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. 

Flyers Look Great in Victory

The Philadelphia Flyers had one thing in mind when the Florida Panthers came into the Wells Fargo Canter Thursday night; payback. After a disappointing outing against the Panthers Saturday in Florida, Philly wanted nothing more than to come out strong and get the win this time around. The 1^st period seemed to go as planned for the Flyers getting quick goals from Sean Courturier (4) and Michael Del Zotto (1) to give the team a 2-0 only seven minutes in. The orange and black looked strong all-around in the opening period of play, and had all the momentum going into the locker room.

            The 2^nd period would bring more good things for the Flyers as Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored his 3^rd goal of the season less than 3 minutes into the period off a snap shot to give Philly a 3-0 lead. With a little more than half of the period complete, the Panthers started to chip away at the lead with a goal scored by Nick Bjudstad (1); but Jake Voracek brought the lead back to 3 goals with his sixth goal of the season. When the horn sounded to end the 2^nd period, the Flyers would go into the locker room with a comfortable 4-1 lead.

            There would be no more scoring in this contest, and the Philadelphia Flyers would walk away with a satisfying 4-1 victory. This was the first game of the season where all the aspects of the Flyers game seemed to be working the way they wanted. Steve Mason had an outstanding 60 minutes, allowing only 1 goal on 35 shots. More and more, he is looking like the Steve Mason from last season. Jakub Voracek has been the hottest player on the Flyers, and possibly the hottest player in the league. With the scoring of his sixth goal of the season, Voracek is currently on a 7-game point streak, and has tallied a total of 19 points this season. For the first time this season, the Flyers have moved above .500 and sit at 4^th place in the Metropolitan division. The team looks to continue to improve on their record when the Colorado Avalanche come to town on Saturday night.  

Flyers Get Bittersweet Victory Against Oilers

After Saturday night’s disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, the Philadelphia Flyers would like nothing more than to put that junk behind them, and put forth a good effort against the Oilers of Edmonton. Steve Mason returned to net, hoping to finally accomplish his first victory of the season after a strong effort Saturday. The Flyers also welcomed veteran defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo to the line-up, hoping he will improve the team’s struggling blue-line. With the start of a four game home stand, Philadelphia desperately needed to pull off a win against Edmonton to begin steering their mediocre record of 4-5-2 into one worthy of recognition. 

            In this 1^st period, the Oilers outshot the Flyers by a count of 11 to 8.  Luckily for Philadelphia shots are not what make a team win hockey games. Goals make a team win hockey games, and Jakub Voracek did what he could to help the boys in orange and black by adding his fourth and fifth goals of the season. Voracek literally carried the Flyers in the 1^st period and provided them with a 2-0 lead going into the locker room.

            Entering the 2^nd period, the Philadelphia Flyers did not take their foot off the gas on bit. With less than five minutes played in the period, Pierre- Edouard Bellemare scored his second goal of the season to give his team a 3-0 lead. The Oilers would make a slight attempt at a comeback when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (4) cut the deficit to two goals when he found the back of the net with a little over ten minutes to play in the period; but the deficit would be brought back to 3 when Luke Schenn scored his first goal of the season, giving the Flyers a 4-1 lead after two periods of play.

            No more scoring would take place and the Flyers would be victorious, improving their record to 5-5-2 on the season. However, the victory would be bitter sweet do to an injury that will sideline blossoming forward Michael Raffl for six weeks. Luckily the Flyers have a good deal of depth at the forward position; but this is a devastating loss for the team. The Flyers look to build on their win against the Oilers when the Florida Panthers come in to town on Thursday night.

Offense Oh Offense, Where Art Thou Offense?

The Philadelphia Flyers started off their November in Sunrise, Florida to take on the 3-2-3 (9 POINTS) Panthers Saturday night after finishing off a tough month of October with a 4-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Coming into the matchup against Florida, the Flyers held a record of 4-4-2 (10 POINTS), which is only good enough for 6^th place in the closely contested Metropolitan Division. After Ray Emery got the start in net for the Flyers the past four games, it was finally Steve Mason’s chance to turn things around, get his first win of the season, and take the Flyers over the .500 mark.

            With a not-so-ginormous crowd of around 5,000 people (50% or more being Flyer fans), the Flyers and the Panthers started the game off playing at a pretty equal level. The Panthers would eventually score first with a little under eleven minutes to play in the period off a slap shot by defenseman Willie Mitchell (1). As the period moved along, the Flyers produced some pretty good chances but could not get the equalizer before the horn sounded to end the 1^st period.

            A wise man once said, in order to score goals a team must shoot the puck. For a good portion of the 2^nd period, the Flyers were acting as if they had never heard this before. As the period came to an end, the team started to put the puck on net more; but could not get the puck past Panthers’ net minder Roberto Luongo. After two periods of play the scored remained 1-0 in favor of the Florida Panthers.

            In the 3^rd period, the Flyers were able to record more shots (18 in the period); but excellent play by Luongo made it near impossible for Philadelphia to tie the game up. With less than five minutes to play in the game, rookie defensemen Aaron Ekblad would make a Flyer comeback even more difficult by scoring his first NHL goal, giving the Panthers a 2-0 lead. The Flyers would finally get a goal on the board when Vincent Lecavalier scored his second goal of the season with only seven seconds left in the contest. This would be to little to late as the Flyers would fall 2-1 to the Florida Panthers, and finish winless in their Florida road trip.

            Although the Flyers could not pull off a win, no blame can be given to Steve Mason. He looked pretty good saving 28 of 30 shots that came his way. The only problem is, when you can’t get the offensive support you need, you cannot win the game. The Flyers look to turn things around on Tuesday night when the Edmonton Oilers come to town. 

Flyers Can’t Quite Get it Done Against Lightning

In the month of October, the Philadelphia Flyers fell victims to a rough schedule full of some of the best teams in the league. Thursday night would not be any different as they traveled into Tamp Bay to take on Steven Stamkos and the Lightning. The 1^st period saw the home team strike first as Vladislav Namesthikov (3) deflected in a shot from Anton Stralman that should have been ruled offside due to the puck being on the wrong side of the blue-line. However, the referees did not see it, and the Lighting took a 1-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. It took a while; but the Flyer finally knotted things up when Wayne Simmonds put in his sixth goal of the season. In the 2^nd period, the score remained a 1-1 tie until Stamkos (7) scored a goal with only 46 seconds to go until the horn sounded giving Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead going into the 3^rd period. Although they were able to keep things close, the Flyers would not be able to get the score even again. They eventually lost the game 4-3.

The Flyers fought hard, but just could not get it done. They were relatively close in shots losing that battle by 5 (32-27). What really hurt the team was their inability to stay out of the penalty box. The Flyers accrued 14 minutes of penalty time. Although some of the calls were very much on the iffy side of things, you cannot expect to put a team like the Lightning on the power play that many times and win the game. With last night’s loss, the Flyers finished up the month of October 4-4-2 (10 points). With the tough schedule and injury problems, the team cannot be disappointed with this .500 record. The month of November will start off a little easier with a game against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

Good Effort & Luck Help Flyers Get W Against Streaking Kings

The Los Angeles Kings came into Tuesday night’s game on a six-game win streak, and looked to stretch it to seven against a Flyer’s team suffering from injuries and troubles on defense. Philadelphia was also looking to make it three straight wins, and reach .500 for the first time this season. With two high scoring teams taking the ice, nobody expected a low scoring matchup where both goalies shined.

            In the 1^st period, both the Flyers and the Kings came out firing on all cylinders making Emery and Quick earn their money early. The Flyers were able to capitalize on their high-powered offense when Michael Raffl found the back of the net off a shot that originally came from Claude Giroux for his 5^th goal of the season. With the Flyers on the power play, Tyler Toffoli (5) capitalized off a poor pass attempt by Matt Read and scored breakaway goal shorthanded to tie the game up with less than seven minutes to go in the 1^st.  The orange & black were able to get in the final punch of the 1^st period as Chris VandeVelde scored his first goal as a Flyer to give his team a 2-1 lead going into the locker room. The 2^nd period provided no goals for either side, leaving the Kings only 20 more minutes to get things knotted up.

            It only took the Kings five minutes to get the equalizer from the former Flyer Mike Richards (1). Although both squads were able to get off plenty of shot, nobody was able to give their team the go-ahead goal in regulation, giving both teams a point and a chance to gain another in overtime. The extra five minutes of play would end in a very bizarre fashion that Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick would like to forget about as soon as possible. With less than three minutes to play in overtime, Brayden Schenn (3) took a shot on a breakaway that originally looked like it was gathered up by Quick. However, Quick’s momentum forced his body into the net bringing the puck along with him. At first, the officials ruled a no-goal; but the ruling was overturned giving the Flyers a 3-2 victory.

            Overall, the Flyers put forth a very good effort against a highly talented Kings team. Ray Emery was brilliant once again making 38 saves on 40 shots. He is proving to the team that he deserves to be the #1 goaltender for Philly going forward. The Flyers look to extend this 3-game win streak when they head to Tampa Bay to take on the Lightning on Thursday night. 

Flyers Make Shot Count in Win against Red Wings

In last night’s contest against the Detroit Red Wings, the Philadelphia Flyers were out-shot 37-17, and still managed to come away with their first win at home. It is not often that a team can be behind in the shot column by twenty and still get a win; but the Flyers proved that it can be done.

            In the 1^st period of play, the only Flyer that looked like he came to play was goaltender Ray Emery. However, even great goal tending cannot prevent all pucks from going in the back of the net, and Riley Sheahan scored his first goal of the season with less than five minutes to play giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead after one. The 2^nd period did not see much goal scoring until Nick Grossman (1) put in a beauty off an assist from Chris VandeVelde with less than two minutes to go. The game remained a 1-1 tie with 14 minutes to go in the 3^rd period, and then a fight for the win began. Michael Raffl scored his 3^rd goal of the season giving the Flyers a short-lived 2-1 lead, as Pavel Datsuk (1) responded with a break-away goal 42 seconds to tie the game back up. Halfway through the period, Brayden Schenn (2) put the Flyers back in the lead with a redirection originally off a shot from Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia never looked back, and Michael Raffl (4) sealed the deal with an empty net goal giving the Flyers a 4-2 victory.

            The Flyers win was far from pretty, and would not of happened if it were not for spectacular goaltending from Emery (35 saves). The defense still needs a great deal of improvements, and the team looks to establish a more high-power offense when the Kings come in to town Tuesday night.   

If Only, If Only.......

I do not think I will be scrutinized for coming out and saying the Philadelphia Flyers poor play on defense is the reason for them only winning 2 out of their first 7 games. Opposing teams are scoring an average of 4 goals per game against the Flyers, which is not at all. Although scoring was an issue this time last season, it has not been this time around. The boys in orange and black have scored 11 goals in the 5 games they have lost, which includes the shutout against Chicago. In total, they have found the back of the net an impressive 21 times in just 7 games. So I got to thinking; what if the Flyer’s play on defense didn’t stink-on-ice (literally)? How different would their record look compared to what it is now? I decided to have a little fun and find out.

For my little experiment  (if it can be considered that),  I am going to say that on a bad night, a good defense should still only give up around 3 goals a game. If the Flyers were a good defensive team, and only gave up a maximum of 3 goals in the 7 games they have played, they would only have regulation losses against Boston and the Blackhawks (assuming the Flyers still scored the amount they did in each game). We will still count the 4-3 overtime loss to the Duck as a loss because it was decided in a shootout. On the other hand, we will assume that if Philly had a good defense, they would not have given up 3 goals to Montreal in the 3^rd period and that game would have been put in the win column. If this little fantasy was true, the Flyers would have a 4-2-1 (9 points) record, which looks a lot nicer than their actual record of 2-3-2 (6 points).

With the news of Andrew Macdonald and Braydon Coburn both out for 4 weeks with upper-body injuries, things do not look like they are going to get any better on defense. So for now, all Flyers fans can say is “If only, If only……”

Flyers Look Strong in Victory Against Rival Penguins

The Beginning of Wednesday’s rivalry matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins was not a familiar site for fans. The teams and their fans united as one to acknowledge the tragedies that took place in Ottawa earlier that day with the singing of the Canadian National Anthem, as well as the United State’s National Anthem. This display demonstrated each teams’ ability to set aside their dislike of one another, and come together during such a difficult time. Once the puck dropped, the familiar battle between in-state rivals continued.  

            The Philadelphia Flyers started off the 1^st period against the Pittsburgh Penguins the same way they approached Tuesday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks; not playing any defense whatsoever. They allowed way to many chances early, which eventually led to a goal off a wrist shot by Nick Spaling (1) to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead less than 4 minutes into the game. The Flyers took a little while to settle down but eventually evened up the score with a slap shot from Mark Streit (2) that went off Evgeni Malkin and found its way in the back of the net with 10:40 left in the period. After gaining the momentum, the Flyers eventually took the lead off a beautiful tip-in goal from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (1^st NHL goal). The Flyers would go into the locker after the 1^st period leading the Penguins 2-1.

            The Flyers remained dominant throughout the second period, outshooting the Penguins 17-6. The only issue was that none of their 17 shots found the back of the net, and one of the Penguins six shots did when Paul Martin scored the equalizer off a face-off win. The score would stay at a 2-2 tie for the remainder of the 2^nd period.

            The gameplay throughout the 3^rd period was a lot more even than in the second. However, the Flyers were better where it counted, getting goals from R.J. Umberger (1) and Matt Read (1) before the midway point of the period making score 4-2 in the Flyers favor.  With a little under three minutes left in the game, Marcel Goc (2) gave Flyer fans a small sense of doubt as he scored to make it 4-3. With less than one minute left to play in regulation, Sean Courtier scored his 3^rd goal of the season removing all doubt that the Flyers would not be able to hold on, giving them a 5-3 lead and their 2^nd win of the season.

            With last night’s victory, the Flyers were able to improve their record to

2-3-2, giving them 6 points in this early season, which puts them only 2 points away from the division leaders (Islanders, Capitals, and Rangers). Although it has been a rough start, the Flyers are far from doomed and look to start their first winning streak of the season when they faceoff against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at home.

Poor Play on Defense Dooms Flyers Against Blackhawks

Going into Tuesday’s night contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, the mindset of the Philadelphia Flyers must have been along the lines of “keep it close, and try to pull it out in the end.” The game plan was made more difficult before the puck even had a chance to drop, as Braydon Coburn (injured since game 1 against the Bruins) was scratched after warm-ups. The Flyers were hoping the defense, which has been shaky at best, would get some serious help with his return; however, this did not happen, so the defense remained awful. The poor performance from the defense resulted in three 1^st period goals by the Blackhawks from Brandon Saad (1), Patrick Kane (2), and Bryan Bickell. This gave the Flyers an uphill battle they were just not ready to compete in. Yes, the defense made it difficult for the Flyers; but the offense did not do anything to help their cause as goaltender Antti Raanta made 32 saves and shut out the boys in orange. In the 3^rd period, Patrick Kane (3) added one more to his season total giving the Blackhawks a 4-0 lead, which would end up being the final score.

            It was clear that the game was over for the Flyers after 20 minutes of play. The defense (or lack thereof) gave the offense no drive to even try and get this game knotted up at 3 goals apiece. Goaltender Steve Mason has been under a lot of scrutiny for his play so far this season but I personally give 0% of the blame to him. The Blackhawks put up 43 shots on net, which a lot of shots! The fact that only 4 of them went in is pretty impressive. I am fully aware that there is a lot of season left; but if Philadelphia does not make some serious improvements in their defensive play, this is going to be a very long season.

            The one positive fans can takeaway from the pathetic display from their Flyers is they had no reason to stay up past 11 P.M. to watch the entire game. For Philadelphia, the game was over by 9 P.M.

Flyers Finally Put One in the Win Column

It only took them five games to do it but Philadelphia Flyers finally got their first win of the season last night against the Dallas Stars. The game did not start off the way the team wanted to, giving up a goal to Trevor Daley (2) a little more than midway through the 1^st period sprouting doubt in the Flyer faithful early; but Sean Couturier (2) responded quickly with a rebound goal less than 2 minutes after the Stars tally. Rebound goals would continue to be a theme for the Flyers as Brayden Schenn (1) was there to put in a rebound off a shot from his brother Luke with a little less than five minute left in the period.

            Much to the dismay of Philadelphia, the scoreboard belonged to Dallas in the 2^nd period, starting with an early goal from Erik Cole (1), which tied the game at 2-2. The last 2 minutes of the 2^nd were not pretty for the Flyers, as the Stars scored twice more; once more from Trevor Daley (3) and one from Jamie Benn(3), giving Dallas a 2 goal lead at the end of 2 periods. Steve Mason’s performance through 2 periods was less than stellar, letting in 4 goals on 18 shots. Coach Berube let his goaltender know that he was not pleased and replaced him with Emery at the beginning of the 3^rd period.

            The 3^rd period was comeback time for the Flyers as they put up two unanswered goals by Andrew MacDonald (1) and Jakub Voracek (2). All of the team’s effort seemed to be for nothing when Jason Spezza (1) put the Stars back up by 1 with 5 minutes left in the game; but Michael Raffl (2) responded quickly, tying up the game and sending in to OT. In overtime, it was Captain Claude Giroux’s (2) time to shine as he put in a power play goal with 2:21 left to give the Flyers their first win of the season.

            Clearly, a lot of work still needs to be done if the Flyers want to consider themselves contenders for the Stanley Cup this season. The defense and goaltending need to improve big time; but for now, let’s just enjoy this win and prepare for The Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

Just Another Bad Trade?

Trades in the NHL (and other sports), are a serious gamble. A general manager hopes that the piece he acquires turns out to be more valuable than the piece he traded away. In the past five years or so, the Philadelphia Flyers have found themselves on the wrong side of trades more times than not. Names like JVR and Sergei Bobrovsky still leave sour tastes in the mouths of the Flyer faithful. Even in acquiring Simmonds and Vorcek, the team gave up Mike Richards and Jeff Carter who have won two Stanley Cups since joining the Los Angeles Kings. With the Flyers struggling to accomplish their first win of the 2014-2015 season, one must look at the Scott Hartnell for R.J. Umberger transaction and question whether this is another one of those trades that the Flyers suffered more than benefitted from.

            Although his production was on the decline, I do not think anyone could argue the leadership and energy Scott Hartnell provided the Flyers. He provided that “X-Factor” piece to the team, and served as a mentor to Captain Claude Giroux. I will not argue that his on-the-ice play is not at the level that it once was; but he still was able to come up with big goals in crucial games during the 2013-2014 season. What did the Flyers gain by acquiring Umberger (besides cap space)? The man is NOT a better hockey player than Hartnell is. He never was and never will be. Is he as big a leader as Hartnell? Not at all! Whether it’s on the ice or the bench, R.J.’s presence seems to have an impact. Obviously, the departure of Hartnell is not the reason for all of the Flyers early season woes, and in the long run I think they will be all right. However, I think I am speaking for all Flyer fans when I say We Want to Win Now, and I think that Hartnell put us in a better position to accomplish this task.

            What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you agree or disagree with me? Share you opinion in the comment section below, I would love to hear from you.  

             

Flyers Fail to Get 1st W Against Ducks

            Going into last night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers had one goal in mind; get that first win of the season out of the way. The boys came out of the gate strong in the first period. You could sense their hunger for a W as the Flyers aggressively skated up and down the ice full of momentum and passion. That momentum was suddenly stripped away from Philadelphia when Ducks forward Tim Jackman (1^st of season) capitalized on a poor clearing attempt by Steve Mason, and put the puck in the back of the net giving the Ducks a 1-0 with 7:40 left in the 1^st period. As if that was enough of a stab to the chest, Devante Smith-Pelley’s (1^st of season) goal with just over 3 minutes left in the period had to have the Flyers feeling reminiscent of the start to their 2013-2014 season, and the boos coming from the stands could not have been much help.

            Luckily, things started to turn around for the Flyers in the 2^nd period with power play goals from both Mark Streit (1^st of season) and Wayne Simmonds (5^th of Season). The momentum had shifted back into the Flyers favor, and I was getting the feeling the team would not look back and eventually take the lead. This thought was erased with 17 seconds left in the 2^nd period as Matt Beleskey (3^rd of season) found the back of the net to give the Duck a 3-2 lead going into the 3^rd period. In the 3^rd period, it felt like the Flyers were a team destined to get the game back to a tie as they put forth the better effort for most of the 3^rd period. With 5:20n left in the game, the team’s effort finally paid off with a beautiful goal from Jakub Voracek (1^st of season). At the end of the 3^rd, the game was still tied, and the tie would not be broken in overtime. The Flyers eventually lost the shootout in four rounds with a goal from William Karlsson.

            The Flyers seemed to outplay the Ducks for most of the game but fell short where it really mattered. Philadelphia has been experiencing woes in shootouts, and had lost its 2^nd of this season. Although it is too early to panic, starting off the season 0-2-2 four games into the season is unsettling for everybody involved. The Flyers started off last season in similar fashion going 1-3-0 through the first four games and were able to get things back on track. So don’t be worried to much quite yet Flyer faithful. There is still plenty of hockey to be played this season.

Necessary Win Tonight for the Boys in Orange

I do not think that it is a stretch to go out and say that tonight’s game is necessary win for the Philadelphia Flyers. Starting the season 0-2-1 is not how anyone in the organization wanted to start this season. Last Saturday’s loss against the Montreal Canadians was a heartbreaker and completely unacceptable. Under no circumstances is it okay to be up 3-0 going into the 3^rd period, and cough up the lead. The team completely lost focus and I do not think anyone expected them to pull of the W in overtime. For me, all will be forgiven if they can get back on track with a win tonight; but it will not be an easy task. The Ducks are a good hockey team with a lot of talent. However, this cannot be an excuse for the Flyers to perform poorly. If they want to be Stanley Cup contenders, they are going to have to beat good teams!