(AP Photo/Derek Gee)
The Philadelphia Flyers – A Fan’s Recap of the Season
The Philadelphia Flyers, after trading away Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, and Ville Leino last year, didn’t have a clear idea how good they would be at scoring goals this year. Yes, the Flyers have some talent, but after replacing them with some younger players and bringing in Jaromir Jagr this year after being out for three years, who thought that they would be leading all teams with the most goals at 106.
Carter, Richards, and Leino combined for a total of 78 goals in 2010-2011. The other part of their scoring was from Claude Giroux and Danny Briere, who combined for 59 goals last year. Giroux has definitely stepped it up this year, not only leading the Flyers in total goals scored, but is tied for 4th with 16 goals in the NHL. Giroux also leads the NHL with the most points, a total of 36 points.
While the Flyers have endored some key injuries, just like many other pro sports teams, they lead the NHL with most goals scored and they have the second most points in the NHL behind Minnesota. The one concern is Chris Pronger who still is out with a knee injury and now Claude Giroux who is out indefinitely with a concussion. Time will tell after they play their last home game of the year this Saturday against the Boston Bruins. Their next home game not being until January 2nd of 2012.
The one player who hasn’t been mentioned as much is Scott Hartnell, who actually has 15 goals this season, one behind Giroux. Not only has he been playing well, but after last nights game against the Capitals, Hartnell has a 6 game goal streak. The Flyers will err on the side of caution regarding Giroux and not rush him back. Which means that some of the younger players must step up.
Looking back on the Philadelphia Flyers, how they went out and spent a lot of money on goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov in the off season, got rid of some premier scorers, and brought in some young talent, one would have to be happy with how the season has shaped up. There is some concern that goaltending has not been consistent, with Bryzgalov giving up 2.75 goals per game and his save percentage being .901. But the defense has helped with this a little and the Flyers have given up a total of 82 goals so far this season. One could say that Chris Pronger is the center piece of that defense, and missing 16 games has not helped.
The overall question regarding the Philadelphia Flyers is, can you be upset at this point of the season? After playing 29 games, being first overall in their conference while leading their division, and a 6 game win streak. The concern will be, with 53 games left in the season, can they keep this pace up, especially without the play of Pronger. What do you say?
(Above photo from AP Photo/Derek Gee)
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