As the only team in the NHL with points in nine out of their last ten games, the Flyers could be considered the hottest team in the league. After a couple rough patches that seemed to of run them out of the playoff picture, the Flyers right now qualify for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.
Their latest win against the Colorado Avalanche showcased all of the team’s strengths. Star goaltender Steve Mason kept the team in the game after a first period Avalanche of shots against the Flyers. When the Avalanche do break through, Shayne Gostisbehere was able to set up the Flyers first goal of the game to get them on the board. Late in the third period, captain Claude Giroux proved he was the most prolific player on the ice when he scored the game-winning goal in the final minutes of the contest.
The question everyone is now asking is what is this recent success the Flyers are enjoying. Is in just a short-term façade, or are the Flyers really going to be this good down the stretch? Hopefully by giving each part of the Flyers game a close up, we can figure out if they are the real deal or not.
Forwards
When talking about the Flyers, you have to talk about star Claude Giroux. The captain is the core of the team, winning the Bobby Clarke Award for best Flyer three times and being named an All Star four times.
After Giroux, the team has a few young budding stars. Wayne Simmonds is leading the team with 25 goals, and has benefited from playing on the same line as Giroux. On Giroux’s left wing, former top five pick Brayden Schenn is having his breakout season. The 24 year old is second on the team with 24 goals and 52 points. Jakub Voracek is probably the most well known Flyer not named Giroux because of his impressive 81 point season last year.
The problem for the 18th best offense in the league is they do not have much after those top four. Sean Couturier has been injured, but even when healthy has proven to be an inconsistent scorer. His great defensive play though makes him a solid third line center that can cover the other team’s best center.
Defense
The Achilles Heel of this team for the last few years has been their weak defensive corps. Veterans Mark Streit and Andrew MacDonald play top line minutes, but they were not even playing that much when they were on the struggling Islanders of past.
Radko Gudas has been a pleasant surprise this year. Everyone came into the season knowing he would be a force physically. His positive +/- shows that he has become more responsible in his own zone and can be trusted in important situations.
Rookie Shayne Gostisbehere is in the running for Rookie of the Year with 40 points for the season. He is just one of a few young defender prospects that GM Ron Hextall is grooming to become top tier defenders. Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov and Sam Morin are all promising defender prospects that could end up being top line centers in one of the more dominating defender corps. However, they wont help this season.
Goaltenders
Steve Mason has been on fire in the month of March, with a 1.97 GAA and a 93.3 SV%. This recent surge has come at the perfect time, as Michal Neuvirth is out due to a meniscus tear in his left knee. The Flyers hope that the 22 year old Anthony Stolarz won’t have to play this season.
Summary
The Flyers have the star power on offense to be competitive in the playoffs, but not the depth. Their defender corps is missing true top liners, but have depth with Gudas and Ghostisbehere forming an impressive second line. Steve Mason is a hot goalie at the point of the season where a hot goalie can lead to a deep playoff run. With the success of Mason and the star power on offense, the Flyers should be able to overcome their weaknesses and sneak into the playoffs.