In what was arguably the best performance the Philadelphia Flyers showed all season, they steamrolled the 26-13-5 Dallas Stars, 5-1. Winning the shot battle 43-15, the Flyers dominated a team seen as one of the best in the entire NHL. What were some takeaways from the blowout victory?
The Game Was Never Close
From the get-go, the game was never very close whatsoever. The Stars had a push just over midway through the second period where they cut their deficit in half to just 2-1, but at that point, they were still trailing in the shot department 28-4. Diving into more advanced statistics doesn’t help Dallas’ case either — this contest was simply a massacre.
In the end, the Flyers finished with 3.68 expected goals to the Stars’ measly 1.43, while the high-danger scoring chances massively favored the Orange and Black as well, as they won every period decisively in that regard. Despite Dallas having one of the best offensive rosters in the NHL, they never really got a chance to get that going as it was the Flyers who controlled a large majority of the puck possession. The Stars spent several shifts hemmed in their zone throughout the contest, and it’s not plausible to have this happen while simultaneously generating good chances. Goaltender Sam Ersson was solid as a rock for the Flyers, but it was a rare case where this wasn’t needed from him.
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It could be argued that the last time the Flyers had a game quite like this was against the Buffalo Sabres back in early November of this season. They’re coming off of several wins where they outplayed their opponents, but it was nothing like they showed in this contest. They showed just how serious they are about their winning streak, which now sits at five games.
Tippett Continues His Hot Streak
Over his last six games, Owen Tippett has started to turn an ugly stretch of hockey in a completely different direction. Not too long ago, he was shooting below 10 percent on the season — he was essentially an NHL-average shooter based on the percentage. On pace for just below where he was in 2022-23 in terms of goals and points entering a matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 8, it wasn’t looking too pretty for him.
In the six contests including and since that game, he has a team-leading six goals and had two in this contest. He has gotten a ludicrous 31 shots on goal in that span which is still a shooting percentage below 20 percent, but he is streaking at the perfect time. Providing a nice chunk of the Flyers’ offense in their winning streak, he has been a major factor in their success.
Tippett can certainly be a streaky player, but that is almost the perfect thing for this Flyers team. His lows make him a liability to the top six at times, but when he is hot, he can completely change the outcome of games on his lonesome. For a Philadelphia team whose biggest strength is their defense and goaltending, this makes a huge difference. Now he is on a heater, and the Flyers are seeing arguably their best stretch of hockey all season because of it. It’s no secret — his squad is nearly unstoppable when he is at his peak.
At this point, Tippett has declared himself as a player that should be kept for a rebuild, not traded. Even in just the last week, he has done so much to disprove the narrative that he’s not meant to be a Flyer for the long term. He has elevated his play significantly recently, and if he continues to do so he should sign an extension with the Orange and Black with his deal expiring this offseason. Even if his price is a little hefty, the Flyers should try and do everything in their power to keep him.
The Real Frost Is Back
Morgan Frost was actually one of the Flyers’ better players to start this season despite battling constant healthy scratches. After he became a fixture in the lineup, he ran into some struggles toward the end of December and early on in January that led to him, deservedly, being a healthy scratch for a single game. Since that point, he has been sensational and one of the Flyers’ best players. His real self is back, and it’s helping his team win games.
Frost had two assists in this game including a beautiful between-the-legs pass right on the money for defenseman Sean Walker that finally got the Flyers on the board after decemating the Stars in shots early. Since being scratched against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 4, he has taken his play to the next level. Not only is he passing as well as ever, but he is skating and playing with confidence.
Frost now has seven points in his last seven games, similar to the trajectory of Tippett. Also like his teammate, the Flyers are seemingly at their best when he is producing. With a 6-1-0 record during his best sequence of performances, it’s hard to refute that this is the case. If he can continue doing so, the wins should come at a consistent rate, too.
As if the Flyers’ 25-14-6 record wasn’t incredible enough, they have a chance to tie the New York Rangers for first place in the Metropolitan Division on Jan. 20 as long as they come away with a win. With New York sitting at 58 points in 44 games to Philadelphia’s 56 in 45, the race is surprisingly tight, but not in their reach quite yet. To do this, they’ll have to get a win over the soaring Colorado Avalanche. This is a team that the Flyers beat rather soundly with a 5-2 victory on the road, so they’ll have to do it again at home this time if they want a chance at catching up with their divisional rivals.