Orange Crush look to improve on last season

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Philadelphia Flyers came within two wins of being the Stanley Cup Champions at the end of the 2009-2010 season.   This season, with Peter Laviolette looking at a fresh start straight out of training camp, a few tweaks to the roster, and a brand new look in goal, they expect better.
 
In 2009, Flyers then head coach John Stevens was fired after allowing a team with high hopes to falter.   Stevens employed a much more laid back defensive trap style system.   When Laviolette took over on December 4^th, he immediately went to work employing his fast-paced puck pursuit offense.   It was a drastic change and conditioning was a problem. Now with a full training camp to work on Laviolette’s system, things have moved along much more smoothly.   So far they’ve outshot their opponents in 15-of-26 games, and eight times crossed the 40 shot mark.   In the first 26 games, they’ve also scored 5 or more goals eight times.
 
The biggest area the Flyers improved on was defensive depth.   Last season Chris Pronger averaged over 26 minutes per game in the regular season and 29 minutes in the playoffs.   By the time the Blackhawks and Dustin Byfuglien came around, the 6’6” defender was in no shape for a dog-fight.   The same was true for the 35-year-old Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers sent a draft pick to Tampa Bay and acquired 6’2” 223 pound Andrej Meszaros.   Meszaros, a first rounddraft pick, was a star on the 2006-2007 Ottawa Senators team that lost in the Stanley Cup finals.   His hulking presence on the blue-line has become more than a fifth defenseman.   His booming shot has earned him power play minutes with Matt Carle.   He’s averaging near 20:00 per game, is second on the team in plus-minus with 15, and is second in hits with 53.  
 
The other new addition on defense is Meszaros’ partner, Sean O’Donnell.   O’Donnell, 39, is an ironman who’s only missed four games in the last three seasons.   He was on the Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup winning team along with Pronger, and he is the current Flyers leader in plus-minus with 16, also tied for second in the league.   O’Donnell doesn’t offer the flash of other players, but he does offer grit.   He’s had two fights so far this season, and one that could be considered a game changer against the Buffalo Sabres.
 
Currently, they roll all six d-men fairly evenly, each one receiving close to 20:00 minutes of ice-time.   Hopefully the balance will pay off by the time the playoffs come around.
 
The ebb and flow of the offense is the weakest link in this team.   One night they could run up the score and each line chips in with a goal, while the next, they get shutout on 40 shots.   After losing Simon Gagne in the off-season, they’ve acquired proven 20-goal scorer Nik Zherdev, who can dazzle on any given night, but not every night. Claude Giroux had become an elite player in the NHL, averaging more than a point per game in the first 22, while going pointless in his last 4.   Jeff Carter also seems snake-bitten of late.   The only player who never seems off is the captain, Mike Richards.   Even when he isn’t scoring, he’s helping out physically in the corners or with a dynamic open ice check.  
 
The line that’s looked upon most is one that’s been together since last season’s playoff run.   It consists of Danny Briere, Ville Leino, and Scott Hartnell, and it’s payed off big for the team.   Leino is the last of the big Flyer free agents that needs a new contract before next season, and being second on the team in assists, he’s due a raise from his current $800,000.
 
Andreas Nodl has come on of late, netting 6 goals and losing the moniker of “NoGoal”, he’d assumed early in his career.   The same is true for James van Reimsdyk who’s scored three goals since being a healthy scratch for four straight games.
 
The biggest trouble facing the Flyers is their power play, which has only managed two goals in their last 38 attempts.   Their ranking has dropped to 15^th in the league.   When scoring on the man advantage, their record is 11-2, versus 4-9 when not.   Laviolette and, assistant coach, Joe Mullen have worked to do to revitalize the man-advantage and eliminate some bad habits.
 
After riding Michael Leighton through the playoffs, they signed him to a two year deal worth 3.1 million dollars.   No one needed to say the starting job was his.   But before preseason was over, he had suffered a back injury that required surgery.   At that point it seemed logical Boucher would be the go to guy, but shockingly, the Russian rookie flashed leather and the entire hockey world was surprised to hear he’d be starting on opening night against the Penguins.  
 
After winning the opener, Bobrovsky later led the team on a winning streak that put the Flyers atop the NHL.   He has a .926 save percentage, a 2.18 goals against average, and he’s tied for second in the league in wins with 12.   He’s won rookie of the month honors, and he’s ranked second among goaltenders in votes received for the All-Star Game, as a write in.
 
Leighton has rehabbed from his back surgery and is taking a conditioning stint with the Adirondack Phantoms.   It’s likely he’ll play as long as the league will allow him in the AHL and then replace Boucher as Bobrovsky’s backup, but the young rookie has a firm hold on the number one job.
 
So far the Flyers appear one of the early contenders for this season’s Stanley Cup.   They’ve gotten off to a good start and they should be in the thick of things come April.
 
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com