Bobby Brink scored the opener and later added what would be the game-winning goal in the Flyers’ 4-3 shootout win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Not that his coach was overly-impressed.

“Bobby chips in there with a goal in the shootout,” coach John Tortorella said. “I didn’t think he was that great in the game, but he scores in the shootout.”

Torts wasn’t intentionally dragging Brink. He said the entire team was flat. But he was using Brink as an example to accentuate a positive:

The Flyers are really becoming adept at finding a way to succeed, no matter the circumstance.

It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the Flyers Thursday. In fact, it was damn ugly. The first period was such a slog, that it was like the Flyers and Capitals were skating on the beach in Sea Isle City. On a 100-degree July afternoon. While wearing wool sweaters and ankle weights over their ice skates.

Yeah, it was that bad.

Then, in the second period, Brink gave the Flyers the lead, only for the team to cough it up just 46 seconds later, and then they gave up a power play goal to the worst power play unit in the NHL (statistically) and exited the second period down a goal.

In the third period the Flyers were a little better, tying the game twice, first on a hard-work goal by Joel Farabee and then a spinning wrister by Owen Tippett.


Ultimately, they won in the shootout as Sam Ersson, filling in for the under-the-weather Carter Hart, made two key saves for the Flyers to pick up two points and run their streak of consecutive games with at least one point to seven (5-0-2).

“We’re learning how to find a way, for sure.” said Marc Staal, who had the primary assist on Brink’s goal and for the most part played a strong game, albeit not perfect. “We were pretty flat most of the night and we just had to find a way to stay with it, keep it close, and have guys find ways to make a couple of plays to tie it up and then get two points.”

That’s the thing that’s really hard to ignore about the Flyers right now. They aren’t playing pretty hockey. They don’t have anyone who is going to wow you on the ice with their play, but they are really committed to just playing for each other and never coasting through the game.

“The biggest thing is you admit to yourself that you are flat and you just try to change the game a little bit,” Tortorella said. “We were turning too many over. We didn’t have any transition play with the way they were playing in the neutral zone. We started throwing some in (to the offensive zone) and we were OK. We found a way to score a couple goals and tie it a couple times.

“It’s a good win for us because you need to find ways to win those games. You’re not always going to be perfect. We’ve had a pretty good pace here and been playing pretty consistent hockey. We had to win in a different way tonight, and we did.”

The St. Louis Blues fired their Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube on Wednesday. His message, which is very similar to the one Tortorella uses here, was no longer getting through to the team.

My partner on the Snow the Goalie podcast, Chris Therien, a former teammate of the former Flyers and Blues coach, spoke at length with Berube on Thursday. Part of their conversation was about the Flyers and how they are playing. And here’s what Berube said to Therien:

Let’s highlight the most integral part of what he said:

“You can absolutely make something out of something that doesn’t look like it’s entirely there if you can get guys to commit to the system and work hard. That’s what we’re seeing here.”

So far, it’s been the truth. The Flyers had zero expectation coming into this season. They even set the bar low themselves and told everyone not to expect much. And we all trumpeted the same song.

Be patient. It’s a rebuild. It’s going to take time.

And yet, here we sit, 29 games into the season, and the Flyers are tied for 11th in the NHL in points (35) and their goal differential is +10, fourth best in the Eastern Conference and 10th in the NHL.

Teams in this position don’t usually fall off.

That means it’s likely the Flyers are going to be in the playoff mix for the entire season. I’m still not sure they are going to get in, because a lot can happen in 53 games.


Keep in mind that despite going 11-3-2 in their last 16 games, and holding the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division at the moment, they are still just two points ahead of the first team on the outside of the playoff picture (Tampa Bay).

So there’s a long way to go. And they’re playing a brand of hockey in November and December usually reserved for March and April, meaning they are playing a harder, heavier game, locking things down defensively, blocking a ton of shots, and really grinding the opposition. It’s a style that most teams wait to employ because it’s physically taxing.

I’ve been saying since jump street that while it’s entertaining and you should enjoy it while it’s happening, it’s not sustainable.

But Staal disagrees with me:

The last answer was the nugget:

“A lot of nights we aren’t defending as much because we have the puck and we are creating off the rush. When we have to play that way either because we’re desperate, or we’re a little tired, or we’re hemmed in a little bit, then we’ll eat one or two (pucks). That’s just what it takes to win. If you are going to get out of the way or you’re not going to sell out for it, there’s a good chance it’s going to go in the back of your net or they’re going to get a really good chance, or you take a penalty or something. We’re very comfortable playing this way. We have been all year. We can do this every day.”

Whether they can or they can’t remains to be seen, but the mentality is dogged. The vibe is infectious. And the Flyers are fun. That’s something that hasn’t been said in these parts in more than a decade.