When a player gets injured, somebody has an opportunity to step up and fill in. Tonight, that somebody was Nikolay Zherdev. Stepping in for Andreas Nodl, Zherdev netted the game-winning goal in a Flyers’ 4-2 win in Game 3 which gave the visitors a 2-1 series lead. Jeff Carter and Kimmo Timonen also hit the net as Philly snapped a five-game playoff losing streak in upstate New York. Nathan Gerbe and Drew Stafford scored, Marc-Andre Gragnani picked up two assists and Ryan Miller had 22 saves on 25 shots for Buffalo in the loss. One of the Flyers’ biggest weaknesses so far in the …
Can Zherdev be this year’s Leino?
Snubbed by coach Pater Laviolette, Nikolay Zherdev found himself sitting as a healthy scratch for game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Buffalo Sabres. Laviolette apparently wants more defense from his team and the Ukranian winger is, well, not exactly known for his backchecking prowess. However, Zherdev, who cannot escape the “enigmatic” tag, does have a few things going for him. He is a supremely talented scorer who can be just as dazzling as he is frustrating to watch. In short stretches, he can perform at peak levels, like he did during the preseason (6 points in 6 games) …
Atlantic Watch: 3/30-4/5
If panic hadn’t set in yet, it definitely has now. In a week they had four games to help better their chances of winning both the division and the conference, the Flyers lost every game managing to only gain one point all week long. Adding on to the recent worries about playing lazy and horrible lately, the talent of the teams who beat Philly this week should also cause the Flyers to panic. Playing three teams out of the playoff race, the Flyers dropped their games with Atlanta, New Jersey, and Ottawa in regulation. They were able to salvage a point …
Lackluster Flyers Lose 3-2 In Shootout Against NYR
The Flyers showed little effort in a loss to a less superior game…somebody stop the record from skipping. On Sunday afternoon in front of a national TV audience, Philly’s lack of heart resulted in a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers. Thanks to 32 saves by Henrik Lundqvist and a shootout goal by Wojtek Wolski, the Flyers lost their third straight game today to their Atlantic Division rival. In such an important game, it was key for the Flyers to send an early message. With Brandon Prust trying to stir things up early, Sean O’Donnell decided to set things …
Elias Nets Hat-Trick, Flyers Lose Second Straight
For the second straight night, the Flyers were handed a loss by a team currently not in the playoff picture as the Devils won 4-2 in Jersey. He may have not scored the game-winning goal, but Patrik Elias essentially won the game for the Devils netting a hat-trick. Brian Rolston had all three of the primary assists on Elias’s goals and Johan Hedberg made 34 saves on 36 shots to give the Devils their third win of the season against the Flyers. With the Penguins and Capitals idle tonight, the Flyers had a chance to move closer to clinching both the division and …
Looking ahead: A few thoughts on the offseason
Numbers Current Projected Cap Space for 2012: $1,980,845 [source] Projected Cap Increase for 2012: $3,000,000 [source] Total Projected Cap Space for 2012: $4,980,845 Notable Pending UFA forwards: VIlle Leino, Nikolay Zherdev Notable Pending RFA forwards: Andreas Nodl, Darroll Powe, Dan Carcillo Notable Pending UFA defensemen: Sean O’Donnell, Nick Boynton Notable Pending RFA defensemen: Danny Syvret Notable Pending UFA goaltenders: Brian Boucher Thoughts Defense It’s likely the Flyers won’t need anything more than a third pairing defensemen. They have a number of options available to them: Re-sign O’Donnell or Boynton, play Matt Walker, promote Erik Gustafsson, or re-up Danny Syvret and …
Discussing the slump
Last night, ProHockeyTalk published three reasons why the Flyers are struggling. Quickly summed up, they believe the Flyers aren’t desperate enough, the scoring has dried up, and the team can’t seem to close out games in the third period. PHT also points out that the goaltending is not to blame here. For the most part, I agree with the article but I also think it goes a bit deeper than that. The Flyers are in self-preservation mode. The memory of all the fatigue and injuries suffered towards the end of the ’10 season and throughout the playoffs is once again fresh …
Quo Vadis?
Now that Nikolay Zherdev has cleared waivers with zero interest from the other 29 clubs in the NHL, it’s basically up to him what happens next. He has several options to keep playing: take a demotion to the minors, flee back to the country formerly known as the U.S.S.R., and (even though it might be dog dumb), sit out risking a suspension and await a deal out of Philly. Adding to the drama was the fact that multiple outlets reported this morning that Zherdev participated in an optional team skate in Voorhees. This, after he fled the same practice facility not 24 …
Trust, injuries played a role in Zherdev’s failure and Leino’s success
The signing of Nikolay Zherdev in the summer appeared to be one of the better moves Holmgren made in the summer. It seemed like the classic case of a low risk/high reward situation. Zherdev, a former fourth overall pick, is a highly skilled forward that had the potential to be a 60 point forward that chips in with around 25 goals a season. He was signed to a reasonable one year deal worth $2 million. The work ethic issues that has followed Zherdev everywhere he has gone was the reason the Flyers were able to sign him for to such …
Flight Plan week of 02.13.2011 One Day Removed
The Philadelphia Flyers finally get a win after a long layoff, beating the Carolina Hurricanes after four days off and how do they follow it up after another little layoff? A second shutout loss in just 12 days at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. Granted, this team has shown it plays better when they have a bunch of games packed into the schedule, but they should probably realize that teams looking up at the standings, and there are a lot of them, are going to be coming every game from about two weeks ago on out. The Flyers …