2005 Philadelphia Flyers Preview
Welcome to the 2005 Philadelphia Flyers Preview page. The NHL Hockey Season is around the corner and what better way to remind the public how exciting the NHL can be with a 2005 season preview from Maddux Sports. Remember if you are betting on NHL hockey look no further, as we are one of the few sports handicapping services that offers NHL picks against the hockey betting line and can help you be a winner this NHL betting season.
2005 Philadelphia Flyers Hockey Season Preview
In Philadelphia, which was recently chosen by The Sporting News as the best NHL hockey-town, they’re serious about the Flyers. Over the years the team has signed top players in its attempt to win the Cup. This year is no different—Forsberg, Knuble, and Hatcher are a trio who can make a difference. In the 2003-04 Stanley Cup tournament the Flyers went deep before Tampa Bay eliminated them in a hard fought, seven game, third round series. Will this year see Philadelphia making the next step to the elusive Final Round?
One word may determine whether this happens or not—health. No one can disagree that center Peter Forsberg is a dynamic force on the ice. However it seems that every other year an injury keeps him out of the rink. For Colorado in the 2002-03 season, he played 75 games, scoring 29 goals and making 77 assists for a total of 106 points! The next year he only saw action in thirty-nine games. And although he had a respectable 55 points, that total was not even close to his output the season before.
This year just one week into training camp Forsberg was injured.
The Flyers new defenseman Derian Hatcher has followed a similar
pattern during his 13-year career, although he’s been
able to string together 3 healthy seasons in a row. But just
like Forsberg, Hatcher was on the injury shelf by the initial
week of camp.
On the other hand Mike Knuble, former Bruin’s winger,
has been in 70 plus NHL games in five out of his last six seasons,
and he is coming off his two best years with 59 points in 2002-03
and 46 points the following year.
Returning goaltender Robert Esche had a solid season in 2003-04 with a 2.04 GAA and a save percentage of .915. But he has never played more than 40 games in any NHL season and the Philadelphia hockey club will need stamina and consistency from him in order to make it to the Finals.
Will the Flyers, a team with an average age of 26 years, be able to combine their youth and experience to succeed? Check the injury report and you’ll have the answer.
