The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to bounce back from a 7-4 loss to the Anaheim Ducks in order to improve their 4-3-1 record against the 5-4-0 Carolina Hurricanes. How can they defeat one of last season’s Eastern Conference finalists at Wells Fargo Center?
Lean on Carter Hart
With a few games in the books to assess both of the Flyers’ goaltenders, it is very clear that Carter Hart is not just a product of the team’s surprisingly solid defensive play to this point, but he is creating his own luck. The backup goaltending has been lackluster, but he has been elite. The Flyers should be able to take chances against the Hurricanes that they wouldn’t be able to with anyone else in the net, because it is clear that he is well above the average backup.
With just two games under his belt, backup goaltender Sam Ersson is the worst goaltender in the NHL in terms of goals saved above expected (GSAx), with a rather ugly minus-6.8 rating and 12 goals against. Things will get better for him, but he is not all to blame for his misfortunes, either. The Flyers played sloppy in front of him, and he was left out to dry in each of his two contests on several occasions.
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The difference between someone like Ersson and Hart is that the latter can make up for defensive mishaps. The Flyers’ 25-year-old starter is among the best goaltenders in the league, and he should be leaned on and trusted to make up for the team’s mistakes. They will happen even if the Flyers have a fantastic game, so they will need a rock in goal in order to bail them out of trouble. Not just anyone can do that, but their starter absolutely can. It is something that Philadelphia will have to take advantage of in this matchup.
Don’t Lose the First Period
It’s pretty obvious that any team wants to start off well in the first period, but the Flyers are a team that has done so consistently. When they haven’t, they have had their worst efforts of the entire season. At the very least, the Flyers cannot trail after the first period, because they have not dealt with early adversity well so far this season. Against a strong Hurricanes team, the Flyers cannot afford to go down early again.
Philadelphia has outscored opponents 11-8 within the first 20 minutes of a game, which is very solid for a rebuilding team like themselves. When the Flyers are trailing after a period, they have a 0-2-0 record on the season. With just three losses in regulation thus far, it wouldn’t be jumping the gun to chalk up an early deficit as a loss, especially against a team like head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s responsible Carolina club.
One thing the Flyers might have going for them is Carolina’s atypical struggles so far defensively this season. Generally an elite team on the back end, they have given up the third-most goals per game in the entire league. This one could be a goal fest, so perhaps the Flyers might not exactly be finished if they allow an early goal. They can’t take themselves out of the game after the first period if they were to be outscored by multiple goals. The opening frame has been a strength, and the Orange and Black will need to focus on what they are good at to come away with a victory.
Despite Goals Against, Stay Aggressive on Penalty Kill
In their recent match against the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers let a then league-worst Ducks’ power play strike not once, but twice. This was largely due to their aggressiveness, and it led to their detriment. However, that does not mean they should stray away from their strategy on the penalty kill, as it has given them one of the strongest units they have seen in years. The Flyers have to stick to their bread and butter.
Some bad turnovers or wide-open players may result at times, but that is the risk teams take when being aggressive on the penalty kill. Their unit was not expected to be a strength, so the fact that it has been so good as a whole suggests that nothing needs to change. The Hurricanes can be dangerous on the power play, and they will certainly get their chances to strike. The Flyers will have to be at their best, and going back to what they’re good at should be the approach.
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Incredibly, the Flyers’ penalty kill is still outscoring opposing power plays by a score of 4-3 since their third game of the season. The shorthanded goals have come in bunches, and they are starting to die down. However, not giving up power play tallies is huge, and the Flyers have done a great job in that department. It will be a key to a win every game as long as they keep finding success with it.
Let Konecny Take Over
So far this season, Travis Konecny has quietly been one of the best goal scorers in the entire NHL. Tied for second place in the league in goal scoring with eight, he has been a vital part of the Flyers’ offense. The Flyers should feed him often and allow him to play his game, as he is a player with loads of talent on a team that doesn’t have too many top-end players.
The main reason why the Flyers are rebuilding in the first place is due to their lack of franchise-altering players. Konecny might not be one, but he is certainly carrying himself as such. Some players have surprised by performing either much higher or lower than what was expected of them, but it doesn’t come as much of a shock that he has been the Flyers’ best skater to this point.
Despite how good Konecny has been, his line ranks as the worst among the Flyers’ current lines in terms of their goal share, albeit still one of the best in the league, as the Flyers have had an exceptional start at generating offense, but just have not finished on their chances. The 26-year-old forward has been doing so with consistency, so he has to be given as many chances as possible to do so.
More and more, it seems as though each matchup on the Flyers’ schedule is a doozy. The reality is that the Flyers will have to deal with several exceptional teams all season, and the Hurricanes definitely qualify. Both teams are capable of having a great game, so the match could be one that comes down to the wire.