What. A. Win.
That was one of the more dominant wins in recent Flyers memory, in all facets of the game. They dominated offensively, dominated defensively (aside from early first period), and looked like the Broad Street Bullies of old.
What was so great about the way they played physically was it was the exact opposite of the last few years. Recently, when someone would come after Claude Giroux or someone else important, the Flyers would roll over and let it happen. Instead, Nate Thompson decided to nearly end a man’s life.
This is why we signed this guy again. My old college linemate never shuts up about how much he dislikes Nate Thompson, but this right here is why we did. I like his fourth line presence, I like his ability on the PK, and I LOVE THIS.
We also had Nick Seeler literally throw the referee out of the way to get into a scrap with Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak. Throwing a ref out of the way to fight the other team’s biggest guy? Now THAT is the kind of Flyers hockey we want to see.
Did it go the way Seeler wanted? Well, no. But this is the fire and intensity I want to see out of this team. It is something that has been lacking for multiple years, and this team is going places if this becomes a consistent theme.
I haven’t even touched on the offensive dominance either. The Flyers struggled at first with the Kraken’s forecheck and were unable to establish any kind of presence in the neutral zone. But once they kraked (see what I did?) the code, the transition game took on an entirely different feeling and the Flyers could regroup with ease to create offensive chances. It ended up with goals from the guys who need to score (Giroux, TK, and Farabee), as well as some pleasant surprises (Brassard and Braun). Ellis also got on the scoresheet to further cement the dominance.
This was also a must win for Carter Hart, and boy did he perform. After a shaky start to the season against Vancouver, the kid looked poised, confident, and made a save that’s an early contender for save of the year.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the keys to the Flyers season are in Carter Hart’s hands. If he plays well, this team is a playoff lock. If not, then we have some serious evaluations to do. A game like this makes me feel like he can be the former, and I hope like hell that’s what happens.
These are all just moments you love to see if you love the Flyers. Yes, the Kraken are not that good of a team, but this was the type of win that needed to happen after the Vancouver game. Hopefully the Flyers can build some momentum off of this and get on a hot streak. It’s a good Tuesday, ladies and gentlemen. LET’S GO FLYERS.
The Morning Skate 