Post-Game Talk: #38: FLYERS 1 at Hurricanes 3, Monday, Dec. 31, 2018, 6:00 pm ET

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

CAROLINA HURRICANES (15-17-5) vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (15-17-5)

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BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Television: FS-CR, NBCSP
• Radio: 97.5 FM 97.5 The Fanatic unless a change to 93.3 FM 93.3 WMMR - Everything That Rocks!
• Flyers 24/7: Flyers Radio 24/7
• Streams: Do not post or request any streams or links to unauthorized sites.

TEAMS' WEBSITES

• Flyers' Facebook: Security Check Required
• Flyers' Twitter: Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) | Twitter
• Flyers' Website: Official Philadelphia Flyers Website
• Hurricanes' Website: Official Carolina Hurricanes Website

GAME PREVIEW, NOTES and STATISTICS

• Preview: HockeyBuzz.com - Bill Meltzer - Flyers Gameday: 12/31/18 @ CAR; WJC Pool Play Wraps Up
• NHL Stats: NHL.com - Stats
• Flyers' Stats: Philadelphia Flyers Stats | 2018-2019
• Hurrricanes' Stats: Carolina Hurricanes Stats | 2018-2019

TEAMS' STATISTICS

Team	GP	Record	Pts	Home	Away	GF	GA	PP%	PK%	FO%	Save%
Hurricanes	37	15-17-5	35	9-7-4	6-10-1	90	106	14.6	80.9	50.9	.897
Flyers	37	15-17-5	35	7-8-2	8-9-3	108	133	12.8	74.4	55.7	.877

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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

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Possible Lineup
Lines

25 James van Riemsdyk - 28 Claude Giroux - 11 Travis Konecny
17 Wayne Simmonds - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jake Voracek
21 Scott Laughton - 40 Jordan Weal - 12 Michael Raffl
23 Oskar Lindblom - 44 Phil Varone - 22 Dale Weise​

Pairings

9 Ivan Provorov - 6 Travis Sanheim
53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 8 Robert Hägg
47 Andrew MacDonald - 3 Radko Gudas​

Goalies

79 Carter Hart - 30 Michal Neuvirth​

Power Plays

PP1: Simmonds, Couturier, Voracek, Gostisbehere, Giroux
PP2: Van Riemsdyk, Konecny, Lindblom, Sanheim, Provorov
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Injuries and Scratches

10 Corban Knight (F) is on IR due to a broken collarbone. He could miss four months (Oct. 31).
15 Jori Lehtera (F) could be a healthy scratch.
19 Nolan Patrick (F) will not play due to an upper body injury (Dec. 28).
26 Christian Folin (D) could be a healthy scratch.
37 Brian Elliott (G) is on IR due to a possible groin injury. Further medical tests, no update issued (Dec. 20).
41 Anthony Stolarz (G) is on IR due to a lower body injury. He is expected out 2-to-4 weeks (Dec. 17).​

MEDIA CONTACTS
Athletic, The

Web site - The Athletic (@TheAthleticPHI) | Twitter
Alexander Appleyard's Twitter - Alexander Appleyard (@avappleyard) | Twitter
Charlie O'Connor's Twitter - Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) | Twitter​

Courier-Post of South Jersey

Web site -- Flyers - NHL - News - CourierPostOnline.com
Dave Isaac's Twitter -- Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) | Twitter​

HockeyBuzz.com

Web site -- http://www.hockeybuzz.com/team/Philadelphia-Flyers
Bill Meltzer's Twitter -- Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) | Twitter​

NBC Sports Philadelphia

Web site -- Flyers
John Boruk's Twitter -- John Boruk (@johnborukNBCS) | Twitter​

Philadelphia Daily News and Inquirer

Web site -- Philly.com Flyers
Sam Carchidi's Twitter -- Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) | Twitter​

CAROLINA HURRICANES

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Possible Lineup
Lines

37 Andrei Svechnikov - 20 Sebastian Aho - 86 Teuvo Teravainen
79 Micheal Ferland - 64 Clark Bishop - 14 Justin Williams
13 Warren Foegele - 71 Lucas Wallmark -48 Jordan Martinook
59 Janne Kuokkanen - 49 Victor Rask - 23 Brock McGinn​

Pairings

74 Jaccob Slavin - 22 Brett Pesce
44 Calvin de Haan - 27 Justin Faulk
57 Trevor van Riemsdyk - 19 Dougie Hamilton​

Goalies

34 Petr Mrazek - 35 Curtis McElhinney​

Injuries and Scratches

4 Haydn Fleury (D) has a concussion and is day-to-day (Dec.13).
7 Phillip Di Giuseppe (F) could be a healthy scratch.
11 Jordan Staal (F) has an upper body injury and is day-to-day (Dec. 22)
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Carolina Hurricanes

Mike Sundheim's Twitter -- Mike Sundheim (@MikeSundheim) | Twitter
Michael Smith's Twitter -- Michael Smith (@MSmithCanes) | Twitter​

Fox Sports Carolina

Web site -- Carolina Hurricanes News, Schedule, Scores, Stats, Roster
John Forslund's twitter -- John Forslund (@JohnForslund) | Twitter​

Raleigh News and Observer

Web site -- Carolina Hurricanes: NHL Professional Hockey News | News & Observer
Chip Alexander's Twitter -- Chip Alexander (@ice_chip) | Twitter
Luke DeCock's Twitter -- Luke DeCock (@LukeDeCock) | Twitter​

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	Television (subject to change)
January 1	at Nashville	8:30 pm	NHLN-US, SNE, SNW, SNP, FS-TN, NBCSP
January 3	vs. Carolina	7:00 pm	NBCSP, FS-SE
January 5	vs. Calgary	1:00 pm	NHLN-US, NBCSP, SNW
January 7	vs. St. Louis	7:00 pm	NHLN-US, SN1, SNE, SNP, NBCSP, FS-MW
January 8	at Washington	7:30 pm	NBCSN, TVAS, NBCSWA

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GAME DAY THREAD MUSIC

"Raining Blood" by Slayer

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Click to read more...

 

[CanadianSniper]

This should be a win. Love the music choice.

 

[TCTC]

The battle of mediocrity. We even have identical records.

 

[DaphneLion]

the canes and the flyers:

 

[Ruck Over]

the canes and the flyers:

Are we 60s Spider-Man, or Spider-Man 2099?

 

[klutch]

6pm game?

 

[Rebels57]

6pm game?

It's New Years Eve, so I am happy with it.

 

[Deadpool8812]

Are we 60s Spider-Man, or Spider-Man 2099?

I would say the 60s Spider-Man cause we are so enamored with our old alumni

 

[Rodu58]

Watch Mrazek flop around like a confused dying fish out of water and shut us out

 

[Flyerfan4life]

Watch Mrazek flop around like a confused dying fish out of water and shut us out

well hes def gunna try to put a show on..

 

[marcsson68]

A couple of weeks ago many people here assumed that the coach was the problem. Others said "Wait. Hakstol may or may not be a good coach but after the typical short effect everything will be the same."

Well...

A couple of weeks ago many people here wrote that changing the icetimes of Sanheim and MacDonald/Hägg will make a big difference. Others were not so sure.

Well...

I will continue saying that usually things are not that simple.

Our young guns are not that great yet as many would like to see them. Nolan Patrick is a major disappointment but if you like keep on complaining about Hägg....

Some of our veterans are degessing rapidly. The roster development has been awful.

We can continue to hope that some of our talents will finally make big steps. Or we can try to improve with trades.
I would try a mixture. Move Jake and Simmer. Get rid of MacDonald if possible. Bring in another Gudas-type of defenseman and a speedy forward. Go tanking.

 

[wankstifier]

After 5 points in the first 7 games, Hagg has followed up with 7 in the last 30.

Guess some people are going to have to stop pretending there’s any offensive upside there.

 

[Appleyard]

I must say, I was not impressed at all by Hägg last year. He looked like a meh #6 or replacement level guy in over his head.

And this was a kid who came from my favourite Swedish team, I had ranked higher than Morin in my pre-draft rankings, and was very happy when he fell to us. But his offensive game never got much past where it was at age ~17-18 and his defense - while ok - was inconsistent.

But this year? He has played fine overall, like solid bottom pairing level. Playing tougher minutes than last year with better results.

He has got lucky on the scoreboard, but going forward if he is a bottom pair defenseman on the team that is not a worry for me.

Still quite easily replaceable with an upgrade, but he can hold his own and not be a detriment.

He could be a decent trade piece going forward actually, as I think his value around the league is probably logically higher than the game he brings on ice.

 

[Rebels57]

I must say, I was not impressed at all by Hägg last year. He looked like a meh #6 or replacement level guy in over his head.

And this was a kid who came from my favourite Swedish team, I had ranked higher than Morin in my pre-draft rankings, and was very happy when he fell to us. But his offensive game never got much past where it was at age ~17-18 and his defense - while ok - was inconsistent.

But this year? He has played fine overall, like solid bottom pairing level. Playing tougher minutes than last year with better results.

He has got lucky on the scoreboard, but going forward if he is a bottom pair defenseman on the team that is not a worry for me.

Still quite easily replaceable with an upgrade, but he can hold his own and not be a detriment.

He could be a decent trade piece going forward actually, as I think his value around the league is probably logically higher than the game he brings on ice.

He was really bad last night.

 

[Appleyard]

He was really bad last night.

Oh yeh, he was not good, made a couple of very strange plays... but one swallow never made a spring, and over a whole season if he is used how he should be - bottom pairing role getting like ~18 minutes a night with PK2 time - I am not going to lose any sleep about him being in the line-up.

Now if in a year he is playing more than Myers or Sanheim that would be different. And if Morin comes back the same player from injury I would bet on him being better than Hägg too. But right now I think he deserves to be in the line-up whatever.

Provorov - Gostisbehere
Sanheim - Gudas
Hägg - Myers

I think is the best D they can ice right now. But once Morin is back and Friedman takes another small jump forward then it might be hard to justify his spot in the line-up. But we are not quite at that spot right yet.

 

[Rebels57]

Oh yeh, he was not good, made a couple of very strange plays... but one swallow never made a spring, and over a whole season if he is used how he should be - bottom pairing role getting like ~18 minutes a night with PK2 time - I am not going to lose any sleep about him being in the line-up.

Now if in a year he is playing more than Myers or Sanheim that would be different. And if Morin comes back the same player from injury I would bet on him being better than Hägg too. But right now I think he deserves to be in the line-up whatever.

Provorov - Gostisbehere
Sanheim - Gudas
Hägg - Myers

I think is the best D they can ice right now. But once Morin is back and Friedman takes another small jump forward then it might be hard to justify his spot in the line-up. But we are not quite at that spot right yet.

He had the least amount of ice time last night by far, but unfortunately that meant Ghost was second to last and MacDonald was once again used in the top 4.

I agree on that D though. It's as good as we can do right now. Maybe give Morin a few games in place of Hagg in the final month.

 

[YEM]

Carolina's missed the playoff for a decade now and that's their group of forwards?
yuck

 

[Insulin]

Carolina's missed the playoff for a decade now and that's their group of forwards?
yuck

Their owner shares the same opinion. He has gone on record saying that as long as he is their that they won't be taking any defenseman in the 1st round. It also doesn't help when you trade guys like Jeff Skinner.

 

[Striiker]

A couple of weeks ago many people here assumed that the coach was the problem. Others said "Wait. Hakstol may or may not be a good coach but after the typical short effect everything will be the same."

Well...

A couple of weeks ago many people here wrote that changing the icetimes of Sanheim and MacDonald/Hägg will make a big difference. Others were not so sure.

Well...

I will continue saying that usually things are not that simple.

Our young guns are not that great yet as many would like to see them. Nolan Patrick is a major disappointment but if you like keep on complaining about Hägg....

Some of our veterans are degessing rapidly. The roster development has been awful.

We can continue to hope that some of our talents will finally make big steps. Or we can try to improve with trades.
I would try a mixture. Move Jake and Simmer. Get rid of MacDonald if possible. Bring in another Gudas-type of defenseman and a speedy forward. Go tanking.

 

[tucson83]

the canes and the flyers:

i got one even better
flyers:

canes:

 

[Magua]

A couple of weeks ago many people here assumed that the coach was the problem. Others said "Wait. Hakstol may or may not be a good coach but after the typical short effect everything will be the same."

Well...

A couple of weeks ago many people here wrote that changing the icetimes of Sanheim and MacDonald/Hägg will make a big difference. Others were not so sure.

Well...

I will continue saying that usually things are not that simple.

No one ever said it was just the coach. But last time I checked, many of us who regularly watch the Phantoms called Scott Gordon a horrible Xs and Os coach, far worse than Hakstol. They've played 6 games -- that's it -- and have gone 3-2-1 (against a few good teams), and have not been blown out in any of them -- all 1 goal games. That's a far cry from the Hakstol era.

Gordon isn't a real head coach; he's a usage babysitter. But there was an unmistakable Hakstol fog surrounding the team and draining their spirits. It's clear there's a bit more positivity now. Player comments have revealed a lot from a little.

Elevating Sanheim's ice time HAS helped. But that's the only noticeable lineup change so far. And 1 player only does so much. If he can integrate and help along a few more young players the rest of the way, good on him. Does that mean they shouldn't have done it? They're still a flawed, young team. They don't have an NHL head coach. The 2 assistant coaches kept on, in charge of special teams, are still at the helm of the worst special teams in the league. There is no Hakstol "may or may not be a good coach." He was not. To his last day, he was unwilling to even change. Time to move on to other concerns.

 

[kudymen]

No one ever said it was just the coach.

This is the laziest narrative I keep reading from a few people on here and its annoying as f***. Annyoing they keep repeating despite being told what you said here numerous times.

 

[HammerTime44]

Call up Myers and take MacDonald out back and shoot him.

 

[Rebels57]

Their owner shares the same opinion. He has gone on record saying that as long as he is their that they won't be taking any defenseman in the 1st round. It also doesn't help when you trade guys like Jeff Skinner.

That Lindholm and Hanifin for Hamilton, Ferland, and Fox trade was also hilariously bad.

 

[Rebels57]

Call up Myers and take MacDonald out back and shoot him.

Literally, not figuratively.

 

[Magua]

That Lindholm and Hanifin for Hamilton, Ferland, and Fox trade was also hilariously bad.

Eh I guess I have a different definition of hilariously bad than you.

Hamilton is rocking a sweet 95 PDO (think Ghost in 16-17) on a team without much talent and is used on the PP2 of the 4th worst PP in the league. I'm feeling a little bit of statistical fluctuation and deceptiveness there. Ferland is 5th on their team in points, though he's nothing special. And Fox is a real wildcard. I think he has the talent to be an Ellis type top 4 d-man, if he signs, who can swing value back. I don't disagree that the Canes could've probably extracted a little more.

Hanifin really hasn't progressed that much where he's better than Hamilton or anything. A lot of any difference between the two is team/luck based. Lindholm is the one that looks horrible given he's over a point/game. Credit if you saw that coming to that degree. But who does he play with? Gaudreau and Monahan. That's not a bad 3rd forward spot. He also plays PP1 on what has been a killer PP. His stats are weird though. Only 15/41 points are 5v5. He has 15 PP points and 7 non-5v5 ES points. That's not to take his stats away in what has been a killer season and a step forward. Call me skeptical, but I'd like to wait and see on him before declaring him a point/game player, or that he's this valuable on his own and isn't in a perfect role.

Carolina and Calgary made another important "trade," and it had nothing to do with players. Bill Peters switched teams, and he's looking every bit the elite coach his fans thought he could be without Carolina holding him back. He's an indication of what an elite coach can do to an already talented but underachieving roster. Meanwhile, Carolina has Rod the Bod, who some people here were salivating over, despite being a terrible PP coach for Carolina for a decade.