Philadelphia Flyers win over LA Kings

The Philadelphia Flyers showed up and showed out last night against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the LA Kings. A few keys to the game last night was Ray Emery’s outstanding performance in goal and the strategic/physical play the Flyers exhibited.

Although the Flyers took some time to get their feet underneath of them this season, they are making smarter plays and fewer of those frustrating/poorly timed penalties.   Compared to last season’s start the Flyers are doing extremely well and assuming that their awkward adjustment period has passed, they have taken to Head Coach Craig Berube’s guidance and the team seems to finally be clicking.  

The fact that Philadelphia finally has a great goaltending tandem deserves a moment of silence. Steve Mason has been great for the Flyers, no doubt will continue to be great and keep his starting goaltender position.  It’s a relief that their backup goaltender is outstanding in goal as well and the Flyers couldn’t ask for a better back-up, who knows his job description and supports the team. Emery only makes Mason stronger.

Last night the Flyers gave us a glimpse of how dangerous they can be when they play a smarter and harder full 60 minute game. Is this the start of something new? I sure hope so, as the Flyers have been progressively getting better. They wrap up this challenging month of October and look to build more momentum.  The Flyers have finally linked together 3 wins and are looking for more, as they take their show on the road against the Tampa Bay Lightning this Thursday.

Will the Flyers keep up their fast and stronger style of play, or were they just putting on a show for the LA Kings?

Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, NO SURPRISE!!!

After a devastating loss to the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers went up against their cross-state rivals, Pittsburgh Penguins.  This is a team that the Flyers can beat. No matter what the record, the Flyers always seem to play off the emotions, capitalize on mistakes and come out with the W.

After a shaky first period the Flyers took advantage of the opportunities. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their strong hold and underestimated the Flyers, whose record was 1-3-2. And, the Flyers made it anything but an easy game for the Penguins as they battled for the win.

Now 2-3-2, the Flyers desperately need to link together some wins. Throwback to last year October 7, 2013 when the Flyers had the worst start to their season in franchise history, head coach Peter Laviolette was relieved of his coaching duties just 3 games into the season when they were 0-3. I don't think a shake up like that would help the team but it's not completely impossible if they don't turn their season around.

Positive take away from this game was the players that were scoring. It wasn't so much the top line but the rest of the team stepping up to the plate and bringing home the win, which is what was missing during the first few games of the season.

All-in-all, I don't really believe that this game was that "all important game" that will drive them to build off and create a great season. I think that they need to play against every team as if they are the Pittsburgh Penguins because that seems to be the only motivator for them to play close to a 60 min game. On paper the Penguins should have been more than capable of handling the Flyers but the Flyers win game after game against the Pens when the odds are not in their favor.

Where do we go from here?  The Flyers have a lot to build from, they have a lot of great aspects to their game but they are still looking to get their first back-to-back win of the season. Their next two games will be challenging and this is where they will show what kind of team they will be this season. On Saturday they will face the Detroit Red Wings followed by the defending Stanley Cup champions on Tuesday. Beat one or both of those teams and that is what I will call "sending a message"

Philadelphia Flyers: Optomistic but still not winning

Not the start to the season that the Flyers had in mind, but they have offered a few glimpses at the type of hockey they hope to play all season. It’s too soon to press the panic buttons just yet, with a long season ahead, but it is feeling slightly reminiscent of last season’s losing streak.

Time and time again one player often shoulders the burden for the Flyers, right now it is Wayne Simmonds with substantial contributions from Claude Giroux, Mark Streit and Jakub Vorack. The individual contributions are great and as soon as they link everyone together in a team effort they could add some confidence with a win.  The Flyers need to harness their energy and control the ice.

The Ducks have a knack for slowing down plays and controlling the pace of the game. The Ducks held that strong hold until the Flyers came back to play hockey during the 2^nd period. There is no time like the present for the Flyers to elevate their game and notch the wins.

The Flyers have several opportunities to build off of in order to begin playing the season the way that they want to: Their top-line is contributing, they notched quality shots on goal and they have a good power play.

Meanwhile, the Flyers are 0-2-2 and are up against a tough line up for the remainder of October. As they continue to struggle with their shoot out skills, it appears that no amount of practice can help that area of their game. But, the team remains positive and chases after the full 60 minute effort.

If you could offer one coaching tip to the team what would it be?

Who came out on top in the Scott Hartnell trade?

As we continue to digest yesterday’s news from the Philadelphia Flyers on the trade of Scott Hartnell for R.J Umberger of the Columbus Blue Jackets, more clues are coming out on the thought process behind this trade. Ron Hextall, who had been groomed all season to take over as G.M finally assumed his role and is making an impact, with the goal of producing a Stanley Cup team just like he created in L.A. With Hextall at the reigns it seems odd that the Hartnell trade feels very Paul Holmgren reminiscent.

Claude Giroux was shocked Monday morning when he found out that Scott Hartnell was one of his former teammates. A move out of left field for the Flyers team, shocking even the captain. The trade was for R.J Umberger, a player with some similarities to Hartnell, those similarities include age, goals last season, cap hit and experience they could bring to a team. Where Hartnell excels above other players is his commitment to the community in which he plays, he is more active in the community than any other individual player, he has been a fan favorite and a face for the Flyers.

The Columbus Blue Jackets undoubtedly are very lucky to have such a great trade on their hands and they did not have to sacrifice much. R.J Umberger doesn’t draw as much fan base but he brings an element of speed and versatility that Hextall is looking for in a player. Umberger, a former Flyer, had asked the Blue Jackets for a trade because he had been a healthy scratch down the stretch 2014-14. All signs show that Umberger is actually skating the best of his career and we can look to Craig Breube playing his in several different positions this season.

With R.J Umberger also comes a 4^th round pick in the 2015 draft which is expected to be deeper than the draft happening this weekend. Hextall’s plan seems to be focused towards the long term. He is going to clean up the team, put them in a great position for a few years from now and then win the Cup. He has the vision to take the team where it needs to go and he wants to create the cap flexibility to be able to do so.

My feelings about the trade: Thinking of it from a player stand point for a minute, both teams seemingly did not want the player that they had. On an individual basis this is great for them.  Hartnell is a great guy and his soul focus is on winning the Stanley Cup before his retires and the Blue Jackets are very motivated to do that, so I think this season we are going to see great things from Hartnell. The Blue Jackets have Hartnell in their winning plan and that is a perfect place for him to be. A player that is motivated by winning is the kind that you want on your team. On the other hand, Umberger was a healthy scratch for the stretch last season (2013-14) there is a reason behind that and GM Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets might have given a hint to that when he said:

“We had a player who didn't want to play here and had asked to be moved, so that was money on the sidelines for us. Now we've got a real good player (Hartnell) and we have clarity to the situation. We know what we look like heading into these next two weeks, which makes it easier to proceed."

So was he referring to Umberger. If so, all we can hope is that the move re-energizes Umberger to want to win with the Flyers. He is seemingly in the best shape of his career so hopefully he makes that kind of impact with the team.

From a Flyers stand point this is such a bad trade. They had one of their top guys, who is a face of the team, great attitude/motivated to win, respected and looked up to by his teammates, fully committed to the Flyers and Philadelphia and they just downgraded to Umberger. That’s the business side of the game but it’s just such a sad move on their part.  Hartnell was such an integral part of the team, they will not be able to find someone that can fill his skates on and off the ice. Hopefully the gamble on the 4^th round pick in 2015 works out.

The Columbus Blue Jacket should be over the moon. I don’t think I am at all the bias when I make that statement. Hartnell has made the most of this situation and he is with a very motivated team.  He is bringing them valuable experience and leadership. He’s motivated and wants to win a cup before he retires and when Hartnell is motivated he gets things done. The Blue Jackets came out on top in this trade.

This trade rests on the shoulders of Ron Hextall. Everyone had been wondering if Hartnell had requested this move and that was just not the case at all. Hartnell loves Philly and even in being asked to move on he is still doing what is best for the Philadelphia Flyers. I am dreading the Hextall regime already and hoping for some kind of saving grace soon like resigning Ray Emery as back- up goaltender.

Surprise performance from the Flyers leads the series to Game 7

Much like their late start to the regular season, third period come backs and their last minute playoff push, the Philadelphia Flyers second wind has finally arrived. It is not too late and the momentum is welcomed in a series that will now be decided during Game 7.  The New York Rangers will take home ice in a game everyone has to win but only one team will be moving on tonight. Will we finally see some over time from this series?

 Last night, on home ice facing an elimination, the Flyers surprised everyone as they held as much as a 4 goal lead going into the third period. The Rangers started off the game dominating but by the end of 40 minutes looked disjointed and unorganized, they looked tired and were not playing as a team.  The difference of play between Game 5 and Game 6 was like night and day for both teams. After a very disappointing Game 5 that showed little promise for the Flyers, the comeback kids have risen and will take this series to Game 7.

 The Flyers have slowly regained their goal scorers. Claude Giroux netted his first goal during Game 5 and Wayne Simmonds made huge contributions in Game 6 with 3 goals. I think that when the top players are scoring for the Flyers it adds to their confidence, instead of building the frustration they get when they cannot find the back of the net. With Steve Mason's huge sprawling saves in goal the team is set to win Game 7 and move on. But, before we think about that let’s talk about what they have to do in Game 7: Keep it simple. Play the game. Exploit the Rangers weaknesses. Up until now the Rangers have been a solid competitor. Last night we saw a different side of the Rangers and with their confidence deflated the Flyers need to go into Madison Square Garden and dominate.

 Fingers crossed.

Philadelphia Flyers fall way behind New York Rangers in Game 1

With a fresh opportunity for new beginnings, the Philadelphia Flyers took the ice last night in Madison Square Garden. Although, they were already starting Game 1 playing their back-up goaltender, a hopeful team stood tall during an evenly matched first period. But that’s where the good news ends. After a tied first period they lost momentum in the second.  The nail in the coffin came from a penalty taken by Jason Akeson, which gave the New York Rangers a perfect opening and go ahead to score 2 goals during their power play.   The Rangers pulled away with the lead during the third period and the Flyers did not have the discipline nor the control to be able to catch them.

Game 1 for the Flyers was not too horrible. Minus the Akeson mishap, turn overs and lack of puck control, the Flyers showed some promise during the first period. In the coming games the Flyers will need to make a conscious effort to stay out of the penalty box. The Rangers’ power play may only be 15^th in the league but there is a lot of talent out there on the ice and the Rangers were able to beat the Flyers last night. Serving a whopping 1,180 minutes in the penalty box during the regular season, the Flyers generally have a hard time staying out of the box, so when they are shorthanded they will be looking to Mason-Emery to come up big in net and the dynamic duo of Sean Couturier and Matt Read.

Claude Giroux is the backbone of the Flyers and there wasn’t much of a performance from him last night. Now that they have Game 1 under their belt G needs to come out big. As soon as he brings the energy and the momentum the team will do likewise.

One of the biggest challenges between the Flyers and a goal is the Gold medal goaltender blocking their shots: King Henrik, a consistent and confident goaltender who has gone 8-0-0 against the Flyers at Mason Square Garden. The Flyers will need to break that wall down and beat him in order to stay alive during the post-season. Lundquist is good and the Flyers will have to do their best to break down his confidence.

Last night, the goaltender in net would not have changed the outcome of the game for the Flyers. But, Steven Mason is magic and could have had a big influence. Mas has reclaimed his career this season, with a team that has been known as “where goaltenders come to die” I have complete confidence in Mas and it is unfortunate that he is out right now, but we have a veteran backup who brings playoff experience and all hope is with him now until Mas is healthy.

Now that everyone is off to the races, the Flyers will need to come back in a big was during Game 2. If the Flyers can’t perform better and they revisit their start from the regular season, they are in for a short post-season. Cross your fingers!! See you on Sunday!

Final notes from the 2013-14 regular season: Philadelphia Flyers

Over the final days, hockey fans have relished in the additional minutes of free hockey as the regular season concludes. In several games that I have watched over the last few days, teams like: the Flyers, Avalanche and others have gone into exhilarating overtimes during this regular season that ‘just won’t quit’, as a hockey analyst proclaimed this weekend. Several of these passionate final games were deemed of less importance and would not affect the playoff standings, but the players proved that no one likes to lose, as they vehemently took the ice and gave everyone a preview of the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers have astonishingly made the playoffs and are now prepping for their postseason. But, this is not a surprise to everyone.  Their fearless leader, Captain Claude Giroux never lost sight of their end goal, as he made this audacious claim in late October: ‘We will make the playoffs’. At the time the Flyers sat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, at the bottom of the league with their top scorers not performing, they had tallied a low 11 points and their record was 1-7-0. An epidemic early in the season were coaching changes and the Flyers were not immune, as they dropped three games they also said good-bye to Coach Peter Laviolette and Assistant Coach Craig Breube got a promotion. Just 6 days into a 195 day season, the immediate outcome was not overwhelming success, it took some time to turn the season around and it took 15 games for Giroux to net his first goal of the season.  The critics were brash but Giroux proved why he wears the C on his chest and he took his team to the top, after all the only direction the Flyers had to go was up.

Now the Flyers start fresh in the postseason, facing the New York Rangers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. After overcoming a season of adversity the comeback kids have had the final say and they will be taking that energy into the post-season. On Thursday we are looking at a familiar lineup from a Flyers team that has remained fairly healthy all season long.  Zac Rinaldo will be back from his 4-game suspension and Steve Mason who left after a 2^nd period mishap in the Flyers game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday will be playoff ready.  [Edit: Mason will be side-lined for Game 1 and Emery will start in Goal] The Mason-Emery tandem goalie team is a recipe for success and with a healthy team everyone is focused going into Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Reflections on the regular season from my point of view: While I saw signs of Peter Laviolette’s early departure from the team, I do not think that it was completely necessary. Craig Berube stepped up and was able to make effective line changes all season long that padded the success of the team. But, I think the foundation for success was always in the locker room and once the Flyers figured it out and wanted it enough the momentum turned around. I could have never endorsed Giroux’s early season claims that they were headed to the playoffs as they sat at the bottom of the league. First because it was too early to tell and second because I thought that he was just doing his job, it would have never been right for him to be less than encouraging, motivated and optimist of his team. All in all, the Flyers have laid out some lessons for us to learn from this season: Lesson 1 Never get in a fight with a Boxer, Lesson 2 Keep your eye on the prize, Lesson 3 When you work together you can win. At the end of the day hockey brings communities and families together, even despite rivalries. Young athletes are looking up to these NHL players and I think that through a few bumps the Flyers set a great example this season.

I will be at my favorite bar with my Dad on Thursday, proudly wearing my Flyers shirt, downing some beer and eating wings as I celebrate the post season.  Win or lose I couldn’t be more proud of the athleticism, sportsmanship and motivation of this Flyers team this season.

For the 2013-14 regular season this is The Amateur Fan signing off. Welcome to the postseason.

 

Weekend Sweep: Flyers

On this back to back game weekend, just having beat the Bruins Saturday and facing off with the Capitals yesterday the Flyers were aiming for a weekend sweep.  This is the third and final meeting between the Capitals and the Flyers in the regular season. The starting line up for the Flyers was: Simmonds, Schenn, Hartnell; Schenn, Lauridsen Bryzgalov. Within the first minute of play the Capitals score taking the 1-0 over the Flyers. Then ten minutes into play, still no attempts from the Flyers, with the Capitals dominating the first period Tabolt was able to cut one lose to the back of the net tying the game 1-1. Kimmo Timonen had made a great tactical play, bouncing the puck off the wall then the puck redirected by Rinaldo to Talbot for the score. Capitals take a 5-3 power play when Giroux gets sent to the box for face off violations and Simmonds, who clearly gets pushed into the goalie, gets called for goalie interference. Everyone but the refs saw Simmonds get pushed but the Flyers fend off the Capitals during the 2 man advantage. Great power penalty kill by the Flyers, it built energy to the game. Nearing the end of the first period and the Flyers were still battling for puck possession, Read catches a pass and takes a one on one to the net against the goaltender securing a lead for the Flyers 2-1 in the first period. Flyers had a slow start to the first period but ended with a 1 point lead over the Capitals. The Capitals put the Flyers power play streak to bed and stopped it at 5, as the Flyers were unsuccessfully in scoring during power plays against the Capitals. The Capitals tail the Flyers as 2nd in the league for power play goals, and power plays were rough for the Flyers. The second period was uneventful, with a back and forth between the two teams throughout most of the period. At the end of the second period Green tied up the game for the Capitals 2-2. Going into the third period, the Flyers have a 1-6 record when being tied after two periods, but that did not stop Giroux from pulling this team through. After several bad penalties in the 3^rd period, it seemed as though this team was falling apart, culminating at the moment when Bryzglov threw his water bottle after missing a block which gave the Capitals a 2 point lead. Just when it seemed like the game was over, as the Capitals had a 4-2 lead, Giroux took control as Captain; finally showing the leadership expected of him on the ice. With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Flyers had the puck and had to get it into the Capitals zone quickly to bridge the 2 point lead. A power play gave Giroux the opportunity he needed to level the game 4-3, giving hope to his team. With 9.8 seconds left in the game and an empty net for the Flyers, they pushed hard against the Capitals to tie the game and they did. The game goes into over time and Fedetanko secures the win and 2 more points for the Flyers, 5-4 win.

If it wasn’t for Giroux this would have been another loss. This team still does not play well with a lead and they do not play well under adversity. There were many mistakes that plagued the Flyers: their slow start in the first period, puck turn over and numerous bad penalties in the third that almost cost them the game. As soon as the Captials had their two point lead it seemed as if they were going to run away with the game but the Flyers made a dramatic come back in the last ten minutes. Timonen and Giroux really stepped up their leadership in this game, making big play after big play, covering up mistake after mistake. Rinaldo was not giving up on the hits; he said “I will keep the hits rolling” For a team that is down big names due to injuries the Flyers tried to fill the gap. Talbot suffered a lower body injury from this game and might be added to the list of injuries for the season.  Max Talbot is one of the biggest power play killers for the team, there is no report on his injury but the Flyers said he was not cut on the play. Giroux’s post game comments on his teammate were, "He [Talbot] has a big role on the team, and obviously the other guys will have to step up," The Flyers have lost three defensemen -Grossmann, Meszaros, and Coburn to injuries and forwards Talbot and Briere. They also have lost forwards Talbot and Danny Briere (concussion). Matt Read had another great score for the team, giving him back to back score in the past 2 games. In the old man club, Hartnell  made an appearance but didn’t provide much of anything, his game isn’t consistent but it was great to see Knuble back in the line up for a third game. Shame of the game goes to Jakub Voracek for the fight he dominated after his Captain Giroux took a hit, which put Voracek in the box for 4 minutes giving the Capitals opportune time to take home 2 goals putting the score at 4-2. Giroux can certainly take a hit and does not need reckless behavior that might costs the team a win. Consequently this incident shook the whole team, it was evident the team was disjointed and even Bryzgalvo lashed out with his frustrations after missing two blocks during the power play. That fight sends a warning to everyone in the league, don’t fight Voracek, he will dominate you. Voracek needs to take a not from Luke Schenn who knows shake it off and not give power plays away. This and the past two games solidify the spring board for the Flyers and could take them right to the play offs. The Flyers claim the 12^th seed as they inch closer to the play offs. The Flyers will have to fix some of their flaws before they face off against the Canadiens on Wednesday. They will be looking to Bryzgalov to be their MVP for the remainder of the season. With the combination of these players: (forwards) Read, Fedetanko, Knuble, Giroux, B. Schenn, Rinaldo, Talbot and (defensemen) L. Schenn, Timonen, and Lauridsen the season looks promising. Now it’s up to Laviolette to play his cards right. A weak performance against the Canadiens is not going to produce as lucky of an outcome as last night.

Playing the whole 60 minutes: Flyers

The Flyers went into this match-up defensively depleted against a team that is in competition with other playoff contenders. As underdogs, the Flyers had a lot of work to do. They knew what had to be done and in an upset they finally played the whole 60 minutes. Lauridsen had a successful debut with the Flyers, getting a penalty during the first minute of play but then never shying away from getting in the action. The Flyers, 7th ranked in the league for penalty kills, did a good job of killing off their first penalty. The power play against the Flyers, a crucial do or die moment in the game, letting the Bruins get on the score board so early in the first period would have been a death sentence. The Bruins maintained control during the first period until Chara was sent to the penalty box; the leagues best power play was matched against the leagues best penalty killers and the Flyers took this opportunity to score by Knuble. Chara being off the ice during the power play was a key element in being able to take an early lead in this game for the Flyers, as it is so hard to score while Chara is dominating the ice. Early in the second period the Flyers came back strong with another goal, they were winning puck battles and scoring opportunities. On paper, the Flyers had the opportunity to compete, it was a matter of them grasping that opportunity and exploiting weaknesses. Nathan Horton (Bruins) was in the right place at the right time, when a rebound came right to him and he scored on the Flyers, cutting the lead in half, 2-1 during the second period.  The fear in every fans mind at that moment was, "oh no a repeat of Thursday" where the Flyers had a 2 point lead and lost it in the third period. Fortunately, that would not be the outcome of the game. Although the Bruins came into the third with more energy, they didn’t produce.  The Flyers took out an insurance policy on their lead by firing a puck into an empty Bruins net during the last minutes of play, winning the game 3-1.
This win breaks the losing streak of the Flyers; with a restored confidence this team still has a difficult schedule ahead of them. It was obvious that the Flyers had built upon their successes from Thursday night and had brought 60 minutes of play onto the ice yesterday. The Flyers demonstrated great plays from Simmonds, hard hits from Rinaldo, scores from Knuble, Read and Fedotenko and impressive saves by Bryzgalvo. Coach Laviolette realized the importance of playing Knuble on Thursday, another good call, as Knuble made the first goal of the game again last night. Knuble is demonstrating leadership at the net by taking opportunities and turning them into points. The Flyers chance of the playoffs might have already past but a strong finish to this rough season looks possible, if not promising after the Flyers come back.  The Flyers need to go with the momentum they built in this game and continue it through the rest of the season, with just 14 games left the Flyers need to show up for 60 minutes at each game. Post game Knuble said:
"You feel good about it, but then you're frustrated too because that's an upper-echelon team in our league and you ask yourselves, 'Why don't you do it more often? Why doesn't it happen more often? You make the commitment right from the start and everybody was on board today."
If the Flyers can beat the Bruins, #4 in the conference, will the Flyers also show up against the #11 Capitals tonight? The Flyers remain 5 points away from a play off slot, with 14 games remaining. Rest up boys, we’re taking on #2 the Canadiens Wednesday followed by the #6 Maples Leafs on Thursday. The Flyers need to take the road back to play offs game by game; they could rise from the ashes, if they have the determination and discipline. The win from last night was short lived, as the Flyers go up against the #11 Capitals tonight. The team still has much work to do before their challenging matchups later this week. They need to work on their awareness, cover players in their own zone and get their second man into the offensive zone even quicker and work on their shoots if they look to win more points later this week.
Good job boys you played 60 minutes! Throw back another 5 hour energy and do it again tonight!

Pre-game Post: Flyers v Bruins

Today the Flyers face off against the Bruins at 1pm on home ice, it is their second of three meetings during this season. Last time the Flyers fell to the Bruins in Boston with a 0-3 loss, their final meeting will be April 23 in Philadelphia. The Bruins, a very physical team, are coming off of a 2 day break. The Flyers can pull an advantage by having the NHL's best power play but they need to show discipline, emotionally and physically. But, the Bruins are the top ranked at penalty kills, a match up a power play will be interesting. They can not give away power plays like they so often do.  Claude Giroux has had back-to-back multiple point games, he needs to be focused and provide this team with strong leadership against this challenging match up. This game is the eighth daytime start for the Flyers, who have won four of their past five day games. Player to watch: Oliver Lauridsen defenseman will make his NHL debut, he was recalled to replace the injured Braydon Coburn. The Flyers will be going up against the NHL's player with best face off percentage (62.4) Patrice Bergeron the Bruins team Captain.  Giroux is going to have a hard time with Bergeron, who does not get scored on while he is on the ice. The Flyers need to create energy through out the game and perform consistently. Recently we have seen them come out of the gate during the first period with energy and then tapper off during the remainder of the game.
The Flyers are coming into this game as underdogs but if they can build on their successes, there is an opportunity for them to succeed. The defense needs to work with the goaltender and they need to constantly be pushing offensively if they want a chance to win. If the Flyers don't make it happen in the first period there is a chance that we will see the Bruins run up the score, as the Flyers do not perform well under pressure. If the Flyers can keep a 0-0 score during the first period, or, score, their confidence could come back and surprise us during the rest of the game. As the end of the season approaches there are numerous players out due to injury, a positive outcome to this game would be no injuries to the Flyer players that remain. The team will look to players like Zac Rinaldo to create energy and Hartnell to control his temper. If Hartnell shakes it up by getting petty penalties, it will jeopardize the cohesiveness of the unit on the ice. With the team confidence down, Lavoilette will need to provide inspirational leadership to get this team to perform today. The outcome of the game will depend on how the Flyers show up to the game during the first period. Hopefully Bryz has had a 5-hour energy drink prior to puck drop because he is going to need it.

Flyers fall to the Islanders 4-3

Last night we witnessed the attempt at more effort by the Philadelphia Flyers, and, although they lead the game for two periods, Flyers v. Islanders ended in a 4-3 loss during the shootout. This game could have been clinched for the Flyers, if they would have maintained their energy and took care of the puck during the entire game and not just the first period. The Flyers haven’t played well with a lead, and the energy change was evident once the Flyers led, they froze. Hartnell took the puck to the net twice, which was a welcoming sight to see, after he has had such an off season. Moving forward, if Hartnell can keep his game up and control his temper, it could give the Flyers the chance to perform at the level of skill which they keep claiming to have.
One of the best decisions Laviolette made during this game was to play Mike Knuble.  Knuble, who had been scratched in 10 of the past 11 games, backhanded a shot into an open net during the first period putting the Flyers 2 ahead. In the 15 remaining games Coach Laviolette should give Knuble more ice time; if Laviolette makes more conscience decisions to play, players who can take the puck to the net, there might be a chance of more leads like last night’s.
An unfortunate event came during the 3rd period with 3 minutes remaining, when Islander McDonald's slap shot deflected off of Flyer Gervais’ skate and into the Flyers goal, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead. In response, the Flyers, who notoriously do not perform well under pressure, showed up in the final 29.8 seconds of the game. With Bryzgalov pulled, Hartnell scored during the power play, tying the game 3-3 and forcing the game into over time. Hartnell deserves some credit for that; it certainly was a shocking turn around in the last few seconds of the game. After a scoreless over time, the game went to shootouts. Each team scoring during regulation, Simmonds missed his shot in the fourth round and unfortunately that sealed the fate of this team last night. The Flyers could use some practice on those shoots, 4 out of  5 of their past games have been decided after regulation, they should have been more prepared to make it in the net.  
An ill-fated team, the Flyers, still battling to achieve the greatness that their Captain Claude Giroux claims they have according to this post-game statement:
''We feel like we are a team that should be in the playoffs and we're not. We need to find a way to get those points like tonight. It's not that we didn't battle; it's just bounces that go in. So it's tough bounces, but like I said, we feel we are a team that should be in the playoffs right now.''
For a team that claims to be conscious of their short comings, it has been surprising to see them not being able to come up with solutions. It’s hard to predict what we will see next from this team, but if they can build the energy, press offensively and play the puck we could be looking forward to some good games. The Flyers need to adapt quickly, build off of their successes from last night and get ready for the Boston Bruins on Saturday.