The Philadelphia Flyers recorded a 2-0 shutout win in their home opener over an undefeated Vancouver Canucks team. Now 2-1-0 on the season, what were some takeaways from the game for Philadelphia?
Sean Couturier is Officially Back
Sean Couturier scored his first goal since Dec. 10, 2021, against the Canucks on a beautiful penalty shot goal late in the first period. Finally back in the goal department, he is bouncing back quite well from a long, frustrating period of injuries.
The ironic part about Couturier is that even before his injuries, he was not the best option in the shootout as he oftentimes had little creativity in his attempts. When he scored against Vancouver, he pulled off a nifty turnaround move that helped him beat Thatcher Demko blocker side.
Couturier has been gearing up for that goal, and it was great to see him get it in dramatic fashion. The longest-tenured Flyer on the current roster is back to his old ways, and is still just 30 years of age. Hopefully this is the version of him that the Flyers will be getting throughout the rest of his eight-year contract.
Sanheim Bounced Back Nicely
After a bad turnover against the Ottawa Senators that essentially put the game away, Travis Sanheim had himself a fantastic game against the Canucks. Elite both defensively and offensively in this one, he is earning the $50 million contract he signed under former general manager (GM) Chuck Fletcher.
With 24:28 of ice time in this game, Sanheim is getting the highest workload of his career thus far. He is taking advantage of the opportunity, and has been one of the biggest positives on the Flyers’ blue line. He should continue to be a great plug for the first pair and be relied upon for heavy minutes.
Flyers Winning Despite Lackluster Power Play
The Flyers’ power play continues to be a concern, as they are not capitalizing on any of their chances on the man advantage. Despite this, the team has not lost a game this season in matches where they didn’t score a single goal on the power play. It’s not ideal, but they’re getting away with it thus far.
Eventually, it will be important for the Flyers to start scoring on the power play. When they face a top-end team in the league, they will have virtually no chance of winning if they don’t take advantage of every opportunity they get. They might be doing fine right now with a power play that has only scored once in over a dozen attempts, but soon it will be an issue.
Cam Atkinson Doesn’t Look the Same
It’s unfortunate to say, but Cam Atkinson simply doesn’t have the same jump that he did when he was last healthy for Philadelphia. At 34 years of age and coming off of a season-long injury in 2022-23, expecting him to look as good and be as productive as he was a couple of years ago is perhaps a bit ignorant, but he has objectively not looked great.
When comparing his 2021-22 play with the Flyers to what he is now, he is simply not generating as much as he used to. He is just as good defensively, which is a plus, but he seems a tad bit slower and lacks the deadliness he might have had before his injury. If Atkinson isn’t scoring, he is simply not that valuable. He hasn’t really threatened to do so at this point.
Maybe all Atkinson needs is time, and that is how it would work in a perfect world. He is still under contract for the 2023-24 campaign as well as next season, so there really isn’t a need for panic. Hopefully, he proves that he deserves the minutes he is playing.
Bend, Don’t Break Approach Works
As highlighted in the preview for this game, the Flyers knew that the Canucks are a team with some offensive firepower. A good way to shut that down is through the exact “bend, don’t break” approach mentioned.
Related: 4 Keys to a Flyers Win Against the Canucks
Despite what the stat sheet might tell you, it was actually the Canucks that were controlling the play for most of this game. Carter Hart was good in a shutout effort, but it arguably wasn’t even his best work of the season. The Flyers did a good job in preventing high-quality opportunities, something that they have struggled with in the recent past. How they played is a recipe for success moving forward.
The Flyers will have no easy test in their next game, which will be against a stacked Edmonton Oilers squad on Oct. 19. For now, the Orange and Black have a winning record in the month of October.