The Philadelphia Flyers continued their winning ways for the third game in a row, defeating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Nov. 15. Ending their four-game road trip in style, what were some takeaways from the victory?
Walker Continues to Impact Offensively
In a move that boiled down to a cap dump for the Los Angeles Kings, the Flyers likely didn’t have the expectation that defenseman Sean Walker would have a tremendous impact on the team. Since the season has started, he has been terrific at pinching offensively and creating chances. Credited with an assist and helping continue some offensive pressure that led to a goal, he had an important impact on this game.
Aggressive offensively, Walker has been one of the more important forces that has helped drive the Flyers’ offense this season. While he had an error defensively and committed a turnover in his own zone, this game was still a massive positive for him. He has been impacting the game at the blue line all season, but this was one of his best.
Walker, 29, is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) when this season is over. Though he has arguably been their best addition in the offseason, he might not have a future with the team past the trade deadline. If he continues to perform, trading him will be difficult, but ultimately an important move to get some draft capital or a prospect.
Hart Holds Down the Fort
Despite being out of the Flyers’ lineup for two weeks due to injury and then a subsequent case of food poisoning, goaltender Carter Hart was simply at his best in his first game back. Making some sensational saves, his return was needed for the Flyers to win.
The Hurricanes are known as a team that shoots the puck very often, so Hart likely knew he was going to face a lot of rubber. For a player coming back from injury, that might actually be a positive to get him in a groove. He wasn’t bombarded with shots, but his 31 saves on 32 shots signify a fantastic effort.
Over the Flyers’ last three games, their goaltending has been spectacular. He, Sam Ersson, and Cal Petersen have each contributed to a win in the Flyers’ last three games. All looking great in the process, goaltending has started to become a strength for Philadelphia. When Hart is healthy and playing, there are rarely any worries in net.
Flyers Sensational on Penalty Kill
The Flyers did a good job to only be penalized three times in this game against a Hurricanes team that is always buzzing offensively, but they were flawless at killing them off even when they did get themselves into trouble. One of the best efforts from the shorthanded unit all season, they deserve some recognition.
Carolina really struggled to generate offense on their power play, and this was especially the case by the time most of it was already up. The Flyers let time trickle down with the puck in their own possession on multiple sequences late in the Hurricanes’ man advantage, doing a great job of not giving them much of anything. Philadelphia’s penalty kill has been a bright spot all season, and continued to be so in this contest.
Brink’s Return Could Take Some Time
After three games without scoring a point, Flyers’ head coach John Tortorella benched 22-year-old rookie Bobby Brink for the second game in a row. Now that the Flyers are on a three-game winning streak and depth forward Ryan Poehling is coming off his best game of the season, it seems unlikely for the youngster to slot back into the lineup any time soon. Tied for sixth in the NHL in rookie points with eight, this is a small roadblock in his campaign.
This season, Brink has been everything the Flyers could have ever hoped for. With how exclusive the Flyers’ offense is right now, his making the team in the first place was a positive. This season, it has usually been Morgan Frost who has gotten the bench treatment from Tortorella. Now that he is on a three-game point streak, he might find it difficult to go back to that. Everyone that he’d be willing to sit has been on their game, so it is unlikely that Brink will return.
Brink has been a huge help to the Flyers this season, but three games in a row where he was unable to register a point resulted in his benching. He has definitely been one of the better players for the Flyers, but an opening that Tortorella would consider has not opened. The youngster will get his chance, but it is difficult to pinpoint when exactly that will be.
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In all likelihood, Brink will slot in after the Flyers’ next loss, whenever that is. The performance of Tortorella’s typical benched players has been good, so he might just let the situation play itself out. The coach has a type, and there are players on the team that he usually doesn’t touch even after poor performances. With that being said, it will only be a matter of time before he is back in, with the coach on record saying that he wants to get the forward back in the lineup. It could be a bit, but he will slot back in eventually.
The Flyers, coming off three days without a game, will have another two days off before they face the Vegas Golden Knights at Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 18. Another tough team on the schedule, the Flyers will have to bring their best once again.