Analysis: Flyers beat Panthers 5-1

Panthers Goals

• Jamie McGinn (1) (Power Play), assists: Nick Bjudstad, Radim Vrbata

Flyers Goals

• Sean Couturier (4), assists: Jake Voracek, Claude Giroux
• Shayne Gostisbehere (1), assists: Wayne Simmonds, Robert Hagg
• Claude Giroux (4) (Power Play), assists: Shayne Gostisbehere, Valterri Filppula
• Dale Weise (1), assists: Nolan Patrick, Travis Konecny
• Valterri Filppula (4), unassisted

Make it three wins in a row for the Fly Guys, including two very impressive wins in front of the Wells Fargo Center crowd after defeating the Florida Panthers 5-1. The Flyers have outscored their opponents so far 13-3 at home and of course have gone 2-0 while in South Philadelphia. Dare I say that the Flyers look good right now? Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s game.

5 Takeaways from Flyers vs. Panthers

1. Sean Couturier is having a stellar season so far. He added to his goal total Tuesday with the first goal of the game and did while sitting down on the ice. Being put on that top line with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek is doing wonders for him offensively and defensively. Giroux and Voracek are able to be a little more creative on shots with a very strong defensive center. There is a possibility that if Couturier continues to produce on the top line with G and Jake, he could be one of the Flyers 20-goal scorers, something he has not done yet. Maybe he is the “Answer” that his teammates claim him to be. But I don’t know, there’s only one “Answer” in Philadelphia and he goes by A.I.
2. Claude Giroux is back, ladies and gentleman. Giroux finished the game with a goal, an assist, took two shots on goal, but currently has nine points this season. At the beginning of the season, I wondered how Giroux would do on the left wing compared to his usual center position. But he seems to have no problem on the wing and is definitely producing. I have to give Hakstol some credit for sticking with it.
3. Robert Hagg notched his first career NHL point Tuesday night with an assist on Shayne Gostisbehere’s goal and had a key block on a Panthers’ shot that allowed the Flyers to score their first goal of the night. Hagg is the kind of player that is making Gostisbehere a lot better. It’s exciting to see that defensive pairing grow and they are clearly the best pairing that the Flyers have right now. Hagg is slowly coming into his own as a professional hockey player and is showing a lot of confidence on the ice.
4. Speaking of Ghost, he currently has a goal and nine assists for a total of 10 points this season. In comparison to the start that Ghost had last season, this is a great thing to see from the third-year defenseman.
5. Michal Neuvirth had a pretty interesting game. He looked a little sloppy in the first period but seemed to settle down as the game progressed. He even said in an interview during the broadcast that he had been nervous coming into the game, which is understandable. Neuvirth hasn’t played since the game in Los Angeles where the Flyers lost 2-0. On Tuesday night, Neuvirth only let in the one goal on 41 shots, so it was a very good night out of the Flyers goaltender.

Bonus Takeaway: After a big fight with Michael Haley in the second period, Wayne Simmonds left the game in the third period with a lower-body injury. He limped a bit off the ice and sat out the rest of the game. Ron Hextall said that they took Simmonds out of the game for precautionary reasons.

Star of the Game

This one is tough because both Giroux and Gostisbehere had a goal and an assist. However, I’m going to go with Ghost on this one. He is now one of the leaders on the team in points and takes a ton of shots on nets that seem to be lasers.

Flub of the Game

The two penalties that led to the Panthers’ goal. They were able to kill off the first penalty but the second one was what gave the Panthers the opportunity to score.

One more thing: How about that pass from Nolan Patrick for Dale Weise’s goal. Oh man.

Nolan Patrick with a pretty pass to set up Dale Weise (yes that Dale Weise) pic.twitter.com/MNeub5D9SS

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) October 18, 2017

The Flyers are back in action tonight against the Nashville Predators, where they will be looking to avenge their loss from last week. It should be a good one.