After a 5-0-1 stretch of solid hockey and signs that the Flyers were climbing their way up in the Metropolitan Division, they took a step back.
The Flyers are once again a middle-of-the-pack team after failing to capitalize during a recent five-game homestand, finishing with a 2-2-1 mark (see weekly observations).
At the quarter pole of the NHL season, it's time to take inventory of who's up and who's down in this week's stock watch.
Stock up
Claude Giroux
It's a pretty simple formula: When Giroux scores, the Flyers' chances of winning increase significantly. In the six games that Giroux has been held without a point, the Flyers are 0-5-1. They're 9-4-1 when he cracks the scoresheet. Overall, Giroux's game has been steady and a continuation from what we saw last season. The captain currently has five multi-point games over his past nine and has been saddled with some major minutes (at least 22 in each of the past five games) while adding penalty-kill duties.
Sean Couturier
We're finally starting to see the Couturier that made him into a Selke Trophy finalist last season. After a slow start of trying to find his speed and timing, Couturier has been the Flyers' most consistent player at both ends of the ice. His three-point effort against the Blackhawks was the pinnacle of the season as he outmuscled Chris Kunitz to score on Corey Crawford. With just three points in his first 11 games, Couturier has found his stride offensively with points (five goals, six assists) in seven of his last nine games.
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Stock down
Oskar Lindblom
If I was writing this column 10 days ago, Lindblom's stock would be at an all-time high, but he's regressed over the past week. After an impressive five-game point streak in which he tallied two goals and five assists, Lindblom has just one assist over his past four games and has seen his ice time dip from the 16-minute range to playing just 10:07 in a 3-0 loss to the Devils on Thursday. It should be a matter of time before James van Riemsdyk reasserts himself on that line, leaving Lindblom with third-line minutes.
Jori Lehtera
Dave Hakstol finally came to the realization that Lehtera has been bringing very little to the Flyers. Once JVR finally returned to the Flyers' lineup, Lehtera was the one who came out, and as a result, forced Hakstol to move Scott Laughton back to center. Lehtera's recent lack of ice time is a reflection of how he's played and how he's turned into a "black hole" in the offensive end of the ice. In his last seven games, Lehtera hasn't registered a single shot on net and has proven to be a liability on the penalty kill.
Nolan Patrick
Much is expected out of the 20-year-old, who like Lindblom, broke out of his early season shell during the Flyers' recent trip out West. But like any young player, Patrick has failed to keep a level of consistency throughout his overall play. While he maintains defensive responsibilities on a rather consistent basis, his offense and his aggressiveness to push play in the opponent's zone are sporadic. Patrick currently has one goal and two points over his past six games and had a brief opportunity to solidify his place on the top power-play unit. It's not that Patrick has been a bad player, but he's displayed the ability to be a better player.
Travis Sanheim
To his credit, Sanheim has cleaned up his game defensively to the point that he doesn't make you nervous in his own end of the ice. However, with Sanheim's size, he should be more of a physical presence in separating a player from the puck. Too often, he loses those battles. But Sanheim's strength is in his offense by pushing the puck up the ice and creating offensive chances. To that end, he's been nonexistent over his past 10 games and hasn't registered a single point. Even playing 17 minutes on a regular basis, there has to be a more concerted effort on Sanheim's part to generate offense. Otherwise, that skill set simply goes to waste.
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