Advice to Flyers: don't change aggressive style
Winning in a shot-blocking era.
Advice to Flyers: don't change aggressive style
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
It has been more than a week now since the Flyers were eliminated by the New Jersey Devils. Somewhere, coach Peter Laviolette and his staff, along with general manager Paul Holmgren, are going about the annual ritual of assessment and reassessment after you lose -- what went right, what went wrong, what needs to be fixed, what needs to be tweaked. It happens every spring -- and in the Flyers’ case, 37 springs and counting.
Their analysis does not take place in a vacuum. Teams are still playing. There is a game every night on television, and there is a narrative that is being sold and told and re-told. It is about blocked shots. The New York Rangers are the leading practitioner of the art, and they are in the conference final -- tied at one game apiece with the Devils.
Compared to 5 years ago, playoff shot-blocking is up about 10 percent. That is a real number. The Rangers already have blocked 309 shots in 16 playoff games. The Washington Capitals blocked 308 shots in 14 games. The leader in the 2006-07 playoffs was Ottawa, which blocked 310 shots in 20 games. So, yes, this is happening.
Some of it is better equipment, which makes players more fearless. More of it is tactical. The NHL, like all pro sports, is full of copycats -- and if the Rangers were to win the Stanley Cup, the notion of shot-blocking-as-secret-formula would be debated in every one of the league’s outposts.
The short answer, for Holmgren and Laviolette, is to resist the conversation.
The formula, for the Flyers, is to giddy-up and go.
That is not to say that shot-blocking is meaningless. There are times when it matters a lot, such as the night of Game 6 in the first round when the Flyers did, in fact, build a wall in front of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins. In general, though, it is not the metric that matters the most for a team that is best when it is skating aggressively and asking questions later.
True Fact I: The Flyers blocked more shots than the Penguins did in the first round (116-81) and won the series in six games.
True Fact II: The Flyers blocked more shots than the Devils did in the second round (77-65) and lost the series in five games.
Against the Devils, the Flyers were out-blocked -- is that even a term? -- in Game 1 and won anyway. Then they out-blocked the Devils in Games 2, 3 and 4 and lost each time.
Shot-blocking is not the reason the Flyers are currently spectating instead of playing. They had plenty of blocked shots. What they didn’t have enough of against the Devils was shots.
It wasn’t shot-blocking. It wasn’t the goaltender. It was the Flyers’ inability to sustain a forecheck and to prevent the Devils from sustaining theirs. It was about an imbalance in time of possession in the offensive zone. It was about not getting enough shots against a 40-year-old goaltender who looked gettable at many points during the series.
If you want to argue that the young-and-overconfident Flyers took a big punch from the Devils in Game 2 of the series and never recovered, there is plenty of evidence to support that theory. If you want to say that the obviously-injured defensemen, Kimmo Timonen and Nicklas Grossman, were not at the top of their games, it is a fair comment.
None of that is about shot-blocking, though. None of that is about style of play. The truth is that the Flyers won games when they skated and possessed the puck and they lost games when they didn’t. In the five games against the Devils, when you compare total shot attempts -- shots, blocked shots and missed shots -- and use that as a proxy for effective possession of the puck, this is what you come up with:
The team with the most shot attempts won every game. The Flyers’ advantage in Game 1 was 71-47 and they looked great after a slow first period. Their deficit in Game 2 was 70-37 and they looked godawful. In Game 3, the Devils won in overtime and had the 59-46 advantage. Game 4, it was 64-33 and more lopsided. In Game 5, a much more competitive game, the Devils led by 60-55.
The Flyers do not need to re-make themselves. They need to learn to sustain their effort, and to hope for (or acquire) healthier defensemen. And for the sake of everyone who likes the game, and who likes speed, and who likes offense, they need to remain the kind of team that values skating most of all.
Nobody ever fell in love with a blocked shot, after all.
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You decide: Flyers Stay or GoComments (50)
Ryan Suter.— chriscollins
Comment removed.- I agree. Please, no more neutral zone trap.— Philly Born
- Rich:
good article, but I don't completely agree. The series was won by the team willing to pinch in with their defensive players and the team that was willing to fore check, which just happened to me the Devil's. At times it seemed like the ice was tilted and it was not in the Flyer's favor. They also seemed burned out after their great series with the Penguins and were unable to ever get their mojo back. I think it's dimply a case of being mentally toasted.— DandyFarAndy - Comment removed.
- Gagne better hope he can play a game in the finals because he didn't play enough games in the regular season to qualify to have his name on the Cup... — beagle29
- Williams already has his name on the cup, get with the program troll. — 420Phillie
- Toyota Dealer i right on.. the Richards, Gagne, Carter combo will be sweet. I hope they take the cup to Ed Snider's front lawn!! How come the Inqy isn't following the story? you guys are all afraid of "MISTER Snider ...."— boomartin
- Never win with Bryz, so I figure we have another shot in maybe 2020 or so.— jimmymack
- I agree that the Flyers should stay aggressive, but does that imply taking the most risks? Much of the time they aggressively turn the puck over or aggressively dump the puck and aggressively chase it while the other team builds a rush. Clearly, a degree of control and puck support must temper the risk-taking. Rather than adopting a block-the-most-shots strategy, I'd like to see the Flyers emphasize more puck possession as opposed to simply dumping and chasing. It's a harder style to play - it requires more stick-work and more vigilant puck support, but it gives up fewer odd-man rushes, leaves the defense overmatched less frequently, and it's an inherently more defensive approach. They can still be more aggressive than their opponents, but they also need to play with more patience and discipline than they displayed against the Devils.— gnarlyscuzz
- Here is the bottom line:
1) the Flyers rarely played 60 minutes and rarely showed the committment to win games other then offensive open ice games
2) the Flyers consistently were unprepared for the start of games routinely falling behind
3) the Flyers have a slow reacting and slow skating defense( and please dont use the Pronger injury he was not the difference)
4) the Flyers have a goaltender who is inconsistent at best...has poor technique and weak concentration and committment levels plus doesnt want to be here
The 1st two are on Lavvy...the last 2 are on Holmgren...They have not put together a team that can win and they do not compete regularly.
BOTTOM LINE: we are in for a few soft years and many years looking up at the Rangers who have an all world goalie and 4 all star young defenders with an equal amouont of young talented forwards...Its not going to be fun around here!— flyers1000 - Couldn't agree more with ToyotaDealer! Ed Snider is the George Steinbrenner of the NHL, convinced that he's a player personnel expert, which the last 30-some years should have shown him conclusively that he isn't. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad Carter and Richards are gone. They're doing great in LA, sure, but that's only because Snider gave them the wake up call they sorely needed by trading them. They weren't doing for us what they're doing for the Kings, so whaddya gonna do? They were overly-focused on hanging out in Center City and Sea Isle City watering holes instead of upping their game for the Flyers the way they have for the Kings. The Bryzgalov deal? It has Snider's fingerprints all over it. I can picture the exchange: "Go get me a f****** goalie, Homer! Bob isn't good enough!" "But Mr. Snider, the only decent one out there is Bryzgalov. His price is outrageous and his own teammates say that they'll be glad when he's gone!" "I don't give a s***! Get him signed!" That's how I read it. I really enjoyed the Flyers' season, but I realize, as Holmgren said early on, they took a big risk trading "Cartsie" and "Richie" because they had no choice but to use their rookies and they lucked out, 'cause it worked. They sorely need a top line defenseman who can skate and move the puck through traffic.— RightSaidJeff
- Great article Rich, but one thing you are leaving out is this. A team cannot do the things that are needed to generate a sustained offense, e.g. a defenseman pinching along the boards, a forward stepping in front of a pass at their own blue, etc., if the team is not comfortable or confident in their goalie. The Flyers have been visibly shaken by the absolutely bad goaltending they have had these past few years and I think it weighs on this team like a very dark cloud, more so than anyone will care to speak about. Look at what a mediocre LA is doing with Quick, and what a mediocre Ranger team is doing with Lundquist, and look what a average Boston did with Thomas last year, how much more evidence do we need?— jdeang
- I do not understand when fans whine about Snider. One of Snider's jobs is to write a check and he does it very well. He spends a lot of money on the team that he loves. Yes, it might be business 1st with him but at the same time he wants to win. He is a loyal owner and fan.— Nitroglycerin
- Agreed, Nitro. Last time I checked Snider had zero ice time. It's not his fault that they went out early.
— backhand - High shot-blocking numbers often reflect a team buying into a defensive system, but standing alone the statistic doesn't mean anything at all. It could simply mean you were outshot 60-10, in which case blocking all the shots in the world won't help. So, in that sense, I agree, but if you think a team can forego blocking shots, not buy into a responsible defensive system, and "possess the puck" to win, you're batsh*t crazy.— Darren9
- Shot blocking is another stupid and meaningless statistic. Teams that have the puck, are not blocking shots. The reason that the Flyers blocked more shots against New Jersey....New Jersey was always in the offensive zone. This Flyers team needs to stay aggressive when they have the puck in their control, but moreso, they need to be aggressive when they are chasing the puck. That is what New Jersey did to the Flyers.
The Los Angeles Kings are the most defensively responsible team in the playoffs. They have given up fewer odd-man rushes in the entire series against Phoenix, than the Flyers allowed in the average period. Quick has not had to be spectacular since early in the Vancouver series. Kings always have a third man high, they never allow 3-on-2 rushes, and they forecheck like demons.
Teams, like the Flyers, score a lot of goals when they take more risks offensively. They also allow a lot more....like the Flyers.— Hexy4GM - Comment removed.
- flyers1000 is totally on the money on all 4 points...as sad as it is to say. however, the future is untold. more deals and and a coaching change are sure to come in next 1-2 years. kings look unreal. deep, skilled and tough with an outstanding goaltender. i look forward to a competitive stanley cup series with either the rangers or devils playing la. i'll hope for a game 7 and overtime...— wilcowaits
- This is one of the most idiotic articles in a long time on this board. Wake up...it is the style...they are not a responsibly defensive team...period. They out-"blocked" the Devils and were out-"shot"...translation, the Flyers couldn't defend them! This style puts incredible emphasis on "giddy up and go" which overshadows the need to play defense and often puts players in a position that is difficult to recover to play defense (both a mental and structural dilemma). In addition, this coaching staff is inept on TEACHING defense....with even man rushes where our d-men allow attackers, unabated, to walk in and shoot at the top (and even inside) the circles. Watch the whole season...some of these chances Bryzgalov has no chance. Of course be aggressive, but it MUST be a balanced attack, and our team defense is what let us down and must improve if we are to win in the playoffs and a cup!
- Defensive support is the key. You can play up tempo all you want, but the puck moves faster than any man on the ice.
Watch the Kings and learn...agressive attack with equally agressive support, it's like rugby trying to get into their zone only then to face one of the best goalies in the league.
Attack
Support - this is where the neutral zone turnover is KEY!
Defend
Repeat
Bruins did it last year, Kings are doing it now...Flyers failed, again.
— Dangler9 - The Flyers made great deals last off season, less the freak goalie mental case. Richards and Carter are not the reason LA is winning, so don't kid yourself. Dump JVR for a good defenseman and get the goalie to stop being mental case and this team can win.— Tar Heel 1
- When "up-tempo" and "jam" are mentioned, it doesn't mean just towards the offensive zone. Why doesn't anyone on here EVER understand that? The purpose of this article was to say that the Flyers don't need to retool to get a team without skilled forewards, to replace our guys with oafs who are only defensive minded. The uptempo game is all about out working and out hustling the other team. You get to the puck first, or you crush the unlucky fool who did. Then you take the puck and out hustle their D. Did you see the Devils? They out "up-tempo'd" the Flyers. Cause they did it at both ends of the ice. That's where having 60% rookies kills you because they don't know how to sustain that for a full 60 minutes. AND... that's exactly where you miss a Pronger. We were a terrible goal away from Game 7 of the Finals two years ago. That was uptempo.
So before any more dopes start blaming Bryz, or Laviolette, or saying that Rich wrote a dumb article... think before you type. Defensive zone and neutral zone support are generated from working hard, which means skating hard, which IS UP-TEMPO!— macd41144 - I agree 100%. Flyers have a lot of talent on the team and need to sustain playing their game. Many times in the Devils series they looked tired and slow--Low-Tempo if you will. I think things will solidify next year and with the rookies having experience, the goaltender with a year of what the fans expect under his belt, they will come together and play well. — ena1977
- Keep the philosophy. It's worked well for 38 years and counting!— WhatWhiners
- this is not complicated.....stay out of the penalty box and shoot the puck (good shots, bad shots, traffic, doesnt matter)--MAKE the goalie make the save, handle the puck, give up rebounds, deflections happen, etc....stop passing, stop hesitating....the more shots, the better.— btbenz
- Give me a break, you guys keep talking about richards, Carter and the rest of the traded players like they would have made a difference. I've got news for you, they would not have fared any different because the defense would have still got manhandled. If the defense had not been so depleted, and we had Pronger healthy I believe the Devils would be playing golf right now. All those young players they got in those deals were worth the risk, and will pay big dividends in the future if Homer hangs on to them and does not panic. They do however need to draft some young goalies to develop in case Bryz is truly a bust. I would trade Bob unless he straightens out his penchant for going down early and getting beat by those high shots. I think Bernie could probably straighten him right out.
- @ MacD - then explain why the same exact thing happened against Boston last year with a completely different team?
Two different sets of forward groups, same outcome. How could that be?— Dangler9 - Good article.— n62
- I would love to go back 2 years ( when we were in the finals) and closer to the cup then we are now. We got rid of 2 All Star forwards because they were your typical young players who liked to party and have a good time. That didnt fit in with Lavvys way of doing things . Now we have some young forwards with POTENTIAL?? and a Goalie who stinks and we are locked into for the next decade...we are further from the cup with many more question marks then we had 2 years ago. Very poor job by the whole organization ......How can an organization leave itself with absolutely zero top quality defenseman which is what we have now. please dont use th Pronger injury excuse we all know he was not playing great and has been injury prone even before his concussion..He has too many miles on his body thats why we were able to get him in the first place...— flyers1000
- Rich....Grossmann is a shot-block leader in the NHL...and we signed him for an extension.— Romus
- I am wondering, with a healthy Pronger and Mezaros, playing a combined 45 Min TOI per game, would we still be talking about the Flyers in the past tense now!— Romus
- Romus...Pronger hasnt been healthy the last 2 years and it was unrealistic to expect him to play 25 minutes a game and to stay healthy..too many miles on that body and Mezaros is just a journeyman defensemen...guys like him are a dime a dozen...If your system fails you because you lose 1 defenseman ( Pronger ) who means anything then their is something wrong with the system and the team structure. Look at the Rangers they played 1/2 the Season without their all star d man Staal.... and the 2nd half he was a shell of himself recovering from the concussion...didnt stop them because they had depth and goaltending— flyers1000
What tears me up more than anything is Carter getting a "hat trick" the other night. He always was "hurt" or taking a day off when he played for the Flyers, especially during the playoffs. Richards looks pretty good in the playoffs, but I still don't think he would have made a difference if he was kept on the team.— dogman5- It is rather strange to see Mike Richards (who I am pulling for) and Carter (who I don't care for) one game away from a Stanley Cup final appearance.
But all things considered, I think the Flyers got the best part of the respective trades.
Anybody but the Rangers.— backhand - FWIW. Claude Giroux still leads all playoff scorers with 17 point while Danny Briere has only slipped to fourth. Giroux still leads in goals with 8, tied with Danny Briere. Giroux also leads in assists with 9, while Jakub Vorachek only slipped to a five-way tie for second place with 8 assists.
Gee, if we had a goalie...— backhand - Good defense always shuts down a good offense. The answer is not more shots- it's tighter D. If you look at the 4 teams remaining (well, 3.5 if you count how the Kings practically have it locked up) they are all playing strong defense. Lavi needs to work on defense more instead of firing all cannons at once. It makes little sense to shoot away when we give up so many odd man rushes and we don't have a stud goalie to stop goals.— Fly Guy
- So why doesn't Rich ask why the Flyer's D under Laviolette is perennially "beat-up" come playoff time? It's become a broken record. Is it just dumb luck, or is it the system? How often have we seen a Flyer forward arriving late into the defensive zone, sometimes after shots on goal have occurred? Do the Flyer forwards just not skate fast enough...or is it because the entire team is conditioned to over-commit in the attack zone? Different players with the same result and the same problems points to the only guy left to be changed: the coach. And this time, how about an assistant who knows defense for a change. What was Berube ever good at in his career besides bad penalties and fisticuffs?— icarus
- Agreed Nitro- All Snider has done is financially support one of the great franchises in the league. The Flyers will have the top payroll in the league next year. Hopefully Darth Bettman will install Amnesty Clause in the new CBA , the Flyers dump Bryz and go after some decent Dmen.— Mike Boryla
- And while we're at it, why is the discussion, Rich, even about blocking shots? Here's some numbers that tell a different story: through the end of their humiliating 5-game series with Jersey, Philly had amassed an astonishing 41 goals. Meanwhile, LA is just one win away from the finals and they have needed 4 less (37) to get there. Philly's goal differential with the Pens was a mere +4. Overall, LA's goal dif. is +20, while Philly - despite its offensive onslaught - faded from the picture with a dismal overall goal dif. of -3. "Defense wins hockey games" might be a cliche, but its about time Philly finds a coach who knows more than just half the game.— icarus
- Some fans are revolting on the idea that the Flyers gave away their best talent in Richards and Carter. The lapse was not getting Gagne back (thus having to settle for Jagr, who served as a great "spiritual adviser," if you will).
Here's my thinking: the Western Conference is weaker than the Eastern Conference. In football terms, it's like the EC is the AL East while the West is the AL Central. The competition isn't as fierce and the fans aren't as fanatical. Bryz's poor transition to Philly is an indication of this. I don't think, if the Kings played in the Eastern Division (geographically impossible), that they would have had the same level of success going up against the Penguins, Bruins, Rangers, Devils, Caps, and, yes, the Flyers.
Holmgren made some gutsy, but brilliant moves. Bryz was a mishap. I'm sure if people knew how good Holtby turned out to be in the clutch, the Flyers would have loved to traded for him.
I like the blocked shots stat--less pressure on the goalie and it messes with the players' mindset and is a nice momentum killer, because the shot suddenly isn't even close--it's stopped prematurely, and fans groan.
That's why getting Grossman was brilliant. Kubina, not so much, but they were short on defenders. I really hope they make a strong move for Weber.— pillsbury - Trade Snider for a bag of pucks.— stonelamb
- If you want to trade him at least insist on a case of sock-tape as well as the bag of pucks. — backhand
- All the teams still in the race are great at forechecking, and I agree that this was the area where the Flyers were completely outplayed by the Devils. They exerted a lot of pressure on the Flyers' defense which had trouble carrying the puck out of their own zone. The injuries to Grossmann, Timonen, Bourdon and Meszaros slowed the D corps down and they couldn't withstand the Devils. Plus, there was not enough support from the forwards.— flyerdommo
- @ flyers1000. I almost agree with you 100%.. The 1st 2 are on Lavy but I think replacing him with a coach that will install a decent system that demands more, or some, responsibility from the players to be consistent and play some defense will change things in a hurry. Lavy has let this team get out of hand. Things have not changed in threee years even though we changed 10 players. You can clearly see now that Carter and Richards weren't the problem, the lack of a cohesive system was. (HTML deleted)— dedhed
- Spot on jdeang!!! Couldn't agree more!— pitzdidg
- Wrong. You and every other writer has it wrong. Look at the stats. Flat out, the team has firepower, period. Matchups matter and the Devils beat them plain and simple. Look at the stats: High in every offensive category and STILL low in 1) faceoff wins 2) penalty kill and 3) total defense / goaltending. It's really that simple. The Flyers have to just accept the financial situation Holmer put them, balanced with getting back from draft picks, shedding salaries and vets, and growing the young players.— MichaelZoe
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