If you are a fan of any team in the Eastern Conference right now, there is one team and one team only that you hope not to match up with both during the season and especially in the playoffs. That team, of course, is the Philadelphia Flyers. The team currently holds the top spot in the East, playing to a 33-12-5 record that has yielded 71 points so far into the season. That is four points more than second place Tampa Bay and five more points than Pittsburgh, the team that is currently second in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers have had contributions up and down the lineup that has lead them to the top of the hockey world. Surprises from a key rookie as well as the usual contributions of veteran leaders have proved to be the recipe for success for the 2010-11 Philadelphia Flyers.
A good team is built from the net out, and the Flyers, surprisingly, have done just that. The team currently sports three NHL-ready netminders, two of which are currently with the team and one that has been sent to the AHL to get playing time. Veteran goalie Brian Boucher has been excellent in 18 starts so far for the Flyers, posting an 11-6-2 record with a .920 save percentage (Sv %) and a 2.41 goals against average (GAA). Even more incredible is the play of rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky. Overshadowed in Russia by fellow netminder Semyon Varlamov of the Washington Capitals, Bobrovsky arrived in Philadelphia's training camp as an undrafted rookie and has stood on his head so far. He has a 21-6-3 record with a save percentage identical to Boucher's (.920) and a GAA a fraction higher (2.42). Last year's surprise answer in net, Michael Leighton, came into the season after surgery over the summer. He has since recovered and has made one start in the NHL this year, posting a win while giving up four goals on 36 shots. He has been sent down to the AHL and has played nine games for the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL, going 2-6-1 with a solid .907 Sv% and a 2.78 GAA. Those numbers don't look impressive, but the Flyers' AHL affiliate is among the worst in the league this year, sitting last in the East division with only 14 wins to their credit. Leighton may be exposed to re-entry waivers later in the season where a team looking for goaltender help (like the Islanders or Red Wings) may claim him for half the price of his remaining salary.
The defense has also been excellent for the Flyers, providing a good mix between offensive support and good coverage and physicality. Headlining the Broad Street Bullies' blueline is the imposing Chris Pronger. In 35 games this season, Pronger has posted four goals and 17 assists while also racking up 32 PIMs along with his usual menacing play. His usual partner, Matthew Carle, has had a successful season so far, assisting on 23 goals and posting 24 points overall. Kimmo Timonen and Brayden Coburn are another common pair for the Flyers, and they are good at both shutting down opposing forwards and starting the rush up ice in transition. Timonen has 25 points, while Coburn has 96 hits and 84 blocked shots. They both sport a +14 rating so far this year. Andrej Mezsaros was acquired from Tampa Bay over the off-season, and the acquisition has made GM Paul Holmgren look like a genius. Meszaros is a league-leading +28, and has posted 18 points along with 103 credited hits. Rounding out the defensive squad for the team is Sean O'Donnell, who was brought in as a veteran free agent signing to shore up the bottom pair. He is good defensively, blocks shots and tough as nails which truly buys in to the old days of the Broad Street Bullies.
Philadelphia's forwards have started off the season with a bang, to say the least. Eight players have scored more than ten goals, contributing to the major depth the Flyers have. Veteran scorers Mike Richards, Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell have played important parts on offense, as have young guns Claude Giroux, Jeff Carter, Ville Leino and James van Riemsdyk. Giroux is currently leading the team with 47 points (along with Mike Richards), including 19 goals so far this year. He has scored three of those goals killing penalties and seven of them with the man advantage. It is Giroux's third season, and he has followed the pattern of Philadelphia forwards truly coming into their own in their third years. Forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter did the same, becoming true contributors in their third seasons. Speaking of their captain, Mike Richards has had an excellent season in his own right. Considered one of the best two-way players in the game today, Richards' 47 points put him on pace for a 77 point season. His 11 powerplay assists are among the lead on the team, and he also has 65 hits and 49 blocked shots. Danny Briere has managed to stay healthy so far this season, playing in 47 of the team's 50 games. In those games, he leads the team in goals with 26 and has 45 points overall. Briere's main concern has always been his health, as his scoring abilities have never been questioned. Jeff Carter has returned to his goal scoring ways, and has the potential to score again 40 this year. He currently has 23 goals, second-most on the team. Veteran hard-nosed forward Scott Hartnell is creating havoc in front of the net, allowing linemates Briere and Leino to have more open ice and use their finesse games. Hartnell has 34 points on the year, while Leino is enjoying a breakout season of his own with 11 goals and 36 points. Second year forward James van Riemsdyk is being developed slowly, but his 12 goals and 11 assists are not bad for third line minutes. Of course, enigma Nik Zherdev has managed to score 15 goals and still has ended up sitting seven games in the press box. Role players such as Darrel Powe, Blair Betts, Andreas Nodl and Dan Carcillo have also played key roles throughout the lineup to aid the team in getting to the top of the NHL.
And there you have it, folks. The Flyers season, summed up in four long, statistic-laden paragraphs. Let me know what you think in the comments section down below. Do you agree? Disagree? What other topics in the hockey world would you like me to cover? I'm always open for new suggestions and adding other things! And that'll do it for tonight, everybody.
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