Flyers

That Was the Best Flyers Win of the Season

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 30th, 2024 · 9:49 AM EDT

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Not only did the Flyers get a regulation win in Boston for the first time in 13 years, but they shut out the Bruins in what amounted to the best victory of the season:

Please enjoy this lineup from the Flyers’ last regulation win in Boston before tonight pic.twitter.com/pWTRI9l6li

— Brian Smith (@BSmithFlyers) October 30, 2024

That’s right. Jaromir Jagr was a Flyer the last night the team won in regulation up there. Sean Couturier and Matt Read were rookies and the Flyers had just traded Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, bringing back Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Voracek, and a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round draft pick.

More importantly, the Flyers blanketed the Bruins on Tuesday night. They staved off an early 5v3, blocked 28 shots, and limited Boston to 23 looks on goal, all of which were saved by Sam Ersson. Emil Andrae played a great game and they looked like the pesky, blue collar team we saw last year.

“I think we went in the right direction as far as contesting pucks,” said John Tortorella after the game. “Just a little more determination in our checking. We played well that way… That’s the way we play, we play a type of defense where we expect everybody to block shots. As I’ve said to you guys (the media) all the time, I think it creates a camaraderie in the group, and for us to stay afloat in the league, that’s how we have to play as a team. It’s a huge part of the foundation of playing as a team. It turns into the battles, it turns into the contesting pucks, it turns into – which I thought we played better – into (5v5). For (this game), we took a step in the right direction.”

Tortorella noted that it was a “low event game,” which is true, especially in the third period when neither team could muster a shot, let alone a shot on goal. It felt Boston kept pushing the puck into the offensive zone, and then it went right back out. Rinse and repeat. But that’s a good way for the Flyers to play. If things are junky and the other team can’t find a rhythm, they’re not going to be very threatening, and that’s what happened on Tuesday night, when Torts’ team allowed less than 3 goals for the first time since the season opener in Vancouver.

Not surprisingly, the Flyers are a top ten blocked shots team through 10 games. They are 6th-best with 176 total blocks, 8th with 17.6 blocks per game, and 4th with a 29.5 blocked shots percentage. Add the offensive statistics in and you get a +30 blocked shot differential, which is 7th best in the NHL. That’s a good starting point for a team that’s going to have to get back to the workmanlike grinding to climb the standings and make this rebuilding season more interesting. This win in Boston jumped them ahead of the Penguins, who are now last in the Metro. We’re taking baby steps here and appreciating the small victories.