4-5-11 Flyers @ Senaotrs

The Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. These are the only four teams left that have a chance to pass the Flyers in the standings. A win tonight and the Bruins and Lightning can be scratched off of that list. Two points against the second worst team in the Eastern Conference, and the Flyers are guaranteed home ice for the first round of the playoffs.

Should be an easy win for the top team in the East, but this team has shown on numerous occasions that they struggle beating teams that are far less talented than they are, and I can't recall a win that came easy for this team in the last few months. The Senators will be even less of a threat as Erik Karlsson, Sergei Gonchar, Matt Carkner, and Daniel Alfredsson could all miss the game. The Senators have very little to play for, in fact they would benefit more from losing.  I can say that the Flyers should win this game, but I can say it with an ounce of confidence.

Here are a couple of random facts; the Flyers have not won a game in Ottawa since November 24, 2007 and the Flyers were 3-0-1 on Tuesday night games last month. Those four games account for half of the Flyers wins last month, and 7 of their 16 points. Not sure which one of these meaningless statistics will hold true, but an overtime lose would not be a total shock.

I will continue to be an optimist and predict a Flyers win. Even without Pronger and Briere, this team should be able to put away a crippled Senators club. I think we might see a good game out of Richards, with only a week left in the season it is about time for him to step up his game and be the leader that this teams offensive core desperately needs. Flyers win 5-1 (5-3 is Boucher starts).

4-1-11 Flyers @ Devils Preview

Once again, the Flyers have the opportunity to end a teams season tonight, This time it is the rival Devils. After staging one of the greatest turnarounds in NHL history, the Devils appear to have run out of steam. The Devils hit the mid season mark with an abysmal record of 10-29-2 (22 points), but started the second half of the season on a mission and have gone 25-6-3 (53 points). What is even more remarkable is that five of their nine loses have come in the last seven games.

The Devils have lost three of their last four games, and were lucky to win their last game after blowing a two goal lead to the Islanders in the third period. After putting on such a great run, it looks like reality has set in and the Devils energy level has fallen through the floor. Their game against the Pens last week was one probably the most unexciting game of hockey ever played. It took 10 minutes for a team to register a shot on goal, and then they only managed three more for the rest of the period.

You can expect a nice boring defensive game out of the Devil's tonight. They will sit back and trap in the neutral zone and wait for the Flyers to make mistakes. If the sloppy and lazy Flyers show up tonight, their could be a lot of mistakes for the Devils to take advantage of, and Ilya Kovalchuk will be the most likely player to put the puck in the net. Since the all-star break he has 25 points in 27 games, by far the best on the team.

I haven't been able to watch last night's game yet, so I don't know which Flyer's team showed up. Tonight's game is a tough one to call. The Devils are a tired team that has burned a lot of energy trying to dig themselves out of  deep whole, only to fail in the last week.  If the sloppy low energy Flyers' team shows up tonight, then the Devils won't have to expend to much energy to find scoring chances. But if the Flyers come into tonight's game with a purpose, they should be able to get out of tonight's game with the two points.

3-31-11 Thrashers @ Flyers Preview

 

The last time these two teams meet, the Flyers played like they didn't give a shit, and they had a few reasons to give a shit. Like winning the Atlantic, winning the East, or pride. Just five days before that game, the Flyers lost in embarrassing fashion to the Thrashers, giving up four goals in the third period and losing in a shootout.  Lets hope the Flyers do a better job of defending their home turf this time around.

The Flyers are coming off of a good performance against their divisional rival Penguins and are looking to build on some solid play, but they have had a hard time finding an acceptable intensity level in recent weeks. A perfect example of this lack of intensity is the number of power plays the team has earned over the last two weeks. In their last seven games, the Flyers have averaged 2.1 power plays per game, and three of those games only had one power play opportunity. The team simply hasn't been working hard enough to force the other team to commit a penalty.

Look for the Hartnell-Briere-Leino line to continue its good play tonight. They have been the most productive line against the Thrashers this season.  Briere and Leino both have three goals and five points against the Thrashers this season, with Hartnell picking up three assists. If the Flyers' good habits are to carry over from the Pens game, I expect this line to be the one setting the example.

The Thrashers' playoff dreams are on the line tonight. An L tonight would close the door on a disappointing season. Even though their chance of making the playoffs is a long shot, I don't expect them to let it slip away without a fight. The Flyers could have their hands full tonight it they slip back into some of the bad habits that we have seen lately, but I expect them to build off the momentum they gained beating the Pens two nights ago. Flyers pick up the two points tonight 1-4.

3-19-11 Flyers @ Stars

I am not sure if Kari Lehtonen or Andrew Raycroft will be in net for the Stars, but Lehtonen has started 23 of the Stars last 24 games. The Flyers are the last Eastern Conference team that the Stars will play this season, so this might be a perfect game to give him a rest before their last ten games of the season, but for statistics sake lets assume that Lehtonen will be in net.

Lehtonen has been streaky by the month since the the calendar flipped to 2011. In January he was 7-1-1, while only allowing more than two goals in one of those games. In February he allowed three or more goals in eight games, and turned in an abysmal 3-7-1 performance. So far this month he has found the middle ground, allowing three goals or more in five games while going 5-2-2. To further illustrate his hot/cold tendencies, Lehtonen is 2-2-0 over his last four starts, turning in two shutouts and allowing nine goals in the other two games.

Brad Richards will be playing in his sixth game after missing almost a month with a concussion. Despite missing 10 games, he still leads his team with 67 points, and is second in goals and assists with 25 and 42 respectively. In his five games back he has four points, including two assists in the Starts last game against the Blackhawks. Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro have been leading the way for the Stars in March. Benn has eight goals in five assists nine games, and Ribeiro has three goals and five assists in nine games.

The Flyers also have a trio of players averaging at least a  point per game in March,  Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, and Jeff Carter. Briere has three goals and five assists, Giroux has two goals and six assists, and Carter has four goals and two assists. Mike Richards has also had a decent month so far with seven assists.

The Flyers overall team defense has been struggling this month, and is is showing in their plus/minus ratings. Jeff Carter is the only player on the team with a positive rating, coming in at +2. Braydon Coburn is the worse on the team for this month, with a -4. Since the All-Star break, there are only four Flyers with a positive rating, and Sean O'Donnell is the worst with a -6.

I know that stats don't tell the entire story, but they can point you in the right direction. The Stars are averaging 3.33 goals per game in March and giving up 2.55 per game. The Flyers are averaging 2.75 goals per game and surrendering 3.5 goals per game. I think those trends will continue and the Flyers come up short in this game, 3-4.

3-17-11 Flyers @ Thrashers Preview

It's only been four days since the worst melt down of the season for a Flyers team that finally hit a couple of potholes on their ride to the playoff, and they already have an opportunity to make it right. If this team has an ounce of pride, they should be highly motivated to come out and prove to themselves, the Thrashers, and their fans that Saturday's game was an anomaly.

Since their last meeting, the Thrashers lost another game to the Devil's, which dropped them to 12th in the standings and six points out of the playoffs. The Thrashers have 12 games left and would consider this season to be a major disappointment if they failed to make the playoffs after being in sixth place at the midpoint of the season. They will be extremely desperate for these two points and they should be extremely confident that they can get them.

The Flyers are in the midst of a 16 game streak where their inconsistent play has yielded them eight wins and wight loses (8-7-1). The teams downfall over those games has been a lack of focus, which has resulted in few blown leads in the third period. The team stops playing the way that earned them the lead and resorts to making lazy plays instead of hustling to make the right play.

I once again don't know what to expect out of this team, but I do know what I want. I want to see a team that is ready to rectify its inept showing against this Thrashers team in the third period of Saturday's game. I want to see a team that is dedicated to working its ass off to get in on the forecheck and getting back to help out the D in the neutral zone. I want to see a team that is ready to prove that they want to hold on to first place in the Atlantic and in the East. Do I think we will see that team? Yes. I think the Thrashers will put up a fight, but the Flyers should skate out of Atlanta with the win. 5-2.

3-15-11 Flyers at Panthers Preview

I really have no idea what to expect out of the Flyers tonight. Last week started with an embarrassing performance in NYC and ended with an embarrassing performance in Philly, and sandwiched in between were two victories that lacked a focused 60 minute effort. Maybe after getting away with coasting to victory in two games, the Thrashers' game was the wake up call that will finally rouse the Flyers' from their slumber, but I doubt it. This teams gives off the vibe that they plan to hit the snooze until the playoffs start.

The Panthers look like a team that has packed it in for the season, they are now tied with the Islanders for 13th and sit 11 points out of eighth place. They have an outside chance to make the playoffs, but it isn't looking good for them. This yet another game that the Flyers could easily win if care to show up and play. If the Flyers put in the effort for 60 minutes tonight, they win the game. If they don't they have a 50/50 chance of winning.

I'll go ahead and predict that the Flyers will win big tonight. They were embarrassed at home and will feel the need to prove themselves. They may even get their first shutout of the season, but it would not surprise me at all if they came out and laid another egg. Who the fuck knows what this team will do on a night to night, or period to period basis. 6-0

3-10-11 Flyers-Maple Leafs Preview

This is a perfect match-up to see if the Flyers are ready to break out of their slump. The Flyers were able to end their losing streak against a sub par Oilers team by turning in a fantastic first period followed by two mediocre periods. This victory can not be looked upon as the end of the slump due to the quality of the opponent and the overall quality of play from the Flyers. If the Flyers are able to come out and repeat their first period performance against the Oilers for three periods against a team that is desperate for points, then a lot of the Flyers' fans doubts will be put to rest.

This will be Kris Versteeg's first game back in Toronto since the trade. Versteeg had two goals against the Leafs last week, and should be fired up to prove himself in front of his former fan base. Jeff Carter is coming off of a good game against the Oilers which could hopefully be the beginning of hot streak. Carter has been a streaky player his entire NHL career, and now would be a great time for Carter to get hot and help lead hs team back to their winning ways. 

The two keys to winning this game are forwards getting back to help the defense and retrieving the puck after dumping it into the zone. The Flyers were able to dominate the Oilers because the forwards were constantly harassing the them in the neutral zone forcing turnovers and allowing the 'D to hold play their positions. The Flyers got into trouble when they started attempting drop passes and cross ice passes in the neutral zone instead of moving the puck forward. The Flyers will find success if they dump the puck and attack the net.

After losing to the Islanders on Tuesday, I expect the Leafs to come flying out of the gate to try to set the tone in front of their home fans. The Flyers might have to come from behind to win this one, but I think they will win by one or two goals. I still don't expect a solid 60 minute performance, but I think we will see a step up from the last game.

3-8-11 Oilers @ Flyers Preview

After facing three teams that were playing with desperation to secure a playoff birth, the Flyers once again face one of the worst teams in the league. Only the Oilers are not playing like one of the worst teams in the league, the Flyers are. Tonight's game will be the third game of a five game road trip for the Oilers, which started out with a victory over the free falling Avalanche team that has lost 15 of 16. The Oilers have been playing some of their best hockey of the year over the last 10 games. They are currently on a three game winning streak, the second in that ten game period, and for only the second time all season they have won seven of 10 games.

The Oilers will be without their leading scorer Taylor Hall (22 goals), who is out for the year after suffering a high ankle sprain in a fight last week. They will also be with assist leader Ales Hemsky (28 assists) who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.  Sam Gagner is coming off of his best game of the year, a three point night against the Avs, but he might be a little sore after he slammed hard into the boards early in the third period of the same game. He did return to the ice, but was down for an extended period of time.

The Flyers have lost four in a row coming into tonight's game, and have played their worst hockey of the year over the last few days and weeks. It is natural for teams to go through down times during the course of the season, the test is to see how long it takes a team to break out of the slump. The Oilers represent a perfect team to end the slump against. If the Flyers can come out and exert their will over the Oilers early, and continue the to apply their will physically for an entire 60 minutes, the slump is over. If the Flyers take the Oilers for granted, and assume they can skill them instead of out work them, the slump will continue.

Peter Laviolette gave the team the day off yesterday, so everyone should be well rested, and the players battling the flu had a good chance to recover. It is easy to say that the Flyers should win this game, but it is hard to pick them to win after what we saw on Sunday. I hope that the Flyers come out and dominate the game physically with a heavy persistent fore check and crease clearing mentality from the defense. I am not really confident, but I'll pick the Flyers to win a close game.

3-5-11 Sabres @ Flyers

So far this season the Flyers have played 10 afternoon games, and the Sabres have played three. The Flyers struggled with afternoon games last season,  6-7-1, but they have improved greatly on those numbers this season, 6-2-2 (4-1-1 at home). Although the majority of these games have been low scoring affairs, all but one had five goals or less, the Flyers hold a distinct scoring advantage over their opponents, 16-26. The Sabres are 1-1-1 in their three afternoon affairs, winning the only road game of the three, and outscoring their opponents 13-11.

The Flyers to watch are Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. Briere has two goals and four assists in the two games against the Sabres this season, and 10 points in eight games against his old club since joining the Flyers. Hartnell has two goals and two assists against the Sabres this season, and 11 points in 14 games against the Sabres while with the Flyers. Bobrovsky was in net for the two previous games against Buffalo, but I am not sure if he will be in net for this game.

The Sabres offense has struggled against the Flyers this season. The majority of their offense was generated by Derek Roy's line, but he is out for the rest of the year with a torn quadriceps tendon. Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek have been the hottest Sabres forwards since the all-star break, with 14 and 11 points respectively. Ryan Miller was in net for the two previous games against the Flyers, and I don't see any reason he will not be in the net tomorrow, which would be his ninth straight start. He has a .934 save percentage over his previous eight starts, and will have to be good again today if the Sabres want to have a chance to win.

The Sabres are desperate for points as the try to overtake the Carolina Hurricanes for eight place. A win would pull them to within one point of the idle Canes. The Flyers still don't seem to have a sense of urgency in their game, but if they lose today and the Bruins are able to beat the Penguins, the Bruins would cut the Flyers lead to a single point. The Flyers have the talent to beat the Sabres, it is just a question if they have the will. I'll give the advantage to the Flyers based solely on their record in day games.

Game Day Updates

Chris Pronger

Looks like the Flyers are shuffling players to deal with a few injuries. James van Riemsdyk and Dan Carcillo missed practice yesterday. JVR has been battling a groin pull and Carcillo has "flu like symptoms." The Flyers recalled Ben Holmstrom from the Phantoms to fill in one of these open positions. Holmstrom, a right winger, has 10 goals and 17 assists in 60 games with the Phantoms this season. If both players are unable to play it more than likely means that Nikolay Zherdev will get another chance to prove himself. Blair Betts is also questionable to make his return to the lineup tonight.

Chris Pronger will more than likely make his return to tonight after missing a few games with swollen hand. This most likely means that Nick Boynton will not make it into the line up tonight.

EDIT: Forgot to mention the Bob is probably the starter in net tonight.


Thanks to the guys and gals over at PSF for bring some of these updates to my attention.

3-3-11 Maple Leafs @ Flyers

This is a game that the Flyers should win. The Flyers have had four days off and three days rest to prepare for this game. Peter Laviolette worked the team hard in practice on Monday and Tuesday in response to his their poor play over the weekend. He then shifted gears on Wednesday and focused extensively on the struggling power play. The extended practice time also gave Nick Boynton and Chris Versteeg valuable time to get acclimated to Laviolette's system and their new linemates. This will be Versteeg's first game against his former team and he sounds motivated to prove to Brian Burke that he made a mistake when trading him.

The Maple Leafs won a hard fought overtime game against the Pittsburgh Penguins last night and then quickly got to the airport to fly to Philly. The Leafs have played eight one-goal games in a row, winning five of those games.  If the Flyers can come out of the gate and quickly set the tempo, they should be able to take advantage of a tired Leafs squad.

I think that this will be a win for the Flyers. Reading a few player interviews, it sounds like Laviolette has marked this game as the beginning of the build to the playoffs. I think the team will come out fired up and show the coach that they are ready to put in the work it takes to win. Even with all that, I don't think that the Leafs will roll over. They are  only four points out of a playoff spot, and will be desperate for a win.