The Philadelphia Flyers have shifted to the spotlight of the Philadelphia sports world after their continued fantastic performance.
This time last year, the Flyers were desperately trying to win, but continued to come up short as their record was 11-15-7. A drastic difference this year with their record going into the game against the New Jersey Devils tonight being 17-10-3. The Flyers have not had this strong of a season since the 2020-2021 Covid season where at 30 games their record was 15-11-4. What’s the main difference between last year and this year?
Obviously, having Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson back and healthy is a big part of the offense clicking better, especially when the team finds itself in a shootout as Coots is now 2 for 2 in his last two. Atkinson is still playing it on the safer side just like Joel Farabee did the season after his neck surgery, but all things considered, he is doing well with 16 points (8 goals and 8 assists) in the thirty games he’s played this season after coming back.
Beyond the return of two of the Flyers’ vets, Farabee has a full year post injury, and he is already outperforming himself this time last year with 20 points. He is the fourth place point leader for the team currently with the number one point leader, again being Travis Konecny. TK had a monstrous season last year surpassing his career high of 24 goals with 31 goals in a single season. Last year it was remarked by Coach John Tortorella that General Manager Danny Briere was a big contributing factor as to why.
“In talking to Danny, they sat down quite a bit as far as playing on the inside. He was on the outside a lot and his stats weren’t there where he wanted them to be. I think he put the time in. I think Danny as an ex-player helped him and showed him some stuff.” – Flyers head coach John Tortorella
Brier’s assistance and TK’s work ethic speaks for itself with TK’s 25 points so far, but Torts also played a part in TK’s success by moving him to the penalty kill. This move that has paid off immensely as TK once again has 3 shorthanded goals and the Flyers now currently sit in 4th place in the league for pk percentage.
While the forward playing vets of the team have been a big contributing factor, they do not deserve all the credit. The addition of Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling has been great for the penalty kill units. Both players were offseason additions to help bolster the ranks and protect the young players they would be using during the first year of the rebuild.
Young players like Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster have done well as they continue to find their footing in the NHL. Both players are playing their first full year on the team after being named to the roster at the start of the season. Brink especially has been one of the most incredible players to watch as he uses his 5 ft 8 frame to control the puck, generate space for himself, and zip to and from either end of the ice with great speed.
However, if you look around the league at the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New Jersey Devils, your great forwards will only get you so far in a game like any other team if your defensemen are not on the same level. The Flyers defensive pairings have been a crucial piece to the success of the team. With the additions of Marc Staal and Sean Walker, the Flyers have solid pairings throughout their defensive lines. According to Elliotte Friedman during a segment of Hockey Night in Canada, one team even asked if they could trade for the defensive pairing of Sean Walker and Nick Seeler.
Seeler has played great for the Flyers as the second pairing. Seeler has always played tough on the ice, but this year he has stepped up. He battles for the puck with more tenacity and has increased his skill at moving the puck. Not to mention the 75 blocked shots that he has, making him the blocked shot leader for the team. He may have only 7 points (7 assists), but his +14 rating speaks for itself. Only TK has a double digit plus point rating with his +11 rating with 25 points.
Surprisingly trailing TK in points for the team lead is Travis Sanheim as he is tied with Coots at 21 points (4 goals and 17 assists) for 2nd place. Last season, Sanheim’s season was hindered by a fractured foot injury he suffered during late May of 2022 while playing for Team Canada in the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. His offseason training was hindered with six weeks off due to his injury. It was time off he was unable to spend on hockey and never able to recover when the 2022-23 season loomed. This year, he skipped the tournament and has shown what a proper offseason training regimen did for him as he has come up huge in the offensive side of his position with his defensive partner, Cam York doing a great deal of board battling for the puck.
York has also shown his flair for the offensive aspects of a player with his perfectly timed goal against the Detroit Red Wings this past Saturday. York and TK moved the puck about distracting the defending Red Wings before York unleashed a shot that went off Red Wings left-winger, J.T. Compher and in the net.
That same game, Rasmus Ristolainen stepped up for the Flyers when he was put in an ill Sanheim’s place with York. Risto killed the Red Wings’ offensive plays. He either checked whoever had the puck or he laid his whole body out on the ice to stop any attempt at a shot.
This was arguably his best game of the season, and he has only played 10 games after missing most of the season due to an upper-body injury. After the game, Risto even said he wished he had Torts as his coach when he entered the league 11 years ago. That’s how much he believes his game has improved under Torts.
Risto made sure to do his part to deprive the Red Wings of any forward momentum and ensure a 1-0 shutout victory.
That shutout victory marked the third of the year for the Flyers and it was the second of the year for Samuel Ersson. Ersson and Carter Hart have proved themselves to be an impressive goaltending duo this season and in no small part helped win those 17 wins the Flyers have under their belt. Whenever the other team seemingly has the advantage, whether it is on the powerplay with the extra attacker or when there is a breakaway, Ersson or Hart find a way to keep the Flyers in the game. Hart has the lion’s share of the victories for the Flyers, but Ersson is not to be discounted as just “a backup goalie.”
Ersson had three consecutive starts over the last stretch of games because of Hart suffering from illness. For playing so inconsistently because of Hart’s desire to play as much as possible as the starting goaltender for the team, Ersson has been undefeated when the game moves into a shutout. His record with the team, having improved after the game against the Red Wings, to 7-3-2. Ersson is winning the majority of the time he is in net just like Hart this season, which is very uplifting for the Flyers and fans. Flyers fans know we have two of the best goalies possible and the players know they can rely on them.
The last piece of the puzzle for this successful season so far is the locker room. Every member of the team wants to be with the Flyers. Everyone showed up early for training camp and have continuously said nothing, but great things about each other.
Not to say that anyone would ever speak negatively of their team, but the positivity is truly there.
The rumors and dark cloud that hung over the locker room last season has dissipated. The confidence of the team is back and nothing says confidence to the Flyers and the fans more than beating the Penguins. It may seem trivial to those that are not fans of either team, but those games each season are like the Stanley Cup finals. There is nothing fans of either team want more during the regular season than to sweep the other. A feat the Flyers managed to accomplish in back-to-back games earlier this month for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
The Flyers face another division rival tonight in New Jersey at 7 PM. The Flyers currently sit in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division while the Devils after their incredible season last year have fallen to 6th in the division.
Stats courtesy of Statmuse and the NHL.
Photos courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers.
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