Philadelphia Flyers: 5 numbers that defined the 2020-21 season

13:19

This is the average amount of time that the Flyers spent with the lead, per game, this season. If that seems extremely low, it is. They led only the lowly Buffalo Sabres (11:07 per game) in this category. While playoff-bound clubs held the lead for an average of a period or more per night this season, the Flyers spent much of the year chasing the game. In the end, it proved too much to overcome, as they were constantly allowing the first goal and spending the game playing from behind.

As a direct result of this number, the Flyers spent an average of 24:53 per game, trailing the fourth-highest mark in the league. And the last time I checked, you can’t win hockey games and climb in the standings when you’re behind. Math.

The Flyers fell behind early far too often, and the continued poor starts took their toll on this team. On numerous occasions, to their credit, they were able to rally and pull off multi-goal comebacks to earn points. But the deficits were too large and too frequent for it to make a difference. The Flyers need to do something to get off to better starts next season, which seems to be an eternal struggle for them.