Brian Boucher listed reasons why nobody should be surprised about the Philadelphia Flyers' success this season when he joined the "NHL @TheRink" podcast on Thursday.
Boucher, a former NHL goalie who is an analyst on Flyers' local television broadcasts and nationally for TNT, said in the interview with co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke that the play of goalies Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson is probably the No. 1 reason why the Flyers are currently second in the Metropolitan Division with 54 points in 44 games.
But he also referenced their penalty kill (No. 2 in the NHL at 86.3 percent), the emergence of defenseman Travis Sanheim, which Boucher said he thinks is a result of the departure of Ivan Provorov in the offseason to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the attacking style of play created by Philadelphia's ability to break out of its defensive zone quickly.
There was more too on the Flyers in the interview with Boucher, who also touched on the goaltending issues plaguing the New Jersey Devils, saying they become contagious throughout a team.
Boucher also said he thinks the Winnipeg Jets are more of a surprise this season than the Vancouver Canucks, that Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck should be the favorite for the Vezina Trophy and that Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is the favorite for the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player.
In addition, Rosen and Roarke debated Steven Stamkos' future with the Tampa Bay Lightning, discussed Florida Panthers forward Sam Reinhart's emergence as one of the NHL's best goal scorers, and gave their opinions on who should be the favorite for the Hart Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Jack Adams Award, Norris Trophy and Calder Trophy.
The "NHL @TheRink"podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
