Flyers Fan Reaction (FFR4) Gm 10: PHI 2, WSH 1 – Progress
ALL CAPS, no problem. The Philadelphia Flyers WIN, 2-1, over the Washington Capitals, earning three of four points in a brief but successful road trip within the competitive confines of the Metropolitan Division. The final score was a bit deceiving, but in the best way possible; the Flyers delivered arguably their best start-to-finish game of the season (only their 6-1 thrashing of the Kraken in their second contest really rivals it), becoming just the second team to take down the veteran Capitals in sixty minutes this season.
Last season, it felt like the Flyers were on the defensive all season long; not just on the ice, but off it as well. Seemingly every post-game press conference, win or loss, in January and February was Alain Vigneault or the players saying in some way that they knew they needed to play better. Travis Konecny and Phil Myers, two players whose game improved perhaps more than anyone else’s in 2019-20, were healthy scratched early on separate occasions last season (multiple times over the year in Myers’ case). Never before had a team started 7-2-1 and enjoyed it less than the 2021 Philadelphia Flyers entered the scene.
It’s no secret that the Flyers process had more lows than highs through their first nine games of the season, even though they’ve earned at least one point in seven of them. Entering tonight, the Flyers were 25th in the NHL in Corsi (47.13%) and Expected Goals (46.29%). Turnovers, especially while attempting to exit the zone, appeared to be a major issue. If this sounds familiar, you’ve probably read some of my work over the last week. The 2021 Flyers actually started a little bit worse by Corsi and xG. But the 2021-22 club wasn’t exactly playing strong hockey consistently out of the gates, due to reasons both in and out of their control.
Yet the way the Flyers are handling this season’s start, at least publicly, couldn’t be more different than last year. After Thursday’s loss in Pittsburgh, Vigneault could’ve lamented over Brock McGinn’s first-minute goal and the team’s struggles to force Tristan Jarry to make truly dangerous saves, but instead, he hyped up Jarry’s performance. Vigneault said he “loved the way (the Flyers) played.” He disagreed with the assertion that the Flyers came out flat despite the early deficit. “I thought it was a great game. We got some good looks offensively, Carter made some big saves when he had to.” When asked about the Flyers’ third-line, snakebitten until Scott Laughton tied it late in the 3rd, “I keep believing if they keep playing the way they are now they’re gonna get rewarded.”
For a loss to a divisional rival missing three of their four best forwards in which the Flyers allowed 2.76 expected goals against at 5-on-5, their second-highest figure of the season, it was about as positive as Vigneault could have possibly been. Maybe behind closed doors, he was a bit more frustrated. Or maybe it’s just the product of much lower expectations for this year’s Flyers team than they had last season. But everything the Flyers have said publicly, except perhaps after their total clunker in Calgary one week ago, exudes a quiet confidence that they once lacked. Last season, the Flyers hoped their play would improve. This season, it seems like they expect to take a step forward.
Sure enough, the Flyers did just that on Saturday night. Against a similarly short-handed Capitals team that hasn’t struggled much to control play; Washington is sixth in the league with a 54.93% Expected Goals and 12th with a 51.9% Corsi. But tonight, it was the Flyers’ turn to run the show. Philadelphia won more puck battles than Washington, wreaked havoc on the Capitals defense with a tenacious forecheck, and not only spent more time in the offensive zone than Washington, they turned that possession time into a season-high 2.51 Expected Goals.
The Flyers reaped the rewards of their efforts in the second period, a frame that has haunted them for most of October. Philadelphia hadn’t outshot or out-chanced an opponent in the middle period all season entering tonight. Eight times the second marked the Flyers’ worst period of a particular game by Corsi. Meanwhile, Washington entered tonight tied for second in second-period goal differential.
But tonight, Philadelphia backed up a strong first with a similarly dominant second. The Flyers were over 61% in Corsi and 65% in Expected Goals during each frame. Their second line, much maligned over the last few games, kicked off the scoring with a strong forecheck and Derick Brassard’s first Flyers goal where he was trying to shoot. The even more maligned Rasmus Ristolainen earmarked his best game as a Flyer to date with a turnaround shot that produced a rebound which Sean Couturier pounced on.
It was all a composed, locked-in Martin Jones needed. Jones didn’t have much to do during the first fifty minutes, facing just 19 shots. But when the Capitals turned up the heat in the game’s winning moments, Jones never wavered. The only shot that beat him was a fluky chip shot by Brett Leason that may have ticked off Patrick Brown’s stick before it surprisingly plopped in on the far corner.
The Capitals dominated the final ten minutes of play; you’d expect that from a team previously unbeaten at home down one with Alex Ovechkin at their disposal. The Flyers taking it to them almost non-stop beforehand? That’s a bit of a surprise to most everyone who watched. But the players and coaches might’ve suspected a game like this was on the horizon. If all the Flyers needed to show tonight was progress, this game is a success in more ways than just the scoreboard.
Lindies
I forgot to mention earlier in the week that it’s Hockey Fights Cancer month in the NHL. In fact, it was Hockey Fights Cancer night in Pittsburgh on Thursday, featuring two cancer survivors in Pittsburgh’s Brian Boyle and of course the Flyers’ Oskar Lindblom. Jim Jackson mentioned during tonight’s broadcast that longtime Phillies announcer Gregg Murphy is battling cancer. Just wanted to send Murph my best wishes in his battle; kick cancer’s butt, Murph.
Philadelphia improves to 6-0-1 when scoring first with tonight’s victory. Each of the last two times the Flyers missed the playoffs (2018-19 and 2020-21), scoring first was a major issue; the team ranked 29th and T-27th, respectively, in scoring first during those seasons. In fact, the 2018-19 club fell behind 2-0 in a whopping 32 games. This season, the Flyers have scored first in 70% of their games, tied for third-most in the NHL.
Two areas I was watching coming into tonight; how the Flyers faired against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals power-play. In 2019-20, the Flyers held Ovechkin without a point for the first time since he entered the league and scored as many shorties as they allowed PPGs to Washington (1). Last season, Ovechkin tallied in all six games he played against Philadelphia (scoring 8 times in total). And the Capitals PP was a stunning 36.8% (7/19) against the Flyers last year.
All good on both of those fronts where it matters most. The Flyers PK really shined on their first two opportunities; the third kill was more on Jones’ back, as he made a couple of huge saves, including two on Ovechkin. The Flyers held the Great 8 to just one shot in the first two periods before Ovechkin peppered Jones five times in the final frame, ultimately to no avail. His 741st goal, which will tie Brett Hull for fourth all-time, will have to wait for another day.
Tonight marks the fifteenth battle of the van Riemsdyk brothers, James and Trevor. With the lifetime NHL series split at 7-7 entering the evening, James officially has the edge after Saturday’s outcome. Assuming they stay healthy (and productive enough to stay in the lineup), they’ll have at least three more opportunities to extend their sibling rivalry this season.
Rasmus Ristolainen’s assist on Couturier’s 2-0 goal doubles as his 200th NHL assist and first point in Orange and Black. This was easily the best showing for both Ristolainen individually and his pair with Travis Sanheim on the young season. Both hovered around 75% Expected Goals rates and balanced their aggressive playstyles with smart decisions, avoiding the big mistakes that have previously haunted them. Ristolainen deserved a reward for his efforts, and his teammates were happy to oblige.
POG Standings: Risto, Coots, Jones, Starter Hart, Honey Badger, Unknown – 1
3 Stars
3rd: Sean Couturier (PHI) – Goal (5), 5 Shots, 21:16 TOI
2nd: Vitek Vaněček (WSH) – .938 SV% (30 Saves/32 Shots), 2 GA on 2.7 xGA (All Situations)
1st: Martin Jones (PHI) – .969 SV% (31 Saves/32 Shots), 1 GA on 3.47 xGA (All Situations)
Next
PHI: 11/10, 7:30 PM vs. TOR (7-4-1, W5)
WSH: 11/8, 7 PM vs. BUF (5-4-2, OTL1)
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Advanced Stats are 5-on-5 and via Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise stated
