For a while, one of the Philadelphia Flyers‘ biggest weaknesses was their shorthanded unit. Between 2014-15 and 2022-23—a nine-season span—they were above the league average in penalty kill percentage just once (2019-20; 11th). That said, fans were pleasantly surprised when the team killed penalties at the fourth-most efficient rate in 2023-24 and led the NHL with 16 shorthanded goals.
The Flyers came out of the gate last season with one of the best penalty kills in their history, seeing some inevitable regression as time moved along. However, expectations were still high entering 2024-25, even if a top-end unit would be a tall ask.
Through 31 games, Philadelphia doesn’t exactly have much to complain about from a historical perspective. They have the 13th-most efficient penalty kill in the NHL and only 11 clubs have more shorthanded tallies than them (2). It’s certainly a step back, but not bad, no?
The Flyers are above average when down a man, sure. But they depended on their penalty kill last season to persevere despite their objective lack of roster talent. Scoring four more shorthanded tallies than any other team in the league on top of seldom allowing goals did wonders for them. So, can Philadelphia return to the levels of their 2023-24 campaign? Or will they need a different ploy to have a chance at the playoffs?
Decline of the Flyers’ Penalty Kill by the Numbers
This section is a look at the numbers of the Flyers’ decline. The stats are important, as they help put a numerical value on the eye test. Plus, the sustainability of the team’s play becomes more evident.
First, we’ll start by looking at the offensive side of the Flyers’ penalty kill. Of course, that isn’t the primary responsibility, but the team’s aggressiveness made them an intimidating bunch. How did they look in 2023-24, and how do they look now?
| Stat; Penalty Kill, Offensive | Flyers’ First 31 Games in 2023-24 (Rank) | Flyers’ First 31 Games in 2024-25 (Rank) |
| Corsi For Per 60 (CF/60) | 20.74 (2nd) | 15.25 (10th) |
| Shots For Per 60 (SF/60) | 17.93 (1st) | 9.23 (18th) |
| Expected Goals For Per 60 (xGF/60) | 1.34 (6th) | 1.20 (5th) |
| Goals For Per 60 (GF/60) | 2.46 (5th) | 0.80 (16th) |
| Shooting Percentage (S%) | 13.73% (10th) | 8.70% (15th) |
Offensively, it’s clear that the Flyers had the edge last season—they scored goals at three times the rate they are today. Shot attempts have decreased by 26.47 percent, while shots on goal have seen a 48.52 percent decline. Shooting percentage is largely luck-based, but the team isn’t firing the puck as much, so is it surprising that they aren’t scoring?
The Flyers’ possession metrics are also worth mentioning. The puck was in their zone 53.7 percent of the time per NHL Edge, which put them in the 87th percentile for 2023-24 (full season). Of course, teams can’t score if they’re struggling to establish possession—that was something the Flyers did well. This season, they’re below the 50th percentile with 56.9 percent of their ice time spent in the defensive zone.
This may not seem like much, but it shows that Philadelphia isn’t quite as potent of a shorthanded unit as they were a calendar year ago. While hope can always be kept for their shooting percentage to rise, it won’t be enough to score at the levels of last season—they need to have the puck more. The Flyers are still fairly good in the offensive department, though.
Now, let’s get to the defensive side of the Flyers’ penalty kill. What do the numbers show?
| Stat; Penalty Kill, Defensive | Flyers’ First 31 Games in 2023-24 (Rank) | Flyers’ First 31 Games in 2024-25 (Rank) |
| Corsi Against Per 60 (CA/60) | 95.28 (6th) | 104.32 (21st) |
| Shots Against Per 60 (SA/60) | 40.43 (2nd) | 49.75 (12th) |
| Expected Goals Against Per 60 (xGA/60) | 6.58 (2nd) | 8.43 (24th) |
| Goals Against Per 60 (GA/60) | 4.92 (3rd) | 7.22 (16th) |
| Save Percentage (SV%) | .878% (11th) | .855% (17th) |
The Flyers’ defensive metrics on the penalty kill are more notable. That’s because, well, the goal is to indeed kill the penalty at the end of the day. Even with a good but far from elite .878 save percentage when shorthanded, the Orange and Black were fantastic at preventing goals against last season. Their opposition rarely mustered shots (either on the net or not) and scoring chances were kept to a minimum.
But that has changed this season. The most obvious shift is in expected goals against, where they went from the second-best rate in the NHL to the ninth-worst. It’s not too big of a surprise that they’re in the middle of the pack for actual goals against due to this fact. As for save percentage, there’s a reduction but it’s not quite as severe. Philadelphia’s save percentage is only 29th at even strength, so being 16th in goals allowed per 60 minutes is a blessing, if anything.
Overall, the Flyers aren’t as effective offensively or defensively on the penalty kill this season. At this rate, their shorthanded squad will probably finish right around the middle as opposed to being one of the best in 2023-24.
How Key Flyers Have Played Individually
Team-wide stats are great, but how individual players have performed is worth examining. Travis Konecny comes to mind first as the supreme leader of the Flyers’ penalty kill. He led the NHL in shorthanded goals last season and was the centerpiece of the unit. How has he done comparatively?
The differentials are minor, admittedly, but Konecny is producing less. Through 31 games last season, he had five more shot attempts, nine more shots on goal, 0.40 more individual expected goals, and two more goals scored. He also had five additional takeaways, but a decrease in that stat has been a league-wide trend.
We can back up Konecny’s statistical regression with the eye test. He isn’t getting those high-quality chances like he was last season, so there has been more of a focus on living another day instead of trying to make something happen offensively. He scored and allowed four goals when he was on the ice last season, but is now being outscored 8-2. However, his on-ice save percentage is only .771 versus the elite .902 he was working with during 2023-24. Some better luck is in store for the explosive winger.
Scott Laughton is pretty similar here. He’s not shooting the puck as much, not getting as many chances, has fewer points, and has a decreased on-ice save percentage (.898 to .833). The veteran forward has never been a dynamic shorthanded weapon, but he’s had his great moments—his even-strength struggles last season were partially nullified due to his usefulness on the penalty kill.
All of this is to say that Laughton has actually improved defensively. Among Flyer skaters with 25 minutes played, he has the second-best expected goals against per 60 rate this season (7.19) compared to the worst (8.74) in his previous showing.
Forwards Noah Cates, Ryan Poehling, and Garnet Hathaway plus defenseman Nick Seeler have seen their lower-end yet valuable shorthanded roles continue from last season. All four of them had expected goals against per 60 rates of under 7.00 in 2023-24—each of them has exceeded that total in 2024-25. Allowing more chances than before, the depth hasn’t been as reliable.
Getting to Cam York and Travis Sanheim, the team’s trustworthy top defensive pairing, things have gone well. They’ve been outscored only 2-0 in 38:39 of ice time when paired, which is good. They’re riding a .949 on-ice save percentage, though, which ranks first in the NHL among defensive pairings on the penalty kill with 25 minutes of usage. Don’t expect the magic to last forever. Although, their on-ice shooting percentage is an unlucky 0.0.
Interestingly, little blame can be put on Samuel Ersson for the save percentage inconsistencies here. He’s operating at a .941 clip on the kill, which is the second-highest out of 41 NHL netminders with 50 minutes played. Through the team’s first 31 games in 2023-24, he was 36th out of 52 goaltenders in save percentage (.848).
Related: Dear Santa: Philadelphia Flyers’ 2024-25 Wish List
For the Flyers, some players on their penalty kill will get hot and some will cool off. But as a whole, it seems as though their more or less average shorthanded group is something that may stick for the rest of this season. That’s a great thing considering where the team was for about a decade, but the unit nearly carried them to the playoffs in 2023-24.
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick (unless specified otherwise)
