Philadelphia Flyers Then and Now: Comparing the 2008-09 Team with Last Year's

If the NHL has taught us anything since the lockout, it’s that the fortunes of a team can change a lot quicker than they used to.  Look no further than last season.  Following a dismal 2006-07 campaign, the Flyers rebounded nicely in 2007-08 and reached the conference finals.

But some were still unconvinced about their legitimacy, and opinions about this year’s squad were mixed.  Let’s now take this Christmas break to look back and compare the 2008-09 team with last year’s Flyers.

At the Christmas break last season, the Flyers sat at a respectable 16-14-4, good for 36 points in 34 games.  It was a welcome sight after a last-place finish the previous season.  But the team went into Christmas on a six-game losing streak, four of which had happened at home, where they were just 7-5-4 on the young season.

This year, the team has posted a 19-8-7 mark, which is a nine-point improvement from this time last year.  They are currently on a remarkable 15-2-4 run that has them sitting at fourth in the Eastern Conference and two points back of the Rangers for the Atlantic Division lead.

Scoring just under three goals per game last year, they are at nearly 3.5 so far this season, good for fourth in the NHL.  The offense has been explosive and already has six players with 13 goals or more.

Jeff Carter currently leads the lead with 26 goals, a dramatic improvement over the 12 he had at this point last year.  As he blossoms into one of the best pure scorers in the league, one has to agree that the Flyers’ offense is certainly in better shape than last year.

With Mike Richards, Mike Knuble, and Joffrey Lupul on similar paces as last season, the other big mover has been Scott Hartnell, who sits at 13 goals compared to just five at this time a season ago. 

Needless to say, a healthy Simon Gagne has also been a huge boost to the team even with Danny Briere having missed a significant amount of time so far.

Among the defensemen, both Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn have increased their point production from a season ago.  With the balance the lineup has shown, it’s no wonder that the Flyers spent the Christmas break as the top power play unit in the league. 

If one were to put any kind of damper on this celebration, it would come from the defensive side of things.  The Flyers have given up more goals so far than they had at this time last year, albeit by a slight margin (104-102). 

But the confidence that Martin Biron inspired in the playoffs last season cannot be overlooked, and the team undoubtedly feels more comfortable with him as their No. 1 goaltender than they did at this time last year. 

Throw in the often spectacular play of Antero Niitttymaki, now 8-2-3 on the season, and the goaltender tandem is a capable one.

On the coaching front, John Stevens is another year wiser as a bench boss and really seems to have the ear of the team.  Early season benchings of Hartnell and Lupul have ignited those two players, and no one can argue about the team’s effort on a nightly basis.

All in all, one has to say that this year’s Flyers are better than last year’s.  What can’t be predicted is if this team will be able to band together like they did during last year’s surprising ride to the conference finals. 

But of this I am sure:  The 2008-09 Flyers are better equipped to make a run at the Stanley Cup.  They should not be underestimated this time.