The Flyers must hit more and better to win

[rickmac19]

Flyers players touched Devils Sunday evening, but few of the checks gained a “seal,” which:

1. Gives the checker a competitive advantage (one cannot make a play with 80% of his body smushed against the boards)

2. Wears the opponent down physically

3. Makes the puckhandler get rid of the puck a 1/2 second quicker, not follow through on his pass, and may even create “deer-in-the-headlights” decision-making.

So why did the Flyers rarely put an outlet pass on the tape of a teammate in the neutral zone on Sunday? Good Devils checking. Why did the Devils rarely struggle to exit their own end? Ineffective (non-committed, half-executed) checking by the Flyers.

If the Flyers refuse to check with effective technique (100% effort to seal Devils into the boards), then I will have no problem waving goodbye to the 2010-12 version—as much as I feel proud of them and enjoyed them.

The Flyers miss Pronger in this regard, who in 2010 sealed up about every guy he hit. If they had so much as a drain stopper in net…

[orange_crush]

Flyers players touched Devils Sunday evening, but few of the checks gained a “seal,” which:

1. Gives the checker a competitive advantage (one cannot make a play with 80% of his body smushed against the boards)

2. Wears the opponent down physically

3. Makes the puckhandler get rid of the puck a 1/2 second quicker, not follow through on his pass, and may even create “deer-in-the-headlights” decision-making.

So why did the Flyers rarely put an outlet pass on the tape of a teammate in the neutral zone on Sunday? Good Devils checking. Why did the Devils rarely struggle to exit their own end? Ineffective (non-committed, half-executed) checking by the Flyers.

If the Flyers refuse to check with effective technique (100% effort to seal Devils into the boards), then I will have no problem waving goodbye to the 2010-12 version—as much as I feel proud of them and enjoyed them.

The Flyers miss Pronger in this regard, who in 2010 sealed up about every guy he hit. If they had so much as a drain stopper in net…

Devils are a more physical hockey team than the Flyers, were not going to wear them down..