Durso: Again, Flyers find a way to rise from slow start

They had four points in the standings, one from a blown game against Montreal at home on Oct. 11, where a 3-0 lead in the final period ended in a 4-3 shootout loss. They had another point from a hard-fought 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks on Oct. 14. And they had their only win, a 6-5 overtime win that felt more like an All-Star contest than a hard-fought hockey game.

The sixth game of the season was the Flyers pitiful effort in Chicago, resulting in a 4-0 loss. There stood the Flyers looking up at a majority of the NHL early in the season for the second time in two years. They had a 1-3-2 record on Oct. 22. Three weeks later, they are 7-5-2 after winning six of their eight games.

That kind of recovery bodes an honest question: how have the Flyers done it?

Remember last season's slow start. Whatever seemed to click with the Flyers starting in mid-November helped them become a playoff team after a 1-7-0 start. But there was a clear factor the Flyers turnaround. Craig Berube instilled a new system and once the Flyers learned it, they started to play better.

There is nothing new about Berube's system this season. And when you look at the Flyers injury report – the battered blue line and long-term injury to Michael Raffl – is seriously is a wonder how the Flyers have played as well as they have lately.

This past week was no fluke. The Flyers were superior to all three teams they faced and they performed as such. But beating the Penguins, Red Wings and Kings in succession was quite an accomplishment.

Much of this has been due to the Flyers top line. Jake Voracek is red hot in his first 14 games, posting 22 points and riding a current eight-game point streak. Claude Giroux is having just as good a start with 18 points in the first 14 games.

Two other players have really helped the Flyers bridge the gap of late. Wayne Simmonds seems to be revitalized since moving to the top line as left wing for Giroux and Voracek. There are a lot of goals on that top line. Simmonds performance now and in the coming weeks could make the decision difficult for Berube when Raffl is ready to return.

The other player who seems to have found a new home is Brayden Schenn. Since joining the third line, Schenn looks like a totally different player alongside Matt Read and Sean Couturier.

Since the move for both players, Schenn has added four points in three games and Simmonds has two.

As the Flyers work to find the perfect combinations for their lines, they seem to have found their edge. They are playing at the competitive level they started to show last season, and everything else seems to be falling into place.

 

Also credit Ray Emery for holding down the fort while Steve Mason found his game. Mason's 3-0-0 week has his confidence back in place.

 

The recent success has the Flyers one point out of a guaranteed playoff spots in the Metropolitan Division – even if it is far too early to talk about playoffs.

The road will get tougher as it always does. But the Flyers have two things in their favor. They still face teams that are on the outside looking in and struggling early in the season – two games against 4-9-1 Columbus in their next five – while finally meeting some solid competition – Montreal on Saturday, the Rangers next Wednesday and Minnesota next Thursday.

This team has proven the ability to rally and overcome adversity. Now they need to sustain a stretch of solid play that almost came to a screeching halt with Saturday's third period.