In the 1970s, when the Philadelphia Flyers were terrorizing the NHL as the Broad Street Bullies en route to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1973-74 and 1974-75, there was no other team like them in the NHL. Today, you could make the same argument. These Flyers are a throwback to another bygone era – the 1980s, when the NHL was the NBA on skates, a run-and-gun league all about up-tempo offenses and lighting the red lamps behind the net at both ends of the rink.
With potent offensive performers such as captain Claude Giroux, 2016-17 NHL All-Star Game MVP Wayne Simmonds and perennial point producer Jakub Voracek, the Flyers can put the puck in the next at a dizzying pace. On the other hand, they simply can’t find a way to consistently keep it from ending up in their net. Philly games tend to resemble that old Yogi Berra saying. It’s never over until it’s over.
Philadelphia Flyers Next Game
The Flyers, as is the case with the other teams that comprise the Metropolitan Division, are a scrappy bunch and they need to be, because every game counts in their division.
It’s always a dogged tussle in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. Until they shore up their defensive game, the Flyers will always be a bubble team in terms of qualifying for the playoffs. The Flyers tend to be a streaky team, capable of long winning runs and also of plummeting into deep losing skids. And with so many goals going in at both ends of the rink, Philly is also a good over bet.
Philadelphia Flyers Regular Season Schedule
The current schedule for the Philadelphia Flyers can give you a better idea of how the team is currently playing. For example, if Philly is playing at home for a long stretch of time, one would think they would be more comfortable there as opposed to playing on the road. A road or home swing can be a big factor in how the team is currently trending and offer you insight into whether you should stay away or double down on your bets.
It’s always a good idea to look deeper into the numbers. While the Flyers create shot attempts among the NHL leaders, they also tend to have one of the lowest save percentages in the league.
Philadelphia Flyers Standings
Being a part of the Metropolitan Division has its ups and downs. The Flyers have been a middle-of-the-pack team in recent seasons, so their success has a lot to do with how well they fare against their divisional counterparts.
It would help Philadelphia’s chances if they could find a stable, consistent No. 1 goaltender, a quantity it seems as though they’ve been in search of since current GM Ron Hextall left the team in 1999. The Flyers have run a number of cats out there between the posts, and some have shone briefly but none have grabbed the position and made it their own for years to come.
Philadelphia Flyers Betting Tips
If you end up choosing the Flyers for one of your bets, make sure that they have been performing well as of late or are in the playoff hunt. This year they have been streaking and are in contention but if they hit a slide of rough games then it's buyer beware for Philly.
There's a lot to like about the Flyers. GM Ron Hextall has cleaned up the salary cap mess he inherited and has the club well-stocked with young talent and other top prospects are up and coming and on the horizon. But Philadelphia's goaltending and defensive zone play remains sketchy and inconsistent and the dropoff from the Flyers' top six forwards to their bottom six group is stark.
