Flyers have won in 3 totally different ways — and that should terrify opponents

Variety is the spice of life, as they say. Becoming familiar with different things and being able to adjust to your situation because of those experiences is just how you can navigate through life. And self-help book language aside, the Philadelphia Flyers are maneuvering around this first-round series against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in an expert way.

As we all know so well and cannot get enough of, the Flyers are up 3-0 in the series after taking both road games in Pittsburgh to start the series and then having an emphatic and emotional victory in the first postseason game in Philadelphia since 2018, for Game 3. It is a lead that feels indestructible and the way that the Flyers are playing is not letting any thought of a monumental collapse even seep into our brains one bit. They have their hand on the controls and are confidently moving throughout this series, so far.

The Flyers have experienced a whirlwind of different wins. While all three of them have been great -- obviously -- they have come in different sizes and with a different story behind them, if we look under the hood.

Going through all the goals and highlights and emotional moments is truly why most people become sports fans first and foremost, but as we wiggle our way through what made each win really tick and why the Flyers were able to walk away from the Penguins with those wins, it becomes even more interesting. And truly, it adds to the story of what has been this Flyers team through the first three games of the playoffs.

The Flyers have had everything thrown at them that the Penguins have been able to throw within arm\'s reach. Whether it is trying to overcome the staunch Philadelphia defense or taking more risks to try and make this a more respectable series out of pure desperation, the Flyers have been able to swat away each attempt and still come out with more goals.

Each of the three games tell a different story as to how the Flyers were able to pull off a win and really can be categorized in three different styles of play. Typically, a team just sticks to their one style and tries to see how far it can go for them -- especially a team with barely any playoff experience, to try and just get familiar with the ebbs and flows of being on the biggest stage -- but for the Flyers they are approaching each game with a different mindset and executing it perfectly.

All three of Flyers\' wins game in different ways

While looking at the scores -- a 3-2 win, a 3-0 win, and then a 5-2 win -- can tell you some of the story, you can\'t truly get a full scope of the collision between the two teams and just how the Flyers pulled off each win without looking at some numbers, of course.

By looking at the numbers from the entire 60 minutes, in all situations, the three games really do have three different stylistic stories.

All situations Shots for Shots against Unblocked attempts for Unblocked attempts against Expected goals for Expected goals against Game 1 20 17 38 28 2.91 1.39 Game 2 23 27 30 50 2.91 2.24 Game 3 29 30 41 50 3.62 2.43

In Game 1, the Flyers were heralded for their shutdown play. They barely let anything get past them as they clogged the neutral zone -- at times, it could be seen as a hilarious 0-5-0 setup -- and it was all about being quick in attack and hoping that individual talent can eventually win them the game. That did eventually come true with Porter Martone\'s game-winning goal that proved to be the difference in his first ever playoff appearance.

It was a defense-first game to open up the series and nothing speaks louder than that being just the 28 unblocked shot attempts the Penguins made and the 1.39 expected goals overall, barely getting anything of value compared to what the Flyers were able to throw at Stuart Skinner. It was a masterclass.

And then in Game 2, it was a different story. The Penguins had enough of an advantage that it could have been the difference -- with 20 more unblocked shot attempts, closing the gap in expected goals, and actually having more shots on goal -- but it was Dan Vladar\'s night and a 3-0 shutout win was what ended up being the result. The Flyers might not have necessarily deserved that win, but they were able to squeak through because of some individual performances when it mattered most.

And finally, in Game 3 it was about as run-and-gun a game that we have seen under head coach Rick Tocchet. With maybe a little bit more comfortability with a 2-0 series lead, the leash was extended and the Flyers were able to hang with a Penguins team that was desperate to get anything going.

Instead of sitting and surviving because of their goaltender and some other performances like in Game 2, the Flyers went shot-for-shot with the Penguins and played with less hesitancy to allow something in return. With this overall mindset, goals came from unlikely places -- making four first-time playoff goalscorers, to be more specific -- and it was reflected in the underlying numbers with 3.62 expected goals and the Flyers having the highest amount of their own shots on goal and unblocked attempts in the series so far.

And just to shed some of the mess and noise that comes with looking at all-situation numbers, the 5-on-5 totals reflect the same thing -- a defensive masterclass with just 0.64 expected goals against, then more survival as the Penguins had 42 unblocked attempts (thank you Vladar) to the Flyers\' 18, and then a game geared towards more high-event hockey still coming out in the Flyers\' favor.

5v5 Shots for Shots against Unblocked attempts for Unblocked attempts against Expected goals for Expected goals against Game 1 15 11 28 19 1.81 0.64 Game 2 12 25 18 42 1.11 1.63 Game 3 17 18 26 29 1.48 0.9

While these stories are a nice ride to weave ourselves through and experience the variety that this Flyers team can put out on the ice, it also shows something more that can mean something more.

Flyers\' variety of wins can mean further success

We see it every single year as every single playoffs come with some surprises. A certain President\'s Trophy winner being murdered in the first round, a projected contender failing to meet the easiest of matchups, an underdog to punch about their weight for an undeniable knockout; that\'s the beauty of sports and why we watch. But, those that fail to meet expectations, or those teams who ultimately get murdered in the first round, ended up reaching the playoffs because of one neat little trick that they had and then saw it unravel in a seven-game series.

The Flyers did ultimately reach the postseason because of performances that Dan Vladar was able to put in -- but the offense was clicking extremely well with Tocchet being able to give up some of his structure, and the defense was given an easier system to manage, especially when it came to the young wingers we have when they\'re in their own zone. Those reasons for the push can end up giving you access to the playoffs, but it\'s in the toughest games of the entire year where they can get exposed.

But the Flyers are not a team to be exposed. Yes, they are up against a team that is on the other side of the coin and somehow got second in their division but look like a gang of geriatrics, but we are seeing that this Philadelphia team can approach each game with a different plan and go out and win with that plan.

That sort of thing is what gives teams a whole lot of extra ability to get further in the playoffs than anyone originally thought. It isn\'t some team driving their head against the wall trying to make the same system that earned them a record-setting amount of overtime losses (hello Los Angeles Kings) and that not working when they face a real team -- the Flyers are riding the waves that they come across and approaching their game with the optimal way to end up with a win after 60 minutes.

It might just be something that we don\'t see again, but the Flyers have shown the ability to deal with whatever kind of game they come across and execute. Could it not come to fruition when they (possibly) face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round? That can certainly be the case, but it gives much more confidence that they can deal with the Hurricanes\' style more appropriately with the three games under their belt.

Data from HockeyStats.com

Flyers proving they can win any way imaginable in the playoffs

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