SB Nation - Braydon Coburn

Putting the Flyers Lack of Offense in Context

Geoff Detweiler — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:15:12 -0000

The Flyers need someone to start putting the puck in the net. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The way that title is worded, you'd think this would be another of those "it's not that bad!" stories. You'd be wrong.

Rather, this is just to show exactly how bad the Flyers offense has been this year in comparison to last year. The team statistics are obvious - they aren't scoring, their power play isn't clicking, and they aren't winning the even-strength battle.

Now, this is another stat heavy, table-filled post. But this time I kept the numbers simple. I'm looking purely at qualcomp, qualteam, goals per 60 minutes, and points per 60 minutes. Since it's tough to compare this season to last due to the number of games played, the rating stats are a lot easier to use. Is it perfect? No. But it shows you how drastic the drop off has been.

The good news? Our defenseman seem to be scoring more this year than last year. The bad news? Everything else.

After the jump, tables and analysis.

I'll start by first spewing out the team statistics. This year's team (again, this is just a look at the offense) is scoring 2.66 goals per game, good for 20th in the league. Their 5-on-5 goals for/against ratio is 0.96, good for 17th in the league. With the man advantage, they're converting 20.7% of their opportunities, good for 10th in the league. All of this while putting 31.8 shots per game on target, 7th most in the league.

How does that compare to last year? The team scored 3.17 goals per game, good for 4th in the league. They had a 5-on-5 ratio of 1.01, 14th in the league. Their power play was successful 22.5% of the time, 6th best in the league, and they fired 29.8 shots per game on target, 14th in the league.

So, on the team level, they're getting two additional shots on goal, but more than half of a goal less. They're losing the 5-on-5 battle after barely winning it last year, and their power play has dropped from one of the best to above average. Certainly, you already knew this: lots of shots (most of them easy), not a lot of goals, poor defensive play, and a much worse power play.

But when you look at this on an individual level, you begin to see the problem.

NAME	POS	GP	RATING	QUALCOMP	QUALTEAM	G/60	A1/60	A2/60	PTS/60
DARROLLPOWE	C	19	-1.61	-0.137	-0.137	1.82	0	0	1.82
DAVIDLALIBERTE	RW	11	0.2	-0.093	-0.215	1.57	0.79	0	2.36
DANIELBRIERE	C	28	-0.55	0.057	0.058	1.12	0.48	0.32	1.92
JEFFCARTER	C	35	-0.68	0.054	0.115	0.75	0.5	0.37	1.62
MIKERICHARDS	C	35	0.58	0.096	0.313	0.74	0.25	0.37	1.37
ARRONASHAM	RW	28	-0.91	-0.046	-0.032	0.68	0.68	0.23	1.6
JAMESVAN RIEMSDYK	RW	32	0.95	0	-0.153	0.68	1.02	0.51	2.2
CLAUDEGIROUX	RW	35	0.79	-0.041	0.066	0.56	0.56	0.14	1.27
SCOTTHARTNELL	RW	35	0.03	0.051	0.123	0.4	0.8	0.4	1.61
DANIELCARCILLO	LW	31	1.06	-0.022	-0.253	0.36	0.18	0.36	0.89
MIKAPYORALA	LW	34	-0.05	0.067	-0.06	0.31	0.15	0.15	0.61
CHRISPRONGER	D	35	0.9	0.112	0.278	0.29	0.39	0.39	1.06
BRAYDONCOBURN	D	34	-0.55	0.057	0.015	0.22	0.44	0.11	0.77
MATTHEWCARLE	D	35	1.54	0.067	0.146	0.19	0.48	0.29	0.97
IANLAPERRIERE	C	35	-1.51	-0.043	0.072	0.16	0	0.49	0.65
KIMMOTIMONEN	D	35	0.23	0.036	-0.11	0.11	0	0.68	0.79
RYANPARENT	D	27	-0.35	-0.108	-0.33	0	0.19	0.19	0.38
JONATHONKALINSKI	C	10	-0.81	-0.098	-0.146	0	1.77	0	1.77
DANNYSYVRET	D	13	-3.11	-0.362	-0.303	0	0	0.81	0.81
OLE-KRISTIANTOLLEFSEN	D	10	-0.98	-0.312	-0.738	0	0.65	0.65	1.29
SIMONGAGNE	LW	11	1.76	0.145	0.324	0	0.45	0	0.45
BLAIRBETTS	C	16	-0.37	-0.075	-0.117	0	0.37	0	0.37
ANDREASNODL	RW	10	-0.39	-0.089	-0.158	0	0	0.77	0.77
OSKARSBARTULIS	D	21	-1.44	-0.047	-0.169	0	0.23	0.23	0.46
RILEYCOTE	LW	12	1.24	-0.046	-0.505	0	0	0	0

This is the data for this year, sorted by goals per 60. There are a number of things wrong with that. First, I found that Gagne actually has scored 0.3 goals per 60 minutes (one goal in 198 minutes, feel free to correct my math) rather than 0. However, that still ranks him below Mika Pyorala.

Now, here's how those same numbers look from last year.

NAME	POS	GP	RATING	QUALCOMP	QUALTEAM	G/60	A1/60	A2/60	PTS/60
JEFFCARTER	C	82	1.17	0.041	0.042	1.4	0.72	0.52	2.64
SCOTTHARTNELL	RW	82	0.68	0.008	0.172	1.26	0.66	0.55	2.47
DANIELBRIERE	C	29	1.46	-0.048	0.135	1.23	0.88	0.53	2.63
JOFFREYLUPUL	RW	79	-0.05	-0.002	0.245	1.13	0.6	0.3	2.03
SIMONGAGNE	LW	79	0.85	0.024	0.173	1.01	0.6	0.72	2.33
MIKEKNUBLE	RW	82	0.07	0.041	0.304	0.91	0.4	0.17	1.47
CLAUDEGIROUX	RW	42	0.82	-0.04	-0.021	0.8	0.91	0.68	2.39
ARRONASHAM	RW	78	-0.26	-0.082	-0.263	0.72	0.63	0.45	1.79
MIKERICHARDS	C	79	0.7	0.048	0.178	0.7	0.97	0.27	1.94
DARROLLPOWE	C	60	-1.97	-0.066	-0.198	0.42	0.21	0.32	0.95
MATTHEWCARLE	D	76	-0.1	-0.009	0.023	0.19	0.37	0.23	0.79
RANDYJONES	D	47	-0.01	-0.014	-0.013	0.18	0	0.27	0.45
ANDREASNODL	RW	38	-3.14	-0.02	0.01	0.15	0.46	0	0.61
BRAYDONCOBURN	D	80	-0.26	0.014	0.114	0.13	0.22	0.18	0.53
DANIELCARCILLO	LW	74	-0.87	-0.034	-0.14	0.08	0.31	0.46	0.84
ANDREWALBERTS	D	79	-0.01	-0.063	-0.09	0.06	0.23	0.41	0.7
KIMMOTIMONEN	D	77	0.4	0.06	0.172	0.05	0.32	0.32	0.69
RYANPARENT	D	31	-0.44	0.069	0.251	0	0.13	0.39	0.51
RILEYCOTE	LW	63	-2.22	-0.144	-0.489	0	0.46	0.23	0.69
LASSEKUKKONEN	D	22	-1	-0.116	-0.172	0	0.29	0.29	0.58
LUCASBISA	D	39	-0.21	-0.049	-0.053	0	0.1	0.1	0.21

Important things to see here, bullet point style:

Last year, the team had 5 players who averaged at least one goal per 60 minutes of ice time. This year, only Darroll Powe, David Laliberte, and Danny Briere have accomplished that.
Along the same lines, the team had 6 players who averaged at least two points per 60 minutes of play last year. This year, only David Laliberte is doing that. Only 4 players are averaging at least 1.75 points per 60; Powe, Laliberte, Briere, and Jonathon Kalinski. Considering only Briere has played 20 games, the team is only seeing Danny Briere produce so far this year.
Jeff Carter is obviously having a down year in comparison to last year. But the fact that he's scoring one fewer point per game and nearly half as many goals per game as last year, is worse than even I expected.
With that said, Carter is facing stiffer competition with worse teammates. Couple that with his steep drop in production, and you see why he's been such a disappointment so far this year.
The flip side of Carter though, is Briere. He's also playing against tougher competition with worse teammates, yet his drop in goals (1.23 to 1.12) is manageable, especially compared with Carter's (1.4 to 0.75). And for some reason I still don't think this will stop people from hating Briere.
Since Carter and Briere have been playing together for a large part of this season, it's no surprise that Scott Hartnell has also seen a drop in his qualteam rating while his qualcomp number went up. But when you look at how similar his competition has been, his severe drop in scoring is even more drastic. His goals per 60 fell from 1.26 last year to just 0.4 this year. And he actually played more last year than he has so far this year.
As mentioned above, the defense has actually upped their production from last year. Matt Carle has gone from 0.79 points per 60 to 0.97. Braydon Coburn from 0.53 to 0.77; Kimmo Timonen from 0.69 to 0.79; and Chris Pronger from 0.62 in Anaheim to 1.06. Only Ryan Parent has seen a drop in scoring (0.51 to 0.38), but he's also seen his goals against per 60 shrink from 2.96 to 1.9. We can certainly see the problems this team has - and defense is certainly one of them - but the lack of scoring is not the fault of the blueline.
As much as Claude Giroux has impressed this year - he's one of the few who are noticeably playing every night - his drop-off is still steep. He's obviously one who likes to set up goals rather than score them, so his goals/60 falling from 0.8 to 0.56 isn't what is alarming. Instead, it's his points per 60 (2.39 to 1.27) and his primary assists per 60 (0.91 to 0.56) that are the most troubling. Everyone noticed how he wasn't scoring much this year (7 goals in 35 games), but he's also failing to get the assists.
Mike Richards is one of the few who have seen his goal scoring rate increase (modestly, from 0.7 to 0.74), but his primary assists have plummeted from 0.97 to 0.25. Having only a quarter as many set ups per game from a huge part of your offense is yet another troubling development.
If you are someone who thinks James van Riemsdyk was supposed to "replace" Mike Knuble (or Joffrey Lupul for that matter) in the offense, I'm sure you're a bit disappointed - especially with his play of late. However, JVR is scoring 2.2 points per 60 minutes of ice time, higher than both Knuble and Lupul last year (1.47 and 2.03 respectively). The problem arises when you look at his goals/60, which at 0.68 is much lower than both Knuble (0.91) and Lupul (1.13). Either way, van Riemsdyk's numbers continue to impress, despite his largely invisible play of late.
Lastly, for you Randy Jones lovers out there, his offensive contributions from last year (4 goals and 4 assists in 47 games due to injury) may not be offset this year, but Oskars Bartulis comes close. Through 21 games, Bartulis only has 3 assists. However, he's producing at 0.46 points per 60, just ahead of Jones' 0.45. Plus, Jones failed to register a primary assist all of last year.

Obviously, there's a lot of information there. And mostly, all of that could be seen just from watching the games. However, when you look at just how bad the Flyers are doing compared to last year, it still amazes you.

Anything you guys spotted that I missed? Any explanation you have? Do you have faith they can turn it around?

All team stats gotten through NHL.com. The tables and all individual stats acquired from Behind the Net.

Flyers Embarrased Again, This Time in Pittsburgh

Geoff Detweiler — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:41:21 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

FACEPALM! (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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[Box Score] - [Complete Coverage] - [PIT Reaction]

November 16-18. That is the last time the Flyers won back-to-back games. A win over New Jersey, followed by a win in Los Angeles. The team has played fourteen games since then, going 3-11-0. Six points out of a possible 28. That's a point percentage of .214.

Who's still holding out hope that this team is a serious Cup contender? If it was worth it, I'd rattle off a ton of stats about how poorly the team has been playing, but that's an exercise in futility. The team can't score. They can't defend. They can't convert on the power play. They can't stay out of the box. They can't do a lot of things.

The final score doesn't even matter. Brian Boucher let in 6 goals - the last one weak - but he again deserved better. Three goals were scored on blasts from the face-off dot or below during a rush. Unacceptable. A few were rebounds - Guerin's first could be considered a weak goal, but I didn't see an angle showing where the puck was - where the Flyers blew the coverage.

Nothing else matters. The team lost. Again. So, we'll just cut to it.

After the jump, assorted thoughts, Comment of the Night, and Questions with Answers. I'll spare you the "highlights" since a) I'm against torture; and b) the audio is just as bad as the video.

There was a great discussion in the game thread on how much we all hate Pittsburgh sports fans. It was more enjoyable than the game. The start. (There was a very fractured discussion on the same subject here as well.)
Communication and awareness in the defensive zone are clearly lacking. There was a miscommunication between Coburn, Richards, and Carter which made all three look pretty bad, and then Pronger got caught staring at the puck while the goal scorer skated right past him to an open net. Both were atrocious.
Fresh off his suspension, Dan Carcillo was probably the best Flyer on the ice tonight. One goal, one (rightfully) overturned goal, and a decisive win over Craig Adams. Oh, and an amazing celebration back when we almost thought that maybe the Flyers might have a chance.
As pointed out by MarioD, Cote played a mere 0:31 tonight. And believe it or not, that was TWO shifts. His first was cut short by a fight after six seconds.
Six out of 7 Flyers finished the night 50% or better in the faceoff circle. Only Danny Briere failed to do so, and he only took one draw. Richards, Giroux, and Pyorala were all over 60% on the night, going a combined 65% in the dot.
Only two Flyers did not finish the night a minus. Obviously, you can guess one of them is Riley Cote. The other? Ryan Parent. 18:23 of ice time, not one goal scored while he was on the ice. Not even a PP goal.

Questions with Answers:

Is there any carry over from the Scott Hartnell biting/Kris Letang whining incident that happened when these two teams met back in October? A little. Some pushing and shoving, some boos from the crowd, but nothing major.
Can the Flyers keep the intensity up from last night in Boston? No.
Is Braydon Coburn still injured, and are the Flyers rushing him back so Danny Syvret doesn't see the ice? Conspiracy theorists would say yes. Hell, even I say yes.
Power play... yay or nay? Nay.
The Pens PP has been struggling, but they've revamped it. How's the Flyers PK respond? By laying down.

Comment of the Night:

The flyers are like the titanic... They look good until they hit the ice.

EREX21

Now, I'm sure I left a lot out. But really, "it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care."

Bruins host Flyers in Winter Classic preview

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:04:09 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

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The Philadelphia Flyers are in town tonight to take on the Bruins in what will be a preview of the 2010 NHL Winter Classic. The Bruins are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Saturday. While the Flyers are looking to get their act together after losing 10 of their last 12 contests, a slump that partially lead to the firing of head coach John Stevens and the hiring of former Boston Bruins assistant and Providence Bruins head coach Peter Laviolette.

Know Your Enemy

Philadelphia Flyers (14-15-1; 29 points; 5th in Atlantic Division, 13th in East)

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette (1-4-0 since taking the Flyers job)

SB Nation's Flyers Blog: Broad Street Hockey

Leading Scorer:

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Mike Richards	13	12	25	5	40

Probable Starting Goaltenders:

Tim Thomas

#30 / Goalie / Boston Bruins

Height: 5-11

Weight: 201

Born: Apr 15, 1974

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Tim Thomas	18	1077	7	7		45	2.51	507	462	.911	3

Brian Boucher

#33 / Goalie / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 02, 1977

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Brian Boucher	11	592	3	7		25	2.53	259	234	.903	0

Injury Report

Boston Bruins Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Milan Lucic	ankle	11/26/2009

Philadelphia Flyers Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Dan Carcillo	other-excused	12/14/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Blair Betts	shoulder	11/22/2009
Darroll Powe	shoulder	11/21/2009
Simon Gagne	abdomen	10/27/2009
Ray Emery	abdomen	12/06/2009
Braydon Coburn	ankle	12/12/2009

Notes:

- Tim Thomas was the first goalie off the ice for the Bruins at the morning skate.

- Rhode Island native Brain Boucher will likely get the start in goal for the Flyers as Ray Emery is on the shelf after having abdominal surgery. The Flyers have called up Johan Backlund from the Adirondack Phantoms. The Flyers have also signed former Bruins goalie John Grahame to an AHL tryout contract to help solve the organization's goaltending woes.

- Members of the Bruins and Flyers got a special tour of Fenway Park yesterday and met with NHL ice guru Dan Craig (video below).

- The Bruins are 2-3-4 against the Atlantic Division this season

- The Flyers have been whistled for the most penalty minutes per game of any team in the NHL (17.8 minutes per game).

- These two teams last met on October 22nd with the Flyers beating the Bruins 4-3 in a shootout.

- Injured Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn will be replaced in the lineup by Ole-Kristian Tollefsen.

- The Bruins are giving away Winter Classic fleece helmet hats to the first 10,000 fans tonight. (H/T to Hub Hockey for the link)

- For more on tonight's game from a Flyers fan perspective, check out Broad Street Hockey

- Game starts at 7:00 and can be seen on NESN and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Public Skate open thread starts a half hour before puck drop at 6:30.

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Flyers Fan YouTube Video

That's a classic right there. I like how the idiot that jumped in to the penalty box wasn't even the guy that got squirted with the water.

Patrik Elias Scored 300th & 301st Career Goals in New Jersey Devils' Win over Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1

John Fischer — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:06:17 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

It may look small in this picture, but Patrik Elias and Devils fans have every reason to smile as Elias' 300th career goal helped the Devils decisively beat the Philadelphia Flyers. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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The New Jersey Devils defeated their Second Most Hated Rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, for the first time this season 4-1 at the Rock tonight. The NHL.com recap is already up with all the stats that you'd like to see. Check out Broad Street Hockey for the Flyers' take, which contains a lot of frustration and or disappointment about the Flyers' performance.

The game changed from period to period. The first period was simply fantastic hockey by the Devils. They straight up dominated the Flyers in every aspect of the game, converted two power play goals, Patrik Elias tacked on a third which was his 300th career goal, and nearly put four past Brian Boucher. A part of me hopes that the Devils coaching staff has a tape of that first period so they can show the Devils exactly what they are capable of - and use it to prevent periods like, say, the second one in tonight's game.

The second was the exact opposite, it was almost as if the teams switched mentalities. The Flyers decided to show up for this one and the Devils decided to take it easy. I really have no answers as to why, but it happened. The Devils were pinned back, the Flyers had more possession and more shots, and Martin Brodeur had to come up huge in a few situations. Of course, he was not perfect. Claude Giroux scored on a bad-angle shot on a power play and gave the Flyers a lifeline. Thankfully for New Jersey, that lifeline was yanked out of it's cord when Patrik Elias put home a fantastic pass by Brian Rolston on a 2-on-1 in the final minute of the period.

The Flyers were surely deflated during the third period. While the Devils didn't look as good in the first, they kept the Flyers honest in their own end, they tried some good attempts on Boucher, and as time went on you can tell that the game was essentially over. The Flyers kept mishandling the puck and conceding possession, whereas the Devils slowed their pace a little bit. Not a bad effort, something I wouldn't have minded seeing from the Devils in the second period.

Read on after the jump for further thoughts on the game.

First, some highlights from NHL.com:

The two top players on the ice were the goal scorers themselves, Nicklas Bergfors and Patrik Elias. Both got braces, both got 4 shots on net, and both somehow racked up a few official giveaways according to the Event Summary of the game. Hmm. In any case, both players looked real strong going forward. Bergfors was constantly going to the net and you saw in the video, thankfully he did just that. His first goal was simply impressive, leading the breakout through the neutral zone and just got through Braydon Coburn and then got it through Boucher's legs. Great stuff on the power play.

But Patrik Elias was just all over the place. Strong in his own end, he was pretty good with his passing all night long, and his goals were fantastic. His first one was a one-timer you'd expect from a pure sniper, a classic highlight-reel worthy goal fitting for a milestone like a 300th career goal. Credit Vladimir Zharkov for his fine work along the boards to protect the puck and get it to Elias. But the second period goal from Elias was far more important. Not just because he is now only 46 goals away from tying John MacLean's franchise record.

The Devils were truly bad in that second period, and again, I don't know why. Maybe they were tired? Maybe they were surprised the Flyers would come out with energy (I hope this isn't the answer)? Maybe they couldn't sustain the level of intensity for two straight periods unless Philly fell flat on it's butt? Whatever you and I may think it is, the fact is that the Flyers got the better of the Devils and pulled within one goal. Martin Brodeur really should have had Claude Giroux's shot. (Aside: I didn't think that was honestly a holding penalty on Jamie Langenbrunner to begin with as a Flyer hugged Langenbrunner's stick for a good 5 feet, but what do I know.) He said as such to Tom Gulitti after the game - not because it killed a shutout, but because he did get a piece of it. However, I think he more than made up for it when he had to make some dynamite saves on the Flyers. 12 shots by Philly, they kept pushing forward, leaving the Devils back, and even on the one power play the Devils did get, the Flyers went up and had a good scoring chance. The Devils only put 5 shots on net, yet the last one was crucial.

Elias' goal at the end sent the message, "We sucked this period, but you know what, you're not winning this game." Most, if not all, of the momentum the Flyers built up in that period, the things they could have built on for the second, was wiped away with 34 seconds left in the second period. The Devils regained their three goal lead in spite of how they played. The Flyers looked deflated as the period ended. As one of the lovely and classy Flyer fans behind me said, "I'm just glad they got a goal, forget the win." And so that fan just must be thrilled as the Flyers just settled for that. Elias goal didn't just restore a lead, it rattled the Flyers' focus. They should have spent the intermission trying to forget about the goal and focus on how they did in those other 19 minutes. But they didn't.

And instead of just trying to look past that goal, they got dumber on the ice. They took two unnecessary calls that they should be happy Brian Boucher and some execution issues prevented the Devils from making the Flyers pay the price. Even so, it meant 4 minutes where the Flyers had to focus mainly on their own end. Outside of that, the Flyers conceded possession easily in the neutral zone, which just hurt their attack. Their passes were poor and the Devils just kept dogging them when they could.

On offense, they didn't make decisions quick enough or correctly enough to make Brodeur really sweat in even strength. Their best scoring chance came while killing a penalty when Brodeur stacked the pads on Jeff Carter. Nice save, but why is Brodeur having to make nice saves on a power play, Devils PP Units? Nevertheless, that was the biggest threat by Philly. The Flyers stopped battling somewhere after the third minute of the third period and the Devils were unfortunate to not make this a bigger score. The Devils were happy to take control of all of these loose pucks - especially Andy Greene, who cleaned up a lot of pucks in his 27:19 of ice time, and that pretty much meant the end.

Admittedly, the Devils weren't as aggressive as they were in the first period, but they did go forward and put a few shots on Boucher. I don't think the Devils stopped trying, but you could tell they didn't have to try as hard given how Philly was playing. Not trying to step up their intensity was a big mistake and really dumb. Why not try to at least make it a game again against a rival? Why give up? I don't know and I'm sure the Flyer fans are asking similar questions as well.

Outside of this, I do want to point out that Martin Brodeur had a very good game from what I saw. Some of those shots by the Flyers were truly dangerous shots. After all, there is a reason why he has more highlight saves than Boucher per the highlight video earlier in this recap. He came up huge on a couple of shorthanded attempts by the Flyers, which were also important as giving up a shortie is a great way to let an opponent back into a game. According to Jacques Lemaire, as reported by Gulitti, that save on Carter in the second period was massive. Honestly, his only real error was the Giroux goal but ultimately that didn't matter thanks to Elias' important second period goal. Could you fault the defense on some of those chances? For some, like the shorthanded chances, seriously those were breakdowns, yes. However, could you really complain about the defense overall as they held the Flyers to 23 shots? Probably not, unless you have high expectations.

So my real complaints about the Devils' performance was their second period and that the power play gave up a few scoring chances while not really frightening the Flyers on those last few man advantages. Yet, the Devils settled things down in the third period - something I would have liked to have seen in the second, admittedly. The power play did convert twice thanks to Bergfors and those two third period power plays went a long way in killing the Flyers' spirit (they did so little after them), so I can't gripe too much about the power play units.

There were some areas I would have liked to have seen the Devils perform better upon further reflection. Had the Devils not take their foot off the proverbial pedal, they could have had 30+ shots instead of just 28. That would have really forced the Flyers back more, and who knows, blow up the score. The one thing Flyers fans can say they dominated the Devils at tonight was at the faceoff dot, as the Devils only won 37% of faceoffs. Though that ultimately didn't mean much. For example, Rob Niedermayer, who played a ton of minutes (22:57), got owned the most as he won only 6 out of 21. Then he usually followed that up by forcing a Flyer to make a hasty decision wherein a Devil picked up a stray puck. So faceoffs were not as crucial tonight.

I'd say the Devils played 40 minutes out of this one. A great 20 followed by a poor 20 and finished with an acceptable 20. Were it not for some unlucky bounces or Brian Boucher coming up big - Brian Rolston nearly had a goal like Elias' second, but Boucher made a fantastic sliding save - this could have easily ended as a big blowout in favor of New Jersey. Instead, I and the Devils fans left the Rock very happy that the Flyers lost in a decisive fashion. The Devils got some revenge for the last two Devils-Flyers games, which were wins where the Flyers outplayed the Devils. The performance by the home team was improved upon some of the recent ones at the Rock, so there's that. The passing was much improved over the dreck that was seen against Florida. The Devils kept cool in light of Philadelphia's lack of discipline save for Colin White shoving Daniel Briere down after a whistle. Bergfors and Elias had huge nights as the difference makers tonight with braces; and Elias hit a career milestone. And, well, the Devils just beat the Flyers, 4-1. Plenty to be happy about, in my view. Now the Devils can rest for three days and try to improve upon their second period performances against Montreal on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to Steve for setting up the GameThread as well as a big thanks to the commenters on it as my mobile messaging was lacking tonight. The crowd was good and largely pro-Devils and I enjoyed the company around me despite the class acts whining about the Flyers behind me. (Aside #1: Oh well, they all got a good view of my New Jersey Devils scarf after the goals. Aside #2: Pro-tip for the Flyers fans, bragging about the team value of the Flyers being better than the Devils means little as Elias scores a one-timer.) Combine that with few breaks in the action and so there wasn't much time to text. All the same, the result is what matters and the Devils got it. As usual, please leave your thoughts on tonight's game in the comments.

Fun Facts From the Flyers Media Guide

Travis Hughes — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

The Flyers media guide never seems to disappoint when it comes to interesting or funny facts.

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As every pro and college sports team does, the Philadelphia Flyers put out a media guide each season. In addition to all those interesting stats TV broadcasters hand out, the book includes profiles of every player on the roster, every member of the organization, and other fun little tidbits. I took a chance to page through the guide recently, and I share some of the best facts with you below.

The bar at the AT&T Pavilion in the Wachovia Center is the largest in-arena bar in the world.
Assistant GM Barry Hanrahan has a labradoodle named Meatball.
VP of Sales Jim Willits might be the reason the Phoenix Coyotes fail in the desert. In his first four years as director of ticket sales for the Coyotes, the arena filled to 94 percent capacity. Since he left in 2002, that number has substantially dropped.
On February 6, 1997 against Montreal, the Legion of Doom -- John LeClair, Eric Lindros, and Mikael Renberg -- scored 16 points in a game, the most by a line in one game in franchise history. 20 days later in Ottawa, they repeated the feat.
The names of Arron Asham's kids: Dexter, Azilyn, and Oceane.
If Matt Carle could have dinner with anybody, he would choose to dine with Santa Claus.
Ed Snider has 14 grandchildren.
Fred Shero holds the highest win percentage of any coach in team history, with a .642 mark. Terry Murray holds the best playoff win percentage for a coach at .609.
Brian Boucher loves Spongebob and wont eat sushi.
The Flyers went undefeated against the Penguins at home in 42 consecutive games from February 7, 1974 to December 8, 1988.
Darroll Powe would like Norm MacDonald to play him in a movie about his life.
You know how you know Ian Laperriere is gay? He listens to Coldplay before games. Linked video NSFW.
Chris Pronger's first car, a 1983 Ford Ranger, was held together by rust.
Mike Richards dreams of being on stage at an Eminem concert.
Los Angeles couldn't beat the Flyers from October 22, 1974 until February 5, 1983 -- 32 games.
Among goalies with at least 1,000 minutes played, Roman Cechmanek holds the best GAA mark -- 1.96. At the opposite end of the spectrum (no pun intended), Bobby Taylor had a GAA of 4.05 in 44 games.
Ray Emery is allergic to cheese.

More after the jump...

The most points the Flyers have compiled against one team? 299 against Pittsburgh all-time, an 132-76-30-5 all-time record.
Simon Gagne's favorite numbers are 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Philadelphia has only played Columbus eight times. Ever. 4-1-3-0 in those games.
Craig Berube has a son named Nashota.
The orange and black scored two goals in seven seconds in the first period against St. Louis on December 27, 1988. They scored three goals in 35 seconds in the eighth minute of the second period against Boston on March 1, 1979. They scored four goals in one minute, 22 seconds against Pittsburgh in the third period on October 11, 1981.
Kimmo Timonen has a thing for Robert DeNiro. He'd like to have dinner with him and he'd also select him to play him in a movie about his life.
The Flyers have never allowed a goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs, despite four chances by opponents.
Ian Laperriere, movie star. He played Montreal Canadiens great "Boom Boom" Geoffrion in Maurice Richard, a movie about another Habs legend.
Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1974/75, the Flyers scored just 61 goals at home that season, the low mark in team history.
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is listed as "single" but he also "got married over the summer to his wife, Guro."
In his one game as a Flyer goaltender, Martin Houle had a GAA of 30.00. He allowed one goal in two minutes of ice time.
The Flyers are 29-4-3-1 all time against Atlanta.
Scott Hartnell's favorite cartoon character is Darkwing Duck.
Prior to this season, the Flyers had sold out 1,054 of their 1,621 home games.
Raw onions don't get along with Braydon Coburn.
The Flyers have a winning record against every team in the NHL, with the exception of the Boston Bruins, who they are 59-80-21-5 against all-time.
Danny Briere's first car was an Izuzu Impulse.

No more excuses: Flyers fall below .500 with loss in Montreal

Travis Hughes — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:44:49 -0000

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

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[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Montreal Reaction]

Final - 12.7.2009	1	2	3	Total
Philadelphia Flyers	1	0	0	1
Montreal Canadiens	0	2	1	3

Complete Coverage >

13-13-1. This Philadelphia Flyers team, once with so many expectations, now sits below the .500 mark, a sad shell of their potential. Out of a playoff spot in the East, behind both New York teams in the division, and unspeakably behind the class of the Eastern Conference, a group they should be a part of.

Two wins in their last ten. 0 for their last 19 on the power play. Two goals or less in their last six games. These are the numbers of a hockey team in free fall. They've fired their coach and still can't seem to get out of this slump. But are there any signs of hope? Any at all?

It's tough to say. If Peter Laviolette can turn this team around, it's not going to happen over night. The Flyers did show more effort tonight, especially considering the work put in on Saturday against Washington. But the same old problems came back -- inconsistency.

In stretches, the Flyers established their fore-check and showed the teachings of their new coach while doing it. They were very aggressive on the puck, and defensemen routinely jumped up into the offensive zone. But they didn't keep the pressure on for the entire game. In the second period, for example, they completely fell on the heels for the latter 10 minutes. You're not going to get anywhere with a less-than-complete effort.

Montreal's second goal was an example of how Laviolette's style could go wrong. The puck was jammed along the side boards in the offensive zone, about five feet from the blueline. Several players fought for it along the wall, including Kimmo Timonen, who jumped into the play. When it bounced free to Maxim Lapierre, Kimmo was caught, leaving Braydon Coburn back to fend for himself on a two-on-one. Coburn played it miserably, allowing a pass to a wide-open Michael Cammalleri, who easily put it by Brian Boucher.

That play is a bit of an anomaly, though, considering there was a puck battle along the wall so close to the blueline. The defenseman is always going to jump up there, regardless of the system the coach has the team running. The key here, is that when defensemen pinch and nobody is there to cover, you can't afford to play the ensuing odd-man rush as haplessly as Coburn did.

You've gotta credit Montreal a bit in this one, too. They took advantage of their chances (3 goals on 13 shots), got solid goaltending, and most of all, they didn't allow the Flyers to get comfortable in the offensive zone. The Habs blocked 27 Philadelphia shots. Twenty-seven! Roman Hamrlik blocked 10 by himself. It's tough to win when more than half your shots don't get through to the net.

Regardless of the reasons, though, this is getting old. We're sick of the excuses. We're sick of trying to justify it. Pretty soon, if not already, we're going to start questioning if this team can really do anything this season.

After the jump, questions, lowlights, and the comment of the night.

Questions With Answers

Elements of the slump bust: power play. Can they turn it around? 0-for-4, including a goose egg on a key PP in the third period while still only down a goal. Montreal took a dumb too many men penalty and the Flyers couldn't score on the ensuing PP. On the flip side, Montreal gets a PP minutes later and capitalizes. Turning point in the game.
Element two: goaltending. How does Boucher perform? The stats look bad, but he was pretty solid tonight. The first two goals weren't really his fault, and the third was just a blistering shot nobody would've stopped.
Element three: lifeless hockey. The Flyers have looked lazy for weeks. Does that stop? In stretches, yes. Need that full effort, though... *sigh*
Element four: the system. Is it obvious that Laviolette has already put in some tweaks to the offense, and if said tweaks are obvious, do they seem to work? As mentioned above, some of the tweaks were clear. Defensemen pinching, forwards rotating back toward the blueline to cover, aggressive toward the puck carrier in the offensive, defensive, and neutral zones.

Comment Of The Night

Carter couldn’t make the Egyptian team right now.

>> JpH89

Lowlights

From Chris to Oskars: Meet Your Philadelphia Flyers 2010 Olympic Hopefuls

Travis Hughes — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:40:04 -0000

Chris Pronger skates for Team Canada at the Salt Lake City games in 2002.

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If you ever poke around at the new SBNation.com (and if you don't, then what are you doing with your life?), you've no doubt noticed SBN Hockey's running feature over the last week or so. Each site on the network has taken a look at their respective team, noting which players are locks to make their national teams and which players have outside chances at traveling to Vancouver next month.

While most of the Flyers are Canadian -- seriously, it's absurd the number of Canadians on this roster -- and will have trouble cracking a stacked roster, there are some who will make it. Of course, there are also other players who will make the squad in other countries, and you might be surprised at who has a shot.

After the jump, we'll break down the Flyers roster and see who has a chance at representing their country in Vancouver this February.

Team Canada

The pressure is on for the host country. After a disappointing showing in 2006 at Turin that saw Canada come home without a medal, anything less than the gold will be unacceptable north of the border.

Chris Pronger: There's absolutely no doubt that Pronger will be representing Canada in Vancouver. He's an experienced Olympian, winning the gold with Canada at Salt Lake City in 2002. He also played for his country in the 2006 Turin games and the 1998 Nagano games, as well as in the 1997 World Championships and the 1993 World Junior Championships. Pronger, along with former Anaheim teammate Scott Niedermayer, will be expected to lead the Canadian blueline. Packing His Bags.
Mike Richards: It's hard to see how Canada could keep Richards off the roster. The captain of the Canadian team that won the World Junior Championship in 2005, Richards has played internationally on three different occasions. Packing His Bags.
Jeff Carter: While not as strong a lock as Richards, Carter still has a very strong shot at making the team this year. He's versatile, obviously proven in the NHL, and he's got international experience, winning the WJC gold with Richards in '05. A Solid Bet.
Simon Gagne: It appears that Gagne will be held out by injury. He was probably about as likely to make the team as Carter prior to sustaining his injury during the Flyers season, but considering he won't be playing hockey when Team Canada announces their roster this month, it's hard to imagine Gagne will get another chance to represent his country. It's a shame, too, considering he played for Canada in the 2006 and 2002 Games. Staying Home.
Also staying home: Arron Asham, Blair Betts, Danny Briere, Dan Carcillo, Riley Cote, Claude Giroux, Ray Emery, Scott Hartnell, Ian Laperriere, Jon Kalinski, Darroll Powe, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent

Team USA

USA is expected to ice a much younger team than they have in recent Olympic games. Only six players over the age of 30 were invited to their summer camp, and there's no guarantee that all of those players will make the team. Guys like Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, and Brian Rolston were left out of camp as general manager Brian Burke tries to create a younger team that can bring USA Hockey back to the summit.

There are only three Americans on the Flyers roster. They'll announce the roster on NBC during the Winter Classic.

James van Riemsdyk: JVR wasn't invited to USA's summer camp and he wasn't even expected to make the Flyers this season. But to say the 19-year-old has been impressive in the early stages of his pro career is an understatement, and there's no doubt he's at least opened some eyes with the USA brass. Will that get him a roster spot, though? It's tough to say. It's true that the youth movement on the team is here to stay, but it might be a little too early for JVR. He's got a lot of other players to beat out, but he deserves consideration and he'll likely get it. 50/50.
Matt Carle: He wasn't invited to the summer orientation camp either, but when you lead NHL defenseman in plus/minus, you'll open some eyes as well. He'd be a dark horse candidate for sure, and he could be dismissed as a player padded by playing with Chris Pronger. But when you look at some of the other players that attended the summer camp -- Tom Gilbert, Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, -- you could see Carle getting a spot over some of those guys. A Possibility.
Staying home: Brian Boucher

Team Finland

Led by goaltender Antero Niittymaki, Finland won the silver medal at Turin in 2006, beating Canada in the process. They aren't favorites to medal in Vancouver, but to say they couldn't surprise would be severely underestimating the Fins.

Kimmo Timonen: Kimmo is an absolute lock for Team Finland. He's their best defenseman, no doubt. There's really not much else to say. He's to Finland as he is to the Flyers -- a solid rock of a defenseman that can be counted on to play huge minutes. Packing His Bags.
Mika Pyorala: He made the preliminary roster over the summer, and making the Flyers certainly helps his chances to make the Olympic roster. He's not a lock at this point, but general manager Jari Kurri has been to Philadelphia to watch Pyorala play and has said good things about his play -- "he's a smart player at both ends of the ice," "you know what you are getting with him." Solid endorsements. Wouldn't Be Surprised.
Former Flyers To Watch: Antero Niittymaki, Joni Pitkanen, Ossi Vaananen, Sami Kapanen

Team Latvia

Probably the weakest team in the Olympics, NHL.com didn't even bother to preview them in their series over the summer. It's understandable, though. They have very little NHL talent on their roster, but one of those players does play for Philadelphia.

Oskars Bartulis: Even as an AHL player, Bartulis was one of the best Latvian players in North America. Now that he's in the NHL and playing solidly, it seems as though Bartulis will suit up for his country in February. He's played in pre-tournament games for Latvia, but didn't play in the World Championships. Things have changed now that he's made the jump to the NHL, and you can be sure that the Latvian brass won't let Bartulis go unnoticed. A Strong Bet.

Team Norway

They surprised by qualifying for Olympics, but could they stage an upset or two? There is only one Norwegian in the NHL. He plays in Philadelphia.

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen: Tollefsen has been injured for most of the season, but he is expected to be fine by February, so it would be an utter shock if he wasn't named to Team Norway. Packing His Bags.
Former Flyers To Watch: Patrick Thoresen

Team Sweden

Former Flyers To Watch: Peter Forsberg

Adiose, Devils. Bring On The Flyers!

Sean Zandberg — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:04:45 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Burrows deflects the puck past Marty Sucky Brodeur in Period 1 of the Devils-Canucks game. What followed was pure bliss.

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GAME TIME: 4:00 PST

TV: Canucks PPV

THE BULLIES: Broad Street Hockey

Update: 12:30 PM PST: Roberto Luongo will start again tonight, leading some to speculate that Andrew Raycroft will start against the Hurricanes on Saturday "morning". I'd say that is a fair assessment.

Update: 12:05 PM PST: There is a lot of pressure on the Flyers right now. They had a 4-7-1 record in November after storming out of the gates with an 8-2-1 record in October. Personally, I think they'll snap out of it and make some noise soon.

Update: 9:32 AM PST: Danny Briere, who has missed time with the flu, will return to the Flyers' lineup tonight. Simon Gagne (abdominal -hernia surgery) is still about 3 weeks away from returning.

************************

How about that game against the Devils? The Canucks have to be joyous on the quick plane trip to Philly right now. They put on a hell of a clinic against the Devils.

- 5 points for the Sedins and Burrows combined.

- 1 goal and 2 assists for Alexander Edler.

- Sami Salo scores his first goal of the season!

- 1 goal in 12:14 played for Jannik Hansen. Well played, sir.

- Roberto Luongo was better than Martin Brodeur, but don't let that taint your Team Canada starting goalie prediction.

- Martin Brodeur allowed 5 goals against for the first time since the Devils' first game of the season against......the Philadelphia Flyers. True story. How ironic.

- Shane O'Brien did NOT take even 1 minor penalty but was a -1. Still, I thought he played well.

- Patrick Elias: 0 points. Zach Parise: 0 points. So many other goodies here.

The Canucks improved to 5-8-0 on the road, and are now only 1 point away from 8th spot in the West. Now comes a huge test for them: playing the Flyers in a back-to-back situation, where they are 2-3 this season.

-The Flyers have had 4 days off.

- Brian Boucher will play in their net instead of Ray Emery. The Flyers are saying they are "riding the hot hand" by playing him. From the Flyers' site: Boucher played just once in the Flyers’ first 17 games, losing 4-1 to San Jose on October 25 at the Wachovia Center. Since then, he has led the team to a 3-2 win in Los Angeles on Nov. 18; stopped 13 of 14 shots in relief of Emery on Nov. 23 in Colorado; and made 28 saves on 29 shots in a 2-1 win over the Islanders on Nov. 25 in addition to last Saturday’s performance. In his last 4 games played, Boucher has a 2.01 GAA and a .930 save percentage. He is 2-3 in his 5 starts for Philadelphia this season.

- the Flyers are 2-4 in their last 6 games played. They are 1 point out of a playoff spot as well.

- The Canucks went 0-for-1 on the PP against the Devils. New Jersey went 0-for-2. New Jersey, like I mentioned before, don't have a great blueline presence. The Flyers do. Like him or not, Chris Pronger has 4 goals and 18 points with his new team this year. Watch out for him, plus Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle on the D.

- The Flyers are rough and tough, so I would expect that Alain Vigneault ices the same lineup against Philly, keeping team toughness intact.

Vancouver started their road trip with a bang. Now...can they keep it up? We shall see. More updates to come.

Hobbled Flyers drop another to Sabres 4-2

Travis Hughes — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:27:05 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Buffalo Reaction]

Final - 11.27.2009	1	2	3	Total
Buffalo Sabres	1	1	2	4
Philadelphia Flyers	2	0	0	2

Complete Coverage >

It's become tradition to have a home game on Black Friday each season. But looking for relief from the crowds at the mall, fans have frequently found disappointment inside the halls of Wachovia Center, as the Flyers have lost on the day after Thanksgiving each year since 2006. Nothing changed today as the injury-riddled Flyers fell to the Buffalo Sabres 4-2. It's the second time in just under two weeks that the Sabres have come into Philadelphia and wrestled a win away from the home team.

After taking an early lead on a Drew Stafford first period goal, the orange and black fought back late in the period. Mike Richards tied the score at one late on a beautiful pass by James van Riemsdyk, and then with about 30 seconds left, a point shot from Braydon Coburn deflected off a Buffalo player and past goaltender Ryan Miller. The momentum was completely changed in the Flyers favor.

So, naturally, as the second period opened, Buffalo captain Craig Rivet decided to try to change that. He took on Dan Carcillo in a pretty evenly matched bout, but the Flyer tough guy was pretty heated afterward. It takes a lot to keep Carcillo down, so it was no surprise that the next time he and Rivet were united on the ice, a fight broke out. Carcillo beat him down this time, but a late strike by Rivet after the linesman had already jumped in ticked him off even more. He went off on the official for allowing it, a move that quickly earned him a 10 minute misconduct. He was asked to head to the dressing room for the remainder of the second period after jawing at Rivet from the penalty box.

Paul Gaustad tied the game in the second period, and it was the Tim Connolly show in the third as he added two goals to give the Sabres the victory.

Some more thoughts on this one...

Ian Laperriere is an absolute warrior. He took a Jason Pominville shot to the face in the second period and left the game to reportedly receive around 50 stitches in his upper lip. I've been hit with a puck in the lip and I needed eight stitches, and let me tell you -- that hurt. To return to the game after 50 stitches and a cut that looked like it completely severed his upper lip in two is unfathomable. But Lappy did it, taking three shifts in the third period with a cage on his helmet.
Jared Ross was slammed into the boards by Patrick Kaleta in the first period. He had already passed the puck away when Kaleta leaped and drilled his head into the boards. He didn't return, but neither did Kaleta. He was handed a boarding major and a game misconduct, and you can fully expect the NHL to come down on him for this one. The good news: Ross will travel with the team to Atlanta.
With Ross and Laperriere out and the Flyers bench slim at the forward position, Carcillo's 10 minute misconduct didn't help things. He was right in his argument to the official that led to the penalty, though, so it's hard to be too mad with him. I have a feeling Carcillo won't have a short memory about this one.
The power play laid an egg today, going 0 for 5 in 9:14 with the man advantage. Not allowed.
Mike Richards was an animal in the final few minutes. He had about six shots on goal with Ray Emery pulled from the Flyers net as the orange and black tried to tie the game. It was a futile effort, however, since Ryan Miller had an answer for everything the Flyers threw his way in the third.
Despite the loss, Philadelphia's fourth in five games, the same problems that plagued the Flyers during their West Coast road trip did not lead to the loss today. Instead, today was a lot more similar to the Flyers last loss to the Sabres in that they didn't get much luck and that they just couldn't finish their chances. Miller didn't help the equation, either.

After the jump, questions with answers and the comment of the day.

Questions With Answers

How much ice time does Riley Cote get today? Despite the Flyers short bench, Cote didn't see much ice, only played 5:38.
The Flyers are better than the Sabres at even-strength play, on the penalty kill, and the power play. Can they show that's true today? I thought the teams matched up pretty evenly at even strength, but the Flyers couldn't get anything going on the PP.
Do the Flyers show up today, or are they stuck between lazy off day and travel day? They certainly showed up. It just wasn't enough today. It happens.
Does Ray Emery rebound from a bad road trip with a strong game today? He allowed four goals on 25 shots, but he didn't have a terrible game. Then again, he needed to outduel Ryan Miller to win this one, and that didn't happen.

Comment Of The Day

My Goodness, HE IS MY F’ING HERO!

>> flyrsfrk05, on Lappy's return

Game 24 Recap: Avalanche 5 - Flyers 4

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:00:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

about 1 month ago: Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards, front left, consoles goalie Ray Emery as members of the Colorado Avalanche celebrate a goal by David Jones in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 11.23.2009	1	2	3	Total
Philadelphia Flyers	1	1	2	4
Colorado Avalanche	2	3	0	5

Complete Coverage >

Hey, Colorado Avalanche, that was a nice win. Now, please don't ever, ever do that again.

For the 3rd straight game, the Avalanche squandered a 2-goal lead. Thankfully, this time it happened in the 2nd period, before the Avs turned in for the evening. It's a good thing, because otherwise they would have been toast.

The Avalanche started things off early, with David Jones scoring just a minute in and Paul Stastny breaking his 12-game goal drought a few minutes later. But the Flyers scored a goal late in the first and tied it up just 63 seconds later in the 2nd period, and Avalanche fans were already starting to mutter to themselves.

The Avalanche own the 2nd period, though, and tonight was no exception. Cody McLeod, David Jones and Scott Hannan all scored in a wild middle frame to give the Avalanche a 5-2 lead after two periods.

They'd need all of it. The Flyers' comeback was inevitable. The Avs had been outscored 7-0 in the last two 3rd periods going into the game. You can make that 9-0 now. Philadelphia peppered Craig Anderson with 19 shots. Anderson was excellent, but couldn't stop them all. Daniel Briere - Briere being french for "little pussy"...he knocked Scott Hannan out of the game with a sleazy post-whistle cross-check after Hannan made it 4-2 - scored at the 11:17 mark to make it 5-3 and then, with the Avs serving a flipping penalty for two many men (how, how, how does that happen with 6 minutes left in the 3rd period), Jeff Carter made it 5-4. The Flyers kept on coming and might have knotted it up had Scott Hartnell not run over Craig Anderson with just over two minutes left (Anderson, to be honest, sold that one perfectly). Even then, the Flyers had some chances late, and Craig Anderson's save on a wide-open Braydon Coburn was the ultimate game-saver.

I'm glad the Avalanche won, but I can't take many more 3rd period laydowns like this. Please?

Kudos, by the way, to Marek Svatos. No, he didn't score. But he did have his first NHL fight, taking on Claude "Don't Call Me Shane" Giroux in the 2nd period. Not only did Svatos acquit himself nicely, but he was the one who invited Giroux to drop the gloves. Maybe he should give some pointers to Cody McLeod. McLeod's goal was huge, but he's not himself on the ice lately. Maybe he's hurt, or maybe he's just not comfortable wearing that visor. Whatever the deal is, I noticed him shy away from an opportunity to make a check on several occasions. And that thing with Lappy was embarrassing. I have ZERO problem with McLeod refusing to drop the gloves for Lappy, especially with the Avalanche up in the game at the time. But, if you aren't going to go, don't make it look like you're going to and don't goad the other guy into dropping his gloves. That's a move an assclown like Matt Barnaby would pull. It is not a move befitting a Highlander.