A Win!!

Last year the Flyers' start was so bad they fired the coach and began a mid-season philosophy change.  Now that Berube's been here for a year and had the whole offseason and preseason, that wasn't supposed to happen again this year.  Still, watching last night's win over Dallas, I felt like I was watching a different team than the first four games of this season.

In the first period Berube could be seen chiding Simmonds on the bench after a turnover high in the offensive zone, attempting a criss-crossing drop-pass play.  That set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Flyers worked nearly exclusively along the wall in the offensive zone, and quickly turning the puck towards the net after a successful cycle.  It was a significant change from the first few games which saw a lot of attempted finesse plays, and centering/square passes to no one in particular.

Although conceding 5 goals is no one's idea of an ideal performance, I think last night demonstrated the foundation of how this year's squad is to win hockey games; simple, low risk cycles in the offensive zone; defensemen getting the puck on the net; momentum changing power play performances; and the top line answering the bell in clutch time.

It's not exactly razzle-dazzle stuff, or the possession hockey that you would see from the Sedin twins or Pavel Datsyuk, but it may be the most effective formula for the talent the Flyers possess.  They don't have the horses to play fast, possession hockey, but you need to work with the team you have even if it's not the one you may want.

The Bruins win playing the same type of game.  Their puck support is always solid, and many of their goals stem from simple point shots with traffic in front of the net, creating deflection and rebound opportunities.  Additionally, it's hockey longtime Flyers fans will know well, and it produced the Flyers most exciting game of the young season.

The tough road trip is just beginning.  There are still many injury and performance issues to straighten out, but I think their first win last night provided a real building block going forward.