Flyers' October schedule only gets tougher after 0-2 start
The Philadelphia Flyers stumbled to a 3-8-0 start last October, leading to the firing of then-head coach Peter Laviolette and the appointment of Craig Berube as his successor.
The team managed to regroup, and, backed by an MVP-type performance by captain Claude Giroux, qualify for the playoffs. There, they pushed the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers to seven games in the opening round, ultimately losing 2-1 in the decisive contest.
The Flyers already find themselves with an 0-2 record to start the season, with a pretty bleak schedule on the horizon through the month of October.
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Oct. 8 | Boston (L 2-1) |
| Oct. 9 | New Jersey (L 6-4) |
| Oct. 11 | vs. Montreal |
| Oct. 14 | vs. Anaheim |
| Oct. 18 | @ Dallas |
| Oct. 21 | @ Chicago |
| Oct. 22 | @ Pittsburgh |
| Oct. 25 | Detroit |
| Oct. 28 | Los Angeles |
| Oct. 30 | @ Tampa Bay |
Yikes. Things could get ugly quick in Philadelphia.
In an effort to help his players stay focused, Berube gave his team the following mandate: tune out the noise.
Play for yourselves in here. You guys (the media) talk about it and people, in general, about bad starts all the time. You can’t let it creep into your focus of playing the game. Everybody is going to think about it. You can’t tell a guy not to think about it. You can’t get into your focus. You got to focus on playing the game. These guys just need to focus on playing the game tomorrow and playing it the right way.
Speaking on behalf of the players, forward Wayne Simmonds indicated the feeling in the room and on the ice is different than last season.
“Last year, we were being outclassed and weren’t even in games,” he said. “This year, we’re in the games and it comes down to simple thing. … A little play here or little play there makes the difference at the end of the day.
“(Against New Jersey) we did a good job after a while starting to control the puck and make plays down low and we weren't gripping our sticks as tight. It’s the little things that make the difference.”
This time around, however, the Flyers are playing without defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn, but sidelined due to injury.
Looking ahead, that match against the Devils appears to be the easiest of the month for the Flyers. Their next game is Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, and Berube will turn to backup Ray Emery to help the club get its first win of the young season.