Flyers Reach Halfway Point

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially reached the halfway mark of this shortened season already having played 24 games in 46 days. They are only 1 of 2 teams (Buffalo) to have played half the season in this short amount of time. The second half of the season will be a bit lighter as they will play their final 24 games in 53 days.

So how did their first half compare to the rest of the league (as of all completed games on March 5th):

Record:

• Overall: 11-12-1 for 23 points currently in 9th place, outside of the playoffs
• Home: 7-3-1; the 4th best record in the East
• Road: 4-9-0; 9 road losses is more than any other team in the NHL
• Overtime: 1-0
• Shootouts: 0-1 
• Streaks:
  
  • Longest winning streak: 2 games (4 times)
  • Longest losing streak: 3 games (twice)

Best and Worst Games:

• Most entertaining game of the Flyers season:
  • February 20th against the Pittsburgh Penguins: Flyers won 6-5
• Most well played game of the Season:
  • February 18th against the NY Islanders: Flyers won 7-0
• Most poorly played game of the season:
  • February 16th against the Montreal Canadiens: Flyers lost 4-1 and took a season low 19 shots.

Top 5 Goals of First Half: (in order of date)

(Watch YouTube Clips above or click on link to see the goals)

1. Matt Read on January 26th vs Florida (the first goal of his hat trick)
2. Danny Briere on February 9th vs Carolina (overtime game winner)
3. Claude Giroux on February 18th vs NY Islanders
4. Nicklas Grossmann on February 20th vs Pittsburgh
5. Jake Voracek on March 2nd vs Ottawa 

Runner up:

Wayne Simmonds on March 2nd vs Ottawa 

Offense:

• Goals Scored: 68; 7th in the NHL
• Goals Per Game: 2.82; 12th in the NHL
• Period by Period Breakdown:
  • 1st Period: 23 goals; 5th in the NHL
  • 2nd Period: 25 goals; 5th in the NHL
  • 3rd Period: 19 goals; 16th in the NHL

Defense:

• Goals Against: 72; 5th worst in the league
• Goals Against Average: 2.97; 8th worst in NHL 
• Period by Period Breakdown:
  • 1st Period: 26 goals against; 2nd worst in NHL
  • 2nd Period: 17 goals against; 6th best in the NHL
  • 3rd Period: 28 goals against; 5th worst in the NHL

Special Teams:

• PowerPlay %: 22.2%; 6th in the NHL
• PowerPlay Goals: 22; 2nd in the NHL
• Penalty Kill: 84.0%; 8th in the NHL
• Times Shorthanded: 100; most in the NHL
• Number of Minor Penalties Taken: 117; most in the NHL
• Times Shorthanded in 3rd Period: 36; most in the NHL
• Total Penalties: 149; most in the NHL
• Total PIM (Penalties in Minutes): 413; most in the NHL
• PIM Per Game: 17.2; most in the NHL

Real-time stats:

• Hits: 668; 2nd in the NHL (48 hits ahead of the 3rd placed team)
• Blocked Shots: 370; 2nd in the NHL
• Faceoffs: 47%; 25th in the NHL

Individual Stats:

• Leading Point Scorer: Jake Voracek - 27 points; 7th in the NHL
• Leading Goal Scorer: Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds - 10 goals; tied for 17th in the NHL
• Average Time on Ice: Brayden Coburn; 23:01 minutes
• Most PIM: Zac Rinaldo - 57; 7th in the NHL
• Faceoff %: Claude Giroux - 53.5%
• Most Faceoff Wins: Claude Giroux - 327; most in the NHL
• Hits: Luke Schenn - 91;  4th in the NHL and 1st among defensemen
• Blocked Shots: Nicklas Grossmann - 68; most in the NHL
• Plus/Minus: Luke Schenn - +4
• Giveaways: Brayden Coburn - 28; 3rd in the NHL
• Wins (by goaltender): Ilya Bryzgalov - 11; tied for most in the NHL

Injuries:

• On IR (Injured Reserve) before the season:
  • Chris Pronger: post concussion symptoms - out for season
  • Matt Walker: lower body injuries - out indefinitely
  • Marc Andre Bourdon: concussion - out indefinitely 
• Injured Players Who Have Returned:
  
  • Danny Briere: wrist - missed 4 games
  • Scott Hartnell: foot - missed 16 games
  • Wayne Simmonds: concussion - missed 3 games
  • Zac Rinaldo: skate laceration - missed 4 games
  • Sean Couturier: sickness - missed 2 games
• Currently Injured Players
  
  • Matt Read: torn ligaments in rib cage - missed 6 games - 
    • Current status: day to day
  • Andrej Meszaros: shoulder - missed 20 games 
    • Current status: day to day
  • Nicklas Grossmann: groin - left yesterday's (March 5th) game
    
    • Current status: day to day
  • Tye McGinn: broken orbital bone - missed 3 games
    • Current status: out 3 more week