November 24, 2023
Reality hit the Flyers like a Mack truck within two minutes.
Mika Zibanejad put away an immediate 2-on-1 rush, and then Chris Kreider scored on a defensive zone turnover that Travis Sanheim put right on the tape of his stick in front of the net.
Just like that, the powerhouse New York Rangers were up 2-0, and the Flyers were left in a hole that they couldn't dig out of. Philly went on to lose the Black Friday tilt at the Wells Fargo Center, 3-1, their second straight and the one to drop them to 10-9-1 on the season.
The Flyers came into the week riding the high of a five-game win streak against a run of some quality opponents, which included an overtime victory over the defending Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights last Saturday.
It was the first time they had gone on such a stretch since the 2019-20 season – a playoff run that has since proven an anomaly – and they were even in possession of a playoff spot after beating Columbus last Sunday night to complete a back-to-back.
But the biggest thing about that whole run: The Flyers were playing some solid, confident hockey.
It wasn't built to last, of course. The streak was snapped Wednesday night in a loss to the Islanders, and on Friday against what's been a dominant Rangers team from right out of the gate, they hit a wall and hit it hard.
But, big picture, that might be a good thing.
The Flyers were outmatched on Friday. There's no sugarcoating that.
But if the loss to the Rangers serves as a reminder of how far they really have to go, then the win streak across the several games leading up to it should absolutely serve as a reminder that they're getting there – slowly but surely.
Remember: It's a rebuild. The Flyers have been forward about that since the summer, and if they want to get it right, then they can't take any shortcuts, nor let any short-term gains persuade them to.
The ultimate goal lies in tomorrow, not today, and the true mark of progress this season isn't going to be measured in wins – though they'll still take those as they come – it'll be in how they fight for them.
And already, in stark contrast to last season and definitely two years ago, the Flyers have been putting up a stronger (and smarter) fight.
Far, far from perfect, for sure. Younger pieces like Tyson Foerster, Cam York, Bobby Brink, and Egor Zamula are still trying to find their footing as pros, while Morgan Frost – for one reason or another – can't find his in the lineup, and the power play continues to struggle mightily, going a brutal 0-for-6 on Friday.
But there have been strides. Travis Konecny has played at an All-Star level, Sean Couturier is back skating effectively after all the uncertainty stemming from his back issues, Carter Hart more often than not gives the Flyers a chance every time he's in goal, and Joel Farabee – still just 23 – has a noticeably greater presence on the team, while a lot of the aforementioned younger names are, for the most part, being afforded the opportunity (and margin for error) to grow into bigger roles.
That's just all not enough against a team like the Rangers, who sit atop the Metropolitan division with a well-rounded and established roster led by a Vezina-caliber goaltender in Igor Shesterkin and true goal-scoring stars in Kreider and Artemi Panarin – not yet, and not for a while. It's too much right now.
But the Flyers are getting there, slowly but surely.
Those wins over the Ducks, Kings, Hurricanes, Knights, and Blue Jackets, all in a row, they mean something. They mean progress. They mean that the belief among the Flyers that they can skate with anyone is building, that their process is working, as head coach John Tortorella put it after Sunday night's win against Columbus:
"You find a way to scratch away some wins against some really good teams, and you start believing that we're doing this right," he said at the time. "It's not a physical skill, it's a mental skill. Belief is huge when you're dealing with 25-26 athletes to be a team. Belief has to be the main constant when you're dealing with a bunch of individuals turning into a team.
"It's good now. It's five in a row. We're gonna get tested when there are some struggles. We'll see how we are then, but as long as we come to work each and every day to be the best we can be."
Struggles showed up Wednesday night in Belmont Park against the Islanders, then hit like a Mack truck Friday back in South Philly against the Rangers, and with a lot of season still left to play, they aren't likely to go anywhere anytime soon.
The Flyers still have a long, long way to go. Friday was clear evidence of that.
But they are making progress.
Slowly but surely.
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