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!