Philadelphia Flyers Show Positive Signs During Treacherous Schedule

For some observers, the Philadelphia Flyers' recent brutal schedule – playing on the road nine times in a 10-game stretch – would declare whether or not they were a legitimate playoff contender.

Well, after that stretch ended with Saturday's impressive 5-2 win in Edmonton, consider the Flyers legit.

The upstart Flyers went 5-3-2 during that stretch, placing them at 21-12-7 and in third place in the tightly contested Metropolitan Division. They are just one point behind the second-place Islanders and four points behind division-leading Carolina – and Philadelphia has games in hand on both clubs.

Stunningly, the Flyers have the fourth-highest points percentage (.613) in the 16-team Eastern Conference, behind only Tampa Bay (.646), Carolina (.631) and Montreal (.619).

"Obviously, we're still not the best, but we're still doing everything we can to get to the best spot as we can," goalie Dan Vladar, one of the Flyers' top players in the season's first half, told reporters after he defeated Edmonton.

Yes, it's true that the Metro is closely packed – as is the Eastern Conference – and that Philly is far from guaranteed to end a five-year playoff drought.

But it's also true that good signs were everywhere during the pivotal 10-game stretch. Perhaps enough good signs to cause GM Danny Briere to be a buyer at the trade deadline. That's a rarity for the long-suffering Flyers.

From here, it's important for the Flyers – a youthful team with lots of upside – to go all-in to make the playoffs for the first time since the COVID-year tournament in 2020. Important for the young players to get some playoff experience. Important for the fan base to finally see some growth in the franchise. 

So what did we learn about the Flyers during their difficult 10-game stretch?

- That they continue to be the NHL's most resilient team. The Flyers have lost only once in regulation – once! – after a defeat. They are now 13-1-5 in games following a loss. Philly was coming off a rare clunker – a 5-1 loss in Calgary – when it defeated high-powered Edmonton on Saturday.

- That Denver Barkey, 20, the diminutive winger who plays with a relentless nature, is not intimidated by the NHL. Barkey, the game's No. 3 star in Edmonton, has a goal and two assists in the seven games since being recalled from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

- That Vladar (2,39 GAA, .910 save percentage) isn't a mirage. Will he have enough stamina to excel for a full season? We are about to find out. Vladar, who was terrific in Saturday's win, has already played 24 games – six shy of his career high.

- That Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett give the Flyers a strong offensive nucleus, that Christian Dvorak and Carl Grundstrom (seven goals in 14 games) are underrated, that Bobby Brink and Noah Cates are coming of age, and that slow-starting Matvei Michkov (seven points in last 10 games) is beginning to resemble the player who took the league by storm last year. Michkov (nine goals) still isn't finishing enough chances, but he is creating numerous opportunities for his linemates. Baby steps.

- That the defense has gotten better because of the return of Rasmus Ristolainen and his imposing size. Travis Sanheim, a workhorse who had a goal and five blocked shots against Edmonton, continues to anchor a defense that has been bolstered by strong play from Cam York and Jamie Drysdale. 

A Natural Fit: Denver Barkey’s Early NHL Games Raise Meaningful Questions About His Future With Flyers Denver Barkey’s transition to the NHL has not followed the usual arc of a young player trying to announce himself. There has been no frantic pace to his game, no sense that he is pressing for offense or trying to force relevance shift by shift.

Barkey was ecstatic after scoring his first NHL goal to spark the win over the Oilers.

"Pretty surreal," he said. "You look forward to that your whole life, to score your first goal. "To get it was obviously a relief, but a really cool feeling."

Flyers fans are excited about Barkey. And the team. Under new coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers have been one of the NHL's biggest surprises. They have 49 points – 10 more than at a similar point last year.

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