The Philadelphia Flyers open play this weekend against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which means it’s time to preview the shortened 48-game season. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on the team this year:
Goaltending:
As has been the case for years, there is uncertainty surrounding the goaltending situation. Last season, Ilya Bryzgalov did not perform as well as he did in Phoenix in previous years. The impact of national media cameras following the quirky Bryzgalov provided a constant distraction and it seemed that he lost his head amongst the pressure of playing in Philadelphia. Just days ago, the Flyers brought back a familiar face in Brian Boucher to provide a reliable back-up for Bryzgalov. In a shortened season with many back-to-back games, Boucher will most likely get more starts and it will benefit the Flyers to have a veteran between the pipes. Bryzgalov will need to regain his confidence and provide a stable presence in net for the Flyers to have a chance to make a deep playoff run, but I simply don’t see that happening unless the defense makes great strides in front of him.
Defense
As touched on above, the play on the back line is in question. With the loss of Chris Pronger last season due to injury and Matt Carle in the off-season, the team will need other players such as Luke Schenn to step up. Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn are the two players with the most experience together for the orange and black. The team has not had a lot of time to play together as a unit and that could prove to be detrimental during the early stages of the season. The back line will have size, but the question is, can the players keep up with smaller, quicker forwards they have continued to impact the game in recent years? I expect the defense to struggle early in the season and will need to see great improvement for the team to provide insurance for the goaltenders.
Offense
The offense was stellar last season, ranking 2nd in the league in goals scored, and should not have a problem finding the back of the net in 2013. Newly-named captain Claude Giroux, who led the team with 93 points last season, will lead veterans Scott Hartnell and Danny Briere on the attack. The team will need to replace the production of Jaromir Jagr and continue the development of the rookies from last season. With last season under his belt, Brayden Schenn has the opportunity to break out and contribute consistently this season. The interesting thing to watch will be the new line combinations from head coach Peter Laviolette and the adjustments to the lineup.
Prediction:
The Flyers will be lead by a top tier offensive attack, but will struggle on the defensive end. The developing defense will not able to do enough for Bryzgalov. The team will make the playoffs as a lower seed and lose in the second round.