3 Christmas Gifts the Flyers Have Given Their Fans
Happy holidays, everyone.
No, seriously, things are actually encouraging down on Broad Street this year for a change, as the Philadelphia Flyers are exceeding expectations and are well seated in a playoff spot as they approach their Christmas break. There are still some grinches out there who have a problem with this, as they wanted the Flyers to absolutely bottom out to secure some more high draft picks in the name of the rebuild, but the players themselves have bought into what John Tortorella is selling and they're looking good after 31 games.
It's not perfect, of course, with the power play being a black hole and a few injuries to deal with (although they've been luckier than usual in that regard). All in all, though, true fans of the team should be pleased with the team's compete level on a nightly basis and the fact that they are cranking out wins, even of the shootout variety.
The Flyers keep their perfect shootout record this season alive! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/P1gtPZMud1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 15, 2023
The excitement is building at the Wells Fargo Center, with fans having visions of home playoff games for the first time since 2018. And since "tis the season", let's look at three specific gifts that the Flyers are giving to their fans this holiday season. None of this will stop the Orange and Black faithful from asking for even more, but at the very least we can take some holiday cheer in these gifts already. So grab your Santa Sack and see what else Jolly Old Saint Torts and his team have left under the tree for you.
Gift No. 1: A Dangerous Penalty Kill
The Flyers' power play has been unreliable so far, but thankfully the same can't be said about their penalty kill, as the term “power kill" has been bandied about to describe the unit's effectiveness. The power play goal that they allowed to the Devils (who have the best PP in the league) on Tuesday night notwithstanding, the Flyers' PK unit has been tops in the league for the past month-plus, and its shot into the top 5 overall for the season. It's been a breath of fresh air after being a bottom 10 unit for three years running.
The aggressiveness and the stinginess that the Flyers have shown in man-down situations has been enhanced even more by their ability to quickly turn the play up ice and create scoring chances while shorthanded. The team has seven shorties on the year, with Travis Konency scoring three of them. Konecny has become quite the shorthanded dynamo over the past two seasons after hardly being used at all in those situations during his first six years in the league.
Even with key PK cog Noah Cates currently out with injury, this Flyers unit is holding its own and giving the team a chance to win every night without being run out of the building by talented power plays. Perhaps the successful return of Sean Couturier has played a large part in this as well, with Cam Atkinson, Ryan Poehling, and others putting in key shifts alongside the team's suddenly rock solid defenders to keep the opposition off the scoreboard. A lot of things aren't sustainable in this league, but a highly effective penalty kill is one way to make sure you stay in every game.
Gift No. 2: Surprising Play by the D-Men
The Flyers jettisoned their supposed #1 defenseman, Ivan Provorov, over the offseason so conventional wisdom said that they would get worse in that area. The rearguards who remained to pick up his vacated minutes wouldn't be able to keep up, the experts said.
But the Flyers' defensemen haven't bought into this at all.
Sean Walker, acquired in the three-way trade for Provorov, has been great, playing over 20 minutes per night and rounding back into his pre-injury form that had the Kings high on him a few years ago before his fortunes turned. Now, word on the street is that the Flyers are more likely to try and extend Walker's contract than they are to trade him by the deadline, and you can't really blame them at this point. If he keeps playing like this, the Flyers are going to need a big return to part with him.
Ditto Nick Seeler, who is one of the best bargains in the league at just $800,000. This makes him an attractive trade chip, no doubt, but the Flyers hold all the cards. Even Rasmus Ristolainenhas drawn interest from several teams around the league as he's proven that last year's resurgence wasn't a fluke. The hulking Finn is playing an effectively bruising style on a nightly basis and earning most of his hefty salary. The Flyers may still be inclined to try to shed his contract at some point, but he is proving quite useful.
And then there's Travis Sanheim, who was all but shipped out of town over the summer. Thank you, Torey Krug, for invoking your no-trade clause. Sanheim has been flat-out fantastic, absorbing over 25 minutes per game to easily lead the team and rank fourth overall in the NHL. He's also well on his way to surpassing his career high of 35 points in a season and just might get to double figures in goals for the first time in his career. Quite simply, he's done it all, and it's been excellent to watch.
Gifts No. 3: A Legitimate Goalie Tandem
Of course, you could have all the strong defensive play you want, but everything falls apart if you can't get a lousy save from your goaltenders. To be fair, this is a problem for a lot of NHL clubs, but it seems like the Flyers have been acutely affected by 'Stinky Goalie Syndrome' for, oh, about 40 years. Now, with the caveat that goaltending is ultra fickle, that isn't a problem for this team.
Although he's missed some time with a recurring illness, Carter Hart has looked very strong. He's obviously gaining confidence from the team in front of him, and he's not feeling like he has to single-handedly win games, which helps a goaltender immensely. But let's focus more on his creasemate, Sam Ersson.
WILD SEQUENCE. SAM ERSSON MASTERCLASS. WOW.#DETvsPHI #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/UjxhRv7UgR
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) December 17, 2023
After an extremely bumpy start to his campaign that had some people decrying him as undeserving of an NHL roster spot, Ersson has rebounded in a huge way. The more he plays, it seems, the better he gets. It's been great to know that the team won't be falling off a cliff when they have to turn to their "backup goaltender". The Flyers can now approach back-to-back games and tough stretches with confidence, without having to feel like they have to change their game to cover up for a weakness in net. Ersson's performance this year even has some asking if he could possibly bring home some hardware for his strong play. Time will tell.
It would be great if all of these areas could continue clicking for the Flyers and lead them on a surprise playoff run this season. But, at least at this moment, Flyers fans are exclaiming, "What a great gift!"