Red-hot Flyers could be darkhorse in the East - THN Article

[EDI-Flyer]

There is not an NHL team that takes more penalties or fights more often than the Philadelphia Flyers do. And lately there aren’t many teams that have been winning games with the regularity they have displayed.

And as a result, the Flyers have transformed a season that began as an unmitigated disaster into one in which they could be a force in the Eastern Conference. After defeating the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 for their 10th straight win at the Wells Fargo Center – all of them in regulation – the Flyers find themselves firmly in possession of a playoff spot in the east.

 

They’ve gone 8-2-0 in their past 10 games overall and since getting off to the worst start in franchise history at 2-10-0, the Flyers have put together a 21-7-4 run to pull themselves out of the abyss and into the ranks of legitimate playoff contenders. Remember, we’re talking about the Eastern Conference here. Is there anyone out there at this moment who thinks the Flyers are not capable of beating any team in the east in a seven-game series?

 

There are a number of reasons for the Flyers return to success, the most paramount being that aside from firing coach Peter Laviolette and replacing him with Craig Berube, GM Paul Holmgren did not go into panic mode after the Flyers poor start. In fact, the only deal he made was to reacquire Steve Downie from the Colorado Avalanche for Max Talbot. He showed faith in his core players and they rewarded him by rebounding nicely, none more than captain Claude Giroux. Discuss amongst yourselves whether the Canadian Olympic team is better off with Rick Nash than Giroux, who waited just a little too long to show the Canadian team management why he is one of the league’s elite players.

 

The Flyers are getting all kinds of balanced scoring with six players in double figures in scoring and 12 in double figures in points. Quick, who is Philadelphia’s top goal scorer? Go to the head of the class and collect your gold star if you guessed Wayne Simmonds. Half of those goals have come on the power play.

 

And finally, who would have thought that Philadelphia would be a place where a goalie would go to actually revive his career? After so many train wrecks and good careers gone south in the Philadelphia,Steve Mason has 18 of the Flyers 23 wins so far this season and has posted a .922 save percentage. The tricky thing now for the Flyers is what to do with Mason in the off-season. After being dealt to the Flyers last season, Mason signed a one-year deal worth just $1.5 million and undoubtedly deserves a raise when that deal expires.

 

Largely because the Flyers have been shorthanded 175 times this season – second most in the NHL – they also give up almost 30 shots a game, so Mason is obviously earning his keep. But how long and how much do you commit to a goaltender with such a checkered past? On the other hand, how do you not sign Mason to a long-term deal if you believe he has finally come to save you from your long history of goaltending ills?

 

Those are questions the Flyers have some time to answer. Barring a complete collapse, they’re a playoff team in a conference where anything can happen, and often does. Just four years ago, this same team came within two wins of winning the Stanley Cup after finishing seventh in the conference and qualifying for the playoffs on the last day of the season. That 2009-10 team finished with 88 points, while this year’s version of the Flyers is on pace for 93.

Which is something of a miracle considering the depths they were occupying just over two months ago.

 

 

Source

[AJgoal]

I don't think the Flyers have the horses to keep up this pace for the rest of the season and through the playoffs. If they were peaking like this in March I'd be a bit more optimistic. Playoffs often seem to come down to who is hot at the end of the season. Right now they're not even guaranteed a spot in the playoffs - they're on the right track, and this stretch shows what they can be in a year or two with a bit more growth from the youngsters, but I don't think they're a darkhorse candidate this year.

[EDI-Flyer]

but I don't think they're a darkhorse candidate this year.

I tend to agree... certainly not an overall Cup winner. However I do agree with Ken Campbell's basic premise that in a 7 game series we are capable of beating any team in the East. Boston would probably be my biggest concern as although the Pens are strong they hold no real fear for me.

[intheslot]

Nice to say "Mason got red f**ing hot and carried the team all the way to the cup "

    We have a goalie that can do that .

[flyercanuck]

@intheslot

 

Not saying he will, but I believe (for the first time in a quarter century) we do.

[EDI-Flyer]

Not saying he will, but I believe (for the first time in a quarter century) we do.

 

Agreed. We finally have a goalie who can win us games... It's an incredible feeling to know that a breakaway isn't automatically going to lead to a goal nowadays.

[Poulin20]

I thnink as it has done to them in the past the Olympic break will kill their momentum and they will never really recover enough to make a run this year.  I think what we are witnessing is encouraging though and gives us hope for the future as we are a young team.  We need some tweaks here and there for sure but as a Lavy Fanboy I have to say I am shocked at how well Chief has them playing.  Nice work turning the season around!

[AndyS]

I thnink as it has done to them in the past the Olympic break will kill their momentum and they will never really recover enough to make a run this year.  I think what we are witnessing is encouraging though and gives us hope for the future as we are a young team.  We need some tweaks here and there for sure but as a Lavy Fanboy I have to say I am shocked at how well Chief has them playing.  Nice work turning the season around!

The break will give the Flyers time to rest up & heal up.

 

Gotta give Homer credit where it is due with the hiring of Chief as the new head coach.  Everyone ripped Homer & Snider for that move when it first happened, but no one's griping about it now.

[doom88]

The break will give the Flyers time to rest up & heal up.

Gotta give Homer credit where it is due with the hiring of Chief as the new head coach. Everyone ripped Homer & Snider for that move when it first happened, but no one's griping about it now.

Beware the hate that may rain down upon thee who credith the Homer.

[ruxpin]

Hiring Berube was an utterly stupid move by Homer. Snider and Homer need to go so they can change the culture in this organization.

[King Knut]

I don't think it was chief necessarily that people didn't like but the dumping of Lavvy after 3 games.

That really made it seem like the thought they should have dumped him last year but squandered camp and the beginning if the season by keeping him.

Of course the alternative perspective is that their sucking wasn't Lavvy's fault and that the team needed a JOLT and a fresh perspective and game plan to get them going.

I've felt that Lavvy's " system" kinda fell apart when Lappy went down and trading richards was the nail in its coffin. They had some great series and games and a decent season in the mean time, but they looked like chaos on the ice and less of a system. It's a bit difficult I run a forechecking heavy system without any strong forecheckers.

We're all a little wary of the good old fly boys club at this point, but chief had been proving himself all on his own.

I still contend that the team was just lost and confused. I like what they're doing, but they needed to get out if their funk themselves over time and wake up. Lavvy wasn't making them stink, he just wasn't getting them out of the black joke their collective hockey brain had fallen into.

The break will give the Flyers time to rest up & heal up.

Gotta give Homer credit where it is due with the hiring of Chief as the new head coach. Everyone ripped Homer & Snider for that move when it first happened, but no one's griping about it now.

[King Knut]

Careful what you wish for. I do not love Snider's decisions, but one can't deny how badly he wants to win.

Not sure

Comcast Spectator would necessarily be so concerned about anything besides turning a profit without Snider.

Either way, he's not going anywhere til he dies.

Or maybe if they win another cup he'd retire, but I kind of doubt it.

Dude has fire for winning and loves this team. I fear it might be better than a col hard cope oration that needs to increase profit margins every year.

Hiring Berube was an utterly stupid move by Homer. Snider and Homer need to go so they can change the culture in this organization.

[brelic]

You know the biggest factor responsible for the turnaround?

 

Patience.

 

Who knew?

[PhilsFanDrew]

I wanna see how they start doing against better teams.    Lets be honest out of their recent stretch of games they haven't played many really good teams.   Vancouver was probably the best team they played on the road trip and it was a game they were outplayed. Fortunately Mason was able to steal that one for them.    Tomorrow should be a good test.   They have recently struggled against the Bolts and TB is a top 3 team in the East.   I'm not trying to poo poo what they have done just trying to keep things in perspective.   I like the way the team is going but they aren't a legit contender yet. 

[brelic]

Agreed. We finally have a goalie who can win us games... It's an incredible feeling to know that a breakaway isn't automatically going to lead to a goal nowadays.

And you know what? The biggest difference I see with Mason is that he's "one of the guys". He's part of the young core.. he seems to have a personality that meshes well with guys like Giroux, Jake, Simmonds, Schenn, Couturier. And that's HUGE!

He's not a weirdo like Bryz.

He's not a young Russian who can barely speak English like Bob

He's not a journeyman goaltender lucky to even have a job like Leaky Leights

He's not an outsider like Silent Bob

He's part of the core fabric of this team. The players want to play hard and win for him because he's one of them. That will pay huge dividends down the road. I think of goalies like Price, Fleury, Quick, as examples of goalies who are a strong part of their team's core.

PS - Ever notice how Jake and Giroux look and sound the same in interviews? Different mother tongues, but their English accent sounds similar.

[Poulin20]

You know the biggest factor responsible for the turnaround?

 

Patience.

 

Who knew?

untitled.bmp

[doom88]

I wanna see how they start doing against better teams. Lets be honest out of their recent stretch of games they haven't played many really good teams. Vancouver was probably the best team they played on the road trip and it was a game they were outplayed. Fortunately Mason was able to steal that one for them. Tomorrow should be a good test. They have recently struggled against the Bolts and TB is a top 3 team in the East. I'm not trying to poo poo what they have done just trying to keep things in perspective. I like the way the team is going but they aren't a legit contender yet.

Don't good teams win the games they should win?

[fan4ever]

@brelic

 

And you know what? The biggest difference I see with Mason is that he's "one of the guys". He's part of the young core.. he seems to have a personality that meshes well with guys like Giroux, Jake, Simmonds, Schenn, Couturier. And that's HUGE!

He's not a weirdo like Bryz.
He's not a young Russian who can barely speak English like Bob
He's not a journeyman goaltender lucky to even have a job like Leaky Leights
He's not an outsider like Silent Bob

He's part of the core fabric of this team. The players want to play hard and win for him because he's one of them. That will pay huge dividends down the road. I think of goalies like Price, Fleury, Quick, as examples of goalies who are a strong part of their team's core.

PS - Ever notice how Jake and Giroux look and sound the same in interviews? Different mother tongues, but their English accent sounds similar.

 

I agree with you 100% on this.  Think of how you work harder for a boss you like versus one you don't hold in the highest regard.

[murraycraven]

They are certainly playing well but I do not expect them to keep up this pace - as AJ stated.  I will take what I can get and appreciate their effort but this Team is a far cry from being a contender IMO.  

[brelic]

They are certainly playing well but I do not expect them to keep up this pace - as AJ stated.  I will take what I can get and appreciate their effort but this Team is a far cry from being a contender IMO.  

 

That's just it, though... they don't have to keep up this pace. 

 

They're 23-17-4.

 

They started 1-7 (2-10), so since that time, they've gone 22-10-4 (21-7-4).

 

If they kept up the 21-7-4 pace (.718 winning pct), they'd finish with 105 points. That's very unlikely to happen.

 

92 points made the playoffs 2 years ago, so they need at least 42 more points (.552 winning pct) for a realistic shot at the playoffs. That translates to a record of about 21-17 over the remaining 38 games. Very attainable even with a dropoff in play.

[murraycraven]

That's just it, though... they don't have to keep up this pace. 

 

They're 23-17-4.

 

They started 1-7 (2-10), so since that time, they've gone 22-10-4 (21-7-4).

 

If they kept up the 21-7-4 pace (.718 winning pct), they'd finish with 105 points. That's very unlikely to happen.

 

92 points made the playoffs 2 years ago, so they need at least 42 more points (.552 winning pct) for a realistic shot at the playoffs. That translates to a record of about 21-17 over the remaining 38 games. Very attainable even with a dropoff in play.

 

 

I think they definitely can keep up that pace    The issue is that I just dont see this Team being a contender this year.   Crazier things have happened though...   They are playing far better hockey than I expected so this is all a bonus for me!

[brelic]

I think they definitely can keep up that pace    The issue is that I just dont see this Team being a contender this year.   Crazier things have happened though...   They are playing far better hockey than I expected so this is all a bonus for me!

 

Yes, I agree. If they make the playoffs, I really don't see them as a contender, even under the best of circumstances.

[murraycraven]

Yes, I agree. If they make the playoffs, I really don't see them as a contender, even under the best of circumstances.

 

 

Maybe this will be the year where we catch lightning in a bottle!   They have surprised me over the past few weeks!

[RonJeremy]

As good as we're playing, I don't see too old fragile guys like Timmon and Streit holding up through the playoffs, they both have logged lots of ice time over the years . Both will be worn down after a full season and can't remain as effective through a bunch of long playoff series especially with the physical style of Eastern conference hockey. Remember a few years ago the Bruins took runs at Timmo constantly and pulverized him.

It would be nice to acquire a big minutes offensively skilled defenseman , but then it would surely cost a lot. Sooner or later we will have to face the facts that Timmo is retiring and Streit is our only offensive dman.

[mojo1917]

eh, why not ?

there is a guy in the nets that can steal a couple of games , there are guys that can get absurdly hot and go on scoring binges , there is a commitment to team defense and responsibility without the puck. 

there is no reason why this group can't be a "dark horse"  in the east, the conference is wide open; there are 2 strong teams and a bunch of teams like ours, to use an oft quoted phrase , get in and anything can happen.