Midseason Report: Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers (19-8-7, 45 pts): The Flyers made one of the greatest turnarounds in NHL history last season, recovering from a last place Eastern Conference finish in 2006-07 to make it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2008 playoffs. This season, riding some of the new young talent which helped them last season, the Flyers look to be on their way to another playoff berth and have been incredibly difficult to beat as of late, with only 1 regulation loss in the month of December.

The Flyers are creating their success in a manner unlike any other team, with a heavy reliance on special teams performance. Philadelphia ranks 7th overall on the penalty kill, but has recorded 13 shorthanded goals, almost double the total of any other team. The importance of a shorthanded goal makes them almost more valuable than an even strength goal, as they can often change the tide of an entire game, and with a team like Philly that plays a physically intense and emotional game, a short-handed momentum swinger is often all it takes for them to take over and dominate the rest of the game.

What makes the Flyers so successful is that their skill players are also their role players. Star forwards Jeff Carter and Mike Richards both see plenty of ice time on the penalty kill and powerplay, which allows them to continue to contribute at a time when many other offensive stars are left on the bench in favor of more defensive forwards. The Flyers’ powerplay has been their bread-and-butter, as they have already scored 37 powerplay goals, enough to give them the top-ranked powerplay unit in the league. All told, the Flyers have scored 50 of their 122 goals during special teams situations.

While the Flyers’ 122 goals ties them for 1st overall in offensive production, their weak point has been their goaltending, where Martin Biron has failed to cement himself as the starter with his inconsistent play. Biron (2.95 GAA) has won only 11 of 21 starts, while backup Antero Niitymakki has won 7 of his 14 starts, and has a slightly better GAA at 2.62. With the return of Simon Gagne to the lineup after his yearlong absence last season and the emergence of young defensemen Matt Carle and Luca Sbisa, the Flyers have what it takes to repeat their impressive performance last year. Hopefully, either Biron of Niitymaki will hold it together long enough to earn himself the starting job and lead this team to the playoffs.

Current League Rankings

Goals - T-1st
Goals Against - T-19th
Powerplay Goals - 1st
Powerplay Percentage - 1st
Shorthanded Goals - 1st
Penalty kill percentage - 7th