Top Five Takeaways of Flyers Nine-Game Win Streak

With the Flyers’ 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 18th, 2020, hockey in Philadelphia was just heating up. Following the massive home-and-home sweep of Metropolitan Division foes, the Flyers took their wins against the Jackets and went streaking. Over the next few weeks, the Flyers were playing their most electric and confident hockey, earning them an impressive nine-game winning streak until March 10th.

This win streak would put the Flyers atop the Metro Division, increasing their lead in the standings with only the Washington Capitals ahead of the Flyers by one point. With such impressive hockey being played in Philly, it seems necessary to take a look at the highlights of the Flyers’ win streak.

Carter Hart (G) – Youngster Carter Hart was nothing short of brilliant during the games he started for the Flyers on the win streak. Playing seven games, Hart earned seven wins, a perfect 7-0-0 record. He faced 208 shots on goal during his games, and only allowed 12 goals, giving him a .942 save percentage and 1.71 goals against average. Following his seventh win, Hart became the first goaltender in NHL history to record multiple win streaks of seven or more at the age of 21. He saw an eight-game win streak last season in January of 2019. Hart further proved his bid as the Flyers’ franchise goalie and beloved rookie by the fans.
Producing Forwards – There was no shortage of offense from the Flyers during their nine wins, with point production coming from multiple different names. Some big names, like Sean Couturier who put up five goals, two assists, and a plus-two rating and Travis Konecny who leads the team in points, recording five goals and eight assists aside a plus-four rating. Scott Laughton also provided vast secondary scoring, with three goals and six assists, averaging one point per game during the win streak. Offensive efforts continued to come from multiple players, including Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Jake Voracek, Claude Giroux, Kevin Hayes, and Derek Grant.
Strength on the Blue Line – The Flyers undoubtedly would not have been as successful as they were without their defensive core stepping up to the plate. Only 17 goals were allowed over the nine games, averaging less than two goals per game. The Flyers have allowed the eighth least amount of goals in the entire National Hockey League, and allowed less than three goals in seven out of the nine wins. Huge efforts were seen from Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen, who also combined for three goals and seven assists over nine games.
A Play-Maker’s Palace – When there are goals being scored, there are assists being tallied as well. The Flyers’ play-makers were nothing short of impressive over the nine wins, both on the power play and even-strength hockey. Most notably, Jake Voracek tallied 12 assists during the streak, including four in just one game against the Rangers. Laughton put up six assists, as well as Aube-Kubel, Grant, Giroux, Konecny, and Provorov all putting up four or more assists. As for plus-minus ratings, Niskanen was a plus-16, with Provorov being a plus-12. Laughton was a plus-11, and Hayes a plus-7.
Making the Most of Metropolitan Match-ups – Six of the Flyers’ nine wins came against divisional teams, making the points at stake even more important when looking ahead to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers secured two wins against the Columbus Blue Jackets, two against the New York Rangers, as well as one win against both the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers currently sit at second place in the Metro, with a record of 41-21-7, with 89 points.

Although the win streak would eventually come to an end against Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins, the Flyers proved to the NHL that they are a force to be reckoned with. Playing some of their most confident hockey in recent years, the Flyers will most definitely be a playoff contender when the time comes; with the way that the Flyers have been playing in the last few months, it is clear that the boys are in fact, buzzing.