Alain Vigneault
Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher addressed the media via a conference call for the first time since the NHL suspended play amid the Coronavirus pandemic and touched on a number of topics from the status of players to recent prospect signings to the possibility of a return to play.
It remains a mystery at this point if and when the season will return. Who knows how much of a regular season will be left after this suspension? Who knows what the playoffs will look like? But whenever the league comes out of this stoppage and gets back to playing, let it be known that the Flyers window to compete is just opening up.
It was only natural to feel disappointment that the NHL season was put on pause at a time when the Flyers were the hottest team in the league. But for the sake of one of the driving forces behind the success and unity of this year’s team, it was a necessary stoppage that provided a lot of perspective.
The Flyers winning streak came to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Bruins on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or a game where they struggled to keep up with a top opponent. That is what they can take with them to the next game and beyond.
The Flyers win over the Sabres, their ninth straight, was a classic formula that good teams follow. Their goalie stole the result and some opportunistic goals were enough.
Carter Hart made 38 saves in helping to lift the Flyers to their ninth straight win, a 3-1 defeat of the Sabres, allowing them to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals in a tie for first place.
For as level-headed and as focused as the Flyers have been on the task at hand and staying in the moment in every game, notably when adjustments have to be made, it’s only natural that some of the excitement is setting in.
The Flyers provided a timeline for James van Riemsdyk’s injury, suffered in the Flyers win in Washington on Wednesday night. van Riemsdyk will miss four-to-six weeks with a broken right index finger.
The Flyers win against the division-leading Capitals on a national stage with a very strong final 40 minutes certainly qualifies as a statement. That statement: this team is for real, and people are really starting to see it.
The Flyers fell behind in the first, but responded with a strong second and third period to secure their third win of the season against the Washington Capitals, claiming a 5-2 victory in Washington on Wednesday night.
