The season opener of the Philadelphia Flyers will commence on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 12, officially beginning the new era of the Orange and Black. For Philadelphia to get in the win column early, what are some things they need to do?
Expose Blue Jackets’ Defense
The Blue Jackets’ defense was a major weakness last season primarily due to long-term injuries to Zach Werenski, Adam Boqvist, and even Jake Bean. They are now a healthy unit with some key additions such as Damon Severson and a familiar face in Ivan Provorov, but their blue line can still be exploited.
For the Blue Jackets, Werenski is arguably their best defender, but he hasn’t played in a regular season game since Nov. 10, 2022, which was ironically against the Flyers. Philadelphia will have to take advantage of some rustiness that he might have, as well as some potential chemistry woes that the team is still working out with the new faces in the lineup.
Columbus’ blue line is in a much different spot from where it was last season, which is both good and bad for the Flyers. It’s not a relatively great unit by any means, but it is improved from their 2022-23 campaign. With such a fresh defensive group, perhaps the Flyers can take advantage of some early-season hiccups.
Get to Merzlikins Early
It is very likely that Elvis Merzlikins will start between the pipes for the Blue Jackets, which might be the Flyers’ biggest advantage going into this matchup. Coming off of a dreadful season, he is looking to start his bounce back campaign with a good performance, but the Flyers will look to stand in the way.
With a league-worst goals saved above expected (GSAx) of minus-25.9 last season in just 30 contests along with a nightmarish .876 save percentage (SV%) and 4.23 goals-against average (GAA), Merzlikins is in desperate need of a bounce back season in order to keep his job as the starter in Columbus. If the Flyers can get to him early and frequently, this game could get ugly pretty fast for the Blue Jackets.
Related: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Merzlikins Will Bounce Back in 2023-24
In terms of how they can beat him, Merzlikins is a lover of butterfly mechanics, making him one of the more unique goaltenders in terms of his playing style. When he was on his game in the 2021-22 season, he was frequently making 40 or more saves a game regardless of if he won or lost. Instead of peppering him with shots, the Flyers might find more success in waiting for opportunities to develop.
Take Blue Jackets’ Stars Out of the Game
The Blue Jackets’ best chance to win their opener will likely be through their top offensive stars. With forward Johnny Gaudreau looking for a bounce back campaign and Patrik Laine experimenting as the team’s top center, their offense could be especially dangerous. Philadelphia does not have the high-end talent to compete with a duo like this in terms of goal-scoring output, so their best chance is to play them hard so an offensive shootout does not have to occur.
It is easy to overlook both Gaudreau and Laine, as their combined 126 points last season doesn’t imply that they are some deadly dynamic duo. However, when they are both healthy, they can easily take over a game. With 37 combined multi-point games between the two of them in just 135 total contests last season, they cannot be taken lightly.
Laine is not known for his 200-foot game, but it has started to develop into a strength more recently during his time in Columbus. Trying to limit his impact will be difficult due to his all-around game, but it won’t be impossible. As for Gaudreau, he is speedy and skilled with a chance to expose a rather weak Flyers’ defensive core. Generally, speed has killed the Flyers, so they will need to be prepared for him.
Columbus does have decent depth, but the highest percentage of their scoring will come from their top line compared to lines two, three, and four individually. Forwards Kirill Marchenko, Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, and even players like Justin Danforth and Eric Robinson could be sneakily good for the Blue Jackets, but the Flyers have some fantastic offensive depth of their own.
The Blue Jackets beat out the Flyers with their top line, giving them a potentially substantial advantage offensively. Focusing on the stars will be paramount to a Philadelphia win, as the rest of the offensive lineup can go toe-to-toe with Columbus.
Limit Flyer Turnovers
On paper, both the Flyers and Blue Jackets are pretty evenly matched heading into this contest all things considered. The Flyers cannot make their job harder by handing Columbus easy chances to score through consistent turnovers, especially with their rock in net in Carter Hart. If Philadelphia can play a clean game, they give themselves a much better chance to win.
The Flyers have been pretty abysmal with turnovers over the last few seasons, and that was not something that changed over the preseason. There is no excuse for Philadelphia to be beating themselves in this one, especially against a team that finished worse than them in last season’s standings.
Columbus’ young roster would be happy to cash in on the team’s mistakes. The Flyers are bound to have a few bad turnovers, but making it the sole reason for a loss is unacceptable. If the Flyers don’t make Hart’s job too difficult by mishaps of their own, he should do fine.
Hockey is finally back in Philadelphia after six long months of waiting. The Flyers have not lost their opening-night match in regulation since the 2014-15 season. They hope to keep the streak alive for another season.