Coming off of a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 14, the Philadelphia Flyers are set to take on the Vancouver Canucks in their home opener this season. The Canucks, undefeated on the season, are looking to stay that way against a Flyers team with both a regulation win and loss in their 2023-24 campaign. What can the Orange and Black do to get back in the win column?
Frustrate Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson might be the best two-way player in the entire NHL. For the Flyers to win, they will have to limit his impact. Specifically planning for him could go a long way, and that would help Philadelphia solve a hot Canucks team.
Buoyed by an 8-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in his first game, Pettersson has already amassed a league-high six points on the season in just two games. He is an incredibly intelligent player and the anchor of the Canucks. If the Flyers are able to take him out of the game, their chances of winning will increase significantly.
With a five-point showing in a game against the Flyers last season, the Orange and Black should be familiar with Pettersson’s dominance. He is underrated in the sense that he can take control of a game, and he introduced the Flyers to that as well. Getting physical with him and doing their best to try and rid him of the puck should be Philadelphia’s number one priority. If not, they might be burned by him again.
The crafty forward makes everyone around him better. While he has a better cast of players around him than when his Canucks were rebuilding a few seasons ago, he is still far and away the best forward on his team even with J.T. Miller on the roster. He has to be the focus, otherwise, he may continue to be among the league’s best in terms of scoring output.
Account for Vancouver’s Speed
Something that the Canucks do not get too much credit for is the speed throughout their lineup. They can play a pretty fast-paced game, and that could be trouble for the Flyers. They will have to plan accordingly.
Players like Quinn Hughes and trade-rumored Conor Garland are two of the best skaters in the league at their respective positions. Unlike the Flyers, the Canucks can play a pretty speedy game. It is very likely that they control the pace through most of the match, so head coach John Tortorella and his team will have to account for this.
Philadelphia certainly won’t be able to match the speed of the Canucks, but they can learn to neutralize it. A “bend but don’t break” approach is generally a good philosophy when a team is out-skilled, so that might be Tortorella’s view heading into this game.
Start Winning Puck Battles
In their most recent contest against the Senators, it seemed as though the Flyers lost essentially every puck battle possible. They will not win a single hockey game with the effort they showed in that game, meaning they will have to step up their play and start winning the physical side of the game. If not, the Canucks will eat them alive.
Travis Sanheim of the Flyers was on his way to having a decent game, but got completely exposed by Claude Giroux who took advantage of him being too soft with the puck. His turnover led to Brady Tkachuk putting the game away for Ottawa in the dying seconds of the second period and ending any hope the Flyers might have had. This is inexcusable for a team at any level, much less an NHL club. Every battle counts, and the Flyers have to start winning them more often.
Hockey is a game of possession, and without major superstars up front or on the back end, the Flyers have to start beating out their opponents in terms of how long they possess the puck in games. In a league that has most of its teams with a game-altering talent, the Flyers are without one. They have to be different from other teams, and being able to cycle the puck, forecheck hard, and win defensive zone battles is key to standing out.
The good news is that it would be tough for them to be pushed around as badly as they were against the Senators for a second game in a row. The Flyers have to be stronger both on and off the puck to capture a win in this game.
Take Advantage of Power Play Opportunities
Unsurprisingly, the Flyers have a weak power play once again. If they continue to have the worst unit in the league like they have since the 2021-22 season, being a competitive hockey team is essentially out of the question. They will need to take advantage of some Vancouver penalties in this match.
Related: Flyers’ Strengths & Weaknesses for 2023-24
The Flyers’ penalty kill has been a relative positive, but the same cannot be said for their power play. Scoring on just one of nine attempts and the goal being on a 5-on-3, the man advantage simply has to improve. Tortorella went into his tenure with the Flyers knowing that the talent would be bleak, so he and his bench have to make up for it. They were not able to last season nor so far this season, so something has to change.
Being a subpar man advantage would be a massive improvement from where the unit has been over the last couple of seasons, so the bar is pretty low. If the Flyers can actually capitalize on their power play chances, they should be in a good position to win against a Canucks team that has been at their best to this point.
The Flyers are set to have their toughest matchup yet, so a win would mean a lot for them as a group. Their job will certainly be easier if they are successful in each of these four categories.