Flyers Leave Winnipeg with an Overtime Victory

            After a crazy goal-happy victory in Toronto on Saturday, the Flyers headed into Winnipeg to face-off against the Jets on Sunday night. Philadelphia struck early with a goal from NHL point leader Jakub Voracek (13). The Jets would not let the Flyer’s lead last long as they responded with three straight goals by Matt Halishuk, Dustin Byfuglien, and Mathieu Perreault; giving Winnipeg a 3-1 lead heading into the 3^rd period.

            The Flyers would step up their game-play in the 3^rd period as Vincent Lecavalier, yes Vincent Lecavalier, would score two goals tying things up and sending the game into overtime. The overtime period would last a whopping 10 seconds as Voracek would find his 2^nd goal of the game, and give the Flyers a 4-3 victory.

            Recently, the game-play of the Flyers has improved a great deal. Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux have been on fire, proving they are the most dominant duo in hockey. The Flyers head into Minnesota on Tuesday night hoping to continue their winning streak.  

Flyers Get Impressive Win Against Devils

SILVER LININGS. That is what you look for when you are a struggling hockey team looking to turn your season around. With Thursday night’s 4-1 victory over their division rival, the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia Flyers put forth the kind of effort Craig Berube hopes to see out his team every game.         

            The Flyers were able to enter the locker room after the first period with a 2-0 lead, and never looked back. Philadelphia was able to double the amount of shots put up by the Devils in all 3 periods, which is an area the Flyers have struggled in all season long. When you put up a lot of shots, it increases the chances of you scoring goals (crazy, I know). Although the Devils were able to cut the lead in half in the 2^nd period, the Orange & Black responded in the 3^rd with two more goals (yes, in know one was an empty net goal but it still counts). 

            The Philadelphia Flyers played on one their best games, if not the best, of the season last night against the New Jersey Devils. They are going to need to put forth that kind of effort every game from this point on if they want a chance to even be in the playoff discussion towards the end of the season. The Flyers look to build off their win when they go up against the struggling Carolina Hurricanes Saturday afternoon.

Flyers Can’t Complete Comeback Against Blue Jackets

The Philadelphia Flyers went into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets hoping to end their recent road trip on a high note. Although the Blue Jackets have struggle so far this season due to numerous injuries to key players, they went into the game currently riding a 3-game winning streak, and looking to turn their season around. Although it was a low-scoring contest, the Blue Jackets dominated the possession game, as the Flyers struggled to get into any sort of rhythm on offense. The Flyers faced the same difficulties against the Kings on Saturday afternoon; but were able to ride the dominant play of goaltender Steve Mason to victory. Philadelphia would not be able to rely solely on the play of Mason this time around as he did not have the best night in goal. With less than a minute to play in the game, the Blue Jackets led the Flyers 2-1 when Braydon Schenn was able to put the puck in the back of the net for the 2^nd time and send the game into overtime. Columbus would eventually score the game-winner in overtime, and send the Flyers home with only one point. The Flyers can be grateful they were able to get one point out of the game; as they find themselves quite desperate these days.

            The Flyers are noticeably playing better as of late; but they still have a long ways to go. The Orange and Black need find a way to get their offense going. As of right now, it is pretty much nonexistent. The Flyers look to gain two points when the New Jersey Devils come into Philadelphia on Thursday night.  

State of the Philadelphia Flyers Address

            The first 26 games of the 2014-2015 season have not been kind to the Flyers of Philadelphia. With a 9-13-4 (22 pts.) record, Philadelphia currently sits in 6^th place in the Metropolitan division and is ranked among the bottom-feeders of the league in 26^th place. Only 3 points separate them from the last place Oilers, panic is starting to set in among Flyers Nation. The question that so many are now asking is, where do the Flyers go from here? Although I am far from an expert, I will do my best to answer a few of these questions now.

            When a team is doing poorly, the first action that is normally taken is firing the head coach. In this case, I do not believe that firing Craig Berube is the right choice. What the Flyers need is consistency and their problems reside on the ice, not on the bench. Berube has proven that he can get guys to play for him, and I believe that the Flyers can be successful with him at the helm.

            What the Philadelphia Flyers lack is enough talent to consistently put forth a good effort on the ice. Along with not enough talent, the Flyers also have way to many bad contracts on their current roster. The front office needs to be active in the trade market; but focus more on getting rid of contracts instead of acquiring talent for the future. If they can do both, that is a plus; but they need to make getting rid of guys Lecavalier and Umberger. On this current roster, there are only a few players that Hextall and company should view as untradeable. This list includes Giroux, Voracek, Simmonds, Brayden Schenn, Michael Del Zotto, and Steve Mason. The likes of B. Schenn and MDZ on this list may surprise some, but I feel that Schenn still has star potential and his production and skill increases every year. MDZ is only signed for one year and has played pretty well. There is no need to trade a player that will be gone at the end of the season if the Flyers do not want him back.

            If the Flyers continue to play the way they have, they could be in the run for the 1^st overall draft pick this offseason. Although this is appealing, Philadelphia must not tank the season. Giving up on the season will not help produce winners for future seasons. Look at how well tanking has worked for the 76ers………

            What are your thoughts on my thoughts? Feel free to share in the comment section below. 

Flyers Sweep Season Series Against Kings

During the first two games of their three-game California road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers have shown signs of an improved hockey team but were unable to produce a win. All of that changed when the Flyers went into Los Angeles to face off against the Kings Saturday afternoon as the Orange & Black were able to come away with a 2-1 victory.

            As you can see by the final score, there was not a whole lot of offense going on; however that is to be expected when you go against arguably the best goaltender in the NHL, Jonathan Quick. Luckily Steve Mason was able to show signs of greatness as well, stopping 37 of the 38 shots that came his way. Philadelphia was able to get goals from their stars as Claude Giroux tallied his 8^th of the season in the 1^st period of play, and Wayne Simmonds scored his 11^th of the season in period number two. 

            Philadelphia did not play a perfect game by any means, and if it were not for fantastic play in goal by Mason they most likely would have continued their losing streak. The Flyers must take what worked and build off of it. They play a very winnable game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, and look to start a much needed winning streak. 

Flyers Fall in Shootout

            When your season is not quite going the way you hoped it would, it is important to find a “silver lining” whenever possible, and build off of it. Although the Flyers ended up losing last night’s contest to the Ducks in a shootout, the team showed some signs that they could possibly turn this woeful season into a mediocre one. One thing I have noticed about this team is their inability to have productive performances from both the scoring and goaltending departments in the same game. During games where either Mason or Emery is lights out, the offense is close to nonexistent. For games where the offense is able to put four or five pucks in the back of the net, the goalies forget to show up and let in five or six goals. I truly do not know if there is any sort of hockey voodoo out there that can assist Philadelphia in this; but something has seriously got to give!

            Once again, I am fully aware that losing stinks. However, Flyers fans can at least be a little pleased knowing that their team was at least able to get a point out of the game. During a season where points have been scarce, we will definitely take what we can get. Another bright spot for the Flyers in last night’s game was the performance from Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds gave his team a two-goal night, and scored one of those bad boys with three seconds left to play in regulation. The Wayne Train started his season off hot; but has cooled off since then. Everyone in the Flyers organization can only hope that last night’s effort turns things around for a player they need to perform consistently at a high level. One last bright spot, the Flyers and their fans can take away from last night is R.J. Umberger freaking scored a goal! Since Umberger arrived in the trade with Columbus, he has been an absolute failure. Honestly, I do not think that he is going to play any better; but at least he has given the team more hope than Lecavalier.

            The Flyers look to finally get back into the win column when they head to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon to take on the Kings. 

Flyers Lose Hard Fought Battle to Sharks

Coming into Tuesday’s contest against the San Jose Sharks, Craig Berube and the Philadelphia Flyers were desperate for a winning effort on the ice. In hope of making things for his team better, Berube made some big moves on his roster benching the struggling Vincent Lecavalier, and defenseman Michael Del Zotto. Not much noise was made about the Del Zotto benching; but Vinny made enough noise for the both of them. I will go into more about the Lecavalier whining session; but first, lets discuss the game.

The game was well played by both teams, and you could get a sense that it was going to go down to the wire. With six minutes gone in the 1^st period, Sean Couturier was able to find the back of the net, scoring his 5^th goal of the season and giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead early. The score would remain 1-0 until late in the 2^nd period when Marc-Edouard Vlasic was able to not things up with a little over two minutes before the horn sounded. As the 3^rd period moved along, all signs pointed to overtime and at least one point for the orange and black. Then, Matt Nieto played the role of heartbreaker, as he was able to get to a rebound following a shot by Patrick Marleau and put it in the back of the net. The Sharks were able to take a 2-1 lead with 12 seconds left and eventually give the Flyers their 5^th loss in a row.

Overall, Philadelphia played a very good game. However, all it takes in this league is one big mistake late, and all that hard work will count for nothing. The Flyers have only tallied 19 points this season and are officially member of the bottom-feeders club. It is safe to say that the Flyers season to this point has been a complete failure. Although their have been some players showing their ability to be dominant, there are also some players that have stunk-on-ice, and not lived up to their potential. Leading this group of players is former all-star Vincent Lecavalier. He has been a disappointment since he got to Philly and Berube finally put his butt on the bench making him a healthy-scratch for last night’s game. Vinny was clearly not happy about the coach’s decision and made his feelings public. He went as far as saying that he would retire after the 2015-2016 season if that meant that a team would trade for him and get him out of Philadelphia. I have always been a huge fan of Lecavalier; but yesterday’s comments made me lose a great deal of respect for the guy. It has been obvious that he can no longer produce the way he used to and his team is struggling because of it. Instead of taking the decision to bench him like a man and fight to get his spot on roster back, he decides to go after his coach and abandon his teammates. Personally, I hope the Flyers some team dumb enough to take this fool. He is no good for an already hostile atmosphere.  

Gone for the Holiday

Like many of you out there, I will be doing a lot of traveling these next few days. Due to this, I will not be writing articles for the games that take place during Thanksgiving day  weekend. If I got paid for this, things would be different; but I don't (yet). I will be back in full when December comes. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Mason Gets No Help In Loss

Last night, the Philadelphia Flyers came into the Nassau Coliseum looking to knock to the New York Islanders off of their high horse. With the Islanders arguably being the hottest team in the NHL, it would not be an easy task for the Orange & Black to accomplish. Although Steve Mason did his part, recording 46 saves and recording a shutout, Philadelphia’s offense was nowhere to be found which resulted in a shootout loss. As a fan of the Flyers, or hockey in general, you have to feel bad for goaltender Steve Mason. This is not the first time that he has put forth a stellar effort but received little to no offensive support. I mean the Islanders were able to put up a whopping 46 shots, and Mason turned away all of them. Ladies and gentlemen, that is not an easy accomplishment by any means. On the other hand, the Flyers were only able to 21 shots on goal. That is less than half of the amount the Islanders put up!!!! To be in a game the entire time against a very good opponent, and put up no goals at all is pretty flipping pathetic if you ask me.

            Unlike most nights, I was actually able to attend last night’s game. This is always an enjoyable experience that occurs only once or twice a season. I am not the type of fan that falls under the “obnoxious jerk” category. I do not heckle the opposition or their fans under any circumstances. I am there for one reason, to watch a sport and a team that I am very passionate about. I say this because what I experienced last night shocked me and was completely uncalled for. Before I go any further, I am 100% aware that I was in enemy territory last night rooting for a team that is not well liked by other team’s fans. However, I have been to many Flyers verses Islanders games at the Nassau Coliseum in the past and never experienced any sort of hostility. Again, I state that I am a quiet fan and completely get that if you run your mouth, you are most likely going to get chewed apart. Last night, I was walking back to my seat during the intermission when I heard someone behind me yell “nice jersey f*gg*t”. I looked behind me to find a man (only in age), most likely in his mid-twenties, staring directly at me with his middle finger in the air. He then moved his finger to the direction of my fiancé. The look of his hate in his eyes was unbelievable. Here we are just minding our own business and this toolbox decides he is going to direct hateful actions and remarks towards us because of the team we were supporting. It honestly felt uncomfortable and did not make the experience as enjoyable as it should have been. When the game was over, my fiancé and I walked out to the parking lot to find our car. As we were on the search for the Malibu I felt a heavy object hit me right in the back of the neck. When I looked down at the pavement I noticed that what hit me was a close-to-full Bud Light can. At that point I felt as if it was in my best interest to get to my car and just leave. Provoking these hooligans would produce nothing positive for me.

            The reason I bring this stuff is not only because the Flyers gave me nothing fun to write about as far as on-ice-performance; it is because I truly felt the most treated I have ever felt at last night’s game. It made me think about all the other fans that root for the away team at any stadium and the torture they sometimes go through. It can be a deterrent that can prevent an individual from something he or she loves.  There is no place for this kind of behavior in hockey or any sport. That is as far as I am going with this issue.

            The Flyers head to Detroit tomorrow to face the Red Wings and hopefully put some goals on the board as they try to get a win before Turkey Day. 

Flyers End Losing Streak with Help from Blue Jackets

Nobody likes losing streaks, especially when they start creep up into the “long” category. Now I do not know if I would consider four games a long losing streak; but it was definitely a longer string of losses than the Flyers and their fans wanted to experience. With Scott Hartnell and the Blue Jackets of Columbus coming in to town for the second time, the Flyers had just one thing on their minds; put an end to all of this losing.

            Philadelphia was able to do just that with a solid effort from everyone wearing orange and black. Brayden Schenn started off the night right with an early goal (his 7^th of the season), and although Columbus was able to eventually even things up, the Flyers never trailed in the game. A beautiful thing about never trailing in a game means that you cannot lose. The Flyers also saw goals from Mark Streit (4), Wayne Simmonds (8), and Braydon Cobourn (1), which helped them come away with a 4-2 victory.

            It is an obvious statement for me to make when I say the Flyers winning the game was a great thing to see; but was impressed me was the will and determination that seemed to be in their style of play. This has been something I feel the team has been lacking for most of the season (to this point). I hope that this will be the start of good things to come. The Flyers will be tested when they head to Long Island to take on the New York Islanders. The boys from the Island are off to a hot start and share first place in the division with those filthy Penguins. If the Flyers want to make believers out of some of their more pessimistic fans, they will need to leave Long Island Monday night with a win.

Flyers Lose to Wild Extending Streak to 4 Games

Thursday night’s festivities at the Wells Fargo started with a wonderful ceremony inducting two great players, Eric Lindros and John LeClair, into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Fans of the Black & Orange were hoping this emotional beginning would provide their squad with the momentum to put forth an effort worthy of breaking their current losing 3-game losing streak. Unfortunately, this would not take place as the Flyers fell to the Minnesota Wild in heartbreaking fashion 3-2.

The entire game was a hard-fought battle that the Flyers seemed to have the upper hand in terms of style of play. Philadelphia heavily outshot the Wild for most the game, and won the shot battle 39-29 when the final horn sounded. Sadly, the amount of shots a team takes does not guarantee them a positive increase in the win column. Philadelphia played the catch-up game all night long; first, being down 1-0 and tying it up, and then making things even again later on when the Wild were leading 2-1. With 46 seconds left to play in the 3^rd period, it looked as if the Flyers were all ready to settle this contest in overtime; however, Minnesota did not share the same mindset. With a little help from Ryan Sutter and lack of intelligence from the Flyers, Jason Zucker scored his 6^th goal of the season and gave the Wild a 3-2 lead. Giving up a go-ahead goal with less than one minute in the third is as detrimental as getting your throat sliced open. All hope was lost for the Flyers as they lost their fourth straight game, making their record 7-9-2 on the season.

So far, things are not going the way the Flyers or their fans imagined. There have been spurts when you might think “okay, now we are moving”, and then the team does something like lose four straight. I am starting to think that this team just is not that good. Yes there are some amazing pieces; but there are a lot of question marks as well. As a community, Flyers fans need to start asking themselves whether or not the playoffs are a realistic expectation for this team. Right now my answer is no; but I am open to having my opinion changed. The Flyers look to give their fans some hope as they face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night. 

Flyers Come Out Flat Against Rivals

When I think of rivalry games, I think of all out dog fights that do not lose their entertainment value until the final horn sounds. When the Philadelphia Flyers came into Madison Square Garden to face-off against their 2^nd biggest rivals, the New York Rangers, every fan was expecting this kind of game.  I mean why wouldn't we? Flyers vs. Rangers games are always full-blown fights on the ice (both figuratively and literally). Well this game would be a complete disappointment to both Flyers Nation and your casual hockey fan.

            The men representing the Orange & Black not only played a poor game (minus Steve Mason), it was as if they never showed up in the first place. The Flyers have proven night in and night out that they are only as good as the effort Giroux and Voracek are able to put forth. There has been no other player who has been able to play consistently well in order to give the team more firepower on the offensive and defensive side of the puck. The Rangers were only able to make the final score 2-0 in their favor; but it might as well been 9-0. I truly feel bad for Steve Mason because he continues to display a valiant effort in net every game; but he (along with Giroux and Voracek) can only do so much. I know it might sound like a crazy theory but if a hockey team cannot score goals, they will not win hockey games.

            I know that we are still in the early parts of the season, and the injury bug has bitten the Flyers more than once; but one must start to wonder if this team does not have what it takes to be considered “playoff caliber”. Although it pains me to say it, I feel that way as both a fan and a “sports writer” (if I can be called that). The Flyers are currently on a 3-game losing streak where they have not looked good at all. They look to end this streak and hopefully start a new one as the Minnesota Wild come in to town tonight. 

Epic Fail on All Levels

Before I dive into this article, I must admit to all of my readers that I could not watch last night’s contest between our beloved Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens. This was not due to me not wanting the watch the game, it was physically impossible for me to due so. Like many others, I live outside of the Philadelphia area but bleed the color combination of Orange & Black. I watch all of the Flyers games using the NHL Gamecenter application and my Roku device. Once in a while, the games are blacked out on the application due to the game being shown on a national broadcast. This is the case for last night’s game because it was being shown on the NHL Network. My new TV provided (Optimum) does not have the NHL Network in the package I currently own, which made me very aggravated. The only sort of news I was receiving about the game was through Twitter and score updates on my cell phone. With that being said, I cannot provide my usual recap for this contest. However, I will say this, most teams in the NHL are not going to win games when they give up six goals to the opposition. Whether it was Emery’s fault, the defense’s fault, or a combination of both, it is completely unacceptable. Every time the Flyers would get close to making the score even, the Canadiens would score another goal. Now I am no hockey guru, but I can say with confidence that this is not a winning formula. The Flyers are now 7-7-2 on the season and sit at sixth place in the Metropolitan Division with 16 points. Philadelphia will travel to New York to play the Rangers on Wednesday night. I would like to reassure readers that I will be able to watch that game J. 

Flyers Help Blue Jackets Snap Losing Streak

Whenever the Flyers and Blue Jackets play each other, there is always a reunion taking place for more than one player on each team. Flyers forwards Jakub Voracek, R.J. Umberger, and goaltender Steve Mason came from Columbus via trade. In addition, Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovski and forward Scott Hartnell both previously played for the Flyers. Friday night’s showdown between these two teams was significant because it was Scott Hartnell’s first game back at the Wells Fargo Center against the team he dedicated the prime of his career to. The Flyers were looking to continue their 3-game winning streak after having the past five nights off. While the banged-up Blue Jackets were looking to snap an 8-game losing streak. By the end of the night, one teams streak would be broken, and it turned out to be Columbus’s as they skated away with a 4-3 victory.

            Both teams fought hard for most of the night; but Columbus seemed to have a little more drive and determination to their style of play. As should be expected, the Flyers looked a little rusty after having the past five days consist of either rest or practice. Both teams looked fantastic on the power play as Columbus went 3 for 4 and Philadelphia officially went 2 for 3. I stress the word “officially” because the Flyers’ third goal was eventually entered as an “even-strength” goal even though there was around one-second left on the power play. The orange & black have looked incredible on special teams (especially at home). Although this is a great sign, I cannot help but wonder why the team cannot score like this 5-on-5? It is important to take advantage of power play opportunities; but the team cannot rely on special teams alone. They need to start producing more when teams are at even strength. The Flyers look to put another one in the win column as they head across the border to take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight. The last contest between these two teams still leaves a sour taste in my mouth and it is time for Philadelphia to come out and get some revenge. 

Flyers Hold on to Beat Avalanche

In game three of their four-game home stand, the Flyers looked to get their third win in a row when the Colorado Avalanche came in to town Saturday night. For the most part, the 1^st period was full of pretty sloppy play on both sides and Philadelphia seemed to be moving a little slow. A fire was lit under the rear-ends of the men sitting on the Flyers bench when they watched Luke Schenn get sent into the boards by Nathan MacKinnon. Schenn would be forced to leave the game, and Philly would go on a power play for five minutes. This man-advantage would result in two goals for the Flyers, one by Claude Giroux (3), and one by Wayne Simmonds (7). The orange and black would score twice more in the second period as Brayden Schenn scored his fourth of the season, and Claude Giroux scored his second of the evening giving the Flyers a 4-0 lead going into the 3^rd period. Colorado would make things very interesting and concerning when they scored three on answered goals in the 3^rd period. Although it went down to the very end when it looked like it might be a blowout early, the Flyers held on to beat the Avalanche 4-3 and improve their record to 7-5-2 (16 points).

            The Flyers power play looked very good against Colorado going an impressive 3 for 6. Even though Mason let in three goals in the 3^rd, he had a pretty good night in net. When a team records 39 shots, some of them are going to go in. Philadelphia has looked much better in the beginning of November than they did in the beginning of October, and find themselves sitting at 3^rd place in the Metropolitan division. The team has some time off, as they don’t play again until Friday night when the Columbus Blue Jackets come in to town.