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2nd Line


Guest Jon Palmer

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I have been saying to my friends, the offense reminds me of the 2010 team. But instead of Hartnell and Leino with Briere, it is JVR and Jake that are stepping up. I think we can roll 4 lines and really have no weakness up front. We had better top D in 2010, but as a whole I think this defensive unit is better. Again, there is no D pair that I am afraid to have out there.

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I really like this team...yeah Carle is probably gonna give me a coronary along with Bryz, but offensively, I think this team is better than 2010. The young guys have just stepped right on in and have contributed in ways that I have never imagined. We just have to sop the slow starts...however, with that being said...I actually believe they thrive on starting slow. Its almost like, ok, you got 1 or 2 on us, now we are pissed are gonna come at you in waves. Granted we all want them to start strong from the beginining. (like game 6 vs the pens). If Bryz can just stop the ones he is supposed to stop, there is no ceiling for this team. (A thought i never would have uttered at the start of this season). I am just sad Pronger cannot be on the ice with them. I am sure it must be killing him not being there. Add his skill set to this mix and wow....this team would just be down right scary.

On to Game #2 :)

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eric wellwood, max talbot and sean couturier

is that our second line ? because , damn were they effective.

oh wait, that's our fouth line, right...

and that's why this team is going to be a tough out for anyone.

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@sarsippius

Yeah and what made it worse is he had an out up the wing or off the glass. Somebody mentioned during the game chat that they think that the playoff speed might be too much for him and / or he is gassed (having played more hockey than he ever has before).

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I wonder if JVR is going to be one of those players (like Briere) that really only elevate their play in the post season. Granted he was hurt most of the regular season but we don't usually see him play like this outside of the playoffs. I hope he keeps it up. I really like the way he is playing right now and when you can get inside the head of a future HOF player then you know you are doing something right.

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@sarsippius

Yeah and what made it worse is he had an out up the wing or off the glass. Somebody mentioned during the game chat that they think that the playoff speed might be too much for him and / or he is gassed (having played more hockey than he ever has before).

I don't disagree with that line of thinking, it's just a bit disconcerting that it happens to our oldest rookie....while the 19 year old has looked like he's been here before

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the 19 year old played junior...

Couturier is an anomaly. Even 19 year olds who played junior don't typically play with the composure and smarts that he shows. Heck, there are 10 year NHL veterans who don't play as smart as he does.

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Couturier is an anomaly. Even 19 year olds who played junior don't typically play with the composure and smarts that he shows. Heck, there are 10 year NHL veterans who don't play as smart as he does.

Agreed... he's a special player.

I remember the first game of the year, his first NHL career game, and the Flyers were leading the Bruins by 1 late in the 3rd, and down 2 men. Who was the lone forward out there killing that penalty? Couturier.

A lot of his development, and the other rooks, has to do with the trust Laviolette has put in them since day 1.

Heck, Gus played like 22 minutes the other night!

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A lot of his development, and the other rooks, has to do with the trust Laviolette has put in them since day 1

Yup. Contrast this with, say, Hitchcock, who famously doesn't play young guys, 'cause they can't be trusted. Then, when you have to play them due to injuries/cap, they have no confidence. Lavy has gone about this the right way.

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Although I know the point about junior was meant to be fascetious, but it's actually a fairly good one. Read played 37 games with Bemidji each year from 2007-2008 through 2010-2011. In 2011, he then played 11 more games with Adirondack, so 48 games total. This year he played 78 regular season games and now 7 playoff games. He's approaching double what he's used to.

Contrast that with Couturier who played 58-68-58 (plus 7 in the WJC) over the last three seasons. It seems fairly common with players coming out of college programs that they struggle down the stretch. The conditioining isn't there. It's not their fault, you need game time to get that, but Junior players don't seem to tail off the same way.

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This year he [Read] played 78 regular season games and now 7 playoff games. He's approaching double what he's used to.

Yep, that probably explains what we're seeing. Not just the brain cramp on the turnover that led to Jersey's goal but overall since G2 vs. the Pens (i think it was G2 when he scored twice). Since then he's just not up in the play nearly as much as he was even a few weeks ago.

We're lucky to have so much firepower, such a balanced attack that 1 guy falling out of step a little doesn't hurt us much. Lavy may decide to cut his minutes a little, try to keep him fresh for the PK. Not sure how much ice time he's getting but skating 3 or 4 fewer shifts a game could make a big difference.

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This team is better than the '10 team, and dare I say, much better than the '97 team. I say the '85 and '87 teams were better than this squad, particularly because of their goaltending and better d-men.

As far as pure offensive pop: this is the best Flyers team I can recollect, because I cannot recollect those famous '70's teams. I was born in '71.

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Although I know the point about junior was meant to be fascetious, but it's actually a fairly good one

only half facetious, I thought the crucible of playing in tournaments like the memorial cup and the longer schedule made the transition to the NHL easier from a major junior hockey league compared to the 25-38 game season of ncaa hockey with a single elimination tournament. plus there's a whole life style thing that prepares junior players for the NHL life better.

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