Game 25: New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers; 12/3/22 @ 7 PM, NBCSP

[Howie58]

Greetings:

 

The Devils are favorites (-194).  It looks like Hart versus Vanecek.  We are 1-6-3 over the last 10; they are 8-1-1:

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/njd-vs-phi/2022/12/03/2022020382

 

In 2017, they took Nico and we took Nolan.  We've been on different paths since then.  They've emerged from a long walk in the desert.  We haven't.  

 

[Howie58]

BTW, I read that TB waived Phil Myers yesterday. Patrick will probably retire after his contract expires this season. A change or two of scenery confirms our drafting wasn't so great.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Howie58

[flyercanuck]

Myers was a free agent signing... so no draft picks were wasted. Obviously Patrick has health issues. But I'd say our development is terrible. Too many players look good coming out of junior then get to the Flyers "development" and turn into bad hockey players. The entire organization needs an enema.

 

Bellows has also cleared waivers. 0 points. But he's from Minnesota so he has that going for him.

Edited December 3, 2022 by flyercanuck

[flyerrod]

39 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

Myers was a free agent signing... so no draft picks were wasted. Obviously Patrick has health issues. But I'd say our development is terrible. Too many players look good coming out of junior then get to the Flyers "development" and turn into bad hockey players. The entire organization needs an enema.

I find it hilarious that Tortarella was the last guy that I had wanted to see coaching the Flyers to him being one of the very few bright spots on the team. They really miss Coots too. 
 

[flyercanuck]

1 hour ago, flyerrod said:

I find it hilarious that Tortarella was the last guy that I had wanted to see coaching the Flyers to him being one of the very few bright spots on the team. They really miss Coots too. 
 

 

Never been a Torts fan but if he gets Fletcher fired I am. Sure they miss Couturier...but look at the curve of development on Provorov/Konecny/Farabee just as examples. All looked like great draft picks, who were well on their way to becoming very good to excellent NHLers, then....Flyers development.  

[Podein25]

44 minutes ago, flyercanuck said:

 

Never been a Torts fan but if he gets Fletcher fired I am.

 

Non-Flyer fans wouldn't understand the logic of this.

[ruxpin]

1 hour ago, flyerrod said:

I find it hilarious that Tortarella was the last guy that I had wanted to see coaching the Flyers to him being one of the very few bright spots on the team. They really miss Coots too. 
 

Even a glow worm looks bright in pitch darkness 

[flyercanuck]

43 minutes ago, ruxpin said:

Even a glow worm looks bright in pitch darkness 

 

Fletchers more like a tapeworm.

[GratefulFlyers]

4 hours ago, flyerrod said:

to him being one of the very few bright spots on team.
 

Tortorella’s presser after practice yesterday is worth watching 

 

 

[Samifan]

[Samifan]

I realize I have slept through most games this season but has Torts really been using our prize free agent signing Nick Deslauriers on the PK? 
 

4th line goon on the PK, you don’t see that very often. No wonder Cuck Fletcher called him a sought after free agent. 

[GratefulFlyers]

Provorov having a rough night...another TO behind Hart Devils capitalize. Too bad to give up one when you're outshooting them and winning the foot races and board battles. Really good team effort so far from the Flyers.

 

Wow the Flyers scored a PP goal - TK great pass from your fav and mine K. Hayes. First PP goal in 8 games...

 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by GratefulFlyers

[Samifan]

This is Hart’s 5th year in the league and he STILL cannot handle the puck behind the net! F**k!

[Howie58]

The second goal deflated the team. The end of period surge was too little, too late. The team controlled the second. Not enough.

[GratefulFlyers]

Yeah rookie mistake there* - but what a game. You guys on the Boycott Train missed a good one tonight lol. Flyers lost but they outplayed a red hot team. I think the Devils are now 17-1 in their last 18 games. Could be they were lulled into thinking it would be an easy game. It wasn't.

 

3 bad turnovers = 3 bad goals.

 

* the Hart turnover

 

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by GratefulFlyers

[SCFlyguy]

2 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Flyers lost but they outplayed a red hot team.

Wow, if the Devils play the Flyers in the playoffs they’ll be in trouble.

[radoran]

I'm old enough to remember when the Flyers would take nights off against inferior teams during the regular season.

 

Of course, they would typically lose those games...

 

Ah, good times.

 

Edited December 4, 2022 by radoran

[GrittyForever]

4 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Yeah rookie mistake there* - but what a game. You guys on the Boycott Train missed a good one tonight lol. Flyers lost but they outplayed a red hot team. I think the Devils are now 17-1 in their last 18 games. Could be they were lulled into thinking it would be an easy game. It wasn't.

 

3 bad turnovers = 3 bad goals.

 

* the Hart turnover

 

 

Ya, and they didn't quit. It does show signs of a team culture slowly being built. 

[Howie58]

I wonder what, if any, difference it makes if we get Coots or Cam in the line-up? Will they still make a lot of errors and find ways to lose?

 

Torts' comments about NJ are interesting.  They had their nightmare years but drafted and developed a core of excellence.  We haven't done much over a decade. I wonder how long it take to each .500 hockey? 

 

When you're glad to see a PP goal, it's bad. But that is the sad state of this franchise. 

Edited December 4, 2022 by Howie58

[flyercanuck]

21 minutes ago, Howie58 said:

I wonder what, if any, difference it makes if we get Coots or Cam in the line-up? Will they still make a lot of errors and find ways to lose?

 

Torts' comments about NJ are interesting.  They had their nightmare years but drafted and developed a core of excellence.  We haven't done much over a decade. I wonder how long it take to each .500 hockey? 

 

When you're glad to see a PP goal, it's bad. But that is the sad state of this franchise. 

 

We picked 5th overall last year with Couts and Cam. Pretty hard to get all hands on deck for a destination when you're on a rudderless leaky ship run by a squid.

[GratefulFlyers]

10 hours ago, SCFlyguy said:

Wow, if the Devils play the Flyers in the playoffs they’ll be in trouble.

 

You laugh - me too - but the other day our astute GM says he's expecting a PO berth this year. Yep, this year.

 

“I expect to be more competitive the rest of the way,” Fletcher said on Thursday, mindful Travis Konecny, James van Riemsdyk, Tony DeAngelo and Cam Atkinson are getting close to returning from injuries. “We’re five points out of a wild-card spot. We’ll see.”

 

Every time Tortorella opens his mouth he says, one way or another, that the Flyers are rebuilding this year. They're in the process of deciding who's worth keeping and who's not. That's his priority. Evidently the GM is not on the same page.

 

 

[radoran]

1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

 

We picked 5th overall last year with Couts and Cam. Pretty hard to get all hands on deck for a destination when you're on a rudderless leaky ship run by a squid.

 

A bunch of guys who wouldn't be here if it was a successful team are setting the team culture.

 

Good to know...

 

For that matter, why is it that after 10 years under the longest serving captain in team history did they pick 5th last year and are a rudderless, cultureless, shell of a team with no identity relying on waiver wire pickups and borderline NHLers to "establish a culture"?

 

It's as if TFG wasn't very good at his job...

 

[SCFlyguy]

4 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

They're in the process of deciding who's worth keeping and who's not.

That’s a process that should take 5 minutes.  No one is really worth keeping.

[OccamsRazor]

4 minutes ago, SCFlyguy said:

No one is really worth keeping.

 

Don't let your hate blind you.

[GratefulFlyers]

7 hours ago, radoran said:

bunch of guys who wouldn't be here if it was a successful team are setting the team culture.

 

Good to know...

 

Re: team culture - actually it is good if what I see happening really is happening. You only need to watch one game (provided it’s not a complete stinker effort-wise, of which the Flyers have had a few) and you’ll see it happening too.

 

This “bunch of guys” is building a team identity based on playing a structured hockey game. Not so much the F1 F2 F3s but the overall expectation from the coaches that everybody works to win puck battles, foot races, block shots, cover the pinches etc. If you don’t you’ll sit and watch. It’s working. They don’t quit battling until the whistle blows, sometimes not even then. It’s a complete 180 from last year. 
 

Only ~20 games in but we’re stating to get an idea of who won’t or can’t meet this basic level of effort and sacrifice. As the roster gets pruned the guys who remain, who fought through this messy year will have that T-E-A-M identity instilled in them and they’ll naturally demand the same from new players coming in.  
 

At least that’s what I’m seeing on the ice and what I think I’m hearing from Tortorella.