Howie58

Greetings: Fanduel is showing the Wild as favorite (-118). Betql indicates a 54% win probability for the Wild: https://betql.co/nhl/game-predictions/minnesota-wild-vs-philadelphia-flyers-01-12-2024 The tale of the tape isn't much different: Neither PP is stellar and the same hold for faceoffs; otherwise similar: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/min-vs-phi/2024/01/12/2023020652 Historically, we've done well against the Wild, particularly at home, where we thumped them 6-2 last October. We are basically .500 away: https://flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/opponent.cgi?Minnesota_Wild I'd say this a battle between an overachiever and an underachiever. LGF!

Well, 33 stops 3 in SO and we take 2. Strange game in bounce/post outcomes. Glad we snagged it.

Well, JD gets an important first point and in a PP goal to boot. If I heard straight, this is the first time they've gotten PP goals in 3 straight games in over a year.

Well, it wasn't the first minute, in the first two. Then another weird one. Glad that Tippett made it close. Still, you see a very challenged Flyers offense. We aren't generating quality chances. Hopefully, it picks up.

I have a feeling this will happen more often in the second half.

Grateful: There's a lot on this in the cyber reality (or lack thereof). Noah Cates' return amps up the problem. Doing three healthy scratches a game is messy. Stahl becomes even less relevant. Apparently, Toronto has interest in Risto. I'll know it when I see it. Walker would be my first trade option. Seeler--guy is a warrior and probably love the Flyers for giving him a chance after sitting out. He's cheap. But...this is a business.

Sports is entertainment, not blood sport. That is f-ing sick. Sad.

Yes, we see eye-to-eye on March 8th. It may set the rebuild back short-term, but that will be a price of progress. At a deeper level, if this team gets to the playoffs, I wonder who will be getting the experience. We might be surprised at who departs. And this JD acquisition might make some of the current D expendable. Meanwhile, one day (game) at a time.

Greetings: The home team is favored (-170) on the basis of strong defense and goaltending. It is predicted to be a low-scoring affair (6 goals): https://statsalt.com/games/nhl/1-10-2024/montreal-canadiens-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-5026/ Montreal is a better faceoff team, but we are better defensively: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/mtl-vs-phi/2024/01/10/2023020635 As the handicapper notes, MTL took two of three last year. They skate well. Can our D and G contain them? And will the team rebound from a sloppy game against the Pens? Of note: MTL has taken four of the last five at WFC.

I will put out a thread after tomorrow's game with Montreal to see how the gang feels about the O and B after the first half. Again, there is progress. But we have a long way to go.

My take. This is a game that shows how far we've come, and how far we need to go. On the plus side--we skate well. There is compete. And I wouldn't say the Pens skated through us, which they have done quite often over the last decade. On the down side: We can't depend on a Nic Seeler shorthanded near goal to keep us close. We don't have distributed scoring. A lot of our shots are 30+ feet out. If it weren't for Hart's effort, this would have been much worse. I am glad we picked up a promising young defender tonight, but let's face it, we really need scoring depth and one or two more Tippetts. We may be seeing the maximum effort from this squad until there's more scoring punch.

After making outstanding saves on high quality chances, Ruwedel gets his first on a screened floater.

Well, it's done. So, who goes first? Stahl for pucks? Seeler for a third? Walker for a second? Frost + Petersen (cap goes up next year) for something? This starts dominoes?

Well, maybe they reckon MM is low probability and they want to acquire an asset in lieu of one they may never see. It's a form of portfolio/risk management.

We are on our heels. Pitt is flying. Not good.

Well, we better keep them off the scoring board for the next 59 minutes.

Greetings: Pitt enters as the mild favorite (-120) and has played well the past 10 games: https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/nhl/1-8-2024/pittsburgh-penguins-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-2572/ They are a good faceoff team with the league's best offense: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/phi-vs-pit/2024/01/08/2023020622 It should be interesting.

I like Hathaway, but he was jabbing away to a point that was overdone. If Calgary scored on the PP, I'd be a posted off camper. Hathaway is not a bad add. But it looks like our PHD line is playing limited minutes, which is probably due limited scoring. I think it's under 10 for the three combined. By the way, what's with Laughton?

I caught the third. So, let's see if I get this straight. Some Flyer idiot gets too aggressive trying to jam a puck home. TK bails out said Asshole with a game-winning shorty. Meanwhile, we double the shot total of Calgary and have a whopping two goals to show for it, continuing our outshoot but underscore tradition. Am I glad for the win? Yep. But we need to get more scoring from Frost, Foerster, and others. Shorthanded miracles won't happen daily

Greetings: We are mild underdogs (+100) with Calgary winning 4-3: https://www.cappertek.com/article.asp?a=flames-vs-flyers-betting-odds-free-picks-and-predictions-1-6-2024-330147 Statistically, there isn't much separating the squads: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cgy-vs-phi/2024/01/06/2023020605 We lost 4-3 in the New Year's Eve game. I wonder if we see a motivated Flyers squad trying to snap out of the funk, or one that plays a good opening 10 minutes and then kills itself with dump penalties and/or an incompetent PP? The other question might be who is next in the Torts Bow Wow Section?

Konecny 2, CBJ OT.win. We deserved to lose. Their goals were snipes. TK's were his initiative. Morganti is right. This PP is killing them. But I wonder about our overall scoring ability. Sad.

We have outshot CBJ nearly 2-1, take dumb penalties, and shoot ourselves with no PP. Pathetic.

Frost and Atkinson out. Yep, a signal is sent. I give a 50 percent chance to Frost departing by the deadline. With Cam, you wonder if we are seeing a cliff decline? Meanwhile, our PP is inept and we make Tirosov look amazing.

Which would you rather watch: paint dry or the Flyers power play? A two-man advantage for naught. Our shots...mostly manageable. Other than our first line, who the hell can generate high quality shots/chances? We are halfway through regulation and have outshot them 20-11, and we are only up 1-0. Sad.

Greetings: We are consensus favorites (-167) against a team that has not competed well on the road or within the Metro: https://www.bettingtrends.com/trends/nhl/columbus-at-philadelphia-betting-trends-january-4-2024-2018224/ Statistically, they are a smidgeon better offensively, but stats aren't much different: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/cbj-vs-phi/2024/01/04/2023020592 We've already taken two game from them this season. On paper, this is a game that ends our three-game losing streak. Let's see.