Riding a two-game losing streak, the Philadelphia Flyers needed a good effort on the road against the New York Islanders. With a 1-0 win in a shootout, they should certainly be pleased with how they played. What were some takeaways from the victory for Philadelphia?
Cates Needs to Stay on the Wing
For the first time this season, 24-year-old Noah Cates was tried out on the wing rather than his usual center position. He had typically played on the wing prior to last season, but he had such a tremendous rookie campaign as a center for the full season that he naturally stayed there. It has been tough sledding since his wonderful rookie season, in the midst of a pretty disappointing season.
In this game, a lot of Cates’ woes changed. On the wing for the first time this season, he arguably had his best performance out of all his previous 20 games. It would be best for him to stay there for the time being.
Cates being put on the wing was a long time coming, as he just hasn’t had the same mojo as he did last season. He received Selke Trophy consideration for his efforts as a rookie centerman in 2022-23, never having played the position before. There was significant optimism surrounding his game, and the thought was that if he could boost some of his offensive numbers, there would be a future for him in the NHL.
Related: Flyers’ Noah Cates Could Be a Future Core Piece
This season, both his defense and offense have declined. Yet to score a point in the month of November, it has been a difficult season for him. It was a breath of fresh air to see him play well on the wing, winning puck battles, and actually setting up chances on offense. If ending the center experiment is what can get Cates back to playing great two-way hockey, it has to be done.
Foerster Just Needs Time
This season has not been an easy one for Tyson Foerster, as he has only scored four points in over 320 minutes of total ice time this season. The 21-year-old rookie scored seven points in his lone eight games in the NHL last season, and that brought a lot of optimism for his first true season playing NHL hockey. Part of that was his elite shot, which he put on full display in his brief stint with the Flyers last season. He hasn’t shown it nearly enough this season, but he made it clear that it is still there in this game. All the youngster really needs is time to figure things out.
In the shootout, Foerster was put out to end the fourth round of shooters with a chance to win the game. The Flyers, holding an eight-game losing streak in Long Island and a two-game losing streak this season, needed a win pretty badly. He granted their wish, getting the game-winning goal in this one on a decisive shot.
Foerster’s play went beyond his shootout goal, as he was actually playing well in regulation. To his credit, he has had a few solid games this season. He simply has not found his game yet, perhaps meaning that time is the biggest factor in it all. There is still potential for him, and one-quarter of a rookie season doesn’t decide how a career will go. This season is now about improvement for him, and he showed it in this game.
Ersson Can Take Steam Off Hart
Goaltender Sam Ersson did not have a great start to this season, but the countless goals against him were not solely his fault. Giving up five goals to the Dallas Stars and seven to the Anaheim Ducks, it was looking like the 24-year-old was not playing at the level of a capable backup in the NHL. Starting from the month of November forward, he has posted a .926 save percentage (SV%) and a 1.70 goals-against average (GAA). It really has been a tale of two halves for him, and he has shown that he is not only a true NHL backup but also a pretty good one at that. He can take some steam off his starter, Carter Hart.
Ersson has consistently improved his game, but the effort he had against the Islanders was his new best. He made 25 saves in a shutout victory, but the chances against him were of significant danger at times. There were many instances where he bailed out the Flyers, even if they did play a solid game overall. He was back there to make sure nothing got past him. If he continues to play at the level he has during the month of November, then he can allow the Flyers to not overplay Hart. On pace for nearly 64 starts after the month of October, that number has gone down with Ersson being able to hold his own in goal.
Tortorella Should Stick With Lineup
Head coach John Tortorella has been prone to making some questionable lineup decisions this season, but the one he made for this game was by far the best he put together all season. The players meshed well where they were, and it was a very good effort for Philadelphia, even if they were a shootout away from a loss. It would be more exciting if 22-year-old Bobby Brink were to re-enter the lineup, but that would probably be the wrong decision with how well everyone played.
Tortorella deserves credit for how well his lineup meshed. They didn’t exactly get the goal production, but they absolutely got the chances. Even though the Eastern Conference is full of elite goaltenders, the Flyers won’t be playing someone like Ilya Sorokin every night. The Islanders’ netminder has made 74 of 76 stops against the Flyers this week, spanning back to their game on Nov. 22. More often than not, the coaching decisions made in this game would result in a victory by a few goals. That didn’t happen, but Tortorella should still be praised.
The Flyers, now 11-9-1, will return to Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The two teams have split their season series 1-1 so far, meaning the Flyers will certainly have a chance against their divisional foe. With the Flyers coming off a recent five-game winning streak, they will look to use Carolina to start another.
