So far, the 2013 campaign for the Flyers has been disappointing, to say the least. They are off to a 2-5 start and already have found themselves trailing every team in the Atlantic Division.

The causes of the slow start can be seen in many areas, but there is a spot that cannot be deemed as the problem and it is the starting goalie. Ilya Bryzgalov has been a beast between the pipes. He has come up with multiple game saving stops which have energized and sparked the team, including the very impressive five-on-three penalty kill that sealed the win against the Rangers.

There are many flaws in the Flyers’ playing. One key area where the Flyers have been sub-par this season is the play of special teams. They are struggling on the penalty kill and power play. Currently, the Flyers’ penalty kill ranks  29th in the National Hockey League with only 67 percent of opposing power plays killed. Their Power play percentage (the percentage in which a team scores while on the Power play) isn’t much better. 13.5 percent has them ranked number 23 overall in the NHL.

Another area of concern is the amount of turnovers, and general carelessness with the puck. Not only does this terminate the chance of the team generating any chances on net, but it often allows an odd rush or breakaway for the other team. Unfortunately, the Flyers have been plagued with turnovers this season.

The fix for this is clear: more practice time is needed! Remember, the team had a total of six days to practice before the start of the season. Additions like Luke Schenn, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bruno Gervais, Kurtis Foster, and Mike Knuble, haven’t had time to get acquainted with the system of coach Peter Laviolette. Once the players start to mesh, and everyone gets on the same page, this team will become the championship contender thatmany fans believed them to be at the beginning of the season.