Flyers Finally Getting Lucky?
The Philadelphia Flyers are surging at the absolute best possible time.
The Flyers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, which is no small feat considering they’ve posted wins over the Penguins, Capitals, Bruins, Blues, and Avalanche during that span.*
Long breaks haven’t traditionally been kind to the Flyers in years’ past, but since coming back from their 9-day break, which included the All-Star weekend, the Flyers have accumulated 5 of a possible 6 points. That happened during 3 games in 4 nights in 3 different cities situation, against the Penguins, Avalanche and Red Wings. In the recent past, that type of adversity would have sent the team reeling.
However, this year just seems different. Perhaps it’s because of their blue line. There’s little doubt that Ivan Provorov’s resurgence has been from being paired with veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen. Niskanen is currently on pace for 38 points, which would be the third-best point total of his career and he’s just a calming presence back there. And how can you not love what the pairing of Travis Sanheim and Phil Myers are doing right now? They’ve been incredible. With those two and Provorov, the Flyers defense seems set for the next dozen years. That’s great scouting right there.
Right now, that top 4 is playing as good as any in the league. Add to that a Robert Hagg who has been playing better than he ever has, and Justin Braun, who has exceeded expectations. Braun just brings that veteran, stabilizing presence that was missing last season. It will be interesting to see where Ghostisbehere fits in now that he’s recovered from his injury. Isn’t having extra good defensemen a good problem to have?
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Nolan Patrick has finally been given the green light to practice with his teammates for the first time since he was diagnosed with a migraine disorder. Patrick did not have a preseason and hasn’t played since the end of last season. He will need some time to get into game shape and will probably need a conditioning stint down in Lehigh before he sees any game action. Patrick being the third line center completely changes the dynamics of this team. Giroux can move back to the wing, which may be exactly what the doctor ordered for his lack of offensive production.
With a healthy Nolan Patrick back, the Flyers don’t need to give up any assets in a trade for a rental third line centerman. A 100% healthy Nolan Patrick would be an upgrade on most of what is out there on the trade market as far as centermen and cap situation goes.
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Head coach Alain Vigneault has traditionally been very successful in his first couple of seasons with his new teams. In 2013-2014 after finishing second in the division, he took his new team, the New York Rangers, to the Stanley Cup finals. In 2006-2007 he had his new team, the Vancouver Canucks, finish 1st in the division. Something they did 6 times in a seven-year span which included a Stanley Cup final appearance in 2010-2011.
The scratching of Joel Farabee a couple of weeks back was a masterful coaching decision, as it has lit a fire under him, and he’s been unbelievably good since then. I call it “The Vigneault Effect”.
The bottom line is that the Flyers control their own destiny. They have a ton of divisional games coming up, including a pivotal home and home against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
It just seems like this year the Flyers will need 101 points to get into the playoffs, and right now they are on pace to do just that.
Featured Image: NBC Sports Philadelphia *Exact records and statistics may have changed from the time of publishing of this article.
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