11-29-11 Flyers @ Pens Recap

That was one of the best efforts that we have seen from the Flyers in a few weeks. Not quiet as dominant as the second and third period against the Capitals a week earlier, but the effort and intensity was there. It wasn't a perfect game, but definitely a step in the right direction.

The Pens came out strong in the first period, setting the tone with a couple of heavy checks, but the Flyers weathered the initial storm and responded by establishing a good fore check. The Flyers were also able to respond after the Pens scored first, evening the score less than four minutes later. The Flyers continued to show resolve by scoring four consecutive goals after Bob gave up a bad goal to let the Pens back in front. Bob also responded well with some great play in the third after his short coming in the second.

Ville Leino

The Hartnell-Briere-Leino line looked like it finally got a whiff of the impending playoffs, picking up three goals. All three goals were the result of players crashing the net, and one was the result of a nice fore check by Briere. It was refreshing to see the Flyers going into the corners, crashing the net, and throwing some checks towards anyone that touched the puck.

This high quality of play was not sustained throughout the entire game. Peter Laviolette had to call a time out early in the third becuase his team was getting outworked, and was only a few shifts away from getting buried. Whatever the Laviolette said must have hit a nerve, the Flyers scored on the next shift and again three minutes later.  After the team regained focus, they looked like the team from earlier in the season that was always looking to build on a lead and not sit on it.

Hopefully the team will continue to build on this solid performance on Thursday when the Thrashers, who are only three points from playoff elimination, come to town. With only six games left in the regular season, this is the perfect first step in the build to the playoffs. We have seen a few glimpses of solid play over the last few weeks, only to be followed up by a lackluster performance. I guess we will see on Thursday.

Maple Leafs - Flyers Recap

1st Period
I thought that the Flyers forwards looked good the first 10 minutes of that period. The Richards' line looked good, highlighted by Versteeg's first goal as a Fyers where he had to beat a goalie. Giroux looked great, as always, throwing his weight around and pressuring the Leafs' D. Ben Holmstrom looked good in his first period as an NHLer, he had a good back-check and even tried to mix it up with Leafs' captain Dion Phaneuf. The Leino-Briere-Hartnell was reunited and looked pretty good except for Hartnell's assist on Clarke MacArthur's goal. I also thought the Flyers only power play opportunity looked good. They moved the puck well, earned a few goo scoring chances, and Briere had a great chance moving in from behind the net.

The Flyers D, lead by O'Donnell, looked to have a few issues that period. They got beat a couple of times by the Leafs' forecheck, and mishandled the puck a few times which lead to great scoring chances for the Leafs. Meszaros was called for two penalties, which were horrible calls, but the Flyers were able to kill both penalties. Luckily Bob had a good period in net and bailed his team out of of their mistakes. I think if the refs hadn't butchered the second half of the period the Flyers might have come out of it with a lead, but they were lucky to even be tied after the Leafs three consecutive failed power play opportunities.

2nd Period
The forwards looked good again that period. Each of the top three lines showed some good play that period. None of the lines were completely dominant, but each had a couple of great shifts. Versteeg was the recipient of another great setup from Richards. Giroux's heavy forecheck helped to generate a couple of good chances for his line. Giroux's hit to start the period was a thing of beauty that sparked the Flyers. Leino looked good on the puck that period and Hartnell showed some of the bite that has been missing from his game the last couple of weeks (months?).

The D looked better that period, but not great. There was a miscommunication in the final seconds of the period that resulted in the Leafs tying goal. Meszaros ended up in the box again, and once again Bobrovsky made a couple of great saves to bail him out. Bob benefited from a little luck that period, but he made enough good saves that he earned it. If it wasn't for an inexcusable too many men penalty while on the power play that lead to a goal, that would have been a really good period for the Flyers. Hopefully they can kill the penalty to start the third and swing the momentum back their way.

3rd Period
Well, I thought the Flyers started out playing another good well. They controlled the play for the majority of the first nine minutes, and then it was all undone by a poor defensive play late in the period. O'Donnell gets out battled in the corner by Darryl Boyce and then Meszaros lets him go to the net and score. I think that the forwards had a great game. Giroux showed off his speed in the third getting back to help out the D. JVR showed off his heavy slapshot that went through Reimer's glove and squeaked wide. Richards showed some good hustle on a race a puck a center ice. They were also successful dumping the puck in and applying a good forecheck.

Even though they couldn't pick up the two points, I thought it was a good first game after the extended break. All three top lines looked good. The team seemed more willing to get into the corners and in front of the net to fight for the puck. Although the power play couldn't covert, I thought they looked better. I think this game can be used as the first step in the build to the playoffs.

Flyers - Senators In-Game Recap

Sorry this is a little late, but I just finished the game so here it is...

1st period
Zherdev Breakaway - Trying to prove that he deserves a spot on an NHL roster +1
Defense - keeping everything to the outsides +1
Richards' Line - Good scoring chances and Richards getting physical around the net +1
Power Play #1 - Couple of good chances by the D, no one in front of the net for 1st PP unit -1
Neutral Zone - Couple of bad turnovers, one leading to Ottawa's first scoring chance -1
No Icing - Carter beats Ottawa D to cancel an icing call +1
Claude Giroux - Starting to throw some nice checks +1
Power Play #2 - This drop pass shit is getting on my nerves, dump it in and go get it -1
Erik Gustafsson - Looked in his first NHL period, no major mistakes and good positioning +1
Scott Hartnell - What a beautiful half-slapper for the opening goal. Great pass by Giroux. Didn't know Hartnell had that shot in him +2
Three Shots - That is all the Senators had all period +1

1st Period - The team looked alright. They were not as dominant as they should have been against the worst team in the NHL, even though there was a 12 shot differential. +6

2nd period
Power Play #3 - Anderson with a good save on Briere, 1 shot on goal, fucking useless -1
Nodl - Nice steal at the blueline leads to a chance +1
Carle - Bad turnover in is own end. luckily Boosh made the save on a botched deke -1
Failed Clears - Three in a row on the same shift -1
Power Play #4 - Pretty sure they were out shot, it is getting worse and worse -1
Erik Gustafsson - Still looking good in his first game. +1
Penalty Kill #1 - What the hell was that? Richards and Timonen just got abused in the corner -1
Zherdev - Showing off his speed beating two Seantors to the puck and generating a scoring chace +1
Peter Laviolette - Juggling the lines like crazy. Apparently the "give a shit" speech through the media didn't work -1
D to O - Struggling to get clean a clean exit out of the zone -1
Eric Condra - Congrats on your 1st NHL goal. The Flyers get what they deserved. Stupid passes in the O zone and poor play in the D zone. -2
Sean O'Donnell - Two bad passes in the his own end leading to multiple scoring chances, wouldn't be surprised if the Sens add one more this period. -1
Final Two Minutes - That was embarrassing. 2-on-3 rush and the Flyers can cover the second man. A bad turnover in the neutral zone. Getting abused in their on end. The Sens should have picked up another goal or two there. -3

2nd Period - Well the last 10 minutes of that period were just sad. Team looks like they just gave up. I still expect them to win the game based on talent, but I kinda hope they get blown out in the third so they might learn something from this game. -8

3rd period
And It Countinues - Flyers give easy access to their zone and then have a bad turnover which turns into a great chance. -1
Meszaros & O'Donnell - Struggling this game. Multiple bad passes and bad decsions on coverage. -1
Richards- Verteeg-Zherdev - Appears to be the only line prodiceing any (but only a little) offense this period -1
Flyers Announcing - Please shut the fuck and tell it like it is. The Flyers just are not into this game -1
Erik Gustafsson - Still looking good in his first game, too bad it will probably be his only game +1
And It Still Countinues - Failed clears and bad D lead to more scoring chances -1
Chris Phillips - Weak shot from the point finally gets the Sens up by two -1
Shots On Goal - Flyers are getting dominated since the end of the first -1
Penalty Kill #2 - Sens were able to get some nice chances, but Flyers killed it off +1
Giroux Hit Hard - There was a small response by Hartnell and Gustafsson, but not enough for me. -1
[B]Erik Gustafsson[/B - Despite the above post, ill give him credit for stepping up for his teammate in his first NHL game +1
Penalty Kill #3 - The penalty is bullshit. Taking notes Philly? That is how a power play works.-1
Peter Laviolette - Is fucking pissed. Lets see what he can do with three days off. +1

3rd Perod - Well there was a total lack of effort all around. The Flyers were dominated at times by the worst team in the NHL. Luckily the Flyers are not desperate for points, and ca afford to have off games. -5


I hope they enjoy the Carnival, because Peter should be pissed after he called the team out in the media and got this kinda response. Even though Zherdev had a good game it was a fluke that he got on the ice at all, so I think he will find himself back in the press box. Hopefully Laviolette can use the extra days off to get the team motivated again. I really think the power play will benefit from dumping the puck in more. Gustafsson looked good in his first game.

Islanders - Flyers in game recap +/-

1st PERIOD 
Great Start - Peter Laviolette rolled all four lines out to start the game, and all four lines look dominant. The team had nine shots on goal in the first eight minutes, and the Islanders had blocked seven shots. Great to see from a team that sometimes has problems getting out of the gate, and for that I'l give them a +2
Forecheck - It only took :12 seconds for the Flyers to get a shot on goal off of a dump in, unlike on Tuesday night where it took 54 minutes. They did a much better job applying pressure during the first, resulting in a few turnovers and more scoring chances. +1
Frans Nielsen - First he skated right by Powe and his weak stick check. Then he left Carle standing still on the half wall. Then he beats Bob from a bad angle. All around a bad goal to give up after starting so well. That is a -3 for each player that looked bad on this play, and I'm gonna throw in another -1 for giving up the first goal of the game. -4
Penalty Kill #1 - Always a positive to kill of a penalty, but that is their job. They get a +1 for generating excellent scoring chances while down a man. 
Hip Check - When was the last time se saw a great hip check from a Flyer? How about from a forward? Claude Giroux earns a +2 for the great hip check and showing off his ability to skate backwards. 
1ST PERIOD TOTAL = Even though the Flyers are trailing on the scoreboard, they played good that period and have something to build off of going into the second period. +2

2nd PERIOD
Game Tying Goal - Great shift by the Richards line. Great retrieval on the dump in. Great shot by Richards. +2
Frans Nielsen - Can someone please hit this guy, he is absolutely dominating the Flyers.-2
Hartnell- Richards - Versteeg Line - Looking great tonight. After scoring the goal they had three more great shifts in a row. Probably should have had more than one goal that period. Probably Richards' best game in weeks. +2
Forecheck - Flyers are again doing a good job on pressuring the D. Hartnell has been doing a great job of getting in on the forecheck. +1
Odd Man Rushes - They gave up too many that period. The period started with a 2-on-1 rush for the Islanders. -1
Bob - He has done a much better job of handling the puck this game. He also made a couple of great saves in close. The D, and the posts, have also helped him out. +1
JVR Goal - Amazing behind the back pass by Giroux and and nice finish by JVR putting the Flyers up for the first time. +2
Claude Giroux - Great period. Good assist, great back check and shot block. +1
Failed Clears - Multiple failed clears this period. It hasn't cost them yet, but it will eventually. -1
2ND PERIOD = They built on what they started in the 1st. Great forecheck and physicality payed off with two goals. Only a few negative that period. Lets see if they can get a sold 60 minute game in tonight. +5

3rd PERIOD
Bob - Another series of good saves. +1
Carter Goal - Giroux is on fire tonight. Anyone on the ice with him tonight is benefiting from his play. +1
Martin Goal - Carle beat on the dump in and no one picked up Martin. The Flyers didn't have a chance to enjoy that two goal lead. -2
Power Play #1 - Looked alright, but still can't convert. -1
Islanders Pushin - Aside from the two minutes on the penalty kill, the Islanders have been pushing since they score their last goal. Hopefully Laviolette can remotivate his team during the TV timeout. -1
Pronger Injury - Blocked a shot with his right hand, hope it isn't serious. -/+
Uninspired Play - After two great periods, they just didn't look nearly as interested in the 3rd. Lets hope they can get out of the last two minutes. -1
Bob Miscue - Bob's miscue behind the net leads to a turnover -1
Tying Goal - With :27 seconds left the Islanders tie the game off of the Bob turnover. I felt that coming. -3
3RD PERIOD - The Flyers got what they deserved. They took their foot off the gas and let the Islanders back into the game. After building the lead in the second they let it go to waist in the 3rd. -7

OVERTIME
Timonen's Chance - Nice pass and nice move by Timonen.+1
Claude Giroux -Still a beast in OT. Great decisions making with the puck +1
Meszaros' Goal - Great patients by the entire line and agreat shot by Meszaros. +2
OVERTIME - The game never should have ended in OT, hopefully the Flyers will learn to play for the entire 60 minutes soon. +4