from Sam Carchidi of Philly.com,

Even before they went on their current five-game winning streak, there were signs the Flyers were headed in a different direction that the sad-sack football team that plays across the street from the Wells Fargo Center.

In losses to Tampa Bay and the New York Rangers, you see, the Flyers dominated the scoring chances but ran into hot goalies. They have continued to get more shot attempts recently and have gotten superior goaltending of their own.

Here, then, is how the win-one, lose-one Flyers have transformed into the NHL's hottest team.

Terrific goaltending

Steve Mason, the NHL's No. 1 star of the week, plays much better when he knows he is "the guy" and will get a majority of the starts. With Michal Neuvirth sidelined by a knee injury - he might return in mid-December - Mason has flourished while starting 10 of the last 11 games. He has a .945 save percentage and 1.71 goals-against average in his last four games, all wins.

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