Philadelphia Flyers: After a bad series in Boston, it is not yet time to panic
At first glance, the Philadelphia Flyers have had a decent start to their 2020-2021 season. They currently sit with a record of 3-2-1 (seven points) and are in fifth place in the East Division. However, when you dive a bit deeper into the numbers, you begin to see that things are a bit rockier than they initially may seem.
After an absolute butt-kicking via the hands of the Boston Bruins on Saturday night (which saw the Flyers lose 6-1), people have begun to panic in the Delaware Valley. 22 goals allowed (5th most in the NHL) through six games is not good, and it has shined a light on the Philadelphia blue line – which may be this team’s Achilles heel. Couple that with the fact that the Orange and Black have been out-shot AND out-chanced in every single game, and you can see why people are distraught.
With that said, I am here to ease the anxiety a bit and let you know it is not time to give up on the Flyers just yet. Sure they have given up a ridiculous amount of goals so far, but they have also been putting the puck in the net at a high rate as well. Their 20 goals scored through the first six games has them at the fifth-most goals in the NHL. Considering they haven’t been generating a ton of shots or chances, along with the fact they have had arguably their best player Sean Couturier for TWO games (he played one shift in the second game), that is an encouraging sign.
Defensive shortcomings have been a common theme around the National Hockey League so far in the early going of this season, probably due to the fact that there were absolutely ZERO preseason games, and teams are still trying to find their footing.
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Most teams have had a clunker or two so far. The Bruins had FIVE goals (zero at even strength) going into their two-game set with the Flyers; the Islanders have a 5-0 loss, the Rangers have a 5-0 loss, the Penguins got ran over by the Flyers 6-3 in both contests. Are you seeing a trend? Most teams are having these issues at this point in the season; it is not exclusive to the Philadelphia Flyers.
It’s not time to give up on the Philadelphia Flyers just yet.
Still, the fan base has every right to be concerned, as expectations for this Flyers team were sky-high entering this season. I am right there with you all with being concerned; I just do not believe it is time to mail it in and declare this season as lost just because we have seen some bad hockey over the last week.
The NHL is a marathon, not a sprint; maybe not as much this year with the schedule condensed to 56 games, but still, there is a long way to go. We are bound to see multiple ebbs and flows this year with many teams, including the Flyers.
A two-game set with the New Jersey Devils is on the horizon for the Orange and Black; the first game of the series being played on Tuesday night. While the Devils are supposed to be one of the bottom dwellers of the East division, they have been playing pretty well so far this season.
Next. Jakub Voracek now 5th all time in assists in Philadelphia Flyers history. dark
Even so, this is still a prime spot for the Flyers to get themselves back on track. A two-game sweep would go a long way towards easing the stress of the fan base.
Don’t count out the Orange and Black just yet.