Hartnell takes blame for 1st-line struggles; Bryz the....astronaut?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Hartnell takes blame for 1st-line struggles; Bryz the....astronaut?
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers need their top line to get untracked if they are going to win their second-round series against the dangerous New Jersey Devils.
On Tuesday, as the Devils tied the series at one win apiece with a 4-1 victory, the unit of Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr was stifled by a line centered by New Jersey rookie Adam Henrique.
“I don’t think it was as much as what they did as what we DIDN'T do,” Hartnell said after Wednesday's practice in Voorhees.
Hartnell, who appears to be playing injured, took the blame.
"I wasn't forechecking. I wasn’t hitting. It seemed like my legs weren’t moving, and when you don’t have a guy on your line going, it’s tough to get the other guys going as well," he said. "I have to be better. I have to get emotionally into the game. It felt like it was just too easy for them. It’s part of my mold _ to make it hard for them.”
The Giroux line had no goals and just four shots.
Hartnell said he was “fine,” but he has appeared hindered after blocking a first-period shot with his left foot in Game 1.
“Our line has to pick it up,” said Hartnell, who had 37 regular-season goals and two in eight playoff games. “We have to lead the way for everyone else to follow suit, and it definitely wasn’t up to par.”
It should be noted that Jagr and Giroux were also non-factors Tuesday. Jagr had a solid series against the Penguins, but has struggled mightily in the two games against the Devils.
Bryz loose. For the last several months, goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has gone from outgoing and engaging to quiet and dull. After Wednesday’s practice, he was upbeat and funny in an off-the-cuff session with reporters in which he said he would be an astronaut (cosmonaut) if he wasn’t a goalie, and talked about monkeys in space and the Roman Empire, among other topics.
Old Bryz had returned.
The goalie was outstanding in the first two periods Tuesday and was the reason the badly outplayed Flyers somehow had a 1-0 lead after two periods.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Hartnell not only has to be better, he has to wake up and show up. He has been dreadful this playoff. If it was not for G, both him and Jagr would have been benched after game 1 againsdt the Pitt series. Cmon man!— Fabulous- First of all "Hartsy", you might have cost us the game since you took a stupid penalty on the other end of the ice 13 seconds into our power play.. Resulted in a 4 on 4 which NJ scored... Downhill from there... STUPID PENALTY!!!!!— elfman
- Really? You call that a bad penalty? A guy covering for the defenseman at the point, has the puck take a bad bounce on him, so he grabs the stick of the Devils forward to prevent him from having a short handed breakaway. That is a bad penalty? That cost the team the game? Honestly.
Danny Briere cost the team the game....again.— Hexy4GM - It looked as the 1st line was playing at half speed out there. Hartnell looks like hisfoot is hurting him but he still needs to step up his game this is the playoffs not the regular season! If he can't give 100% than sit out therea re others who are ready to give it all they have! No matter what we need our FLYERS top play a full game from the drop of the puck till the horn sounds to end the game! Nothing less isn't going to win games in the playoffs LETS GO FLYERS!!— srcdaddy1216
Hartsy,
like it or not... You are a leader.
Some lead with scoring prowess.
Some lead with words.
You're the SPIRITUAL Leader of this team. I know it, your teammates know it, the city of Philadelphia knows it, the hockey world knows it.
Do what you gotta do... take Simmers with you and mold him.— Jiggs700- Keep your head up Hartsy! You are one of our best and the best show up when they are needed. We have faith in you and you make us proud. Let's take to the Devils Thursday night in their house.— DWILL13
- What about Jagr, no one has mentioned how awful he has played as well this playoff. Has his age finally shown Flyer fans who he really is. Without G, Jags would be an average third line winger in the NHL.
I heard that the only reason he signed with Philly and not Pitt was because he would play on the top 2 lines in Philly and not in Pitt.— Fabulous - need to get more emotionally into the game? It's game 2 of the semis at home and you guys have a chance to win it all... Oh lord, they are in trouble.— sore richard
- relax, they just came off of an extremely emotional series against Pitt and have played 2 games now in 9 days. They'll be fine Devils don't have enough...— seaonasdad
- The team should have stepped on New Jersey in the first period. Jumped out to at least a 2-0 lead, by the end of the first. In the secound period with only a 1 goal lead and no shots in the period,they let Jersey think they could win the game and the Devils did.They should know the Devils are not afraid of them just because they shelved Pittsburgh and were up one nothing in the series.If the Flyers want to, they can end this series still in five.They have the talent, just have to keep it focused and they have plenty of leadereship toget it done— whilly
- The team should have stepped on New Jersey in the first period. Jumped out to at least a 2-0 lead, by the end of the first. In the secound period with only a 1 goal lead and no shots in the period,they let Jersey think they could win the game and the Devils did.They should know the Devils are not afraid of them just because they shelved Pittsburgh and were up one nothing in the series.If the Flyers want to, they can end this series still in five.They have the talent, just have to keep it focused and they have plenty of leadereship toget it done— whilly
- This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
Comment removed.- This comment has been deleted.— scott-stevens-is-god
- Yeah, Go Devils, go where they belong....to hell!!! — Folmi
