3 Takeaways From Flyers' Win vs. Sharks
The Philadelphia Flyers returned home to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the San Joe Sharks, and were able to bounce back from a disastrous 7-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports - 3 Takeaways From Flyers' Win vs. SharksThe Philadelphia Flyers returned home to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the San Joe Sharks, and were able to bounce back from a disastrous 7-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Owen Tippett all got on the scoresheet, beating out the Sharks' two powerplay goals to remain third in the Metro Division and pull four points ahead of the New York Islanders.
The Power of Friendship
Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee both were due for some offensive contributions against the Sharks, and, thankfully, they both got it. Farabee scored the first goal of the game (assisted by Frost), while Frost got a goal of his own.
Farabee has been experiencing an offensive slump, but is slowly finding his scoring hands again, while Frost has run hot and cold depending on who his linemates are. He was stagnating while on a line with Cam Atkinson, but looked alive again with Farabee and Bobby Brink on their side of him.
Too Close For Comfort
Look, a win is a win. At the end of the day, the points matter the most when it comes to getting the Flyers into the playoffs. But the Flyers realistically should've beaten the Sharks by a much more convincing scoreline. For both goals they let in, they were in the lead and had to fight their way back to come out on top.
John Tortorella has stressed the importance of playing "playoff hockey," and how winning games but not playing your best will only take a team so far in the postseason. Making the playoffs is already beyond what most people expected from the Flyers this season, now that they're holding on to a spot, the team has acknowledged that they need to start putting in the performances to match. This game against the Sharks wasn't a bad outing, but letting the Sharks come back and tie the game twice will have left fans a little on edge and show that there's still adjustments that need to be made.
Defense Comes Up Big
Cam York continues his impressive breakout season, even though he's still dealing with a niggling upper body injury. York has been a bright spot amidst the Flyers' defensive issues, showing that even though he's had his struggles in the past, he's been able to emerge as a capable offensive defenseman and is developing his playing style.
Sam Ersson also had a much better game against the Sharks than against the Lightning (where he got pulled). He made 26 saves, and just overall looked much more calm and confident in net. With the Flyers' defensive pairings still rotating and getting used to the seemingly endless combinations, it's more important than ever that the goaltending is up to standard.
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