While it has been more than discouraging to see the Flyers fall behind in just about every recent game, it has been equally exciting to see them make the comeback. The excitement level for this season is right on par for where it should be with 1 week to go before the playoffs start. That is due, in part, to watching the Flyers fight tooth and nail for every available point.
Ask around Philadelphia and it is safe to say most would say this team will be golfing by the second round. This, to me, couldn't be further from the truth. The team should be healthy at the right time, and combine that with this never say die attitude and you could very well see a team that, other than Montreal and the Devils, no one wants to play in the 1st round. Even paired against the two forementioned teams, the Flyers chances appear to be very good to surprise fans, and dissapoint oppositions.
With 3 games to go, and a world of playoff possibilities the excitement level continues to rise, along with lofty playoff hopes. If the Flyers can continue to roll the way they are this season should end as the exact turnaround we all expected.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Pick a number any number.
With the race in the East so tight, and so many things uncertain at this point the Flyers can keep only one thing in mind. They have to win games. This is not the time of the year to be watching the out of town scoreboards because, honestly, it doesn't matter.
After being dismantled by the Penguins the team seems to have rebounded quite nicely. In their last 3 games the team has managed to get 6 points. In 2 of the 3 games they looked like the team they should have: a playoff team beating a much weaker, less talented, and less driven opponent. The other win was a highly entertaining, edge of your seat, see-saw battler with the Broadway Blue Shirts. A game that was suprisingly decided, in the shootout, with a Flyers win.
Stevens, finally, seems to have his lineup together. This, of course, is until injured players return. With Umberger out of the lineup Thoreson has been proving his worth. So much so, he is now a roster spot ahead of Downie. Stevens also seems to be gaining more and more confidence in him as well putting him out there in key situations, such as the PK. He has also been getting big minutes playing along side of one of the biggest difference makers on the team this year, Mike Richards. For all the blind faith Downie fans, don't worry, he will be a Flyer next season full time. One offseason with a strength and training coach toppled with a skating coach and he will be a force. You can't teach the natural ability and instict Downie has, but he needs to catch up to the NHL game . . . literally.
Heading into the stretch Biron seems to have refocused himself and returned to the level of play he displayed in the first month of the season. We can say this may have come a week or so too late considering the games we lost due to soft goals, but I say we call it perfect timing because after all we are still in the playoff stretch.
This is a streak of 3 nice games put together, the most recent being the most complete and convincing of all the efforts. All aspects of the game were supported with solid responsible play and the team played a full 60. This was another great step and confidence booster for a young team at the right time. This is the play and attitude that should be carried directly into the playoffs.
On a side note, lets hope the bargain bin of upcoming FA's are a little more exciting. This current Isles team is an absolute bore.
After being dismantled by the Penguins the team seems to have rebounded quite nicely. In their last 3 games the team has managed to get 6 points. In 2 of the 3 games they looked like the team they should have: a playoff team beating a much weaker, less talented, and less driven opponent. The other win was a highly entertaining, edge of your seat, see-saw battler with the Broadway Blue Shirts. A game that was suprisingly decided, in the shootout, with a Flyers win.
Stevens, finally, seems to have his lineup together. This, of course, is until injured players return. With Umberger out of the lineup Thoreson has been proving his worth. So much so, he is now a roster spot ahead of Downie. Stevens also seems to be gaining more and more confidence in him as well putting him out there in key situations, such as the PK. He has also been getting big minutes playing along side of one of the biggest difference makers on the team this year, Mike Richards. For all the blind faith Downie fans, don't worry, he will be a Flyer next season full time. One offseason with a strength and training coach toppled with a skating coach and he will be a force. You can't teach the natural ability and instict Downie has, but he needs to catch up to the NHL game . . . literally.
Heading into the stretch Biron seems to have refocused himself and returned to the level of play he displayed in the first month of the season. We can say this may have come a week or so too late considering the games we lost due to soft goals, but I say we call it perfect timing because after all we are still in the playoff stretch.
This is a streak of 3 nice games put together, the most recent being the most complete and convincing of all the efforts. All aspects of the game were supported with solid responsible play and the team played a full 60. This was another great step and confidence booster for a young team at the right time. This is the play and attitude that should be carried directly into the playoffs.
On a side note, lets hope the bargain bin of upcoming FA's are a little more exciting. This current Isles team is an absolute bore.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Powerplay to the Playoffs
If one thing has become more evident than all others it is that the key factor to this team winning games does not fall on one or two players, or even the coach or goalie. If the Flyers powerplay is successful, the team follows right behind it. At times this season it seems as though the powerplay has been the Flyers life support. In the midst of their franchise tieing losing streak they were also in a powerplay funk. With a handful of their losses being by one goal, had they clicked on a couple more of those PP chances, the standings would surely look much different.
A part of me can’t believe I am actually saying this, but I hope the officiating in the playoffs remains consistent with that of the regular season. This, of course, excluding the nasty side of the game. If they let some roughing calls slide, that is fine by me, but if we expect any success in the playoffs we should be hoping for heaps of powerplay chances to take advantage off. If the ref’s decide to put their whistles away, for a change, Stevens is going to have a tough task in waking these guys up 5 on 5. With any luck, getting Richards and Lupul back from injury will ease the effort.
A part of me can’t believe I am actually saying this, but I hope the officiating in the playoffs remains consistent with that of the regular season. This, of course, excluding the nasty side of the game. If they let some roughing calls slide, that is fine by me, but if we expect any success in the playoffs we should be hoping for heaps of powerplay chances to take advantage off. If the ref’s decide to put their whistles away, for a change, Stevens is going to have a tough task in waking these guys up 5 on 5. With any luck, getting Richards and Lupul back from injury will ease the effort.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Down for the Count
On a night that the main event seems to have been a 2 round fight leading to the eventual knockout win for Riley Cote over Andre Roy, the Flyers Jeff Carter, and Daniel Briere also handed out knockout blows of their own.
Leading into last night’s match up against the Lightning the Flyers were win-less in their previous 8 home match-ups against the team. With the injury list only 1 player shorter than their previous games it was evident the Flyers would have a tough game ahead of them, one in which they desperately needed two points. Fortunately for the Flyers the one player that was able to return happened to be Danny Briere. Though he has struggled most of the season living up to the expectations he delivered one of his best performances of the night topping it off with a tying goal early in the game.
Briere though, was only a part of the under-card when it came to the true main event of the night. With Mike Richards, and Joffrey Lupul out of the lineup Jeff Carter has established himself as the player we all hoped, and knew he could be. The deadline coveted star put forth another dominating effort with a 2 goal night, one of which being the GWG late in the 3rd. In dramatic fashion Carter displayed his patience, and new found confidence while controlling the puck in the offensive zone waiting for his opportunity. “It had eyes”, he said during his post game interview, but it surely had alot to do with Carter, as much it did a 20/20 puck.
If Carter can continue with this level of play as guys like Richards, and Lupul return the playoff hopeful Flyers could be a force to reckon with when the time comes.
Leading into last night’s match up against the Lightning the Flyers were win-less in their previous 8 home match-ups against the team. With the injury list only 1 player shorter than their previous games it was evident the Flyers would have a tough game ahead of them, one in which they desperately needed two points. Fortunately for the Flyers the one player that was able to return happened to be Danny Briere. Though he has struggled most of the season living up to the expectations he delivered one of his best performances of the night topping it off with a tying goal early in the game.
Briere though, was only a part of the under-card when it came to the true main event of the night. With Mike Richards, and Joffrey Lupul out of the lineup Jeff Carter has established himself as the player we all hoped, and knew he could be. The deadline coveted star put forth another dominating effort with a 2 goal night, one of which being the GWG late in the 3rd. In dramatic fashion Carter displayed his patience, and new found confidence while controlling the puck in the offensive zone waiting for his opportunity. “It had eyes”, he said during his post game interview, but it surely had alot to do with Carter, as much it did a 20/20 puck.
If Carter can continue with this level of play as guys like Richards, and Lupul return the playoff hopeful Flyers could be a force to reckon with when the time comes.
Back by popular demand . . . or not.
To say that the dedication to this blog is a direct reflection of my attention span is an understatement. I have some catching up to do, but I am both ready and willing to fill in the months of missed blogging.
Ironically in the last paragraph of my last post I noted that "if this team remains healthy". It seems year after year this IF for the Flyers get's bigger and bigger. Admist a 10 game winless streak, the Flyers had seen Mike Richards, Joffrey Lupul, Derian Hatcher, and newly acquired Modry on the injured list. Not to mention Gange being counted out for the season. Even amongst this losing/injury streak the Flyers hold onto a playoff spot.
My take on shutting down Simon for the year is that it was the right thing to do. Early in his return from the concussion he was noticably not playing like himself. Not only was he not playing physical, it seemed like he was going out of his way to avoid contact. In his first 11 games back from his concussion Gagne recorded zero hits. Shutting him down for the season was the best thing they could do for him, and the team. No distractions with attempted returns, and hopefully, no early retirement for Gagne.
Losing Mike Richards, and Joffrey Lupul had a huge impact on this team. Once Lupul went down again, it was evident this team needed other players to step up, but once Richards went down, it seemed like we could see an early end to the season.
Enter Jeff Carter. Carter, with the trade deadline behind him, has elevated his play to where they expatations of him lie. Carter is playing with energy, confidence, and leadership. With this new on/off ice mentality the puck seems to be following him, and soon finding the net. FINALLY Jeff Carter has arrived.
To revisit the kids, we have a new talent to evaluate. Ryan Parent seems to have concreted his position as a Philadelphia Flyer. This was the initial evaluation of him, before we traded Vandermeer, and got Modry.
The formula is simple. Parent brings more to the table than Vandermeer or Kukkonen. He will probably make similar mistakes, and rookie mistakes, but his upside is there. If you have a defensive prospect that has been playing well in the AHL all season, and a handful of NHL d-men are struggling there is no reason Parent shouldn't be up for a few games. He is a very good passer. He had some jitters and turned the puck over a few times because of it. He is very quick, and good positionally. While he did not deliver the hardest checks I have ever seen, he took the body every time he should have. He pinched effectively when the D was activated, and never got caught being to deep leading to a odd man rush. For a rookie defenseman playing close to 17 minutes in his 2nd NHL game ever I'd say the experiment was a success. He will make mistakes, as all rookies do, and he did last night, but the skill is obvious. I'd personally rather see Parents skill/growing pains than Vandermeer coughing up the puck every other time he touches it with no hope of him becoming a better defenseman.
Parent since, has been playing key minutes, in important situations. Proving his talent, reliability, and Stevens trust in the kid.
For the rest of the season that lies behind us, let's just leave it there. From here on out, with the most important 13 games of the season in front of us, we can look foward to getting healthy, and with any hope making the playoffs.
The race in the East is closer than it has been all season, and with all but 4 of the next 13 games being division games the Flyers could very well wind up with a much higher seed than 8th.
Given this team gets healthy at the right time, making it to the ECF is not all that far fetched. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.
Ironically in the last paragraph of my last post I noted that "if this team remains healthy". It seems year after year this IF for the Flyers get's bigger and bigger. Admist a 10 game winless streak, the Flyers had seen Mike Richards, Joffrey Lupul, Derian Hatcher, and newly acquired Modry on the injured list. Not to mention Gange being counted out for the season. Even amongst this losing/injury streak the Flyers hold onto a playoff spot.
My take on shutting down Simon for the year is that it was the right thing to do. Early in his return from the concussion he was noticably not playing like himself. Not only was he not playing physical, it seemed like he was going out of his way to avoid contact. In his first 11 games back from his concussion Gagne recorded zero hits. Shutting him down for the season was the best thing they could do for him, and the team. No distractions with attempted returns, and hopefully, no early retirement for Gagne.
Losing Mike Richards, and Joffrey Lupul had a huge impact on this team. Once Lupul went down again, it was evident this team needed other players to step up, but once Richards went down, it seemed like we could see an early end to the season.
Enter Jeff Carter. Carter, with the trade deadline behind him, has elevated his play to where they expatations of him lie. Carter is playing with energy, confidence, and leadership. With this new on/off ice mentality the puck seems to be following him, and soon finding the net. FINALLY Jeff Carter has arrived.
To revisit the kids, we have a new talent to evaluate. Ryan Parent seems to have concreted his position as a Philadelphia Flyer. This was the initial evaluation of him, before we traded Vandermeer, and got Modry.
The formula is simple. Parent brings more to the table than Vandermeer or Kukkonen. He will probably make similar mistakes, and rookie mistakes, but his upside is there. If you have a defensive prospect that has been playing well in the AHL all season, and a handful of NHL d-men are struggling there is no reason Parent shouldn't be up for a few games. He is a very good passer. He had some jitters and turned the puck over a few times because of it. He is very quick, and good positionally. While he did not deliver the hardest checks I have ever seen, he took the body every time he should have. He pinched effectively when the D was activated, and never got caught being to deep leading to a odd man rush. For a rookie defenseman playing close to 17 minutes in his 2nd NHL game ever I'd say the experiment was a success. He will make mistakes, as all rookies do, and he did last night, but the skill is obvious. I'd personally rather see Parents skill/growing pains than Vandermeer coughing up the puck every other time he touches it with no hope of him becoming a better defenseman.
Parent since, has been playing key minutes, in important situations. Proving his talent, reliability, and Stevens trust in the kid.
For the rest of the season that lies behind us, let's just leave it there. From here on out, with the most important 13 games of the season in front of us, we can look foward to getting healthy, and with any hope making the playoffs.
The race in the East is closer than it has been all season, and with all but 4 of the next 13 games being division games the Flyers could very well wind up with a much higher seed than 8th.
Given this team gets healthy at the right time, making it to the ECF is not all that far fetched. Let's not get ahead of ourselves though.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Young Guns
The keystone to the Flyers success this season has been the elevated play of their youth core. During his trial period last season Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren, made it perfectly clear that his youth core would not be broken up. This decision is paying dividends thus far this season.
While Timonen, and Briere were the "big acquisitions" during the offseason it is clearly not their play that is having the biggest impact on the team. They are contributing, and I can not say we would be where we are without them, but had the rest of the team not played to the level they are this would be the second dissapointing year in a row.
Fortunately as fans we do not have to bear another season similar to last. We can instead give credit where credit is due. At the season's halfway point we can appreciate Paul Holmgren's efforts and decision making, John Steven's coaching, and the team's collective effort. As long as they play consistent, and remain healthy we can look foward to seeing our kids in the playoffs rather than wonder which golf course they are teeing off on.
While Timonen, and Briere were the "big acquisitions" during the offseason it is clearly not their play that is having the biggest impact on the team. They are contributing, and I can not say we would be where we are without them, but had the rest of the team not played to the level they are this would be the second dissapointing year in a row.
Fortunately as fans we do not have to bear another season similar to last. We can instead give credit where credit is due. At the season's halfway point we can appreciate Paul Holmgren's efforts and decision making, John Steven's coaching, and the team's collective effort. As long as they play consistent, and remain healthy we can look foward to seeing our kids in the playoffs rather than wonder which golf course they are teeing off on.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Pros and Controversy.
With two capable goalies to choose from John Stevens is riding the hot into New York tonight to take on the boys in blue. I have already read the word controversy at least 5 times in the past 24 hours. As of right now, I do not think that is the case, but Frank could be making a strong argument that states otherwise. In the beginning of the season Nitty was asked what he thought of having Biron as the clear cut starter for the season. While I don't know the exact quote I do remember it being something to the nature of, "It doesn't matter to me, because I'm going to take my job back anyway." Nitty has made the most of his starts this season and has earned each one he got. I commend John Stevens for rewarding Nitty with the start tonight, but I also thing the Sweden Finland match up always plays into this decision as well. A game against Lundqvuist will always make it a bit easier for Nitty to elevate his play.
There have been some reports that we could see some players back in the lineup tonight, but the roster moves show that it may not be as many players as initially reported. The big news is that Gagne is possible to return, which would be huge for the team, and more specifically Briere. It doesn't appear Upshall or Smith will be back in the lineup. Kapanen is probably going to be out again as well. The only player that has been sent down is Potulny. They may be keeping to other kids as insurance, and scratch them right before the game, but I think we will see some more Phantoms in the game tonight.
Around the NHL:
There has been some interesting buzzing going on around the NHL that deserves some attention. First and foremost, welcome back to hockey Bob Clarke. Clarke recently interviewed with TSN.ca and supported Steve Downies eye shattering punch to Jason Blake. It was te first time someone actually acknowledged that this was an incident that Blake brought upon himself. Thanks, Bob, I don't miss you as a GM but any support you have to offer during this time of sissified hockey speak up, please.
Alex Ovechkin has been reported as rejecting the Caps contract extension. I can't blame him either. This is an organization that drafted one of the most talented players in the league and in the three years he has been with the team done nothing to put a solid supporting cast around him. This is a team that by now should be competing for a playoff spot with him on the roster, instead they are going to lose the only draw the DC market has to hockey.
And finally, Foresberg rumors are afoot. Of course the Flyers would want a healthy Foresberg, who wouldn't? Let's just wait and see how it pans out. I am tired of hearing about Peter golfing with Timonen so he must be returning to Philly.
There have been some reports that we could see some players back in the lineup tonight, but the roster moves show that it may not be as many players as initially reported. The big news is that Gagne is possible to return, which would be huge for the team, and more specifically Briere. It doesn't appear Upshall or Smith will be back in the lineup. Kapanen is probably going to be out again as well. The only player that has been sent down is Potulny. They may be keeping to other kids as insurance, and scratch them right before the game, but I think we will see some more Phantoms in the game tonight.
Around the NHL:
There has been some interesting buzzing going on around the NHL that deserves some attention. First and foremost, welcome back to hockey Bob Clarke. Clarke recently interviewed with TSN.ca and supported Steve Downies eye shattering punch to Jason Blake. It was te first time someone actually acknowledged that this was an incident that Blake brought upon himself. Thanks, Bob, I don't miss you as a GM but any support you have to offer during this time of sissified hockey speak up, please.
Alex Ovechkin has been reported as rejecting the Caps contract extension. I can't blame him either. This is an organization that drafted one of the most talented players in the league and in the three years he has been with the team done nothing to put a solid supporting cast around him. This is a team that by now should be competing for a playoff spot with him on the roster, instead they are going to lose the only draw the DC market has to hockey.
And finally, Foresberg rumors are afoot. Of course the Flyers would want a healthy Foresberg, who wouldn't? Let's just wait and see how it pans out. I am tired of hearing about Peter golfing with Timonen so he must be returning to Philly.
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