GratefulFlyers

the whole team ... they haven't been the same since Hart left. Earlier in the year when they went down 2-0 even 3-0 I always felt sure they'd claw back and get to OT at least. Past couple months it's a whole different feel... they're back to the Fragile Flyers I guess. edit: Lycksell finally gets to celebrate his first NHL goal - it puts the Flyers right back in the game - you know the next shift they'll be all over the forecheck pressing for another goal and instead the Blue Jackets score. Talk about a backbreaker...

whaddya mean they're fighting for their PO lives can'tcha tell? Neither can I. Zzzzzzzzzzzz.... They sure put a few dents in the glass behind the net though I'll give them that. oh wow Lyksell finally gets his 1st NHL goal hoo...ray. edit: OMG I was just about to post "watch them give it right back..." Unreal...

In what promises to be an epic goaltending battle tonight it'll be Sam (or Same?) Ersson vs Jet Greaves.

Excellent comprehensive assessment imho - so do you see Tortorella losing his effectiveness by year 4? Coincidentally that's when his contract expires AFAIK. If he gets "Flyers fired" upstairs (good one @flyercanuck!) I won't mind but I do wonder if the Tortorella trajectory from years past still applies.

I've been singing Ersson's praises all year but I have to admit he's looking less and less like a starting NHL goalie. I'm not anywhere close to giving up hope - he is a rookie after all, even if he is a bit older than your average rookie. I love his movement, his focus and calm demeanor in net. But ... well you already know, in fact I think you're the one who hipped me to his struggles last year in the Calder Cup. fkn Hart (no pun intended). So yeah, the Flyers may be basically starting all over with goaltending...building from the net out as they say.

You mean as far W/L, POs etc.? Like actually being a good team instead of overachieving or whatever they did this year? I know you follow the game closely...so I'm a little surprised you're this optimistic....if I understood you correctly that is.

Indeed. Also shooters as big and heavy as Tage Thompson bearing down on him. It was great he made that first save the other night on Barzal’s breakaway but Barzal is 6’0” 190. TT is like 6’7” 220 I think. I don’t know much about KHL players but I doubt The Fed faced many 6’7” guys.

something tells me he's going to be real good tomorrow night. Seeing Fedotov struggle a bit...in a weird way may have helped Ersson. Or else I'm crazy. Or both!

not sure what a HC can do to make a guy shoot straight... care to elaborate...inquiring minds want to know!

I think the bigger problem tonight was when they did get in close they still missed the damn net.

I only wish you were exaggerating - boneheaded puck-handling.

Backbreaker 2.0. that one Fedotov has to have. fkn ridiculous the Sabres haven't scored 4 goals in one game all year ... (slight exaggeration). Jeezuschrist Konecny WTF how many turnovers can you make in one shift? I counted 3 on that last one...and the Sabres still couldn't ice the game.

Konecny is really fighting it or something...he hasn't connected with a pass all game - or hit the net. Farabee is invisible again Atkinson the same... maybe Farabee is playing thru some health issue...an injury or something. I hope so (in a way). edit: Tippett from the blue line holycow...that was a ripper ...

yep high blocker twice...good hard shots from btw the dots but both definitely stoppable I think. Aye Ivan we hardly knew ye...

ugh the Flyers were already hanging their heads after Dahlin's goal that 3rd one was a real backbreaker...

Flyers..wow all the missed shots. Grade A chances all for nothing - missed shots instead of goalie saves. But Luukonen has been good when he needed to be. Frost watches Thompson skate right by him, nice clear lane for TT and he makes Fedotov look silly. If the Flyers keep playing like that they don't deserve a PO spot. edit: another dud PP what else is new... edit2: wow Luukkonen was killing it! Somehow Cates blows it right thru him... unreal.

He's a proven 2C and he's on the cusp of breaking through? Interesting. I tend to think it's one or the other but whatever. Frost turns 25 next month, played 223 NHL games and averages .49p/g. What would a breakout season for him look like?

definitely. so I guess he goes tomorrow night - hopefully he recharged his battery in the meantime. No #1 and a maybe #2 - Frost but I dunno. Barely 50 points again this year (tho he was scratched 6 or 7 games). Since Jan 1 besides TK he's racked up the most points (30pts, 39 games) and he's playing well w/out the puck. But the top 6 has to carry the offense and a 50pt center...I dunno. Maybe he cracks it open next year...I hope so because there's a lot to like about his game.

The Flyers need points tonight - both of them. I hope Tortorella goes with Fedotov but maybe 3+ days of rest helped Ersson enough...I sort of doubt it though. Anyway should be an intense game IF the Flyers play with intensity...that's what I'm looking for most, win lose or gimmicky OT...

For sure, and that's what's changed for the better since his Rangers' days. With few exceptions he controls his anger now before the story becomes all about him, before the narcissism takes over. I believe he enjoyed the drama back then. These days, watching his pressers I'm convinced that Tortorella is gone for good, notwithstanding some "collateral damage along the way" as you put it. Nicely done --- right to the heart of the matter --- is Tortorella worth it? I see enough evidence to support your conclusion but I appreciate the way you phrased it because I agree: "I suspect..." is the best we've got for now.

I mean this sincerely...if I could argue with any of that I would... All I'm saying is you don't like Tortorella, you never have and I think I can safely assume you never will. Therefore I suggest your take on his effectiveness is biased toward rejecting everything he says and does, which is certainly the way your posts about him on this board read. I'm not saying that automatically makes you wrong. You know I've said more than once you may be right about him being the wrong choice for the Flyers. I think he's changed for the better over the years but whether that's true and whether he's changed enough...we'll see. edit: when Crosby first joined the NHL I used to say I'd rather lose in the Final with Mike Richards than win with Sidney Crosby and I meant it sincerely. You know where I'm going... if the Flyers win the Cup with Tortorella ... just a little food for thought.

Sure just as there's "a lot" of players who sing his praises. It depends who you ask. And sometimes a reputation is purposely distorted by someone who doesn't like him - like you did with the McDavid allusion. You left out quite a bit, no? Tortorella on McDavid: I do think he has to change his game a bit. He's talked about culture, he's talked about standards, he's talked about winning. You're not just going to fill the net during the playoffs and outscore teams. You have to play on the other side of the puck," Tortorella continued. I understand even mild criticism of Jesus never goes over well with the faithful. So far McDavid hasn't been able to lead the Oilers to a Cup...is it just possible Tortorella has a point? I hope not but I know you could be right. He does wring every ounce of commitment from his players. Only time will tell if that's a bad thing or an unnecessary thing. I believe 100% that he's changed quite a bit since his NY days...what happened there, when Dubi and a few others soured on Tortorella, the same may be happening now in Philly but I don't think so. It doesn't look or sound anything like the Rangers back then. And you will say..."Just wait." You may be right.

Well anyone who followed the Flyers through the Lindros years has a right to be skeptical and it's not like Lindros is the only one. I get that. So I'm not saying it's out of the question but I really doubt Drysdale was pressured to dress against medical advice just for the PO push. I'd be willing to bet what fans see as an incompetent medical staff, or when they believe a team "rushed back" a player it's nothing of the kind. It's the result of the gray areas in sports medicine - especially on the rehab side - and that's what's responsible not some conspiracy to "win at all cost." For some injuries there are established protocols but they don't guarantee anything and injured players always want to get back on the ice. But somebody (who exactly?) whispering in Drysdale's ear "we need you back tonight" I don't think so.

Right, and at this point I don’t even care if he tells us or not just bring in somebody who has a plan or at least a clue. We all realize fixing the PP is not the #1 priority but it’s on the list somewhere. They have to get cracking on a solution and the sooner the better.

Thanks for the link! I read a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking but not much else. That’s no crime and I don’t begrudge the guy his opinion but what exactly is his opinion? He writes: If he’d answered that - assuming (since he doesn’t say) he’s alluding to the perennial GM vs HC debate - now that could’ve been interesting if he had some new, behind-the-scenes insights to share. Instead the piece is basically a laundry list of hindsight complaints and criticisms. He says the Flyers “threw Ersson to the wolves,” noting the team’s losing record since Hart left, and who can disagree? It’s not even debatable that Ersson’s been overworked. But the author never addresses the alternatives, Petersen and Sandstrom, neither of whom showed much promise as reliable backups. Here was a perfect time to explore the competing interests and pressures on managers, coaches in a pro hockey club. Some insight into the expectations Briere has for Tortorella, whether they’ve evolved as the team struggled since Hart left…etc. Omitting this entire sphere of concern and debate is a fatal flaw in an argument about a HC’s effectiveness. “Tortorella sucks” might be the start of a considered position but without even acknowledging, let alone factoring in the pressures he’s facing the claim rings pretty hollow imho.