Post-Game Talk: #53 | FLYERS 2 at Hurricanes 1 (OT) | Tue., Feb. 6, 2018, 7:00 pm ET

[Beef Invictus]

Both team grind and hit a ton. Stop with they don't make contact ****. They went hit for hit with the caps and aren't afraid to do it either. Big Reaves adds to it now and they love him. LOL.They play a speed and skill game too. They almost killed every dman for the preds and man was that series full of huge hits and speed checks too.

Reaves barely plays and isn't a factor. I know he's your favorite kind of player but he is simply garbage and they win despite having him, not because of it.

 

[hatcher]

Reaves barely plays and isn't a factor. I know he's your favorite kind of player but he is simply garbage and they win despite having him, not because of it.

Always ignorant. Tough team to play as they finish checks and forecheck like champs. We don't have it yet but we will.

 

[Rebels57]

Is a path to playoffs being forged for Flyers?



The team wins and he has 24 points in his last 23 games, but Giroux still isn't satisfied with how he's personally playing.

Anyone who questions this teams leadership is ****ing clueless.

I've become more impressed with their leadership than ever now that I realize that have to defeat the opposition and their own coaching staff.

 

[Qyburn]

Pittsburgh averaged 3.08 & 3.04 goals the past two playoffs that was the first & second highest for those years. The Flyers averaged 1.00 the last time in the playoffs which was the worse that year.

I don’t see much changing there for the Flyers. It’s very likely going to be a struggle to score again if they make the playoffs.

Don't you think that sounds like forced, pure sheer pessimism? Many teams get a reset if they get in the playoffs. If you don't know what I mean you've only been sports for probably a year.

 

[Qyburn]

He was playing very well here the last month he was in the lineup. You could see how comfortable he was and his confidence skyrocketing. Do people not remember this?

It's too late for it now but they should have given Hagg his shot for large blocks of time, then Sanheim should have had his. It's the perfect year for attempting to develop both.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Pittsburgh relies more on their speed, skill and that ridiculous PP then anything else.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Don't you think that sounds like forced, pure sheer pessimism? Many teams get a reset if they get in the playoffs. If you don't know what I mean you've only been sports for probably a year.

So basically you want me to ignore reality is what you’re saying here. I’m supposed to ignore that this is a middling team (which many won’t dispute), I’m supposed to ignore that they’re likely drawing a tough first round matchup if they get in, I’m supposed to ignore this team has had scoring issues for years now, etc.?

You are what you are & in seven game series it’s a lot harder for anomalies to happen.

 

[tucson83]

Always ignorant. Tough team to play as they finish checks and forecheck like champs. We don't have it yet but we will.

ignorant? we are ones watching games and seeing the same crap every year, they have great goaltending but they cant score goals, you are the one that's ignoring this issue of why this team cant move forward, like i said you are desperate for a cup, we all are but most of us are the ones are being realistic of what this team is if they do go in the playoffs, great goaltending and cant score goals.

that's not the way to win hockey games, you are pinning on the goalies and expecting it to be 1-0 is every game in the playoffs, that's not fair to them because that's too much pressure, they need balance to win. goal scoring helps alot with the goalies, it cant be just one guy.

 

[deadhead]

Lehtera 4:37 ES
Leier 6:57
Filppula 9:01
Hagg 10:26
MacDonald 12:33

At some point the kids will be up, these minutes have been declining over the last month or so.
MacDonald is really slipping, Manning is irritating, but he can provide offense (outscoring Sanheim), and he'll hit people, it's just that he's, well, Mandog, and sometimes he rolls over.
They're not going to give up on Hagg, but they know he's overmatched, especially without a partner who can move the puck for him.
Move Raffl back to the third line and Leier to the 4th. Leier tries, but geez he gets ragdolled on a regular basis. Someone that small has to be a top offensive talent.

Actually Lehtera wasn't bad on the PK, one thing he does well is clearing passes, something some other Flyers need to work on.

Patrick is improving because he's getting healthy, not because they were patient with him, he's playing a lot better but has to really watch his stick, he's making a habit of high sticking and that's pure carelessness. But other than that he's pretty decent defensively. And is starting to demonstrate a pretty good shot.

Konecny and Voracek tried to give the game away, Voracek with 3rd period turnovers, Konecny in OT. Difference is this is who Voracek is, an immensely talented player who lacks the mental edge to be a great player - so you live with his ups and downs and his less than aggressive backchecking at times. Konecny is young enough that this sort of inconsistency is to be expected - but it also explains why Hakstol was reluctant to use him in OT at times, he's so eager to make a play he doesn't get that OT requires patience, because puck possession is key. Part of the learning curve.

Flyers outplayed the Canes, Ward kept them in the game before losing the game, which is typical of average goalies, as we've seen, bad goalies (Lyon) you're out of the game, good goalies you win these sort of games.

Right now Flyers are on a 91 point pace, if Elliott plays like this and Neuvirth gets healthy, they have an outside shot at 95.
But it would help for a couple kids to come up and give them a little push.
And/or Hextall making a minor trade for depth.

 

[deadhead]

Don't you think that sounds like forced, pure sheer pessimism? Many teams get a reset if they get in the playoffs. If you don't know what I mean you've only been sports for probably a year.

I got to agree with Legion, unless something miraculous happens (Myers or Sanheim morph into MacAvoy, Lindblom is an instant success, Hextall pulls off the steal of the decade at the trade deadline), this is a marginal playoff team with too many flaws to beat a top seed. Nor is it likely that Elliott will play out of his head - though Neuvirth has done it.

But making the playoffs would make this a solid season and a good foundation going into next season.

 

[MacDonald4MVP]

Brian Elliot and his unconventional playing style is gonna be the single biggest x factor come playoffs.

 

[FrustratedFlyer]

If Elliot gets it done to get us in, he'll have to keep up the reasonable play as no way our man of glass will be able to provide a reliable backup.

If this team gets in I'd bring up the kids (not so young anymore) to give them playoff experience as even on a steaming hot run I can't see us going all the way.

G Couts Neck
Lindblom Patrick Jake
Raffl Laughton Wayne
Weal Flip NAK

Provo Ghost
Sanheim Gudas
Myers Morin
AMac

Elliott
Glassman

Alas no way Hexy nor Haktard allow it

 

[Adam Warlock]

He was fine when we had that stretch of games where we half of our D-unit out with injury/suspended, but since he has regressed back to his usual level of play. He's not an 18 minute a night defender, which is what he's getting right now. If the coaching staff was okay with playing players in their proper role, he would be fine as a #7 Dman in the NHL, imo.

Exactly. He can fill in for stretches or an odd game here or there n be fine...but when in the line up for long stretches he gets badly exposed. Thats the definition of a number 7.

I just dont get what they see in him. This organization has a soft spot for players like him and its been and remains a problem.

 

[Rebels57]

If Elliot gets it done to get us in, he'll have to keep up the reasonable play as no way our man of glass will be able to provide a reliable backup.

If this team gets in I'd bring up the kids (not so young anymore) to give them playoff experience as even on a steaming hot run I can't see us going all the way.

G Couts Neck
Lindblom Patrick Jake
Raffl Laughton Wayne
Weal Flip NAK

Provo Ghost
Sanheim Gudas
Myers Morin
AMac

Elliott
Glassman

Alas no way Hexy nor Haktard allow it

This is the truth.

 

[GapToothedWonder]

So no Ghost playing 4C over Flip then? I was both confused and excited when I saw that.

 

[Winston Wolf]

Thanks for your expert insight, Winston. Sure, not-corn makes it better. And you, my friend, have an interesting palate! Were the tarantulas and snakes on a dare?

Not a dare, just cuisine from travels through Asia, mostly the Philippines and Cambodia. They eat fried tarantulas while drinking beer in Cambodia. Once you've had enough beer and you get over the fact they're spiders, they taste reminiscent of soft shelled crab. I thought snake was much worse.

Probably still not as bad as poi though.

 

[1865]

He was playing very well here the last month he was in the lineup. You could see how comfortable he was and his confidence skyrocketing. Do people not remember this?

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not my first choice but it’s not the end of the world either. He will still improve a lot in the AHL.

 

[Magua]

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not my first choice but it’s not the end of the world either. He will still improve a lot in the AHL.

I don't think it's end of the world material -- few things are -- but I also don't think he has anything to improve on down there. He was a quality NHLer already. Everything he needed to work on is at this level. And the biggest thing he needed improvement on was simply time correcting his crap luck. Interestingly though, they are now giving him a lot of PP minutes down there, which as usual with this team's planning, makes no sense given what they did last year and this year. In every other way he was already beyond the AHL.

So, really, it's just delaying more than improving. He's set up well though because his goal differential and scoring was at rock-bottom. When it inevitably improves (or surges even) next year, the team can pat themselves on the back confident they made the right decision and his 2nd half in the AHL did the trick. It's Ghost all over again, minus the AHL.

 

[deadhead]

Sanheim needs more than better luck, he needs better ice sense and to be more decisive when pressured. Like Ghost, he's great in open ice, but isn't as agile and creative as Ghost. And like Ghost, he has to learn when to live to fight another shift, except his margin of error is smaller b/c he can't deke in small areas like Ghost.

On the other hand, if Sanheim puts some strength on that big frame, he has a chance to be a complete two way defenseman, who can control play in the D-zone then skate the puck out to start the rush.

I don't think it hurt the team to send him down, I don't think it helped either.

When Sanheim comes back up there's a good chance he'll be a better player than when he was demoted. One thing that helps players develop is the NHL experience that teaches them the speed of the game, and not rely on just talent to beat AHL players. Finding out what you can't get away with at a higher level is part of the learning process.