Flyers show character flaws - again
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Flyers show character flaws - again
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH - The Flyers, it has become clear, have serious character flaws.
When they get a break - like the gift goal goalie Marc-Andre Fleury handed them early in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins - they fail to keep a deflated opponent down.
And when they face adversity - like when Simon Gagne’s second-period goal, which would have given the Flyers a 2-1 lead, was disallowed - they fold.
About a minute after the goal was nullified because Ville Leino made what the referees called “incidental contact” with Fleury, Pittsburgh took a 2-1 lead of its own.
Funny team, these Flyers. They were woefully inconsistent under John Stevens. Up and down. Up and down. The same thing has happened under Peter Laviolette.
This just in: It’s the players, not the coaches.
This team lacks leadership and character.
Not to mention goal scorers.
Trailing 2-1 in Saturday’s second period, the Flyers’ Claude Giroux broke in alone, but lost control of the puck and got off a weak shot.
Giroux is going to be a terrific player down the road. Right now, though, he and most of his teammates are in hard-to-fathom scoring funks.
Consider the following slumping players:
- Darroll Powe: 0 goals in his last 27 games.
- James van Riemsdyk: 0 goals in his last 14 games.
- Arron Asham: 1 goal (scored Saturday) in his last 14 games.
- Dan Carcillo: 2 goals in his last 14 games.
- Danny Briere: 1 goal in his last 11 games.
- Giroux: 2 goals in his last 21 games.
- Mike Richards: 2 goals in his last 12 games.
- Scott Hartnell: 3 goals in his last 29 games.
The Flyers, who suffered another goalie injury (see accompanying story), fell to eighth place in the Eastern Conference on Saturday, and they are in danger of falling out of the playoffs. Atlanta, which is in ninth, can climb to within two points of the Flyers with a win Saturday night.
Flyers fans deserve better. They have filled the Wachovia Center to 99.8 percent capacity this season. They are being cheated of their hard-earned money by a team that takes periods off and, too frequently, plays without a sense of urgency.
LOL..... is this team really any different than the team from a couple years ago? The results dont look any different....— Brauny- They havent lost just a single game They have lost many and they have the same mo the last 3 seasons late in the season when the games are tough and teams are desperate.They just got lucky in 07-08 backing into the playoffs. Soft, disjointed easily pushed off pucks and soft hands turned into hands of stone. Not playing for each other, not caring, there is some cancer in that dressing room and the GM is to blame for assembling this cast of fair weather players who are undersized or play that way, weak willed and largely gutless. This coach knows how to win, the players are flawed, they are folding like a cheap tent in windstorm. They did the same thing to Stevens and are doing the same thing now, though Stevens couldnt empty his boot with instructions on the bottom of the heel (as a coach) another charity job in the organIzation— Steelmanpa
- Salary cap mismanagement and bad contracts seem to be the hallmark of our winter sports teams under the guidance of Comcast/Spectacor. Love Pronger as a player but the trade was brutally bad. Bye bye scoring depth (Lupul,Knuble). So long youth (Sbisa and 2 high draft picks). Hello mediocrity.— Rick Wise Guy
- Is there a single player on this team who would be "untouchable"? I dont think so...— Brauny
- Is there a single player on this team who would be "untouchable"? I dont think so...— Brauny
- Retzlaff, The point of the piece is that they aren't really trying. The fact that Carchidi's post strikes so many people as risky or challenging shows how much of a free ride this team has gotten for a long time. You want to note your displeasure - stop going to games, stop patronising the advertisers. It's like any other business.— roadtriptoday
- How can Mike Richards possibly wear a jersey with the 'C' tomorrow?... In over 17 mins of ice time, Richards had no goals, assists, or even a tape to tape pass...never saw him with the puck in a scoring position...never got involved physically...compare that to the Penguins captain...over 19 mins of ice time, 3 assists, 6 shots on goal, drew a penalty...Richards maybe a top line player on the Flyers team, but as far as the rest of the league is concerned, he is a average third line player at best...there is no way he deserves to be the captain for the next game, and definately not for the next 12 years ...— kadhia
- Johnsb- the nature of sports is that hindsight has to be used to evaluate performance. At the time, yes, the Coburn deal was very good. But he has regressed dramatically to the point of being a marginal 5th or 6th defenseman. The Timonen and Briere deals were, again, good at the time, but it's obvious than Holmgren overpaid them both by at least a million per season (more like a few million in Briere's case). The jury's still out on the Pronger deal. He has been their best defenseman for sure, but giving up what amounts to 3 first rounds picks (including the impressive Sbisa) looks to be disasterous for a team that is more than a stud defenseman away from being a contender. The problem many people have with Snider is that he's loyal to a fault. Just look at the hocley staff- it's littered with ex-Flyers who frankly never jumped out at anyone as being the sharpest minds in the game- Dave Brown, Craig Berube? Ed Snider was a great, hands-on owner when money wasn't as big a factor. But in today's sports world, while he is still a pretty good businessman, he appears to be incompetent as an owner/chairman/whatever.— duffers
- retz, if all you want is cheerleading the Flyers have their own website you can refer to.— th
- Ernie D , the Flyers STINK— Anthony77
- PhillyWise - We were in the Stanley cup finals against the Pens? When was this and where was I? People bashing Richards - He cant force Briere, Hartnell and Gange to stop being terrible any more than you can. Gange is too afraid of injury, Briere hasn't been worth half of what we paid for him, and Hartnell plain looks drunk on half of his shifts. The D has been inconsistent, and the goaltending has been a nightmare. Emery was good till hurt, Booche went from bad to worse, and if it wasn't for Leighton we'd be so far out of the race this article would be irreverent. The rest of the cast are role-players and/or scrap heap quality players. This isn't Richards fault any more than it was Stevens. You cant expect A quality results with a B or C quality roster.— comusosan
- Duffers, right on man! Sam, you need to take in easy on the players take periods off, what's up with that?— Fabulous
- It's easy to get dispirited or look like you're not trying when Boucher is giving up goal after goal. Leighton gave us a change to be a threat in the playoffs. Boucher makes missing the playoffs seem like a lock. Without any picks and few assets teams would want, it's going to take something drastic to get a legit goalie in the offseason.— Snap Crackle Propp
Comment removed.- One of the most interesting aspects of the post-lockout NHL is how the GM role has changed. Deep-pocketed teams like the Flyers can't simply spend their way out of trouble anymore. It's essential to have a top-tier manager in the driver's seat. We're seeing what happens in Philadelphia when we don't. The Devils have won three Stanley Cups since 94-95. Why? Yes, Martin Brodeur had much to do with it, but the real credit goes to GM Lou Lamoriello in my opinion. The Devils simply don't make the player evaluation-contract valuation-salary cap management mistakes the Flyers have made for years. Homer's spending spree after Clarkie's retirement reminds me of an 18-year-old kid maxxing out their first credit card. The bill's coming due now, I'm afraid, and it looks like we'll be in debt for years to come.— 88etrain
