The Philadelphia Flyers took advantage of a shorthanded Boston Bruins’ lineup and captured a 3-1 victory on Oct. 2, moving their preseason record to 2-2-1 overall. Even if Boston didn’t have many of their stars in this game, the Flyers seemed to control play through most of the contest. With that in mind, here are three key takeaways from the match for Philadelphia.
Speed & Skill Could Be Organizational Strengths
It has been a very long time since the Flyers have been known for their speed and skill. Recency bias has made this feel like an eternity. During training camp and the preseason, some Flyers have shown that they can display some flashiness on the ice. With several years of draft capital ahead for the Orange and Black, this is a great sign.
In a league dominated by talent, the Flyers are starting to get there. Philadelphia had many of their main players with a few roster hopefuls sprinkled in the lineup. Other than a couple of possible substitutions, the team on the ice was mainly what we could see in the regular season. Though the Bruins did not have a true NHL lineup, how the Flyers controlled the pace throughout most of the game was hard not to notice.
Several Flyers players are capable of playing a fast-paced game. More importantly, they were able to set their own pace. The best players and teams in the league are able to do this. Making other clubs adjust to what you’re throwing at them is something that the Flyers have been on the opposite end of in the past.
Philadelphia won’t be a dominant team, but they have some comparisons to successful rebuilding teams in the past. In terms of how they played, they were comparable to the 2021-22 New Jersey Devils. While that team wasn’t good in terms of their finish in the standings, their potential was very obvious. They had talent and speed from lines one through four, which is what made them somewhat dangerous if you didn’t take them seriously. Depending on what roster the Flyers go with, they could see a version of that on a smaller scale this season.
In the system, the Flyers have a shiny Matvei Michkov available to them. It’s still very early, but no player in the recent history of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has come even close to his point-per-game total in the season after their draft year. With 10 points in just nine games, he is already one of the best players in that entire league. He is 18 years of age, and will only continue to get better. Right now, his skill level is off the charts even with his young age.
A couple more years of drafting and developing can make Philadelphia a more respected team. Perhaps, they may be in a position to be playoff contenders before otherwise expected. It will still take time, but the pieces are there. At this point, it’s about putting everything together.
Goal Creation Improving, But Still Something to Work On
While the Flyers might be going in the right direction in terms of their offense, they still lack definitive creators. Philadelphia has shooters and some players able to finish scoring chances, but lacking an elite player in terms of goal generation will limit the team’s offensive ceiling.
The Flyers were definitely controlling play, but something they lacked was a truly elite player who could create chances. In this game, both Morgan Frost and Bobby Brink were arguably the best at this, but their talent wasn’t necessarily awe-striking. They were good, but no Flyer was generating offense out of thin air like teams with superstar players do, such as the Edmonton Oilers with Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, for example.
Related: Flyers’ Morgan Frost Has a Future in Philadelphia
This is not an issue that the Flyers can simply fix overnight, but it is something they will have to work on and try to improve as best as possible. Philadelphia has the goal-scoring ability in many of their players. Players like Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett could serve as major offensive generators, but again, the team doesn’t have somebody that is clearly meant for that.
Not every team has to have a clear-cut superstar player, but it would definitely make the Flyers’ job easier. It is evident that offensive contributions won’t come from one player, but rather from the entire lineup collectively. This was known well before the preseason, but it was reinforced by how the Flyers seemingly dominated everywhere but the scoreboard.
Flyers Could Shake Up Defense Frequently
Throughout training camp and the preseason, the Flyers have had many of their young defenders step up. This area of the team was seen as a major weakness going into camp, so it is encouraging to see so many players start to show signs of growth.
In this game specifically, both Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning looked promising. They were both given a shot with a competitive Flyers lineup, and each did some nice things.
Attard had been contributing offensively in much of his time in the preseason, so it was only a matter of time before he contributed. His blast from the point ricocheted ever so slightly off of Joel Farabee and into the net, giving the Flyers a 3-1 lead in the second period. It is improbable that he makes the team out of the gate, but he was still playing solid all-around hockey in this contest.
Ginning’s impact more so revolves around his defense, and he was doing essentially everything in the defensive end. He helped make goaltender Sam Ersson’s job just a bit easier when he was on the ice, and that was displayed by his plus-2 rating for the game.
If the younger defenders on the Flyers continue to have good games here and there, the veterans won’t have a solidified role on the team. Being able to experiment frequently is a big positive for Philadelphia, and that might be the team’s reality going into the season.
After a solid but expected win, the Flyers will aim to end their preseason with a winning record when they take on the New York Islanders on Oct. 5 at Wells Fargo Center for the finale. Given the fact that the Flyers are at home and that they have a couple of days off, there is a good chance that there is a similar lineup for the game.