After the preseason has come to an end for the Flyers, there are predictions to be made. We have learned a lot. It won’t all translate over to the regular season, considering that different lineups were attempted for the Flyers and their opponents on the ice. But there is a lot of buzz going on in the city of Philly after the preseason concludes due to their success in their last two games.
Predictions After Preseason Comes To An End
After the Flyers close up their preseason schedule, it’s time for some early predictions. After starting very slow, on all sides of the ice, Philly seemed to work out some kinks and played some good hockey down the stretch. Their offence came alive, especially later in the preseason. They still have some questions heading into the season, but this team has a better chance than expected of making a run at the playoffs.
Goalie Questions
Throughout the entire preseason, no goalie really stood out remarkably. Going into the regular season Carter Hart is obviously the guy, but he didn’t show out this preseason. Part of what the preseason is all about is getting the rust off and getting back into regular season form. In his two starts, he had a .864 save percentage and a .875 save percentage. In no way did he play to his standards, but he had his moments and showed he needed to be out there some to shake off the dust.
Cal Peterson struggled mightily. In his first start, he gave up five goals and had a .792 save percentage. However Peterson bounced back in his other start against the Bruins, where he had a .941 save percentage and only allowed one goal. His improvement through those two games were impressive to see. John Tortorella will have a decent backup if needed on the ice this season.
Offence Woke Up
After only scoring only one goal in their first two games, the Flyers offence eventually got moving. They scored 14 goals in their last four games, including a five goal win against the Islanders. Ryan Poehling, Travis Konecny, and Joel Farabee were some players who stepped up and showed some early goal scoring.
Their last two games, which were both wins, showed how capable they are on the offencive side. Poehling looked good most of the preseason, but the team had a plethora of goal scorers throughout the preseason. This is a great sign for the Flyers showing the depth they can have this season. Don’t be surprised if different lines are used this season in order to give multiple guys a shot to prove themselves this season. Cam Atkinson also found the net this preseason. That is a tremendous sign for Philly. After Atkinson missed all of last year, it’s a great sign to see him back on the ice and competing at a high level.
Looking Forward To The Regular Season
As the regular season approaches, Flyers fans have a lot to be excited about. Although seemingly in a rebuild, the team shows spurts of how they can actually be competitive this season. If Hart can step up and improve from last year and from this preseason, he will be a major part of the possible success moving forward. The defencemen can make it easier on him, but at the end of the day he has to make plays to keep the Flyers in games.
The Philly offence has shown that they can put up good numbers. There is no reason for anything to change in the regular season. Tortorella will certainly use all of his weapons until he figures out what exact lines he wants game in and game out. Philly fans should be looking forward to see what this team can bring to the ice.
Their season opener is October 12th, set for a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Main Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
