Philadelphia Flyers: Three players that will need to step up in Lake Tahoe showdown

2. James van Riemsdyk

I looked a week or so ago at why James van Riemsdyk deserves more attention given what he has done for the Philadelphia Flyers so far this season, and that statement still stands true a month or so into the 2020-21 NHL Season.

After all, Riemsdyk leads the Flyers in points with 18 (7 G, 11 A), and he’s without a doubt been one of their most consistent and impressive performers through the first quarter of the year. He’s averaging 16:07 of total ice time, he’s playing in all situations and he’s arguably playing some of the best hockey of his career right now.

While a 21.9 shooting percentage perhaps isn’t sustainable for the duration of a 56-game schedule, even if that number regresses slightly Riemsdyk will still be shooting the puck at a high level and, as we’ve seen with him so far this season, good things tend to happen when he gets the puck on net.

He just does the little things well too that go a big way in making things happen in the offensive zone and, with potent weapons in the ilk of Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny and Jakub Voracek all unavailable for Sunday’s game, the onus will be on Riemsdyk even more to drive the play and provide the Flyers with a scoring punch.

Not having Giroux, Konecny and Voracek is a lot of firepower to lose, especially against a team as stingy as the Boston Bruins who are currently ranked third in Goals Against Per Game (2.20), so it will be up to James van Riemsdyk to stay hot and lead a depleted offense for the Philadelphia Flyers if they are to pick up a big win and keep the heat on the Bruins at the top of the East Division.