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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Broad Street Bull

Flyers headed for surgery; Bryz's ranking, 'Giroux's Tears'

The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull

55 comments

Flyers headed for surgery; Bryz's ranking, 'Giroux's Tears'

POSTED: Saturday, May 12, 2012, 10:34 AM

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Several Flyers will undergo offseason surgery, the team will announce during the upcoming week.

Paul Holmgren, the Flyers’ GM, said he would have a report a few days ago, but the list is apparently so lengthy that it had to be delayed while more players get examined to see if surgery is required.

One of the Flyers’ biggest problems in the stunning five-game loss to New Jersey was that they had problems getting out of their defensive zone. Injuries to defenseman Kimmo Timonen and Nick Grossmann contributed; both had knee injuries, among other ailments, and both are expected to be on the lengthy surgery list.

* * * * * *

Bryz ranking. How did Ilya Bryzgalov compare with Flyers goalies over the last 10 seasons?

He tied for the most wins in a season over the last decade, was fourth in goals-against average and seventh in save percentage.

The numbers on Flyers goalies who played the most games in each of the last 10 seasons:

GP Record GAA SP

2001-02 Roman Cechmanek 46 24-13-6 2.05 .921
2002-03 Roman Cechmanek 58 33-15-10 1.83 .925
2003-04 Robert Esche 40 21-11-7 2.04 .915
2004-05 lockout
2005-06 Antero Niittymaki 46 23-15-6 2.97 .895
2006-07 Antero Niittymaki 52 9-29-9 3.38 .894
2007-08 Marty Biron 62 30-20-9 2.59 .918
2008-09 Marty Biron 55 29-19-5 2.76 .915
2009-10 Brian Boucher 33 9-18-3 2.76 .899
2010-11 Sergei Bobrovsky 54 28-13-8 2.59 .915
2011-12 Ilya Bryzgalov 59 33-16-7 2.48 .909

* * * * *

In a Russian interview for SovSport that was translated for Puck Daddy at Yahoo!, the Penguins Evgeni Malkin was asked about there being a "sort of beer" in Philadelphia called Crosby's Tears.

Malkin laughed.

"What can I say? I don't think I can say anything. This is Philadelphia and they all know how they feel toward Pittsburgh and Crosby. I hope next year we will beat them and come up with our own beer and call it maybe Giroux's Tears."

Malkin was also asked how Bryzgalov can handle the pressure of playing in Philly.

"I know it is tough and it affects your psyche, first of all. But he should have realized that Philadelphia is just that kind of a city, and it has always been like that," Malkin said. "Maybe he could have stayed in Phoenix and it would have been different? I don't know. You can never know what lies ahead.

"In a career of a hockey player it's important to 'guess a fit' sort of speak and get on the right team, the right coach, the right fans. It's not always what it seems. But you have to get over it. I know (Ilya) Kovalchuk had some tough times in New Jersey when he first joined the team. It was tough to think that Bryzgalov would go to Philadelphia and they would win the Cup that first year. But they have a great team and will have a real chance to win it next year."

Since Bryz has eight more years on his contract, it "means he will compete for the Cup every year he is in Philadelphia with the squad they have over there," Malkin said. "Just get some patience. You can't get anywhere in sports without patience.

"And one more advice: don't read papers and talk less to the media."

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.

55 comments

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Comments (55)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:59 PM, 05/12/2012

Agree about Bryz, he's not a worry for next year, the defense is.

— th

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:09 PM, 05/12/2012

Perhaps I'm too pie-in-the-sky, but I think Bryzgalov will surprise us next year with his good play as much as he surprised us this year with his bad play. He's shown us he has the talent. Perhaps it'll take him a year to show us that his head can handle playing in Philly.

— StayOnYourSkates

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:40 PM, 05/12/2012

Johnnycrunch-th-stayonyourskates...I love your eternal optimism..You make Ed Snider very happy...I guess the defense gave upo all those soft goals that a High School goltender could have stopped or mishandled the puck time after time....this guy is a total bust and we are going to pay for this mistake for many years....but keep buying tix and mercahndise MR Snyder loves your positive attitude..For me I am not renewing my season tix next year is going to be a disaster with him in goal....

— flyers1000

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:08 PM, 05/12/2012

Glad you won't be around. We won't miss you.

— StayOnYourSkates

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:33 PM, 05/12/2012

@flyers1000. Good. U can give your ticket to someone who's not a bandwagoner....like me. Bryz was by far the flyers best player in the jersey series, although he did flub in game 5 that ultimately took their energy. But if it weren't for him. Every game would've been a blowout with the way the devs were controlling the pace of the game.

— Omorales510

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:07 PM, 05/12/2012

And one more tiny little point. On the terrible goal that most will never forgive Bryz for...was that puck not dumped back in towards him by a defenseman, who was either too tired or too timid to clear it away from Clarkson, bearing down at 30 miles an hour? Whose job to clear that puck was it, really? I don't think it was Bryzgalov's...

— JosephL

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:20 PM, 05/12/2012

Exactly. That's not a set play and is never worked on in practice. Timonen had the puck and it was his responsibility to control or clear it. Passing it to Bryz surprised Bryz as much as the rest of us. You could see "WTF?!" in his eyes. Bryz made a bad split-second decision that he never should've been forced to make. That was Timonen's gaffe as much as Bryz's, but Bryz will get all the blame for it from those who fail to analyze the entire sequence of events on that play.

— StayOnYourSkates

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:38 PM, 05/12/2012

BRYZ has that WTF look in his eyes all the time...how about that 875 save percentage for the playoffs...How about 1 good month of hockey from him and 6 bad ones....how about the fact that he admits he cant handle the pressure of playing in philly.....Yes the defense is average but BRYZ is clearly below average and he is the one we cant get rid of...You guys appear to be very happy with mediocrity and thats what you will get...enjoy watching other teams hoist the cup the next 8 yrs while we pay MOON MAN....I am not a bandwagon I have followed Flyers since their inception...but the handwriting is on the wall for the future with this guy in goal

— flyers1000

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:19 PM, 05/12/2012

Amazing that you know so little about hockey considering how long you've been watching. Bryzgalov is so clearly not the reason the Flyers lost that series. Which free agent goalie would you have signed?

— Jabey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:28 PM, 05/12/2012

Three Flyers Goalies gaa for 2011 playoffs: .888
One Flyers Goalies (Bryz) Goalies gaa: .887
WTF? Bryz...your teammates and coaches carried you like the whining crybaby you are and you still whine to the Russian friendly press. How about you S.T.F.U., get in shape, spend some time in philly, and stop scoring for the other team; or give mr snyder his money back and we'll forget the whole nightmare called your first season in philly.

— coastflyer

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:33 PM, 05/12/2012

Holmer...is there anyone who played in this years's playoffs who has a worst minus than Matt Carle? I applaud your moves last year (my gm of the year b.t.w.) but can we get Mr Snyder's signee (Bryz), something better than that cough-it-up machine called Carle?

— coastflyer

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:38 PM, 05/12/2012

Jabey..did I say anywhere that BRYZ was the reason they lost to the Devils?? The answer is no.....But Bryz is not a goalie who can steal you games or even a series..he is at best and average goalie who doesnt want to be here and you will continue to get mediocre results but that seems to satisfy some Flyer fans....You want to keep getting smoked by the Rangers and Devs ?? Thats whats going to happen. And the answer to your other question is I would not have signed any of the other FA goalies....there were none worthy...I would have gone with Bob and Leighton and the end results might have been the same but I would not be locked into a goalie that the Flyers really dont want now for 8 more years. And now I would be freed to go after Luongo. Dont you think that if some team in the NHL offered the Flyers a bag of used pucks in a trade for BRYZ that the Flyers wouldnt jump at that. They would drive him to his new home.

— flyers1000

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:13 PM, 05/12/2012

Uh, Jabey- Bryz was 3-0 against the Devils this year. You call that getting smoked? The Devils series loss was NOT his fault! Point of fact; he may have been the best Flyer in that series, and had he had a decent defense the last series, we would still be playing. But not tonight.

— JosephL

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:10 PM, 05/12/2012

Are there any high priced goalies who have over-stayed their welcome and could use a change of scenery. Seems like Bryz would be better off with a franchise without a passionate fan base, like Dallas or either of the Florida teams. Any chance Ryan Miller could be stolen away from Buffalo? What would we be without wishful thinking?

— wilcowaits