One minute the Flyers look like they are going to have a record breaking season, the next they look average, then they return to beat the top team in the division and you don’t know what to think.  I stated last week if the Flyers beat the Sabres and the Devils they would be on a bona fide tear and with fewer games played than anyone else in the Atlantic conference, poised to have the best record in the NHL and the defacto leader of the pack.

When  I made that comment, I figured they would surely beat Buffalo, and may struggle against New Jersey.  New Jersey, on paper and in person certainly appear to be the better team, and the tougher opponent to beat.  But after watching the past two games, I can only scratch my head.

Buffalo led the game from beginning to end, and finished with a 3-2 win, then Philadelphia did the same thing to the Devils two nights later.  The Sabres broke a 5 game winning streak of the Flyers, the Flyers broke a 8 game overall winning streak and 9 game road winning streak of the Devils.  Man, these are some good teams !  This NHL season has hardly started and already there are 4 or 5 teams that seriously look to be battling it out for 100+ point seasons.

I realize it is patently impossible to win 82 games in a row, so the loss did not disturb me so much as the manner in which they lost.  The Sabres only managed 25 shots on goal.  The following night the Devils managed 35 shots and Emery saved half as many more of these as he did on Saturday night, 33 to 22.  Maybe he just had an off night.  Maybe the Buffalo coaching staff used the strength of the Flyers and their early success as motivation to get the team psyched up to play at top level.  Maybe the Flyers coaching used the same tool against the Devils last night.

I still believe the Flyers are the team to beat in the East, but I also have to admit that both the NJ and Buffalo franchises put up a strong case for equal consideration after this past week of hockey. What is truly scary is that Pittsburgh, Tampa and Washington all look equally competant, giving us 5 other teams to watch and gauge our progress against.

Right now I would say NJ and Philly are 1-2 in power strength, followed by Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Washington.  This is strange because Philly beat NJ and lost to Buffalo, but hear me out, and wait a bit, the season is long, and I believe my assessment will pan out.  I will revisit this group of 5 every couple weeks to evaluate my rankings, but for now my Eastern top 5 are again:  1. Devils, 2. Flyers, 3. Penguins, 4. Sabres, 5. Capitals, with the Bruins and Lightning trying to sneak up and join the pack up front.  I hold out hope as a true Philadelphia fan that the Flyers will surpass the Devils int he weeks to come.

Feel free to post your top 5 in the East and I will spot any one that betters me at years end to a Philly cheesesteak.  Preferably from Papa Guidos or Ginos so you can have it made the correct way, with the cheese melted over the steak, then flipped onto a lightly toasted bun with fried onions, and possibly mushrooms if that floats your boat, but that is it !!  And the grill can NOT have been cleaned in the past three months !   I was down south and the knuckleheads down there tried to serve me something that resembled a flank steak with red peppers, gouda, lettuce, mustard and mayo on it for Gods sake !!! I thought it was a punked out gyro ! And they called it a Philly cheesesteak !!   They even dabbed the grease off the thing with a towel  instead of letting it soak into the roll in the proper Philly manner.  Yeeech !   I was afraid they would expect me to eat the thing with a fork and knife, but there is no accounting for taste, especially in the deep south.   Thank God I got out of there with my taste buds intact !

Now Flyers, time to regain the form that brought you the nickname Broad Street Bullies and kick some tail and make me look good !!  You are getting a rematch against the Sabres on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and I will be there, in full Flyers garb to support you as you skate for the win ! I will leave it up to New Jersey to fall back as you surge, and despite my detractors, and ESPN’s power rankings, I don’t believe the Devils, Sabres or Capitals can do it all season long like the Flyers will !!!

Tagged with: Capitals, Devils, Emery, Flyers, Lightning, Penguins, Sabres

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