While earning a point from their opening road trip might've helped settle the Philadelphia Flyers into the new season, a huge 5-2 win over the ever-impressive Florida Panthers would have done more than excite the fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
On a night where the team honored the late Bernie Parent, who recently passed away and revealed Bernie's iconic jersey number painted behind the nets and embroided on each players' jersey, the Flyers played with a renewed energy under Rick Tocchet.
The Flyers started their season against the Panthers, losing 2-1 on the road to the defending champions. But on home soil, while the team conceded the same amount, it was the forwards who set the tone, sending 3 goals past Daniil Tarasov, while Bobby Brink and Christian Dvorak fired into empty nets to seal the deal.
Tyson Forrester notched his first goal of the season on a night where confidence looked to build by the minute, but who else to better set the tone than the captain himself?
Beloved Flyer, Sean Couturier, pushed this young team beyond its limits, registering a pair of goals and assists on the night in what must've been a game of real validation for the 32 year old, who has battled his fair share of injury setbacks over the last few years. This marked Coots' third ever four-point game.
Dan Vladar was excellent between the pipes once more. His save percentage is now at .933% through two games, having made 24 of 26 saves on Monday night, building on his very impressive Flyers debut, which also came against the Panthers. This time, the Prague native was able to get a deserved win, drawing plenty of praise from his new Head Coach.
The Flyers will now turn their attention to two more home games this week, as the Jets and Wild visit the City of Brotherly Love. It's still very early days in the season, but to record such a statement win, on a night that meant so much to so many, is something this team can hopefully build upon.
