Sloppy outside of the first 7 minutes of the game and last 15 minutes of the game. Just win, baby. I have to give it to these guys, for as bad as they played in the first 2 periods, after they gave up the 2nd goal they bared down and really drove the play.
Myers- was the reason the Jets stopped cycling 5 times.
- Held the offensive blueline with a poke check and skated to the circle ripping a good snap shot for a scoring chance.
- Stopped a 2-1 by reacting to a bouncing puck along the boards at our defensive blueline, closed on it, and swiped it away. Months ago he might hesitate there and get caught.
- Fake shot to change the angle on a defenseman sliding to block the shot…caused him to slide out of the play. Fanf***ingtastic to see him consistently creating space and changing the shot angle, last year and the beginning of this year a big issue of his was being predictable with his shot. That could lead to a block and a rush the other way, or just a muffed offensive possession. He’s learning. I’m having fun.
NAK is tenacious and fast. I’m loving it. Took on 2 Jets in the NZ on the boards and won the puck. In the 2nd he had a fantastic shift where he battled for 2 pucks, each one resulting in quality chances
Pitlick- see above, just not as fast. He made some excellent plays, especially in the 3rd, to keep the pressure on the O zone or to relieve the pressure in the D zone. Both so important in managing the momentum of the game.
Raffl- really played well today, especially in transition. He wasn’t the guy to poke the puck away for example but seemed to be in great spots to pick up loose pucks to carry through the NZ. He earned a promotion for tonight for sure and I can’t complain about AV’s decision at all.
Hart- no softies. Excellent. You can’t ask for anything else.
Hagg is bad. Let’s not talk about it.
This was certainly one of those to count your lucky stars on, because the Flyers got completely destroyed. Myers was the best skater out there today in my eyes, with the members of the bottom 6- especially the 4th line- contributing which is huge. Gone are the days where this is a true 1 or 2 line team even on days like today where we watched 2 periods of struggles. Despite this, the Provorov-Niskanen pair turned in excellent possession metrics (62 CF%, 74.5 xGF%) matching up against Ehlers-Scheifele-Wheeler. Provorov’s skate on the first goal was something you love to see. On the flip side, Sanheim-Myers saw sub 40s in each CF% and xGF%, and lost their matchup against Laine-Copp-Connor. As seen above though, Myers especially made some fantastic individual plays throughout the game.
Looking specifically at some more forwards, the 4th line churned out a 61.5 CF% and a 55% xGF leading the charge. The new look 2nd line turned in an 83 CF% and a 96 xGF% with Raffl subbed in for Farabee during a 3rd where things started clicking across the board. AV didn’t criticize Farabee in the post game presser, instead saying Raffl was playing well enough to earn more minutes. Funny enough, the first line turned in a 50 CF% but a 61 xGF%....talk about quick strike offense! All in all, possession was spotty outside of the 4th line and the Provorov pair which should surprise no one who watched the game.
Scoreboard is looking good so far. Let’s go Vegas and let’s go Toronto (ew).