Game 71: Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers; 3/23/23 @ 6:30 PM, ESPN

[Howie58]

Greetings:

 

Minnesota is favored (-157) with a predicted score of 4-2.  

https://www.cappertek.com/article.asp?a=wild-vs-flyers-betting-odds-free-picks-and-predictions-3-23-2023-305394

 

Neither team is good on faceoffs, but the Wild are far better defensively and on the PP.  

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/min-vs-phi/2023/03/23/2022021136

 

In the first matchup in January, the Wild won 3-2.  It's been four years since we've beaten them.  

http://flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/opponent.cgi?Minnesota_Wild

 

 

 

 

[MaineFlyFan]

Wonder who Chuck will be rooting for?.......

[Jimtown guy]

Nice to watch the Pens beat the Avs tonight 5-2 in Colorado. Not to many times I cheer for the Pens 

[GratefulFlyers]

20 hours ago, Howie58 said:

predicted score of 4-2

Well the Flyers have scored 16 goals in their last 3 games against good teams and they face another one tonight. Of course these victories only serve to chip away at their chances of snagging a top 5 pick but that’s the Flyers Way. We’ve all seen it too many times. True to form after a sub-.500 season a late surge was entirely predictable. I won’t be at all surprised if they win again tonight.

I take some comfort in the fact that the odds of winning the lottery are so long, as far as the Bedard Sweepstakes goes, even for the last-place team, that it hardly matters where you finish. But it would be nice if the Flyers were at least in the Sweepstakes.

[flyercanuck]

1 minute ago, GratefulFlyers said:

I take some comfort in the fact that the odds of winning the lottery are so long, as far as the Bedard Sweepstakes goes, even for the last-place team, that it hardly matters where you finish. But it would be nice if the Flyers were at least in the Sweepstakes.

 

Even if you don't win the lottery, I'd still rather pick 5th than say 10th.

 

But ya, typical Flyers.

[Howie58]

31 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Well the Flyers have scored 16 goals in their last 3 games against good teams and they face another one tonight. Of course these victories only serve to chip away at their chances of snagging a top 5 pick but that’s the Flyers Way. We’ve all seen it too many times. True to form after a sub-.500 season a late surge was entirely predictable. I won’t be at all surprised if they win again tonight.

I take some comfort in the fact that the odds of winning the lottery are so long, as far as the Bedard Sweepstakes goes, even for the last-place team, that it hardly matters where you finish. But it would be nice if the Flyers were at least in the Sweepstakes.

Grateful, I share your sentiments. Short-term gain and proof of improvement may have long-term pain.

[GrittyForever]

Well picking 5th, picking 10th, none of it matters if you pick poorly. Lots of drafts have 10th picks turning out better than 5ths and so on so who knows. 

 

I watched Minnesota play Boston a few games ago and Minnesota looked pretty good so I expect they will win anyway but who knows, Flyers actually playing decent hockey lately. 

[GratefulFlyers]

Briere really has to find a way to move Hayes this summer I can't watch another year of this schlub. Any other player you'd say "well obviously he's checked out" but this is Hayes' normal game. Man did he luck out when the Flyers hired Fletcher...

[GratefulFlyers]

wow Joel Farabee 4 games in a row -- making up for lost time I guess. Perfect shot by York from the blue line and a beautiful deflection by JF.

[SCFlyguy]

58 minutes ago, GratefulFlyers said:

Briere really has to find a way to move Hayes this summer I can't watch another year of this schlub. Any other player you'd say "well obviously he's checked out" but this is Hayes' normal game. Man did he luck out when the Flyers hired Fletcher...

Why?  What's he doing other than helping them lose?

Edited March 24, 2023 by SCFlyguy

[OccamsRazor]

8 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

 

Even if you don't win the lottery, I'd still rather pick 5th than say 10th.

 

But ya, typical Flyers.

 

I Fuggin knew they'd win AGAIN!!!

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

I know, I know.  It’s the wrong time to be winning these games.  But how can you not love the effort of this team!  What they lack in skill they make up for in effort!  Whether you like it or not, that is a positive endorsement of the coaching.  

[mojo1917]

43 minutes ago, AlaskaFlyerFan said:

I know, I know.  It’s the wrong time to be winning these games.  But how can you not love the effort of this team!  What they lack in skill they make up for in effort!  Whether you like it or not, that is a positive endorsement of the coaching.  

I look at it like this, picking 6 v 5 is .9  percentage points difference to the lottery math.

So as long as they don't rise to 7 or 8 I don't mind seeing their effort rewarded.

The young guys are mostly leading this surge, let them get some confidence. 

 

OL' Forester looks like a top 6 potential player to me. 

 

[Howie58]

Hockey aside, this broadcast was very different relative to competitors. It is angled to a demographic born after 1990 with a more diverse clientele in mind.  Even the Amex ad showed a younger crew (Amex is aiming a younger crew--it is often associated with high-income whites).  In the old days, I grew up with Karl Malden telling us "Don't Leave Home Without It."  Now Amex says "Don't Live Life Without It."  Having PK Subban as an announcer judging player attire (and that of his colleagues) is a different twist--compare PK's attire to Anson Carter's...the latter is very buttoned down.  

 

As for hockey--well, one older fart beat another in overtime.  On the other hand, the youngins showed some grit.  Foerster's shot is a thing of beauty.  

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Howie58

[GrittyForever]

1 hour ago, AlaskaFlyerFan said:

I know, I know.  It’s the wrong time to be winning these games.  But how can you not love the effort of this team!  What they lack in skill they make up for in effort!  Whether you like it or not, that is a positive endorsement of the coaching.  

Exactly. I don't give a toss about the Bedard sweepstakes. Tanking never works out well. I'd much rather do what we seem to be doing and that is converting a lazy loser don't seem to care team into a competitive never gives up hard to play against team.

These games are enjoyable to watch again.

 

Just salivating over the future "subtractions" too. 

 

[flyercanuck]

10 hours ago, GratefulFlyers said:

wow Joel Farabee 4 games in a row -- making up for lost time I guess. Perfect shot by York from the blue line and a beautiful deflection by JF.

 

Probably getting healthy. And by healthy, I mean NOT playing for a completely incompetent GM where your career has no hope. 

[flyercanuck]

If this team could play as well all season as they do once they're mathematically eliminated and we're all starting to eye up their draft position, they could easily win a cup! 

 

[OccamsRazor]

9 hours ago, AlaskaFlyerFan said:

I know, I know.  It’s the wrong time to be winning these games.  But how can you not love the effort of this team!  What they lack in skill they make up for in effort!  Whether you like it or not, that is a positive endorsement of the coaching.  

 

 

I've embraced it. They going to win these games and steal Bedard....

[OccamsRazor]

8 hours ago, mojo1917 said:

So as long as they don't rise to 7

 

You mean where they are right now?

[OccamsRazor]

1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

If this team could play as well all season as they do once they're mathematically eliminated and we're all starting to eye up their draft position, they could easily win a cup! 

 

 

 

 

 

[OccamsRazor]

8 hours ago, Howie58 said:

Foerster's shot is a thing of beauty.  

 

I hope he has a concealed weapons permit on him what a shot!!!!!

 

 

[mojo1917]

3 hours ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

You mean where they are right now?

They'll go on a road trip and play better teams. They will get jarred back to reality. 

In the meantime,  I like Tyson Foerster's game a lot.

Worked on his skating. Is smart and will take a hit to make a play.

Plus his shot, haven't really seen a young guy in Flyers system with a release like that in a minute.

[flyercanuck]

7 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

They'll go on a road trip and play better teams. They will get jarred back to reality. 

In the meantime,  I like Tyson Foerster's game a lot.

Worked on his skating. Is smart and will take a hit to make a play.

Plus his shot, haven't really seen a young guy in Flyers system with a release like that in a minute.

 

Hopefully the Flyers "development" doesn't ruin him. I really hope they revamp the entire organization. 

 

And yes, it's been a pleasure watching him play, just a rocket. Too bad Giroux didn't have someone with his one timer to feed too. It's lethal as well.

Edited March 24, 2023 by flyercanuck

[radoran]

11 hours ago, GrittyForever said:

Tanking never works out well.

 

The Pittsburgh Penguins say "Hello" *

 

There's a qualitative difference between deliberately being a terrible hockey team - a la the past 10+ years of the Buffalo Sabres - and playing for draft position.

 

You can obviously never tell a professional athlete not to compete or try to win the game. That's the entire point of the process.

 

"Tanking" is simply taking every step to remove as much talent as possible to make the very possibility of competing be at very least daunting. The Flyers didn't do that... intentionally... They didn't even manage to get rid of JVR...

 

To your point, iIf the Flyers aren't going to be in the bottom four - and Chicago, San Jose, Columbus, and Anaheim are in a league of their own for that honor - then it doesn't statistically matter a ton if they are 7/8/9 as the difference is 1.5% in the first overall lottery.

 

I don't think they are in much danger of creeping out of the #1 overall lottery entirely. That said, I'd rather compete with Montreal for position than get ahead of Arizona or Vancouver.

 

I think that's where a lot of people are - and it's just a matter of a percentage point of probability one way or t'other.

 

 

* virtually impossible to duplicate what they pulled off these days

Edited March 24, 2023 by radoran

[GratefulFlyers]

6 hours ago, flyercanuck said:

If this team could play as well all season as they do once they're mathematically eliminated and we're all starting to eye up their draft position, they could easily win a cup! 

You’re joking of course but if you watched last night (or really any of the last 4 games) you know you’re not that far off. Not “easily winning the Cup” of course but just being a damn good team. They can’t sustain this level because they’ve got too much dead weight in key roles. Subtract the dead weight, replace it with actual talent and suddenly winning PO rounds, competing for the Cup is possible.
 

Naturally every team is trying to do the same thing. Getting rid of Hayes, Ristolainen, DeAngelo won’t be easy. The Flyers will have to sacrifice something valuable. But this year proved one thing: the Flyers’ best players - the same guys everybody wondered, “what the hell is going on with him?” - are still plenty capable of being the core of a competitive team. Turns out - like you said about Farabee - they just got disgusted playing for an incompetent GM and a corporation that doesn’t give a flying fk about them. 
 

Comcast may still be there but good management will make sure the players never have to think about it, at least until it’s contract time.