The vibes are high for the Flyers right now, and everyone is feeling it.
The vibes are high for the Flyers right now, and everyone is feeling it.
Morgan Frost told media during the post-game that, before the Flyers took the ice against the Dallas Stars, they talked about wanting to make a "statement win" against one of the best teams in the league. The Stars have one of the most prolific offenses in the league right now, and even though the Flyers were coming into this game off of a thrilling road trip sweep, the Stars were coming in with an impressive win streak of their own. Fans and analysts were excited for a close, shot-for-shot, blow-for-blow game.
That game never happened.
Instead, the Flyers immediately took control. They held the Stars to just one shot on goal over 27 minutes, and outshot them 43-16 over the course of the entire game. They got into the Stars' heads so much that Stars winger Jamie Benn was seen snapping his stick over his knee in pure frustration. Owen Tippett scored the goal of the season in the 5-1 victory. It was the textbook definition of a dominant performance.
"I'm not going to sit here and try to be a coach and say, 'Oh, we've got to do this' — we played a hell of a hockey game," head coach John Tortorella said of his team's performance. "I think that's what the result is.
"Dallas, I think they're probably the best team in the league. I'm not sure what the standings are, but I look at their lineup, they've got to be one of the best teams in the league. I thought we handled ourselves really well against them tonight...I don't believe in statement games, but [the players] should feel good about themselves."
Tippett's 'spin-o-rama' goal was the talk of the night (narrowly beating out the fact that the 'Squirtle saxophone song was blasting from the Flyers' locker room after the game), and he himself seemed just as amazed as anyone that he scored such a jaw-dropping goal.
"I honestly don't even know," Tippett replied when asked to describe his goal. "I figured I'd just try and spin, and [the defenseman] stayed with me pretty well so I tried to just get the shot off really quick."
Teammate Cam Atkinson offered his own explanation for why Tippett has been on such a hot streak: "I think he's using [Travis Konecny's] stick!...But no, he's playing great. He's getting the opportunities and we know the type of player he is."
As for what Tortorella had to say about Tippett's thought process for his goal: "He doesn't know what the hell he's doing on that goal. He's just playing...[but] I haven't seen a goal like that. I've seen a lot of goals, I haven't seen one like that in quite a while."
There's still a whole lot of hockey left to be played, but fans have officially christened the Flyers as a "wagon," and the "Orange Crush" mentality is already making a comeback. It may be a tad too early to start planning the Stanley Cup parade down Broad Street, but if the Flyers continue this skillful dominance over the league's toughest opponents (especially since the remainder of their games are on the East Coast, with the exception of a short trip to Chicago), Philadelphia might have to start greasing the poles again.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Flyers' 5-1 Win vs. Stars