Before the season, the hockey community was pretty unanimous that it wasn’t worth expecting much from Philadelphia in the NHL. The club, which is profiled as some kind of chronic underachiever, performed below its level in the last two seasons and, for example, conceded the most goals in the entire league: for two seasons, they rang with an average of more than three and a half goals per match.
On the other hand, the club hired an American pilot known for his high standards and direct delivery as a new head coach in the summer. by John Tortorella.
The coach’s salary did not raise the expectation of success particularly high, but at the same time it was clear that the bad habits embedded in the game would not pass under Tortorella.
Already on the first day of the training camp, the new pilot announced that more reliability should be added to the locker room. According to the coach, the players should start demanding more from each other.
Captain Tortorella was not named at all, and vice-captain only received the letter A Scott Laughton. The message in this regard was clear to the team: the screen should be turned on immediately to gain trust.
The start was not rosy, as the Flyers won only one of the six practice matches, and that too right from the start. The team entered the regular season with a losing streak of five practice matches.
However, many would rub their eyes last week, when Philadelphia had risen to the upper levels in the NHL standings by winning four of their first five games.
Now the question is: is a good start a bubble or is Philadelphia a credible playoff contender?
We created a look at the background of the victorious start straight.
1) Goalkeeper game
It would be unfair to talk about anything else for Philadelphia before the goaltending game. From a Canadian of Carter Hart, 24, was already talked about as a junior as the most talented goalie in the Puck World, but the last two seasons turned out to be complete pancakes, like the whole team. Now the voice has a completely different note.
Hart has been the best goaltender in the NHL in the first few weeks and by far the most important individual player on his team. He has allowed more than 10 goals with 5 for 5, allowing only three hits behind him. Hart has won every one of the four fights he has started. The save percentage of dangerous goal posts (100%) tells the essentials about the Flyers’ goalkeeping game.
Sports expert Ismo Lehkonen don’t consider Hart’s rise to prominence a coincidence.
– Here is a guy who was compared to Carey Price a long time ago, and those talks were not made out of thin air. He has been the best and most important player in his team, but this is also where we come to play for the goal.
– For head coach Tortorella, defensive play in his own area is a dear and important thing, and the team defends better now. It’s pretty nice for Carter Hart to play there when he can only focus on blocking the first puck. He can even take the other one. Now that things have started on the right track, self-confidence grows and the snowball has started rolling in the right direction.
2) Gameplay: hair cap model
Behind the results, there is no game-like brilliance, even though the overall performance is much better compared to last year. Philadelphia has actually been crushed in their first few games in light of various possession stats.
The Flyers have not won, for example, dangerous goal chances with five against five in a single match, and no goal chances at all. The situation with those waiting for the goal is similar. However, it has won the goals with five against five, 10–9.
Philadelphia has activated its play and, above all, increased its workload, but talking about some kind of fur cap model is not a terribly wrong expression.
All the same, the Flyers still have a lot of room for improvement both in the five-man game and in special situations: Philadelphia is, for example, the third weakest team in the entire NHL in the starting circle.
– A fairly simple theme is offered. In Tortorella’s philosophy, everything starts from protecting the own goal and with the puck, that you always have to deliver the puck to the goal when the opportunity opens up. Those without a puck shouldn’t remain in the background in such situations, or there will be direct feedback on the bench, says Lehkonen.
– The task of those without pucks is to cause continuous chaos on the goal. Tortorella can’t survive there either, if you can’t find different rhythms for playing there. Sometimes they only catch in the middle area and there is also recycling of the puck there. It is still quite natural that the game develops bit by bit. It’s nice to see if, as the season progresses, there will be new things in attacking play. The most important thing is, however, not to score goals in the old fashion.
3) Work ethic and tenacity through a coach
One important theme in the Flyers’ early season has to do with tenacity and work ethic. These are values that the group has not really been known for in recent years.
When Philadelphia lost a game last season, it usually knew defeat. Now it started the season with a 0–2 defeat twice and a 0–1 defeat once, but won each of the matches.
This phenomenon can very well be called the Tortorella phenomenon, because it has never been okay for a Yankee pilot to give up on a whim. Rather, the coach only hits more slack when the wind is blowing the hardest. If Philadelphia maintains this value in the future, it will give itself a chance for a good season.
– When he signed a contract with Philadelphia, he immediately announced to the top that the players must be in good skating condition. The players had also heard horror stories about the skating schools at the training camps. The players took a cue from this and it has shown in their play. “Philadelphia can pump up play and puck hunting,” says Lehkonen.
– When talking about rising from a losing position, it doesn’t get any more miraculous than this. Every dude knows Tortorella’s level of demands when it comes to playing with winnings. As for work ethic, laziness was a big problem last season. Now there is a lot of dedication, the defensive game in the defensive area is better and when we come into our own, everyone has a clear task. Tortorella has put this in good shape right from the start.
4) A lot is expected from those who succeeded in the beginning as well in the future – a welcome opportunity for Ristolainen
In the first rounds, Philadelphia’s best players have shouldered their responsibilities, which is naturally also very important in the future. Among other things Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes, Travis Konecny and defenders Tony DeAngelo and Ivan Provorov have risen to the forefront even when the result has been needed on the board.
On the other hand, at the same time, the patient has a little too much congestion. Especially Sean Couturier, Cam Atkinson and Rasmus Ristolainen are players Philadelphia desperately needs on the healthy books. Lehkonen says Ristolainen has a great opportunity ahead of him. Especially from the young guard Joel Farabeen the final breakthrough to the elite is expected this season.
– Now in this better defensive gang, Ristolainen has an insanely great place to bounce back to the surface. Do what has been expected here for years. I also believe that Tortore has just the right kind of coach for Ristolainen, because “Rasse” is a pretty tough guy himself, says Lehkonen.
– Konecny is certainly the kind of player that Tortorella is betting on. He wants Konecny to become a Tasmanian pest who causes chaos everywhere. Hayes had a tough season last year with injuries and the loss of his brother. It’s really important that he returns to the level he’s capable of at his best.
– DeAngelo and Provorov are guys that Tortorella will play. DeAngelo should behave humbly and with Provorov there are things from the Russian coaching culture. Threats and blackmail are part of it, fear of the lord is present. It is undeniable that these teams must play at the highest level if the Flyers want to be successful. Nothing but boys on the screen!
5) Is the beginning of the Flyers a bubble?
The week that has already started gives a clue to the above question. Philadelphia will next face Florida, Carolina, Rangers and Toronto. There is going to be a mercilessly tough scramble of four matches, the last two of which are still on the road on consecutive days. If Philadelphia comes out of the games with dry feet, it will give the team a lot of faith.
Lehkonen is not ready to talk about the bubble.
– The limiter can hit at some point, and a set of four matches like this is a great test for them. On the other hand, coaching is really easy to sell games like this to guys. I also believe that the coaching team understands that their journey will not end in losses to the top teams.
– I also believe that under this coach, the opponents will have to work hard for their victories. Such big games are also good places for the coaching and club management to analyze who can play winning hockey there.
– The truth about the whole will start to emerge soon, when we start traveling and playing every other day. However, I believe that if they can play with that fur cap and take what the opponent gives, they will collect points.
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