‘When we play that way, we’re certainly hard to play against’: Young Flyers showing signs of progress with three straight strong performances

It was a long winter for the Flyers, but it looks like spring, the season of growth and new beginnings, is finally here.

With an influx of fresh faces, the Flyers are playing with new energy, and as a result, strung together three good games in a row this week.

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The Flyers have not won three games in a row since they beat the Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, and New Jersey Devils from Dec. 10-14. Although they still have not earned three straight Ws, theycontrolled the pace of the game in three straight.

After a 6-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 2, the Flyers rebounded against the New York Rangers the following night. They led 3-0 in the third before they let up for a few minutes and allowed the Rangers to come back tie it. However, they showed resiliency and earned their first shootout win of the season against the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division.

While they followed it up with a 4-2 loss Tuesday to the Columbus Blue Jackets, that final score didn’t tell the full tale. The Flyers were the better team through all three periods,outshooting the Blue Jackets 49-30 and creating 12 high-danger scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick. Defenseman Ivan Provorov described the loss by saying “that’s hockey.” If pace of play, shot count, and quality could win them the game, it would have been a resounding victory.

Playing against the Blue Jackets again Thursday, the Flyers started slow but surged back in the second period, scoring three goals, highlighted by tallies from newcomers Owen Tippett and Noah Cates. The Flyers controlled the rest of the game from there, and emerged as 4-1 winners.

After months of finding ways to lose games, why are the Flyers finally taking control?

“I think that some of the youth that we’ve injected in, these guys are not just getting an opportunity to play, they’re having an impact in the games,” Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo said when asked about what the difference has been.

The Flyers have welcomed Tippett, Cates and Ronnie Attard to the team in the past three weeks. Tippett, who has played 10 games with the Flyers, has scored two goals, and has had numerous other scoring chances. Cates has played five games and also has two goals, while defenseman Attard has played four and notched one assist.

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More games obviously equals more comfort, which in turn lets players play their games, but it works both ways.

“I think they’re feeling comfortable because they’re playing well,” Yeo said. “And that’s one way to certainly fit into a group.”

Cates and Tippett confirmed they’re becoming more comfortable with the systems but that they’re also fitting into the locker room more. Tippett, who has played parts of three seasons in the NHL, said he’s gotten better and better with every game, and he feels he’s starting to realize when to keep the puck and when to shoot it. Cates, who came from college, is getting used to the faster pace and has been working with Attard, also a college signing,to bring an energy unique to players new to the NHL.

“Just having fun and bringing that to the rink every day,” Cates said. “I think that’s really important at this stage for me and for the team. I’m just trying to get wins by having fun and playing hard.”

Three young players don’t change a whole team, though. The veterans also are playing the right way, Yeo said. And they’re also playing their way, which is aggressive and fast, according to Yeo and winger Cam Atkinson.

“Every team has some skill, and it’s stand on our toes,” Atkinson said. “I feel like when we get on our heels, that’s when bad things happen to us. We want to go out there and dictate the play, the pace of the game, and bring the fight to any opponent we play against.”

Yeo has seen the whole team acting more aggressively both with and without the puck, and they’re being smart about it. They’re recognizing when to make a skilled play and when to just go to work and cover the puck. As a result, they’ve outshot their opponent in the last two games, and they’ve finally started to capitalize on that.

“When we play that way, we’re certainly hard to play against,” Yeo said.