The Philadelphia Flyers just put the entire NHL on notice

With their first bubble victory officially in the books, the Philadelphia Flyers have arrived on the national scene

Even if you’re not a huge hockey fan, you can tell there’s something different about this year’s Philadelphia Flyers team. After seven straight seasons of not getting past the first round of the playoffs, Philly’s NHL team finally looks ready to make some serious noise.

The Flyers kicked off their “round robin” tournament Sunday night with a matchup against longtime rivals, the Boston Bruins. To make a long story short, the Flyers absolutely waxed them.

Eight different Flyers recorded at least one point, Michael Raffl put up both a goal and an assist, and Carter Hart, the 21 year old wonder-kid himself, recorded an astonishing 34 saves on 35 total shot attempts. The Flyers won by a convincing score of 4-1.

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Outside of your typical X’s and O’s analysis, the biggest takeaway to be had from this first showing was just the pure energy that the Flyers emitted on the ice. Carter Hart was giving off “2008 Brad Lidge” level vibes of icy confidence, Claude Giroux looked poised and in control of his teammates’ emotions, and Alain Vigneault didn’t seem at all phased by all the chaos that has been COVID-19 and professional sports.

In fact, a common comparison that I saw being thrown around Twitter was that the Flyers were giving off some “2017 Eagles” type vibes. In all reality, it’s hard to disagree with that.

The Flyers aren’t the most talented or the most star-studded team in the NHL, and that’s meant as a compliment, not an insult.

Pretty much through the entirety of this past season, analysts and media pundits have consistently slept on the Flyers. They don’t get ranked towards the top of power rankings and they’re rarely considering a “real” Stanley Cup contender. Despite this, the team has continuously put up result after result, bleeding all the way into the bubble now.

Relying on depth, chemistry, and elite coaching, the Flyers have found themselves in a legitimate spot to contend for a championship in 2020. Considering the way the Sixers and the Phillies have looked recently, that’s genuinely all Philly fans can ask for a this point.

There’s still a long ways to go for the Philadelphia Flyers, as the league’s restart is just beginning. However, following the absolute thrashing of Boston that we just witnessed, don’t be surprised if the rest of the world finally starts taking notice of our pesky Flyers…