Hoping long layoff doesn’t derail their momentum, ‘evolved’ Flyers aiming for first Stanley Cup since 1975

When fans last saw the Flyers they were blitzing through the NHL.

Remember?

When fans last saw the Flyers, they had won nine of their last 10 games and had climbed to within one point of first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division. They seemed ready to pass the Capitals — a team they had a 3-0-1 record against — and get a high Eastern Conference seeding.

Remember?

Well, even if that sometimes seems like eons ago, we are still, incredibly, in the same season and still trying to find out how it all ends.

That is, if the coronavirus outbreak cooperates and allows it to end.

The virus stopped the NHL season March 12. The Flyers haven’t played since March 10, and they are scheduled to resume Aug. 2 against Boston in a three-game round-robin tournament that will determine the Eastern Conference’s four top seeds.

After that comes the real Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Flyers playing their first game Aug. 11 — or about five months after their last matchup.

With the long layoff, no one knows what to expect from the 24-team tournament. Not the fans, not the coaches, not the players.

“You don’t know what kind of team is going to be in the best shape, game-wise,” Flyers right winger Jake Voracek said early in Training Camp II, which started July 13 in Voorhees. “You could end up playing Montreal, but because they have a lot of young players, it’s easy for them to get into it.”

Even though the Canadiens — who will play the Penguins in a five-game play-in series — struggled mightily this season, their youth might help them regain their legs quicker than veteran teams, Voracek said.

“They may be more dangerous than Boston,” Voracek said of a Bruins team that led the NHL with 100 points during the abbreviated regular season. “It’s kind of weird the way the regular season was played, but it is what it is. Down the road, the best prepared team is going to win.”

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The Flyers are among 12 teams that will be playing in a “bubble” in Toronto, which will host the Eastern Conference playoff games until both conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals are held in Edmonton.

Fans will not be allowed at any of the games. The atmosphere will be sterile, but the players say they will make the best of it. Hey, when you consider the season was on the critical list at one point, they’re just happy to be playing and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup.

“We’re chasing our dream,” center Derek Grant said.

The East’s round-robin seeding tournament will feature Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington, and the Flyers.

Coach Alain Vigneault said that tournament will prepare the Flyers for the first round of the playoffs. At the same time, the games are important because, in theory, the higher seeding you earn could give you a more favorable matchup(s) in the playoffs.

The higher seeding also means you will be declared the home team more often and get the last line change.

“Everybody wants to get that last change,” goalie Brian Elliott said.

Elliott, Carter Hart’s veteran backup, will play in at least one of the three round-robin games, Vigneault said. The coach plans to play lots of different players in the round-robin, keeping them sharp and getting them ready for the playoffs.

Hart, who had the NHL’s eighth-best goals-against average (2.42) this season, will be the X factor in the Flyers’ drive for their first Stanley Cup since 1975. He’s only 21 but has shown poise beyond his years.

“I think everybody is real confident and excited to have him back there,” said defenseman Matt Niskanen, who won a Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018 and has played in 125 career playoff games.

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When you have a talented goalie and he gets hot, “that’s a dangerous card to have,” Niskanen said.

It happened that way in 2016, when Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray won 15 playoff games. Murray was 21 when the playoffs started in 2016, and he turned 22 by the time the Penguins ousted San Jose and lifted the Stanley Cup that season.

The Flyers are hoping for a similar script. Hart will be 21 when the round-robin tournament starts in August and will be 22 when the Cup is awarded.

The Flyers had a terrific regular season. With Travis Konecny leading the way with 24 goals and 61 points, they put together a 41-21-7 record during the pandemic-shortened regular season. They were on pace for 106 points, which would have been 24 points more than last season — and their second-highest total in 33 years.

They made the biggest one-year improvement in the NHL, a big reason Vigneault is a coach-of-the-year finalist.

But they have unfinished business.

They haven’t won a playoff series since 2012, so their regular season won’t mean much unless they make an impact in the postseason. They know it. Their coach knows it.

Early in Training Camp II, Vigneault, who is chasing his first Stanley Cup, was asked if the Flyers had met or exceeded his expectations.

“The only way I can answer that question is that the season’s not over,” he said. “We’re going into the best part of the season. We’ve made the playoffs. We’ve earned the right to compete for the Stanley Cup. Our business is far from over. That means that my job is far from over.”

During the long pause, Vigneault said, “we talked to specialists” about the best way to restart the season. “We’re using science to make sure that the group is ready.”

The players said they worked hard during the break to stay in condition. They seemed focused and energized early in camp, their confidence brimming because of their strong season.

“I think guys showed up in good shape,” said center Sean Couturier, the team’s MVP for the second straight season. “They’re looking good out there. The pace is picking up every day and the execution, also. It’s something we can build on and hopefully keep it going.”

When the season was halted, the Flyers were playing as a cohesive unit. The forecheck was outstanding. So was the positioning and the breakouts from their defensive zone. The special teams were clicking, and they were getting balanced scoring.

They hope their mojo is still there when the season returns.

“For us, it’s trying to be able to get the momentum as fast as you can,” captain Claude Giroux said.

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The long layoff might throw a few kinks into the situation, but the confidence the team built during its highly successful season — since Nov. 1, only Boston had a better record than the Flyers in the 31-team NHL — should carry into the playoffs.

Ditto the close-knit players’ belief in each other, Vigneault said.

“There’s no doubt that any team in any sport that has any success is because, first and foremost, there’s trust, there’s accountability,” Vigneault said. “Players like being with one another, and probably the word that comes first for me is that respect between teammates. Not to let your partner down, your linemate down, defensive partner, your goaltender. There’s that trust and respect.

“I think throughout the season our group has built that and has developed it. They understand the accountability factor and how important it is between teammates, from game to game and from shift to shift.”

“We’ve evolved,” he added. “We understand that part and now we’re going to get a chance to prove it here moving forward.”

They will do it in the strangest of playoff settings — in a sterile building where fans aren’t permitted because of coronavirus concerns.

Oh, there may be some cardboard cutouts of fans, may be some piped-in noise. But the players are going to need to be self-motivated and won’t be able to get a jolt from screaming spectators.

“At the end of the day, I think it’s just going to be about preparation,” rookie left winger Joel Farabee said. With no fans, “you’re going to have to create your own energy. The team that does that the best is going to have the best chance to win. I think we will be prepared. We’re not too worried about the no fans. It’s hockey at the end of the day. We’re going to play to the best of our ability and we’ll go from there.”

They played to the best of their ability after getting acclimated to Vigneault’s system. Since Jan. 8, the Flyers tied for the NHL lead in wins (19) and points (39), and they topped the league in goals per game (3.62) during that span while never losing more than one in a row.

“I think everyone was just excited to see each other,” defenseman Ivan Provorov said about being reunited during Training Camp II, “and finish what we started.”