(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
In terms of overall record, overall performance and their current place in the standings, the Flyers got off to a good start this season, their best, in fact, under Dave Hakstol. At 6-5-1, the Flyers have shown improved speed, depth, scoring and have remained competitive in games, certainly all you could ask from a team with borderline playoff expectations.
But that good start will be put to the test as the calendar turns to November. With injuries starting to hit the team and a tough schedule to open the month, the Flyers will be tested to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference and try to create an identity as a potential playoff contender.
The most encouraging thing for the Flyers has been an overall energy that was lacking from previous years. Out of the 12 games the Flyers have played this season, they can really only look back to two or three — the loss to Anaheim last Tuesday, the first period against Ottawa last Thursday, and Monday’s dreadful start against Arizona — as the only points where they haven’t been on top of their game.
Even in last Thursday’s game, a 5-4 loss to Ottawa, and Monday’s game, a 4-3 overtime loss to Arizona, the Flyers were competitive to the end and in the game to the final buzzer.
The Flyers schedule is a strange one. They opened with four games against the Western Conference and aside from a few games against conference opponents scattered in the October schedule, the Flyers won’t face an Eastern Conference team until Nov. 22 when they travel to face the Islanders.
Playing so many games against the West means that any points are good points. But the effort has to be there to establish an identity.
The Flyers had started the year off as a team determined to get on the right side of the standings early. So far, they have done that. But since the injuries have started to pile up — Andrew MacDonald, Nolan Patrick and Shayne Gostisbehere are the notable ones — the Flyers have been forced to rely on a young and inexperienced defensive group that is testing their durability.
It’s been encouraging to watch the Flyers respond to adversity so far this season. A frustrating and disheartening loss in Nashville was answered with a shellacking of the Washington Capitals in the home opener. Another frustrating end in Ottawa was answered with a strong defensive effort in a win over Toronto.
If nothing else, the Flyers have proven so far they can run with the best in the NHL. But it’s a marathon, not a sprint. October may have been good, but the way that it ended — the lackadaisical effort against Anaheim, the unfortunate loss to Ottawa and the ugly game against Arizona — can certainly start bringing shades of doubt back into the picture, especially when you consider that this was where the injury woes, and therefore line shuffling, started.
That’s where the test gets harder for the Flyers. They survived the start, but now they have to make more of a statement in the second month of the season as more teams start to separate into contenders and pretenders.
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