Flyers backing in to the playoffs

[brelic]

Yuck. Last night's loss was frustrating for a whole bunch of reasons.

 

1) Flyers started off slow, but were able to readjust. First period was pretty even, yet they were still down by a goal on a stoppable shot.

 

2) They completely dominated the 2nd period. I would say that was one of their most dominant periods all year. And all they had to show for it was 1 goal!

 

3) The wagons fell off in the 3rd period again. What used to be their strongest period has been pretty unforgiving lately. Even in their wins against Buffalo and Florida, they noticeably let up in the 3rd.

 

4) Just as the Flyers showed some life and potential for a comeback, Hartnell takes a stupid penalty, and the one goal deficit quickly became two. Giroux has done the same lately.

 

So, that loss was troubling to me because it looked like playoff hockey. The Lightning got elevated goaltending from their backup and cashed in on their chances. We got subpar goaltending and were completely robbed of at least 2 or 3 goals.

 

And why is Mason not starting these critical games down the stretch?? I mean, dress Emery for Florida and the Canes, by all means. But to give the reins to Emery against Boston and TB when we're hunting for a spot and home ice? We should be getting our starter hot and in the groove for the playoffs.  

 

The biggest concern for me is that we're backing in to the playoffs. 2-6-2 in the last 10, is it? 6 of 20 points. That's some .300 hockey right there at a time you want your club to be firing on all cylinders.

 

I think the Pens game will be a huge mental challenge. If we win, the team will have its confidence restored. If they lose, all of a sudden they probably won't be feeling good about any 1st round matchup. Rangers keep winning, Jackets keep winning, and we're treading water.

 

Flip the switch boys!

 

[flyercanuck]

I didn't understand the Emery start either. I'm not knocking him, but isn't Mason our #1? And isn't Tampa a playoff team?

 

Then again, if there's a team that has our number, they're one of a bunch of them.

[Poulin20]

I was wondering what that sound was that I was hearing!

[brelic]

@Poulin20

 

Haha, nice

 

Flyers are coming in real slow and with a wide load.

[magnumpi]

one and done this playoff

small chance against the Rangers or Penquins

 

if they play Boston it will be a 4 game massacre

[canoli]

First period was pretty even, yet they were still down by a goal on a stoppable shot.

 

The Flyers were on their heels for the first 15 mins because they committed nine - NINE (I counted) seriously-stupid TOs. Those giveaways gave TB all the momentum.

 

I can't call that a bad goal. After Downie flips the puck to a Bolt on the breakout, TB turns around (they feed off TOs as well as any team in the league). Emery has to play the shot from Stamkos...Stamkos goes cross-ice to Johnson, bang-bang it's in the net.

 

Maybe the Flyers should've started Mason but I don't think it would've made a difference. That loss wasn't on the Flyers' goaltending it was on the horrendous puck management and the play of Lindbeck - and the bad luck of pucks bouncing to guys like Hall, Raffl and Coburn when Lindback was out of position. A team that manages the puck the way the Flyers did usually finds itself dealing with "bad luck."

Edited April 11, 2014 by canoli

[brelic]

The Flyers were on their heels for the first 15 mins because they committed nine - NINE (I counted) seriously-stupid TOs. Those giveaways gave TB all the momentum.

 

I can't call that a bad goal. After Downie flips the puck to a Bolt on the breakout, TB turns around (they feed off TOs as well as any team in the league). Emery has to play the shot from Stamkos...Stamkos goes cross-ice to Johnson, bang-bang it's in the net.

 

Maybe the Flyers should've started Mason but I don't think it would've made a difference. That loss wasn't on the Flyers' goaltending it was on the horrendous puck management and the play of Lindbeck - and pucks bouncing to guys like Hall, Raffl and Coburn when Lindback was out of position.

 

For me that game was all about puck management - the lack of it by the Flyers. They picked us apart in the 1st. The Flyers got better, gave themselves a chance once they stopped turning the puck over.

 

Absolutely agree on the turnovers. They were equally bad in the Florida game. They seem eager to give the puck away.

 

And that goal, I didn't say it was Emery's fault. But from the distance he shot, the angle, and the fact that Emery had a clear view of it, I think it was stoppable. 9 times out of 10, your goalie stops that shot.

 

On just about every play, the Flyers make one pass too many.

[Vanflyer]

We got subpar goaltending and were completely robbed of at least 2 or 3 goals.

 

We got subpar goaltending in the first two minutes and the last 10 minutes. I am not an Emery apologist, but without him in both the 18 minutes and 20 minutes of the 1st and 2nd, the game would have been blown wide open. Same could be said of Linderback (sp). 

 

For me, the since of urgency (as has been the case of late) was waning. I call it a 30 minute hockey game for the Flyers- not withstanding Linderback (sp) play. I don't mind losing. I don't mind losing to a hot back-up goalie. But I absolutely detest losing with only half effort. 

[canoli]

They were equally bad in the Florida game. They seem eager to give the puck away.

 

good way to say it. LSchenn has been the worst offender but it was all of them. Coburn, Kimmo, Giroux - veteran guys, just brain-dead giveaways. Brayden Schenn last night, 2  unbelievably bad passes on consecutive shifts - right to TB players in the Flyers' zone. Those soft plays are just inexcusable. I know everybody makes mistakes but 9 in 15 minutes?

 

9 times out of 10, your goalie stops that shot.

 

I guess we'll agree to disagree? I see that play, coming off the TO happening so fast, Stamkos such a threat with his shot...it's more like a 1-in-10 chance of stopping Johnson.

[canoli]

at the risk of sounding like an Emery apologist ....

 

I didn't like Panik's goal (made it 2-1 early in the 3rd) but backhanders are tough on any goalie, esp when nobody picks up the shooter and the shooter is 8 feet away. But this is the 1 goal I felt Emery should've had. Tough stop? Yes but he needs to make it, keep the game tied.

 

On Brewer's goal Downie went to sleep, let Brewer walk into the slot; Brewer takes a good pass and blasts it past Emery from 15 feet. I don't call that a "bad goal" either.

 

Stamkos' PP goal? Not many guys can find that teeny tiny bit of daylight above Emery's shoulder. That was a ridiculously good shot by a premier goal-scorer.

[radoran]

For me, the since of urgency (as has been the case of late) was waning. I call it a 30 minute hockey game for the Flyers- not withstanding Linderback (sp) play. I don't mind losing. I don't mind losing to a hot back-up goalie. But I absolutely detest losing with only half effort.

 

I worry - a little - that they have achieved their goal for the season - making the playoffs after a terrible start. They all seemed quite happy with themselves for making the playoffs. I wonder if they simply have taken their foot off the gas now and believe they can pick up the pace next week.

 

The Pens game will be an interesting watch - I'm sure they will remember the back to back wins the Flyers put on them last month. And Carolina is looking very much like a classic "trap" game for them.

 

Every team is going to be "up" to play the Flyers. The Panthers even made things more interesting than they should have been.

 

As it is, they've lost their last seven games against playoff-quality opponents.

[canoli]

I wonder if they simply have taken their foot off the gas now and believe they can pick up the pace next week.

 

I don't think there's any doubt that's exactly what's going on. It's plain to see, once they clinched a PO spot everybody (almost everybody) relaxed.

[radoran]

I don't think there's any doubt that's exactly what's going on. It's plain to see, once they clinched a PO spot everybody (almost everybody) relaxed.

 

My problem with this is that they've lost their last seven games against playoff-quality opponents.

 

They had beaten playoff-quality teams five times in a row leading up to that. Beating Buffalo and clinching against Florida is wonderful, but they had lost six games against playoff-quality opponents leading up to those two wins against the dregs of the league - and teams like Tampa and Columbus are stepping up their games when the Flyers are apparently relaxing.

 

That's why I say I'm worried that they have achieved "their goal" for the season. For me, "the goal" is not "making the playoffs" - it's winning the Cup.

 

And this team simply doesn't have any laurels to rest upon.

[fanaticV3.0]

I worry - a little - that they have achieved their goal for the season - making the playoffs after a terrible start. They all seemed quite happy with themselves for making the playoffs. I wonder if they simply have taken their foot off the gas now and believe they can pick up the pace next week.

 

The Pens game will be an interesting watch - I'm sure they will remember the back to back wins the Flyers put on them last month. And Carolina is looking very much like a classic "trap" game for them.

 

Every team is going to be "up" to play the Flyers. The Panthers even made things more interesting than they should have been.

 

As it is, they've lost their last seven games against playoff-quality opponents.

 

Agreed.

 

I think there's a good chance they get bounced in the first and if it's against Boston, it could be quick and ugly. If that happens, I'm hoping it annoys them much in the way the slow start this year did.

[Phlyer1]

At least one goal was because one of the hitting leaders Schenn left the guy skate by him at the back of the net and you see  the  result. He has not earned his keep this year JMO

[Vanflyer]

As it is, they've lost their last seven games against playoff-quality opponents.

 

If I am coach, I put this in bold letters on the locker room board so they can get the message. I said three games ago, bag skate. 

 

We all know what they are capable of and it just tics me off to see them dive bomb like this. Its not a fatalist approach, but they were in the drivers seat. The team I see in the drivers seat now in the East is Columbus, NY, and Boston. 

[radoran]

If I am coach, I put this in bold letters on the locker room board so they can get the message. I said three games ago, bag skate. 

 

We all know what they are capable of and it just tics me off to see them dive bomb like this. Its not a fatalist approach, but they were in the drivers seat. The team I see in the drivers seat now in the East is Columbus, NY, and Boston. 

 

They're still definitely learning from experience, which can lead to a stronger team down the line. The Bruins, for example, took the right message from their collapse against the Flyers in 2010. They could have blown up the team and gone in an entirely new direction as a result (as the Flyers did after getting swept by the Bruins in 2011). They've consistently been among the top teams in the league since then and will likely be for at least another few seasons.

 

The Flyers, quite frankly, don't have a lot of "playoff experience" on the roster - VLC, Timonen and Giroux have probably the most postseason experience - and getting their heads handed to them in the first round might not be such a bad thing. Or the second round. They can learn together what it takes to win in the postseason and grow together with that knowledge.

 

Tampa isn't exactly steeped in postseason experience, either - nor is Columbus - but both of them are playing pretty good hockey down the stretch. I see both of them as teams that still have something to prove. The Flyers give me the impression that they think they've already proven it - which isn't a great thing to see rightnow.

 

Or they can put on a magical run to the Cup. "Anything is possible" after all.

 

Just some things are more likely than others.

[canoli]

I'm worried that they have achieved "their goal" for the season. For me, "the goal" is not "making the playoffs" - it's winning the Cup.

 

 

I think most of us here have a pretty accurate view of the way things stand regarding the Flyers' chances vs. the competition this year. Does anybody here believe the Flyers are going to the Final unless they get extremely (extraordinarily) lucky again? So if we're convinced it'll take a crazy number of breaks ... it's a safe bet the players feel that way too.

[canoli]

and getting their heads handed to them in the first round might not be such a bad thing.

 

agreed - but only if (and I know I'm preaching to the choir here) - only if Homer and Co. don't blow up the damn team again.

 

Seriously, Homer has to walk a fine line this summer. He's got to find some help on D I think, a gritty, leadership type - doesn't have to be a star - like Gator was (before he got to the Flyers that is). Somebody like that, who won't cost an arm and a Couturier, experienced but still real hungry.

 

I don't know if a player like that exists who will be available. But it's hard to see how the Flyers get Berube's system totally ingrained without that defensive help.

[brelic]

We got subpar goaltending in the first two minutes and the last 10 minutes.

 

Well, that's what I mean by subpar goaltending. It didn't bail us out when it needed to. I don't want to take anything away from Emery in the rest of the game, because he played really well and made some tough stops. If you stop 38 of 40 shots, but the two goals were bad goals, would you say you got good goaltending or bad goaltending?

 

The way I saw it was that Lindback played above his pay grade, and Emery played like an average joe.

 

@canoli

"I guess we'll agree to disagree? I see that play, coming off the TO happening so fast, Stamkos such a threat with his shot...it's more like a 1-in-10 chance of stopping Johnson."

 

I will look at the goal again. I'm not trying to be negative, or to say it was a bad goal. Just that a better goalie stops that shot. Anyway, that first goal aside, I agree that Emery should have had the Pannik goal. Not that it wasn't a good shot, but you're not gonna win many hockey games when you allow 4 goals. The team needs to tighten up, for sure. And the goaltending needs to step up a notch to be competitive in the playoffs. I didn't feel the Flyers got playoff-level goaltending last night. 

 

 

[brelic]

@radoran

@canoli

 

There's wisdom in your posts. It's almost like both of you have watched the Flyers a lot over the years, and recognize a destructive pattern

 

I agree. This experience will be important for them whichever way it turns out. Take it, build on it, and keep moving forward with what you have. Give them several years to show you how they've developed.

[radoran]

I think most of us here have a pretty accurate view of the way things stand regarding the Flyers' chances vs. the competition this year. Does anybody here believe the Flyers are going to the Final unless they get extremely (extraordinarily) lucky again? So if we're convinced it'll take a crazy number of breaks ... it's a safe bet the players feel that way too.

 

Which just flies in the face of the entire phillyosophy of the organization: "get into the playoffs and anything can happen."

 

If we take as read that the players don't even really fundamentally believe that, why the heck should the fanbase and why does the "braintrust"?

 

He's got to find some help on D I think, a gritty, leadership type - doesn't have to be a star

 

He's got Streit, Schenn, Grossmann and Coburn already signed and is pursuing a contract with MacDonald. That's five of six spots on the blue line filled before the FA period even starts.

 

And if they do go the "re-up Timonen" approach, then the "help" you say they need on D (and I certainly don't disagree) simply isn't coming.

[brelic]

He's got Streit, Schenn, Grossmann and Coburn already signed and is pursuing a contract with MacDonald. That's five of six spots on the blue line filled before the FA period even starts.

 

I'm thinking Grossmann is moved in the offseason (NTC notwithstanding). 

 

That leaves two spots. I'm hoping guys like Ghost and Alt do enough to earn spots on the club.

 

What do we think of Gus? He's a bubble player it seems.

[mojo1917]

What do we think of Gus? He's a bubble player it seems.

 

kind of bummed about Gus's play this year, after last year's world tournament he seemed primed to step into a larger role and wasn't able to establish himself.

 

He's not been as mobile this year as i remember seeing him last year, and he's lost a lot of board battles and physical battles when the team needs/ed a clear.

I would say that if Ghost and Alt are going to become Flyers it will most likely be at Gus's expense.

[OccamsRazor]

I didn't understand the Emery start either. I'm not knocking him, but isn't Mason our #1? And isn't Tampa a playoff team?

 

Then again, if there's a team that has our number, they're one of a bunch of them.

 

 

They are not the only team to have the Flyer's number....half the playoffs team are in that group.

 

So the only thing we can pray for is we have seen this group, when on their A, game even with their PP not really clicking they can play with all the good teams. 

 

And we've seen how bad and in consistent they can be....

 

...so we can think positive and hope they bring their A game and once the playoffs start and they get more practice they get their PP clicking then they'll have a great chance of getting passed the Rangers....then into the teeth of the next awaiting team....it won't be easy by any stretch.

 

But a quick first round exit is just as possible. Roll the dice and see. I myself since they ween't going to get a good first round pick and just glad the kids are growing and getting a taste of the playoffs....every thing else is gravy on top....