Edge my point is not that it’s making point about Quinn, but just the fact that you can see on the ice the guys are playing looser and not having to worry about being micromanaged. I don’t even think it’s anything that Knoblauch is even doing I just think they are playing without worrying as much as they would. They literally have the associate GM behind them and they are playing looser. Yeah the Flyers stink right now, but it’s not like we beat them in one goal games. Yes we lost in Washington but the one game they lost was one of their best defensive performances of the season and then then beat them, and Washington is good. Yeah they beat the Sabres but that game was a FAR cry from the last Sabres win under Quinn where they barely escaped the game. This has been hands down their best stretch of the season by far. I truly hope it carries along when Quinn returns. But I don’t think it’s disingenuous to point out that this team is doing the best it has all season while Quinn isn’t there.
See now I don't know if I agree with that.
I think Zibanejad is doing his best. Who else is really playing all that different?
The guys who weren't scoring under Quinn still aren't scoring.
The guys who were scoring under Quinn are still scoring.
Outside of the Flyers, we split two modest scoring games against the caps. And we were able to out-score the Sabres in a game that featured 8 total goals.
We went 6-2 under Quinn, before a three game slide that featured our second and third string goalies.
I think my problem with this argument is that it leaves a ton of context. Like, hey our first line center is scoring at an EA sports type pace right now and our goaltending isn't letting in soul-crushing goals, and our starting goalie is now back.
Honestly the biggest change for this team isn't that it's playing differently without Quinn, it's that Zibanejad is playing as the 2019-20 version of himself and shooting close to 30 percent. I mean when one guy can post 3 goals and 6 points, twice, against the same team, there's pretty solid odds we're going to win those games.
We get the same early version of Zibanejad, we probably get eerily similar version results as well.