Its Time for Change

According to Mike Richards, “A lack of intensity and focus for these game led by me and it’s gotta change and it’s going to change starting Friday.” He waits until there are two games left in the season and they have lost the lead in the East and are a point from losing the lead in the Atlantic to say something more than "I am not answering that question again," when asked about the lack of intensity.

I find it funny that Richards waited until the team wasted his two goal effort to finally make a statement to the media. Richards has had three multiple point games since the All-Star break. Meanwhile the team has wasted a few good performances from a rookie goaltender that could have benefited from seeing the team in front of him bust their ass every once in awhile. I guess Richards didn't care since his lead was what the team was following.

Other leaders on the team were calling the team out months ago, but those words fell on deaf ears, and for the last month the team has looked like utter shit. Hopefully the procrastination method will work for this team again. Something tells me it will take more than two games to get the team back up to top performance speed, and they are going to need a favorable first round match-up, like last year, if they have a chance to make a deep run.

Versteeg Shines Against Leafs

"It'll be great to see them again. Having said that, I'd love to get at least a couple against them."  Kris Versteeg

In his first game against his old club, Kris Versteeg showed Flyers fans why the team traded for him. To bring an offensive spark to the Mike Richards line. Maybe it was the extended practice time that allowed Versteeg and Richards to build some chemistry, or maybe he was amped to play his former team. Whatever it was, it was nice to see the Richards' line be an offensive threat again. Richard's gave two great setup passes to Versteeg that left him with relatively easy goals, but it was Versteeg who was finding the open ice.

Versteeg  was a pain in the ass to play against in the Finals last year, and you knew something good would happen for the Hawks when he was on the ice, and he is starting to show some of that in Philly.  Versteeg has a knack for finding himself around the puck, and works to get into good scoring position when he doesn't have the puck, and Richards is starting to find him. In his last thirteen games with the Leafs, Versteeg only had 4 points. He has matched that in 7 games with Richards as a linemate.

Last night was only the third multiple point game since the new year for Mike Richards, he has 12 on the year  (seven in the first 21 games, two in the middle 21 games, and three in the last 20). In the seven games since Versteeg was added to his line, Richards has five points (all at even strength) and a couple of those games Richards was trying to recover from losing 10 pounds to a flu bug. The Flyers are hoping that Versteeg can help Richards to get back to scoring multiple points in games, like he was a t the beginning of the year.