New-look Flyers say get excited with mini statement and a 2-0-0 start

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The new-look Flyers had themselves some fun in their 2019-20 introduction at the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday night.

Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov all scored goals, while Carter Hart was as bright as his future in a 4-0 thumping of the Devils.

Head coach Alain Vigneault received a hearty applause during the pregame introductions. He has the Flyers off to their first 2-0-0 start since 2011-12, when they last won a playoff series (see story).

The Flyers' victory spoiled Wayne Simmonds' return to Philly with New Jersey, which has lost its first three games of the season.

• Not a bad time for Hart's first NHL shutout, huh? The 21-year-old made 25 saves to do it in his 33rd career game.

• The building may have been the loudest when Hart made an are-you-kidding-me save with the Devils swarming on a 5-on-3 power play in the final minutes of the middle stanza.

The Flyers' penalty kill, which has been the NHL's second worst since 2014-15, looks better through two games. It survived that 5-on-3 in impressive fashion and the Wells Fargo Center loved it.

"I have to be honest, it's big balls by everyone," Scott Laughton said at second intermission on the Flyers' radio broadcast. "Hartsy made the save of the year already. Everyone is working on the same page."

• Speaking of the penalty kill, Hayes is such a quiet terror when his team is shorthanded. With his size and length, he gobbles up pucks and then quickly transitions them because he's so big.

He nearly scored a shorthanded goal in the second period. He has a history of being one of the league's most dangerous shorthanded threats.

Hayes scored his first goal as a Flyer with a power play marker in the third period. He flexed a little bit and deservedly so. The 27-year-old center is expected to do a lot for the Flyers.

• Another guy that does a lot is Couturier. Twenty-four seconds after Hayes scored, Couturier added one himself, giving the Flyers a comfy 3-0 advantage less than a minute into the final frame.

When Couturier and Hayes are both scoring on the same night, the Flyers will be tough to beat.

• The Flyers struck first with a second period power play goal from Provorov, who needed 12 games to net his first goal last season.

The power play looks noticeably different (and better). There's constant motion as no player is stationary. As the puck moves, bodies move, which creates more effort for the opposing penalty kill.

Assistant coach Michel Therrien has done positive work with the units.

• Konecny put the game out of reach with his third goal through the opening two games.

Last season, it took him 19 games to score three goals. Great signs from the 22-year-old winger so far, a guy that can take the Flyers to another level when he finds NHL consistency.

• The Flyers gave 21-year-old forwards Connor Bunnaman and Carsen Twarynski the rookie treatment in warmups.

Cool moment for those two — not many had the prospects circled as favorites to win roster spots. They went out and earned it.

• The Flyers kick off a three-game Western Canada road trip in Vancouver on Saturday when they play the Canucks (10 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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