It's Official: Hockey is Back in Philadelphia

by Bberg11

From The Lazy Athlete

There wasn't much debate that the Flyers "won" the offseason by becoming the league's most improved team. But how often has that victory led to success in the regular season? And how much improvement can a team that finished dead last in the league truly expect. Well, after Saturday's 3-2 OT thriller of a victory over the similarly resurgent Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers have officially passed the point of "improved team." They are now a force in the NHL, like last season never happened.

The Flyers are now 6-1, and in first place in the Atlantic Division. After Gagne scored the game winner in OT against Carolina, the Flyers improved to 4-0 at home in the young season. Last year, they Flyers didn't get their fourth home victory until February 10! Despite the good start, their were critics who felt the Flyers hadn't beat any really good teams. And that was true until they beat the Hurricanes, who are playing much more like the team that won the Cup two seasons ago instead of the the team that missed the playoffs last year.

The Flyers have proven that they are capable of playing with, and beating, any team in the league. So, at this point, they have to be considered one of the top teams in the league. And while a lot of outcomes of this season would have been acceptable after what happened last season, with this start, expectations are right back to pre-2006-2007 levels. That means this team is expected to contend for a Championship.

The Flyers now embark on an eight game road trip. If the Flyers haven't already put last year behind them, a successful trip here will all but exorcise any remaining demons from last season.

Alex HolowczakHall of Famer

770 days ago

Score 1

The Cookie Monster is making a huge difference!

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JuTMSY4Legend

770 days ago

Score 2

You expected the flyers to contended in 06-07...i mean, 20/20 hindsight would say you're an idiot...but Retrospectively, I figured a 4th/5th playoff seed and not really cup worthy...if anything, they're waaaay better than their pre 06/07 form...

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CityhockeyfeverVarsity Captain

770 days ago

Score 1

Well, that eight-game road trip will definitely be a huge test for the Flyers to see if they're for real.

I would not slap the label of "league's most improved team" just yet. It's only 7 games into the season. Are they significantly better? Absolutely. But I don't think they're world beaters at this point. Philadelphia is capable of making the playoffs this season if all goes well, but they're in no way a Stanley Cup contender as that would be a huge stretch.

Look at the New York Rangers. Many hockey observers picked them to be right up there near the very top and look at 'em. They're the opposite of the Flyers this infant stage of the new season at 2-5. They're playing like absolute s**t. If it wasn't for their opening night win with a third period comeback, maybe they'd be the winless team instead Atlanta a few days ago.

I usually don't make judgments of teams until it is at the very least one-third through the season. Even though hockey never left Philadelphia to begin with, it's great to see the excitement back where it belongs.

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Bberg11Varsity

769 days ago

Score 0

There is definitely a little bit of reservation about this team, but we see what we see. And we see a team that is dominating thus far. Maybe it's maybe it's not fair to call them Cup contenders at this point, but there is no reason they can't pull a Penguins like turnaround; who went from worst in NHL to relatively powerful team in one season.

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