The Flyers just completed their annual post Christmas road trip compiling a record of 3-2. It was a very inconsistent road trip to say the least. One game the Flyers looked like the team they have been all season dominating all phases of the game, while in others looking like the team they were at this point last year.
The Western Conference is always a big test for a juggernaut team in the Eastern Conference to go out on the road and perform since the west is a more superior conference (Five points separate the fourth seed from the 13th seed). Here's a quick game by game breakdown:
-Vancouver: The Canucks dominated this game from the start. The Flyers were coming off eight days of rest and having to fly all the way out to Vancouver. Not to mention Vancouver is the hottest team in the league compiling a 16-1-2 record in their last 19 games. Ryan Kessler continues to quietly rise to superstardom and showed it with two incredible goals in the game.
-Los Angeles: This was Michael Leighton's first game back since surgery and possibly his last as a Flyer. Thankfully, the Flyers caught the Kings in their worst slump of the season. Leighton looked shaky at best and while GM Paul Holmgren would not admit it, it certainly did not help Leighton's cause to justify his being waived to the AHL last week.
-Anaheim: The Ducks have talent, but without captain Ryan Getzlaf, it was an atrocity how the Ducks annihilated the Flyers 5-2. It's too early to say teams have figured out rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky, but he now has to start making adjustments to keep improving his dynamic skill set.
-Detroit: Winning for the first time in Detroit since 1988 (and in my lifetime) the Flyers responded with a strong defensive effort in beating a constant elite in the west, the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard continues to have up and down outings so despite the Red Wings return as an offensive powerhouse they have to be able to keep the puck out of the net.
-New Jersey: This was the story of two teams going in opposite directions. Even though the Flyers did not bring their best game, they still were able to erase two deficits and pull away in the third period. It shows the difference in a very good team such as the Flyers and an awful team such as the Devils.
Overall I'd give the Flyers a B for the road trip. They competed well against some of the west's elite, but also were exposed by another west elite and a west contender. I would like to see how the Flyers would have played Vancouver had they been on normal rest and that game be for example the third of a five game road trip rather than the first. The rust would have worn off and it likely would have been a much more competitive game.
The Flyers will complete the back end of a home and home with the Devils tomorrow at the Wells Fargo Center. The puck drops at 1 p.m.
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