The only things certain in life: Death, the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, and the Flyers forcing a game into overtime.
The Philadelphia Flyers kicked off their three-games-in-four-days road trip against the Minnesota Wild (at the Xcel Energy Center, not the Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis). It was a classic scrappy Flyers win, and left plenty of positives to take into the next games of this whirlwind road trip.
Jamie Drysdale Is Really, Really Good at Hockey
It's really no secret at this point, but it can't be overstated just how much Drysdale captivates the viewer's attention when he's on the ice. The way he glides so smoothly across the ice that he's almost floating, his incredibly intelligent reading of the game, and some hard hitting that he didn't show much last game all are just making Flyers fans even more excited about him.
Yes, it's only been two games, but there's no denying that Drysdale has already added so much to this Flyers team. An elite defensive display and his second point in as many outings in orange and black? Not a bad start at all.
The Offense Is Majorly Heating Up
Any offense is going to have their work cut out for them going up against a goalie as legendary as Marc-Andre Fleury, but the Flyers' offense found their ways past him. Joel Farabee stayed hot with two goals, including the OT winner, while Tyson Foerster finally ended his goal drought and Owen Tippett capitalized on a chaotic scrum in front of the Wild's goal.
Konecny also became the first Flyer since Jeremy Roenick in the 2001-02 season to record double-digit road points, collecting assists on Farabee's and Tippett's goals. The first line continued to impress, but it was refreshing to not see them carrying the entire offense on their backs for this game.
No, Carter Hart is Not a Bad Goalie
The Flyers have been incredibly fortunate to have two solid goaltending options in Carter Hart and Sam Ersson this season. However, because people have quickly grown used to having near-constant outstanding performances between the posts from both goalies, it becomes easy to criticize them when things go awry. As in most cases, the goals scored were not entirely Hart's fault. The defense had their share of slip-ups, and Hart was plenty busy making some showstopping blocks to keep the Flyers in the game.
The Flyers move right into their next match on Jan. 13 against the Winnipeg Jets at 7:00 pm EST. (And no, we still don't have the video of Drysdale barking in the dog mask.)