Mixed Bag is an infrequent column that features a collection of opinions and observations about the Flyers. In the grand scheme of things, two games makes for a small sample size. There’s no reason to make any significant changes at this point or even begin to declare that some things may or may not be working well. These are just general observations and nothing more than that. So far, Mike Richards has lost 16 of the 29 faceoffs he’s taken, putting him at 44%. Jeff Carter, who was the team’s best faceoff man last season, has only taken 13 faceoffs …
The morning after: Flyers @ Penguins 10.07.10
“The morning after” is a review of the previous night’s Flyers’ game which, in theory, provides a more objective perspective on the game. The Flyers have been gambling with their goaltenders for years. So, it really shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the team decided to roll the dice and put Sergei Bobrovsky, their untested goalie prospect, in net last night against one of the most elite teams in the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Bobrovsky played well throughout camp and likely won the start over Brian Boucher when he played soundly in relief of Johan Backlund in a …
The morning after: Flyers @ Wild 9.25.10
“The morning after” is a review of the previous night’s Flyers’ game which, in theory, provides a more objective perspective on the game. Braydon Coburn had another great game, tallying an assist and a few good scoring chances, including a smooth-skating coast-to-coast run in the third period. He finished the night a +2 and played 25 minutes. Sergei Bobrovksy — or Bodrovksy, if you’re from Minnesota — was stellar once again. The only crack in his armor was a lack of awareness that the delay of game penalty existed. Whoops. Erik Gustafsson is completely flying under the radar. He’s been …
The morning after: Flyers @ Leafs 9.24.10
“The morning after” is a review of the previous night’s Flyers’ game which, in theory, provides a more objective perspective on the game. Michael Leighton played an average game in net last night and suffered a back injury during the game. It’s hard to say exactly how this affected his play but it was far from the first time that Leighton was unable to steal a game when the team in front of him was playing poorly. Fortunately, Nikolai Zherdev and Claude Giroux had instant chemistry last night and helped the team rally back. Zherdev scored two goals and Danny …
The morning after: Devils vs. Flyers 9.21.10
I’m thinking of implementing a new regular feature on this site where I recap my thoughts on a game from the previous day with a new perspective. For now, I’ll call it “The morning after,” until I think of something better. Here are some more thoughts on last night’s game: The Flyers have the potential to be an offensive juggernaut: James van Riemsdyk looked like a number two overall pick, Daniel Briere’s shot is lethal, Nikolai Zherdev and Jeff Carter could put up big numbers, and that doesn’t even account for Mike Richards, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, et al. This …
Flyers’ stockpiling makes Guerin signing more difficult than it should be
I realize that none of us has the inside knowledge of the game, or the experience of an NHL general manager, but I have a couple questions that need to be answered. What would you do if you knew there was a free agent forward, already deemed expendable by his club before the season concludes, who has won two Stanley Cups and will most likely be playing for his final contract? Would you sit idly by and let 29 other teams get a crack at him while you stockpile bodies for depth just because of his salary? Or would you take the opportunity and …
Are the Flyers a better team?
This question was recently asked on the Flyers Forum and, admittedly, it caught me off guard. For all of the knee-jerk reactions we are accustomed to giving as fans of Philadelphia sports teams, I had a hard time saying no to this question. I wanted to lash out about how management backed themselves into a corner with the cap and it forced them to trade the beloved Simon Gagne for garbage, or about the illogical acquisition of overpaid defender, Andrej Meszaros, while plenty of good free agent defenders were available. I had a million reasons to complain about how I …
What went wrong?
One goal and one game. That’s how close the Flyers came to claiming the Cup as their own for the 2010 season. Facing such adversity with their backs against the wall from game 82, they were, as their slogan proclaimed, relentless. The Flyers hung in there against teams that were supposed to steamroll them and made history in the process. If you asked any player in orange, he would have told you the Cup was destined to come to Philadelphia. So where did it all go wrong? How did their season come screeching to a halt on the most anticlimactic …