Flyers on road to nowhere
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Flyers on road to nowhere
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
TORONTO _ The Flyers are not going to be playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs if this trend doesn’t end.
Soon.
After dropping a 5-2 decision in Toronto on Monday, they are 1-6 on the road.
On merit.
Forget about the fact they outshot Toronto by a misleading 46-24 margin.
After scoring in the opening minute, the Flyers (5-7-1) were beaten to loose pucks all night by the speedier Maple Leafs, and their defense was, in a word, atrocious.
“We need to play with more composure,” said Nick Grossmann, who took the blame for defensive lapses that led to two of the Leafs’ goals.
Six losses in seven road games. That is not a recipe for a playoff berth.
“The good thing is that we have a chance to come right back,” said winger Wayne Simmonds, referring to Tuesday’s game in Winnipeg.
Monday was the start of a season-high, six-game road trip that will also have stops in Winnipeg, New Jersey, Montreal, New York (Islanders) and Pittsburgh.
It may not be the make-or-break point of the 48-game season, but it’s close.
This is a franchise that, through the years, has prided itself on playing with an edge on the road.
This is a franchise that had a 25-13-3 road record last season, tying Boston for the most wins away from home.
This is a franchise that, to borrow a Bryzism, looks lost in the woods when it is playing on enemy ice.
“We don’t change our style,” insisted Simmonds, who gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 38 seconds into the game.
Flyers goalie, Ilya Bryzgalov allowed four goals and was yanked in the second period. Bryzgalov, who has been the Flyers’ MVP in the first 13 games, went out a back door after the game and skipped talking with the media.
Maybe he had used up all his conversation while joking with a fan while he sat at the end of the bench after being removed from the game.
Bryzgalov wasn’t the problem Monday. It was the backpedalling defense. It was the ineffective power play. It was the costly turnovers that Toronto converted into goals.
It was a pop-gun offense that has produced a grand total of nine goals in its six road losses. In those losses, the Flyers’ power play is 2 for 28 _ 7.1 percent.
At home, the power play is clicking at 25 percent.
Maybe the Flyers’ road woes are an aberration. Maybe when Scott Hartnell and Andrej Meszaros return from injuries, they will steady themselves.
Maybe.
But it will probably be almost two more weeks before those key players are back. That makes this road trip critical because if you fall into a deep hole in an abbreviated season, there’s not much time to climb out of it.
Breakaways. Captain Claude Giroux, who was visibly upset after the loss, went pointless for the eighth time in 13 games…..Coach Peter Laviolette was expected to give backup goalie Brian Boucher the start in Winnipeg Tuesday. But Monday’s turn of events may cause him to go back to Bryzgalov, who has started 12 of the first 13 games....Sean Couturier missed the game with the flu and reportedly was sent back to Philadelphia. Adirondack's Harry Zolnierczyk will join the team in Winnipeg, according to the Glens Falls Post-Star.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Claude G is playing like absolute garbage! I have never seen the Flyers play so poorly as they did last night. Its start with hi as the leader and he has been soft, non-competitve, and flat out flat!— Fabulous- This team could not score in a house of ill repute with a blank check...trade for a bona fide scorer, and soon, or the rest of this season will be spent looking forward to NEXT season.— Nicher
- as a Leafs fan, I feel your pain regarding Luke Shenn...was a turnover in his own zone machine in Toronto and the tradition continues in Philly...cringed every time he handled the puck behind our own goal...good luck with that...— lardaig
- Hexy, its like you're reading my mind man. MichaelZoe is on the scent, though, and you have to give him props for watching an out of market game. (Michael, to answer your question, no...no one else on this board watches 60 min of an out of town WC game. They'd be suicidal if they watched Chicago right now.) I'm not sure some of that drafting talent didn't move to LA in the form of Lombardi. DL inherited a number of solid kids from Dave Taylor, but had the sense to hang on to them, then brought in some known quantities in MR, JC, etc. Holmgren seems to have no plan on constructing a contender. Just plugs holes with no plan, like a bunch of puzzle pieces will fall into place in front of their latest cornerstone plan: goaltending. Everything else is ancillary, we have a goaltender. GKG.— no_shootouts
- This team doesn't believe in itself, so why should we. Sorry to say this but its time for a change, coach must go!— JJReid
- Who ever thought these '13 Flyers would look so average?— wordsword
- Giroux can't score without Jagr. JVR will lead the league in goals this year. Holmgren should be fired for incompetance.— farley
- What's the point in having a backup goalie if the only time you use him is when you pull your started? Boosh is better than Leighton and should have gotten the start vs the Jets. Bryz needs a break and I think that's pretty obvious last night to everyone but Lavi. I was a Lavi supporter in 2010 and 2011, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt last year, but this clown needs to be fired. His system sucks when you don't have the offensive players to put up 5 goals a night, the D sucks as is and under his system it's exposed even more, not to mention all the poor starts and undisciplined play. It's time for a new coach.— Fly Guy
- Forget the players we have or need. The fact is, since Lavy has been coach this team has gone down, down down.
They are as undicilined as any team I've ever seen. Leading the league is penalties is proof of that.
Being mentally unprepared to even take the ice and their overall attitude is disgustingly embarassing. Watching this coach call his time out 6-10 times in the 1st 3 minutes of games last year is proof of that. And 2 minutes into the 2nd period in Toronto.
A PP aeimic as it has been for 3 years is proof no one knows what they should be doing and only hoping something works.
Finally, a coach who proclaims we're going to be an agressive team and force play has as a system a team that dumps the puck into the corner and then with undersized forwards slows the game down trying to fight for the puck. A coach that doesn't even know how to conduct his own system.
No, it's not the players fault.. they have no clue where to be, what to do and are not being held responsible for their actions.
Laviolette, in my opinion, is the worse coach the Flyers has ever had.
Even worse than Cashman or Murray.— dedhed - First of all, let me start by saying I watched the Flyers win the two cups and went to the parades. But after watching the last few decades of 'medocrity' it's time to blowup this team and front office. The Flyers are stuck in the 'middle of the pack' category and the announcers and team always seem to know what the problem is and are one player from solving it - it's time to bring in a new fresh approach (more skating than checking) - how long has it been since we last won a cup !— joewillie12
- Hey Peter, how's that attack the puck scheme working out for ya? One reason the Flyers D is lousy is because it is only visible in their own end between the pipes. Go take a look at the '97 finals and see how a scoring machine was ground to a halt by an intensely disciplined and talented defense-first champion. Then tender your resignation.— gnarlyscuzz
