux jersey.

After a brilliant performance against Pittsburgh in the playoffs during 2008-09, Clauden Giroux looked primed for a breakout season and ready to become Philly’s next sports stud.

That didn’t happen.

But after a second brilliant performance in the playoffs last season, Giroux is finally ready to showcase all his talents.

Peter Laviolette has given the shifty centerman lots of time on the penalty kill and has been rewarded with Giroux’s first two shorthanded goals of his career. 

Giroux has three points through five games, but has played hockey better than anyone else on the team and will become one of the most spectacular passers and shooters in the NHL before the season’s end. 

Expect keeping Giroux in Philly to become a priority for the Flyers in the near future, and expect No. 28’s numbers to reflect that.

And it’s safe to say he’ll have plenty of chances to add to that SH goal total because…

5. 2+2=5-on-3.

A math lesson that Flyers fans know all too well and won’t become any less familiar with this season.

If shaky goaltending hasn’t been the Achilles Heel of the Flyers in the past few seasons, taking penalties surely has.

While the team is slowly moving toward becoming a solid defensive team that can skate effectively with and without the puck, too many players are still taking lazy stick penalties. 

Slashing, hooking, high-sticking…these infractions kill momentum, allow opponents to score and are the result of being unable to skate with your opponents.

As long as the Flyers are seeing players go to the box, the team will be allowing Boucher and Bobrovsky to face too many shots, and they won’t be giving themselves enough time in the offensive zone to put points on the board.

Despite the bright spots early on in the season like Giroux, Briere and the possible downfall of the Devils, the Flyers have shown their weaknesses.

One of them, goaltending, could be fixed with the return of Michael Leighton.

The other problem, penalties, needs to be fixed right now, or the Flyers will find their road to the Cup very difficult.