The Philadelphia Flyers got off to a perfect start in their season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. They got off to a great start in the first period, eventually going on to win 4-2. The Flyers have the potential to make some noise this season. If they plan to skip their rebuild season, which this is supposed to be, the season-opening win is a great first step.
The Philadelphia Flyers Perfect Start
Philadelphia’s perfect start began quickly when Joel Farabee had a snap shot that went past Elvis Merzļikins just over three minutes into the game. Farabee’s first goal of the season came only minutes into the start of the season opener on a 2-on-0 rush with Sean Couturier. This marks the return to the lineup for Couturier after missing 22 months of action. Also, Yegor Zamula recorded an assist, marking both Couturier and his first assists of the season.
The Blue Jackets responded five minutes later with a goal of their own by Jake Bean, tying up the game early. However, Travis Konecny responded quickly by punching in one of his two goals on the night with 12:43 remaining in the first period. The early and often offence is a great sign for the Flyers.
Konecny looked great, scoring not only once, but twice on the night as mentioned. Cam Atkinson was also a goal scorer on the night, which is a great sign for Philly fans. In his first game back after missing all of last season, he finds the net. Even though it was an empty net goal it surely was a great feeling for Atkinson just to have that feeling of scoring a goal that he hasn’t felt in so long.
Carter Hart’s Immaculate Game
If anyone in the organization was still wondering about Carter Hart, he answered all their questions in the season opener. Obviously, it’s just the first game, but Hart was stellar out on the ice. On 33 shot attempts, he saved 31 of them, giving him a .939 save percentage. He was calm and cool in front of the net, which seemed to spread around to the entire team.
Hart will be an RFA this offseason. Games like this will make the organization and Hart want to get a deal done at the end of the season. Furthermore, he was a leader in the season opener. His play led to possibilities on the ice we hadn’t seen for a while. If Hart can continue to play like this consistently, the Flyers will be in every game this season.
History Of Fast Starts
We can’t get too ahead of ourselves, we’ve seen this story before. One game does not a perfect start make if the Philadelphia Flyers want to compete for a playoff spot. No matter what the case is, there is no reason to get too excited after game one of the season – especially after last year. Last season the Flyers won their season opener, and then their next two games as well. At one point in the early season, they were 5-2 looking like a really talented team. However, the team would falter, and went onto a 31-38-13 record, good for a seventh place finish in the Metropolitan Division.
That being said, this was the perfect start for the Flyers. It gave the team some much needed confidence starting off a new campaign that they are capable of winning games. Sometimes, that’s all you need – confidence. As mentioned, Hart looked magnificent, so did the entire defence.
The Flyers head to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada for their next matchup against the Senators early this afternoon at 1:00 PM EDT. They’ll head back home following this game for the home opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, October 17, at 7:00 PM EDT.
Main photo: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
