It's Official: Hockey is Back in Philadelphia

There wasn't much debate that the Flyers "won" the offseason by becoming the league's most improved team. But how often has that victory led to success in the regular season? And how much improvement can a team that finished dead last in the league truly expect. Well, after Saturday's 3-2 OT thriller of a victory over the similarly resurgent Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers have officially passed the point of "improved team." They are now a force in the NHL, like last season never happened.

The Flyers are now 6-1, and in first place in the Atlantic Division. After Gagne scored the game winner in OT against Carolina, the Flyers improved to 4-0 at home in the young season. Last year, they Flyers didn't get their fourth home victory until February 10! Despite the good start, their were critics who felt the Flyers hadn't beat any really good teams. And that was true until they beat the Hurricanes, who are playing much more like the team that won the Cup two seasons ago instead of the the team that missed the playoffs last year.

The Flyers have proven that they are capable of playing with, and beating, any team in the league. So, at this point, they have to be considered one of the top teams in the league. And while a lot of outcomes of this season would have been acceptable after what happened last season, with this start, expectations are right back to pre-2006-2007 levels. That means this team is expected to contend for a Championship.

The Flyers now embark on an eight game road trip. If the Flyers haven't already put last year behind them, a successful trip here will all but exorcise any remaining demons from last season.