It was an up down start to the season, but it seems as if the Flyers are starting to find their footing. After a win against Toronto, they have now won five in a row and have points in their last seven. The team now sits third in the Metropolitan Division at 16-7-5 through their first 28 games and have surprised many people in the first half of the season.
Philadelphia is getting production from a variety of players as their combination of experience and talent proved successful during their November run that has carried into early December.
The youth on the team is showing that they will have a bright future as the Flyers are led in goal scoring by 22 and 23 year old's Travis Konecny (10) and Oskar Lindblom (11). Konecny has been a force as he leads the team in points (27) and assists (17). Philadelphia also has three promising rookies, Phil Myers, Morgan Frost, and Joel Farabee. These young guys have injected a spark to the offensive production since they have been up with the club.
The experienced players like Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Ivan Provorvov are having success as well. Giroux, who’s been the captain since 2013, has nine goals and 11 assists along with a plus/minus of +6 when he’s on the ice. Provorov has done quality work on both sides of the ice and leads Flyer defensemen in goals (6) and assists (12). He also leads the team in plus/minus with +7.
The goaltending is maintained by Carter Hart and veteran Brian Elliott. Hart, who’s only 21, has started 17 games and is 9-5-3 with a 2.35 goals against average with a .910 save percentage and 1 shutout to date. Elliott has filled in when Hart struggled early on in the season and has had good numbers coming in relief as he is 7-2-2 with a 2.70 goals against average and a .916 save percentage in 11 games started.
The team has bought in at the right time as head coach Alain Vigneault, who’s in his first season under the helm in Philadelphia, is having his guys motivated night in and night out. The Flyers are +12 in goal differential this season which ranks them in the top 10 in the NHL which is even more evidence for their success. The team is also holding serve at home as they are 9-1-4 at the Wells Fargo Center and look to continue that success throughout the season.
The key for the Flyers to move into the top tier seeding in the NHL is winning on the road. They are 7-6-1 away from Philadelphia and even though it is always tough to win on the road, all good teams find ways to do it.
What we learned from that stretch in late November is that this team has depth to score and can play with some of the better clubs in the NHL. The Flyers have the coaching experience in Vigneault and are feeding off the energy he brings to the rink.
The bottom line is the Eagles have been a huge disappointment and while the Sixers are playing well, many Philly fans are overlooking the recent success of the Flyers. That’s a mistake. So it’s time to get Flyer’d Up, because this team is here to stay.
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