The Philadelphia Flyers got their third consecutive victory in a 3-2 home-ice decision over the Seattle Kraken, moving to a 28-19-6 record on the season. Now six points ahead of the New York Islanders for the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division, the Flyers have certainly started to pull ahead a bit in their recent stretch. In this game, though, what were some key takeaways?
Flyers Controlled the Game
The Flyers cut it pretty close with just a one-goal victory and never having a multi-goal advantage in the contest, but they were the better team throughout the game, quantified by their 68.18 percent share of scoring chances. The lack of cushion made this one a little less comfortable than it probably should have been, but this was one of the better efforts the Flyers had this season. With the Kraken being one of the best defenses in the NHL, their offensive generation was fairly impressive.
This was arguably the Flyers’ most complete effort of their last three games since the All-Star Break ended, yet they were treated to a win they had to sweat out a little bit. Sometimes, that’s how it ends up happening. Still, their performance was great against a tough team. Seattle is just outside a wildcard spot for the Western Conference, so this was a contest that both clubs really needed. The Kraken looked dry, while the Flyers did not.
Petersen’s Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Cal Petersen was summoned as the starter for this game, his first since playing his former Los Angeles Kings club on Nov. 11, 2023. Even though he only allowed two goals, he made just 17 saves, giving him a save percentage (SV%) of just .895. But that really doesn’t tell the whole story of how he played, especially considering an unlucky bounce off of Sean Couturier that gave him pretty much no chance to stop one of the goals he allowed.
Overall, Petersen kept Seattle honest and made sure their looks had to be good. He had to deal with a few tricky pucks but was up to the challenge. His numbers don’t look the prettiest, but the win is all that counts.
A game like this should grant him some more starts down the line. While he’s not the perfect goalie, backups aren’t supposed to be. There is a reason why backups are in that role, and it’s largely due to inconsistency and being less sharp overall than the average starter. For example, it’s unfair to hold him to the same standard as Sam Ersson, as he seems to be a legitimate starter in the NHL.
From 2008-09 to 2022-23, the Flyers’ backups had a combined goals saved above expected (GSAx) of minus-60.2. On a per-season basis, that’s just a hair over minus-4. Before this contest, Petersen had a GSAx of minus-0.6 in three total games but was of supreme competition in the Kings twice, back when they were toward the top of the NHL standings and the Boston Bruins. Despite his small sample size against two superb teams, it would have taken him 20 games to reach that minus-4 total.
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So, essentially, Petersen is not much different as a backup than what the Flyers have seen in recent memory. That said, seeing how he does with a larger workload might be a good idea instead of throwing him in once in a blue moon. If he struggles, perhaps it might be time to look to Felix Sandstrom to fill the backup role or give Ersson more starts. If he’s good, that would allow Ersson to be rested more. With 29 games left this season, there is plenty of time to experiment.
Frost Line Was Sensational
Though they didn’t score any goals together, the Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Cam Atkinson line were buzzing in this one. It seemed like every shift, they were generating a chance, and when they were, it was all out chaos in the Kraken zone. This trio has been used a little bit this season — 57.9 minutes before this contest, to be exact — but this was one of their standout games. They had so many chances that just went awry, so it’s only a matter of time before one of those goes in if head coach John Tortorella keeps the line intact. It’d be hard not to with what they showed in this game.
Honing in on Frost himself for a minute, he has really started to improve his game in 2024. Since Jan. 1, only three players with a minimum of 50 minutes of ice time have more primary assists per 60 minutes than he does: Matthew Tkachuk, Connor McDavid, and Nikita Kucherov. That’s some pretty fantastic company to be behind, and he’s been showing progression since the start of the season. The production wasn’t there, but the mindset was. Now, he’s getting the results he’s deserved.
It hasn’t been the case all the time, but it’s safe to say that Frost is playing like a true second-line center at the moment. He and Farabee showed some nice chemistry, so perhaps that’s a duo that sticks for a little bit. If they can start generating offense consistently, that’ll likely be the case.
The Flyers are back in action on Feb. 12 when they take on the Arizona Coyotes at Wells Fargo Center to close out their season series. It’ll be their last home game until Feb. 24, so they’ll have to make this one count a little more.
