(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Fortier, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The 2016-17 Philadelphia Flyers have a similar record at this point as they did last season, but the team has significant differences from last year’s squad.
The Flyers currently are third in the league in scoring, averaging 3.28 goals per game. That is up significantly from 2015-16, where they averaged 2.53 goals per game. You would think the incremental .75 goals per game would lead to a much better winning percentage. But the Flyers are sitting at a record of 6-6-2 for sixth in the Metropolitan Division.
A major factor in that position is the fact that the Flyers have seen a dramatic increase in their goals against average from where they ended last season. The Flyers ended 2015 with a GAA of 2.51 which was 12th best in the league. Currently, they have a goals against average of 3.51.
They are giving up an additional goal per game in 2016.
While the incremental three quarters of a goal scored per game could have had the Flyers winning more games, the full goal against per game has dragged them down. So despite being third best in the NHL in goals for, they are 25th in goals against.
So why are the Flyers giving up an extra goal per game? It is a combination of sloppy goaltending at times and defensive lapses in their end of the ice leading to turnovers that end up in their net.
Remembering how Steve Mason carried them to the playoffs last year and the lights out play of Michal Neuvirth in the playoff series against Washington? You would have thought that goaltending would be the least of the Flyers concerns in 2016-17, and many did. Mason and Neuvirth were rock solid in net for Philadelphia and at last the goaltending woes appeared to be over.
Neuvirth ended 2015 with a GAA of 2.27 and a save percentage of .924, the fourth best save percentage in the NHL and the seventh best goals against average. His play in the playoffs was nothing short of spectacular. He gave up a mere two goals in three games, one of those the deciding 1-0 result in Game 6, for a GAA of 0.67 and a save percentage of .981.
The hope was for Neuvirth to pick up where he left off. That did not end up being the case.
Neuvirth currently has a record of 4-2-0 with a GAA of 3.57 and a save percentage of .859. While a return from the astronomical numbers of last season's playoff series with Washington was to be expected, no one could have foreseen Neuvirth being a problem between the pipes.
Mason has not fared much better in goal. His record is 2-4-2 with a GAA of 3.23 and a save percentage of .888.
To have both of the netminders, coming off solid seasons, have such a dismal start to the season surely caught the team and management off guard and certainly caught the fans by surprise.
However, not all of the blame can be laid at the feet of the goalies. The Flyers have turned the puck over in their own end far too frequently. In Tuesday night's game against Detroit, Brandon Manning was stripped of the puck by Henrik Zetterberg right beside the net and neither he nor Radko Gudas were able to recover and help out Mason and the Red Wings cashed in scoring to tie the game.
Not long after, Shayne Gostisbehere also coughed up the puck in front of the goal. This time, Mason was able to make a spectacular save to avoid giving Detroit its second goal of the night, but it was another mistake that nearly cost the Flyers.
The forwards have also had a habit of costly turnovers as well. The Flyers mistakes have been magnified because so many of them in the defensive zone have ended up in their net. Unfortunately, it also seems that whoever is in net, a soft goal is let in making the task of winning that much more difficult.
Dave Hakstol has been tinkering with the roster to try to find the right forwards and linemates as well as the defensive pairings to give the team the best chance of winning. More changes are expected to come ahead of Friday's game against Toronto.
If the Flyers hope to improve their current standing in the division and build on a strong start to the season in scoring, they will need to find a way to improve their goals against per game. That starts with the netminders, who will need to improve their individual play and find a way to make the big saves when it matters most.
