Flyers season in review
Reviewing the Flyers' 2015-16 season, one that included lots of grit, lots of good moments, and, sadly, the death of the man most responsible for the franchise's birth, Ed Snider.
Reviewing the Flyers' 2015-16 season, one that included lots of grit, lots of good moments, and, sadly, the death of the man most responsible for the franchise's birth, Ed Snider.
Best moments.
An emotional Lauren Hart, holding a phone, sang "God Bless America" to the sold-out Wells Fargo Center crowd while FaceTiming an ailing Snider in California on April 9. The Flyers then beat the hated Penguins, 3-1, to clinch a playoff spot on the next-to-last day of the regular season. The Flyers had dedicated the season to Snider, 83, who died two days after they secured a playoff berth.
Worst moment.
About 100 fans, upset with the penalties that were assessed, threw giveaway bracelets onto the ice during a 6-1 Game 3 loss to Washington and gave the host Flyers a delay-of-game penalty.
Best finish
. Michal Neuvirth made a miraculous diving save on Minnesota's Charlie Coyle with 2.6 seconds left in regulation, preserving the Flyers' 3-2 win on Feb. 25. Neuvirth got his stick on the puck, which came within an inch of going across the goal line.
Worst finish.
Matt Hunwick scored with 7.5 seconds left, lifting lowly Toronto to a 3-2 win at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 19.
Best start of the season. Neuvirth became the first goalie in franchise history to register three shutouts in his first seven starts of a season.
Worst start of the season. Jake Voracek went goalless in his first 16 games.
Best moment in a loss. Fans chanting "Let's Go Flyers" and giving the team a long standing ovation after they valiantly took Stanley Cup favorite Washington to six games before bowing out with a hard-fought 1-0 loss.
Worst moment in a loss. Sean Couturier injured his shoulder on a hit by Alex Ovechkin in a 2-0 Game 1 defeat to the Capitals and was lost for the series, giving the Flyers matchup problems the rest of the way.
Biggest surprise. After being promoted from the Phantoms on Nov. 14, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere took the NHL by storm, scoring 17 goals (a franchise record for a rookie defenseman), energizing the team, and emerging as a candidate for rookie of the year.
Biggest disappointment. Matt Read. A year ago, an ankle injury contributed to an eight-goal season. This season, he was healthy but lost more speed and managed just 11 goals - and none in the last 22 games, including the playoffs.
Biggest surprise (game). Brawny defenseman Radko Gudas had two goals and four points to spark a 6-0 win over Columbus on March 5. Prior to that outburst, he had not scored a goal in 57 games this season.
Biggest disappointment (game). With a chance to take the lead in Game 6 and put all the pressure on heavily favored Washington, the Flyers botched a full two-minute, five-on-three power play. They eventually lost, 1-0, and were eliminated.
Best sign for the future. The Flyers went 20-9-6 after the all-star break, including an 8-1-1 run that featured a 3-2 win in Chicago, to earn a playoff berth.
Worst sign for the future. Excluding an empty-net goal, the Flyers managed just five goals over the six-game playoff series.
Best playoff performance. Michal Neuvirth made 44 saves to keep the badly outplayed Flyers (11 shots) alive with a 2-0 win in Game 5 against the Caps.
Worst playoff performance. Claude Giroux, who made the all-star team and had a team-high 67 points, managed just one assist in the series and lost a majority of his faceoffs in four of the six games.
Best example of "Groundhog Day." For the umpteenth time, the Flyers got off to a slow start, winning just five of their first 16 games (5-8-3).
Best example of "Groundhog Day," Part II. The Flyers struggled mightily in shootouts. Again. They were 3-8 in breakaway competition after going 3-11 the previous season. In franchise history, they are an NHL-worst 33-70.
Best comeback (team). The Flyers overcame a 3-0 deficit and jolted St. Louis, 4-3, on Dec. 21.
Worst finish. The Flyers allowed two goals in the final 64 seconds of regulation and lost to Columbus in a shootout, 3-2, on March 22.
Best reason the Flyers reached the playoffs. Steve Mason was both brilliant and durable down the stretch, starting 17 of 18 games late in the season, including the last 13 until the Flyers clinched a playoff spot.
Best reason the Flyers made a first-round playoff exit against Washington. Their power play was 1 for 24 (4.2 percent), while the Capitals were 8 for 27 (29.6 percent).
Best accomplishment. Gostisbehere had points in 15 straight games, the longest streak by a rookie defenseman in NHL history - and the longest for any defenseman since Chris Chelios had a 15-gamer in 1995-96
Worst streak. Classy winger R.J. Umberger played hard whenever he was in the lineup, but he went 50 straight games - a streak that started last season - before scoring a goal.
Best goal. A diving poke-check by Gostisbehere took the puck away from Winnipeg's Mark Scheifele - preventing a three-on-one the other way - and he popped to his feet and tapped a short pass to an all-alone Claude Giroux, who scored with 13.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Flyers a pulsating 3-2 win on March 28.
Worst goal. Mason allowed a goal from beyond center ice by Washington's Jason Chimera in Game 2 of the playoffs.
Best at turning on the red light. Wayne Simmonds, now one of the league's elite power forwards, had a career-high 32 goals.
Worst at turning on the red light. The entire team managed a total of 34 goals in the first 20 games, an average of 1.7 per game.
Best shooting efficiency. The Flyers scored on six of their 19 shots in a 6-3 win in Nashville on Feb. 4.
Worst shooting efficiency. The Flyers outshot Washington, 42-23, but lost in Game 2 of the playoffs, 4-1.
Best example of the team's potential. A combined 4-0 record against NHL heavyweights Chicago and St. Louis.
Worst example of the team's potential: One win in five games against the league's two worst teams, Edmonton and Toronto.
Best reason for optimism. The Flyers (41-27-14) have enough cap space to add a much-needed scorer; hotshot prospects Travis Konecny (right wing) and Ivan Provorov (defense) are knocking on the NHL door; and, because the players know Dave Hakstol's system, they should get off to a better start in 2016-17. Hakstol made a smooth transition from the college ranks and got everything he could from this season's roster.
Best reason for pessimism at the start of next season. Brayden Schenn, who had a breakthrough year with 26 goals and 59 points, has been suspended by the NHL for the first three games.
@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog