In order for the Flyers to be anywhere near the playoff picture this season, they needed to avoid the slow start.
And after Saturday, with a 7-1 loss in Florida, it seemed like the team was headed down that path again.
The Flyers early-season schedule featured many tests that was going to challenge their ability against the good teams, and their uncanny way of performing in those games.
Wednesday was another one of those games. But the Flyers 3-0 shutout win over the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks was also a huge statement.
"That's what a good team effort is," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "You can look up and down the lineup and find a lot of different things that are good and positive.
"It's nice to be able to build as you're tasting some small successes. We've had a little bit of each as we've gone through the early part of the season. Last Saturday wasn't very easy for anybody but everybody took it for what it is. Everybody dealt with it honestly and directly."
Since then, without known No. 1 goalie Steve Mason, Michal Neuvirth has come in and filled in tremendously. It didn't seem like he could get any better than his 1-0, 31-save shutout performance on Monday. He stopped all 30 shots the Blackhawks threw at him on Wednesday.
"It's been unbelievable the last few days," Neuvirth said. "The guys in front of me have been unbelievable as well. Our penalty killing has been very strong. It's just been two great team efforts."
What has been such an improvement is the Flyers ability to perform in the defensive zone. On Wednesday, they blocked 17 more shots. They killed all five Chicago power plays, including a 5-on-3 in the third. They took away shooting lanes.
So what happened from last Saturday to now?
"We haven't done a whole lot differently," Hakstol said. "The effort has been there all the way through. I think guys have had good intensity on the penalty kill."
Against Florida, you could throw several theories into how the Flyers went from giving up seven goals to holding the Panthers off the board completely.
Maybe it was having Neuvirth in goal. Maybe it was something they did in practice or saw on tape that made them better prepared for the Panthers game.
But against the Blackhawks, this was a different animal.
It was already a statement to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions. It was another to come away with another shutout and to essentially factor all of the superstar scorers and budding stars the team has completely out of the picture.
"I think we're playing the right way and we're playing as a team and everybody's buying into the way we have to play," Claude Giroux said. "We're getting rewarded for how we're playing. We've just got to keep going like that."
Now the Flyers have to wait five days before hitting the ice for their fifth game of the season. Carrying the momentum is sometimes difficult to do over the course of a few days, but for now, the Flyers will enjoy the victory and get ready for the next game.
"It's huge, especially because we're going a five-day break," Jake Voracek said. "We played a solid checking game. I think we could do a better job in the third period keeping the puck on our sticks. It's a good win for us, a big win."
"Control what we can control," Hakstol said. "I think the rest will be good for us. I think the practice time will be good for us. And it's nice to be able to go into that with some small success and feel good about the way that we're working and the things that we're doing."
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
