The Flyers were one of the most consistent teams in the NHL before the Olympics.
It appears now that they left it in Vancouver.
The first week back in action, the Flyers went 1-1-1, and although they were scoring goals, they were leaving goalie Michael Leighton out to dry. The Flyers surrendered 12 goals in those 3 games, leaving questions if Leighton is the answer.
However, for the first time since the 90's, goaltending has not been an issue for this team.
This past week, the Flyers went 3-2. They recorded wins over Toronto, NY Islanders, and Chicago, but dropped decisions to the Bruins and Rangers. Those two losses were essentially 4-point losses as the Flyers failed to gain ground on those very two teams on their heels.
In the games this past week, the Flyers surrendered 13 goals through 5 games, much better than the week earlier, but the team was criticized by chairman Ed Snider because of a lack of effort.
Yes, the Flyers did gain 6 out of a possible 10 points, but didn't really show up until late in any of their games.
The lack of intensity could be seen against Toronto and the Islanders early, but reared it's ugly head in a disastrous game against the Bruins.
Give credit to Bruins goalie Tuuka Rask, who played unbelievable hockey, but when Patrice Bergeron made Chris Pronger look like a human turnstile, you could see the Flyers were not in it mentally. Michael Leighton was a sieve in goal, as the Flyers defense allowed the Bruins to skate in circles around them.
The Flyers made up for it more by coming back from a goal down to beat the NHL's 3rd best team in Chicago 3-2 with 2.1 seconds to go in regulation, but their performance against the Rangers today points back to one thing...
Effort.
The Flyers jumped ahead early by a Danny Briere shot that completely fooled the Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, but the Flyers fell flat on their heels again, letting tough guy Sean Avery score 2 goals in a 3-1 Ranger win. Some may say it was because the team was delayed 7 hours due to their train losing power, but I don't see that as an excuse. Every point is crucial at this time, and just because they got to bed a little later, doesn't make it OK to not play hard.
The simple thing was, the Rangers played desperate, the Flyers did not. Coming off an emotional win over a game they were expected to lose, it should have been a sure win against a team with a very poor home record. However, the effort wasn't there, leading to the question if this team is suited for the playoffs.
It also allows you to ask the question...Are the Flyers as good as Chicago, or did they just get lucky?
Kimmo Timonen said it best after the Flyers 5-1 loss to the Bruins. He said that if the Flyers even made the playoffs, they would be done in the first round because of their effort.
If the Flyers don't start playing desperate hockey...it's only a matter of time before that becomes a harsh reality.
Until next week, keep your stick on the ice.
Last week's Results:
3/7 - vs. Toronto - W - 3-1
3/9 - vs. NY Islanders - W - 3-2
3/11 - vs. Boston - L - 5-1
3/13 - vs. Chicago - W - 3-2
3/14 - vs. NY Rangers - L 3-1
This week's upcoming schedule:
3/16 - at Nashville - 8:00 PM
3/18 - at Dallas - 8:30 PM
3/20 - at Atlanta - 7:00 PM
3/21 - vs Atlanta - 7:00 PM
Caption of the Week:
The referee's reaction to Chicago's Cristobal Huet allowing the game-winning goal with 2.1 seconds to go in the 3rd period against the Flyers.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images
News and Notes:
Washington's Alex Ovechkin was ejected today vs Chicago for cross-checking Brian Campbell....Chicago blew 3rd period leads against Philadelphia and Washington on back-to-back days...Riley Cote played for the first time today in 32 games...Islanders captain Doug Weight will have season-ending shoulder surgery.
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