Philadelphia Flyers: 5 October Games You Simply Must Watch

The ice is fresh, the blades are sharpened and the puck is ready to be dropped.  It's October, and that can only mean that the hockey world is ready for another exciting NHL season.

In the City of Brotherly Love, expectations are high and anticipation is even higher.  The new-look Philadelphia Flyers have come out strong in the preseason, getting contributions from fresh faces like Sean Couturier and Jaromir Jagr as well as familiar faces like Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk.

Any good fan knows to tune in for every game all year long, but these are five games that you simply cannot miss.  Call out sick from work, forget your anniversary, even take the gamble that the wife will stay in labor for another couple of hours.  You have a legitimate excuse for such behavior: you're a Phan.

October 6th at Bruins

Thursday, October 6^th is a no-brainer, and fans of the Flyers and Bruins aren’t the only ones tuning in.  The 7 p.m. game is being nationally broadcast, as it will be the NHL’s season opener. 

The fact that the game is 2011-12’s first is not the only reason to tune in.  Thanks to two playoff series in the past two years and a tight Winter Classic matchup at Fenway Park in 2010, these two teams are developing a strong non-divisional rivalry. 

The Flyers did not put their best foot forward while being swept out of the 2011 playoffs last season, and a new season brings a new shot at redemption.  How appropriate that Philly’s first challenge is to take down the defending champions; that mentality will be present for the Orange and Black all season long.

October 12th vs. Canucks

Six days after facing the Stanley Cup champs, the Flyers will open a new season at the Wells Fargo Center by facing the team that came within a game of dancing in the streets of Vancouver instead of rioting.  The defending Western Conference champs and keepers of the Presidents’ Trophy are still a force to be reckoned with and will do their best to send the crowd home in silence.

The young Flyers offense will have a tough task on their hands as they attempt to outsmart and outplay one of the league’s more reliable defenses, not to mention Roberto Luongo’s excellent goaltending skills (at least, in the regular season).

The head-to-head matchup will be worth watching, but the real reason to tune in is to once again witness the electrifying atmosphere of the Wells Fargo Center packed to the rafters.

October 15th vs. Kings

Four months ago, this game would have been a good family game to go to.  It’s on a Saturday and it’s against a Western Conference team, so demand for the tickets would be low, plus it’s a game the Flyers probably could have won easily.

Now, this game is the hot ticket, and the Kings are one of the most formidable teams in the whole NHL.  The big storyline is the return of a former captain to the city that drafted him, and one cannot help but be interested in seeing how Philly reacts to Mike Richards, who was loved as a captain while still blaming his rock-star lifestyle for the team’s inability to win the Stanley Cup.

Expect Richards to get a reaction similar to another newborn LA King, Simon Gagne, who received a standing ovation when he returned to Philadelphia.  Flyers fans will give Richards a positive reception, until he demonstrates why he was such a valuable part of the team by dropping the gloves or scoring a short-handed goal.

October 20th vs. Capitals

There is never a dull moment when Alex Ovechkin and company come to town, and this year will be no exception.  The Flyers vs. Caps matchup this year features two teams that made investments in goaltending, addressing an issue that has plagued each squad in the playoffs for years. 

Both teams are taking new approaches to the same goal, with the Capitals spending less time focused on offense and more time improving the blue line.  The Flyers rid themselves of core players to build a more united squad that makes better decisions on and off the ice.

In the past, these teams could be expected to put up 8-10 goals between them.  Don’t be surprised if this year’s first battle is much lower scoring.

October 26th at Canadiens

In the Eastern Conference, the two teams that some fans believe have taken a step backward are the Flyers and Canadiens, and for that reason both will enter the season with plenty to prove.  Sometimes having critics only makes a team play harder.

It’s conceivable that these teams will be jockeying for playoff position all year, so the importance of this game will escape neither group.  Trash talk, roughhousing and cheap shots are on the agenda for this one.

It never hurts to have one of Canada’s rowdiest fan bases facing off with one of America’s.  This one could get beautifully ugly.