Front loaded schedule good or bad?

[filly4life]

I was looking at the standings today and currently we are in a two way tie for 9th place with the Lightning. We are two points behind the Rangers. The only problem with that is that the Rangers have THREE games in hand. How is that possible?!!? In fact some teams have only played 13 games so far in this "shortened, strained" schedule which means we've played 4 more games than them. That's a WEEKS worth of games this year. So is this a good thing or a bad thing? Does this mean that we will have more rest at the end of the year? That might be good, but will it be too late because our tough crammed start to the schedule has put us so far behind?

[InHexyWeTrust]

I've been thinking/worrying the same thing. On one hand the final few games of a jam-packed shortened season are going to be difficult games to win, so it's unlikely that the teams ahead of us are going to have much of an advantage with lots of games to play at the end of the year, but by the same logic the games at the beginning are where you need wins and we didn't do that.

It's not going to feel good when we won't control our fate in the last two weeks or so. It's hard to believe that the discrepancy in games played is so wide at this point, but it does remain to be seen who it will advantage.

Fact remains that if we start playing more games like we did today, a few games in hand won't make much of a difference.

[Navyhockey]

The amount of games they've already played does concern me a bit. However, I think that is offset by the amount of road games they have already played. So later in the season, the Flyers should be well-rested and playing at home, which should give them a big advantage over their opponents. I think that sets up nicely for the team to go on a run when it matters most, taking that momentum into the playoffs.

[Polaris922]

I dunno boys... my Pens have played as many as your Flyers, as have a few other teams ahead of you in the standings. Is it going to make a difference or has it made a difference? I think that's wishful thinking. If not, then the Pens, Leafs, Sens and Devils will be sitting pretty too.

[TedZep]

@Polaris922

The difference is that the Penguins took advantage of the extra games and the Flyers didn't. Those teams have a similar home/away balance. The Flyers don't appear to be fighting for first in the division, at the moment, but merely a playoff spot. Thus filly using the Rangers (currently in 8th) as the target. Two points up with three games in hand is gives them the decided high ground.

[Polaris922]

@TedZep

I'm just saying I don't see an advantage or disadvantage. Front loaded or back loaded as far as the regular season goes. Maybe if a team has a bunch of games real close just before the playoffs they go in a little worn down, but none of them are getting any long breaks along the way.

[jammer2]

@Polaris922 I can see a distinct advantage to getting your road games out of the way, getting more home games towards the playoffs, when you are trying to build positive momentum. Plus, the Flyers have a 6 day break coming up in a month or so, that will help with the nagging injuries and allow the players to visit the family for multiple days during the season, this will help them mentally as well...so yeah, I think we have a slight advantage here.

[jackhole]

Naw, its totally bad! At least in our case. Due to significant player injuries, those players will miss more games per calendar days than they would've injured at the tail end of the season. Perhaps not significant enough to make a big enough dent in this disaster, but, I'm sure it might have added up to a few points in the standings?

Not to mention, if they do start to play better later on, they ran through a lot of games whilst blowing chunks all over the ice, thus flushing those potential points.

[doom88]

Annoying when installing a new system, and virtually no time to practice, factoring in the joke of a training camp. But, some other teams are in the same boat. I'm more frustrated about the back to backs with travel, when other teams don't play as many (yet?)

[Polaris922]

@Polaris922 I can see a distinct advantage to getting your road games out of the way, getting more home games towards the playoffs, when you are trying to build positive momentum. Plus, the Flyers have a 6 day break coming up in a month or so, that will help with the nagging injuries and allow the players to visit the family for multiple days during the season, this will help them mentally as well...so yeah, I think we have a slight advantage here.

Wasn't commenting on road vs. home games, just frequency. A big break is good when that happens, but crunching all the other games do close together adds to the likelihood of fatigue and injury. So for every positive someone finds in the schedule there is a negative. Bob calls it rested, Bill calls it rusty... And so on. I just don't think any if it matters other than a more restful schedule immediately before the playoffs... But again, what if that breaks the momentum if a team in a roll?

[filly4life]

Again looking at the standings and after today's Jets game we will have played 20 games. Boston has only played 14 and don't play today. How is that possible!?!?! I know they missed a game due to the blizzard, but still that's only 15 games. How can there be so much discrepancy in such a shortened season almost halfway through it? Like I said originally, this means they will have a ton of games packed into the last few weeks, but at that point all the rest and practice they were able to get early on could give them a cushion to not have to need those later games.

I mean the Flyers don't appear to be cup contenders, but you're asking a bunch of guys to play 20 games in about 40 games after having virtually no preseason and barely any practice time during it. Meanwhile the other teams that have only played 14-15 games are getting rest and practice. Seems ridiculous to me. I'd much rather have to play a lot towards the end after working things out during the beginning of the season, than have to earn everything up front and then have a ton of rest when we could possibly be out of playoff contention. Also, as people have seen over the last few years in practically every major sport, it's the teams that are hot at the end, playing all the time and getting momentum that go on to win the championships. I'd rather have the flyers play a lot at the end with that threat of elimination as if they were already in the playoffs. IT builds toughness and competitiveness that you need to win the playoffs.

Only hope is that the Flyers get healthy and sneak into the playoffs in the 6-8 seed and then actually use that later rest to play harder than the worn down teams (assuming again that they won't have the luxury of resting up the last week, especially since they will be facing a top seeded team). Or we can hope to face the PEnguins who seem to be the only team we show up against more often than not. Although, we'll somehow get stuck against the Devils who will likely hold us to like 1.25 goals per game in a playoff series...