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The sporting schedule continues to be odd, and a season-opener 5:30 p.m. hockey game played without fans to kick off a modified 56-game season with geographic divisions is very much in line with the brand for 2020-21.
And so the Flyers hit the ice for the first time, managing to start a season full of expectations and optimism, winning the Penguins in an impressive 6-3 start on Wednesday night.
Six different Flyers scored a goal in the win, as a monster third period blew the wind out of the sails of their hated rivals in a win that will make Philadelphia fans, for the first time in weeks, feel good about themselves again. It doesn’t hurt that the game was the first of the season and is being played in front of a domestic crowd.
Here are the good, the bad and the ugly as the 2021 campaign is underway:
(UPDATE – The third period goal originally credited to Travis Konecny was later credited to Oskar Lindblom.)
Good
• Oh, the Flyers’ power play. Last season was … good. Their 20.8% clip was the 14th best in the NHL and was a bit inconsistent. With the talent of the squad as it is built, however, being in the middle of the field is certainly below expectations. It was much worse than in the playoffs in Toronto last summer. The special teams unit was really a challenge, as the team was 1: 25 on the PP in mid-August.
Days before the start of the season, defender Ivan Provorov said their struggles with an extra man were not due to a lack of tries.
“I think it’s more of an execution,” he said. “I think we’re going to try to move the puck a little faster, just try to attack the net a bit more and be more aggressive. But we have to execute. If you can’t execute, you can’t score. .. “
With Philly on his first male advantage of the season, they showed they have a short memory – and can, indeed, execute – as a potent power play that saw the Flyers generate a handful of shots and retaining possession ultimately led to an equalizer goal. at the end of Erik Gustafsson’s first point shot (more on him in a moment) which was deflected by James van Riemsdyk.
Here is the goal:
And just before you could check out the roast chicken you had in the oven between periods (you know, because the game started at 5:30 p.m. and you were making dinner …), the Flyers scored on the game again. power, this time with a Gustaffson point shot re-directed again so lightly – this time by Nolan Patrick – with eight seconds left in the first to give Philadelphia a 2-1 lead at the break.
• The otherwise silent Flyers made Gustafsson the centerpiece of their offseason, signing him to a $ 3 million demo deal. The signing, which was largely aimed at replacing veteran defenseman Matt Niskanen, was also a clear sign that they like it when their defenders score (and assist) goals.
Gustaffson, who scored 29 points last season and a whopping 60 the year before, could be an evil brace with Provorov, another offensive-minded blue player (each playing with different line mates) both on the roster. . He looked good at home, generating a much needed offense in the Flyers’ power play on Wednesday.
• Don’t sleep on Joel Farabee, who hasn’t been talked about much this offseason but has talent around the net – and could end up with plenty of opportunities to score points playing alongside Kevin Hayes (who contributed his goal in the second period) and Claude Giroux. He scored late before the second horn to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead.
He also took part in the Flyers’ first two goals, each of which were secondary assists to set up Gustafsson who set up JVR and Patrick. There’s a reason he chose Alain Vigneault to play with two of the team’s best veterans.
• Michael Raffl must have heard me slap on veteran forwards, as the 32-year-old helped break another tie two minutes later, scoring a perfect pass from Scott Laughton with Pittsburgh goaltender Tristan Jarry out of position , to bring up Philly 4-3. There has been some noise about the Flyers’ fourth row, and with Nicolas Aubé-Kubel joining the aforementioned duo, and that could be a huge force this season.
• Travis Konecny must have heard me typing earlier, too, about young strikers scoring goals, as the 23-year-old won his first of the season in third by turning ‘garbage into gold’, I believe the expression is.
Seconds later, the Flyers officially opened the floodgates with another strike, that of Kevin Hayes. A 6-3 lead on opening day must feel pretty good.
• You know how Flyers fans always wonder “what would happen if this team could play for 60 minutes?” Well, they had some lapses, obviously, as they gave up a 2-1 lead and a 3-2 lead, but they didn’t take a period and didn’t seem daunted by mistakes or by the Penguins who responded repeatedly – and responded. . If this is a trend that continues this season, it is the one that champions are made of.
• One thing that was quite clear seeing this team play in their first 60 minutes this season is that they are packed with talent. The puck skills, sense of space, skating and creativity that fans saw during the team’s warm months in February and March of last year are still very much present. There have been many instances in this one where poor communication, lack of chemistry, or rust caused some sort of misstep, but this team has the ability to go a long way.
Kate Frese / for PhillyVoice
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 07: Carter Hart # 79 of the Philadelphia Flyers sprays water during the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 07, 2021 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
The bad
• The Flyers looked essentially like the same team that were impressive at the start of the bubble in Toronto and then ran out of gas. Only take this team, take them out of hockey for four months and give them a truncated training camp with no preseason games. Oh, is that exactly what happened?
• It wasn’t precisely one of the patented slow starts that Flyers fans have grown used to over the years of their favorite team, but the team were clearly working a bit to find their footing early despite some good looks from the side. offensive. What can only be characterized as an unlucky rebound put the Penguins on the board with the first goal of the season, like a shot from Mark Jankowski somehow found nylon on Hart’s shoulder to put Pittsburgh in the lead early. The Flyers’ first penalty of the season came seconds later – not the best five minutes of hockey they’ve played.
• Carter Hart did a very, very bad thing in the second period. I’m not sure what he was thinking about making such a bad decision with the puck, but with the Penguins on the power play and the puck on his stick, Hart took a terrible risk trying to thread the needle with a pass. with white. shirts everywhere, and the result is as you would expect.
It will certainly be a learning experience for the 22-year-old goaltender, who is as good at stopping the puck as anyone and has natural talent as far as the eye can see. But developing the discipline of a veteran and knowing when to take a chance and when to be careful is something that will take time for him.
To his credit, Hart made some absolutely ridiculous saves later in the second as the Penguins opened up a deciding 23-16 advantage in 40 minutes. He would make 31 saves in total, but he will clearly be thinking about that errant pass more than any save he may or may not have made in the convincing win.
• Not much to say about Pittsburg’s third goal, a snipe Hart couldn’t put a glove on.
The ugly one
• Ugly is not the first word that comes to mind, but in a sense, the fact that the NHL games between the Penguins and the Flyers are played in arenas with only a handful of reporters spaced out and around. he team workers present is really depressing.
Of course, having sports – after everything was shut down last March – is something we can all be thankful for. But I can’t help but wonder what kind of homecoming the Flyers would have had before this game, after their heroic performance in the bubble against a host of teams that were real challenges for a young and unproven club. The atmosphere before the puck was released was cool and resembled practice. For anyone who’s been to a Flyers game, the anticipation leading up to a Lauren Hart anthem is pretty special, as are the “oohs” and “ahhs” for every shot on goal and save.
Hoping this ugliness will end soon.
Follow Evan on Twitter: @evan_macy
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