There are 19 games remaining in the 2019/20 season. Never a better time for a teams top players to gain a full head of steam, heading into a potential playoff spot. That’s exactly what Jakub Voracek, Sean Couturier, and Claude Giroux are setting out to do.
Over their last 10 games, Giroux has amassed 12 points (4g, 8a), Couturier nine points (6g, 3a), and Voracek six points (1g, 5a). All signs seem positive heading into the final stretch for the Flyers top trio. Digging back five years, we see that the final stretch of the season is the perfect time for these three to get hot.
2014/15 Season
In the final 19 games of the 2014/15 season, the trio produced 39 points combined. Giroux was responsible for seven goals, while Voracek and Couturier added three goals apiece. Voracek chipped in 13 assists, Giroux had seven, and Couturier had six.
While Voracek had better stretches during that season, his last 19 games capped off one of his best seasons as a Flyer. 16 of his 81 points were scored in the final 19 games, accounting for roughly 19.8% of his total point production. Couturier posted nine points during that stretch, accounting for 24.3% of his total offensive output on the season (15g, 22a). Giroux’s 14 points accounted for 19.2% of his total offense (25g, 48a).
2015/16 Season
The 2015/16 season was a bit of a down year for this trio. Neither of the three topped 70 points, but Couturier tied his career high in points (39) in 19 less games than the previous high’s year. The last 19 games of the season saw Voracek post 12 points, 13 points from Giroux, and 14 points from Couturier.
With 11 goals on the year, Voracek’s three goals in that 19 game span accounted for 27.3% of his goal production. Couturier’s 12 assists made up 42.9% of his assist production on the year. Overall, 35.9% of Couturier’s offensive production came in the last 19 games he played that season. Giroux came in at just under 19.4%, and Voracek totaled 21.8% of his offense in the last 19 games.
2016/17 Season
The 2016/17 season was even worse for two of the three aforementioned players. Couturier had his worst season in regards to points since his sophomore year, tallying 34 points in total. Giroux posted 58 points, his worst output since 2009/10, discounting the lockout-shortened season. Voracek was six points up from the previous year, posting 61 total points.
Voracek’s last 19 games were nothing to gush over. He netted three goals and added six assists for a total of nine points in those games. Giroux did slightly better, chipping in two goals and 11 assists for 22.4% of his season’s point totals. Couturier’s last 19 games were fantastic. He posted five goals and 12 assists, for 17 points, 50% of his total point output on the year.
2017/18 Season
The 2017/18 season was each players best season to-date. Giroux topped the 100 point mark for the first time in his career. Voracek averaged over a point per game for the first time in his career. Sean Couturier nearly doubled his best season, posting 76 points and coming in second place in Selke Trophy voting (though he should have won, in this writers’ humble, totally un-biased opinion…)
Both Couturier and Voracek contributed 15 and 16 points, respectively, in the final 19 games of the year that season. The 15 points for Couturier accounted for 19.7% of his points on the year. His 13 assists were responsible for 28.9% of his total assist output on the season. Voracek’s 16 points accounted for 18.8% of his point output on the year, but his seven goals accounted for 35% of his total goal output on the year.
The story of the year was Claude Giroux and his 102 points. He was the first Flyer since Eric Lindros (1995/96) to post over 100 points, and the ninth as a Flyer to do so. He posted 12 goals and 16 assists in the final 19 games of the year, 27.5% of his season’s total offensive output. The 16 assists accounted for 35.3% of his assists on the year.
2018/19 Season
The last 19 games of the 2018/19 season were solid across the board. 16 of Voracek’s 66 points were scored in that span (24.2%). Couturier put up 17 of his 76 points in that span as well (22.4%). Claude Giroux added 20 points for a season total of 85 (23.5%).
17 of Giroux’s 20 points were assists, representing 27% of his assist output on the year. Couturier chipped in eight of his 33 goals in those 19 games, representing 24.2% of his goal output on the year. Voracek added five goals and 11 assists, representing 25% of his goal output in that span, and 23.9% of his assist output.
Putting It All Together
When you total those five years for each of the players, one name stands above the rest.
Jakub Voracek has 93 goals in the last 5 years, discounting this season. 21 of them have come in the last 19 games of the season. That accounts for 22.6% of his output. His assists dip a bit in percentage compared to his goals. 48 of his 255 assists during that span came in the last 19 games of the season, accounting for 18.8% of his assists during that span. Overall, 19.8% of Voracek’s production over the past five years has come in the last 19 games.
Claude Giroux has fared a little better than Voracek has over that time period. Out of Giroux’s 117 goals, 29 of them came in the final 19 games of those seasons, making up 24.8% of his goal output. His 59 assists in the final 19 games over those five seasons make up 22% of his total output (268). Altogether, 22.9% of Giroux’s 385 points over those five years came in the final 19 games of the season (88).
Sean Couturier is the guy you turn to in the final stretch of games before the playoffs. Couturier has 104 goals in those five years, 20 of them in the final 19 games of each season (19.2%). His assists are where he separates himself from Giroux and Voracek. Couturier has 158 assists in the last five years, and 52 of them came in the final 19 games of each season. That’s good for 32.9%. Overall, 72 of his 262 points came in the final 19 games of the last five seasons, representing 27.5% of his total offensive output.
19 Games Later…
The Flyers are really starting to click, and now is the top line’s time to shine. These three clicked incredibly well when together in the 2017/18 season, each having the best year of their career. With them playing together on the top line right now, there’s a good chance of them rekindling that type of chemistry, and leading this team into the playoffs with a full head of steam.
Mandatory Credit – © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
