The Flyers past week has featured wins over the Penguins, Red Wings and Kings. (Photo by Amy Irvin/38Photography)
It was pretty hard to find a positive note on the Flyers last week after a 4-0 loss in Chicago. A listless team took the ice that night.
In the last three games, the Flyers have showed the signs of success while facing the most adversity. They are missing arguably their top defensive pair. They played Saturday without four members of the opening night lineup. And in that time, they have gone from four points in the standings to 10.
Suddenly, a daunting October has turned into a pretty solid month for the Flyers.
Perhaps the best thing about the Flyers week has been their resilience. We knew they could come back during games. But the response to an embarrassing loss in Chicago was a gritty 5-3 win in Pittsburgh. The response to a 4-2 win over the Red Wings on Saturday with a less than stellar effort was a strong 3-2 overtime win over the Kings.
After starting their first four games with two points, the Flyers have six points in their last four games. Their 4-3-2 record is a far cry from 1-7-0 through eight games a season ago.
So with the Flyers back on the winning track, the end of October is near. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only team that remains on the schedule for the month. Following that, two games with the Panthers and one with the Oilers open a month of November where the Flyers could create some serious separation in the division and conference.
That, of course, is based on the effort the Flyers gave on Tuesday.
There is still plenty of work for the Flyers to do and a long road ahead. Ray Emery's success isn't going to last forever. The defense, while solid for now, will eventually come back to Earth.
But there is potential in places that wasn't there before. It's seen in the emergence of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and the pure potential that Shayne Gostisbehere brings to the lineup.
The tough matchups will continue for the Flyers in November, and there will be games where the Flyers need to give it the effort that resulted in Tuesday's win.
The signs are there that the Flyers could become a solid team this season. They have presented that in Pittsburgh last Wednesday and against the Kings on Tuesday. But it takes repetition. The Flyers have consecutive wins. They don't have consecutive solid efforts.
Thursday provides that chance and could cap off a very strong finish to the month of October.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
