Some (free) advice for Flyers
CHICAGO _ A few observations/suggestions before boarding a plane and heading back home, where the Flyers face a deficit of three games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago:
Some (free) advice for Flyers
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
CHICAGO _ A few observations/suggestions before boarding a plane and heading back home, where the Flyers face a deficit of three games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals against Chicago:
1. Michael Leighton should start Wednesday. Leighton has rebounded nicely from poor performances throughout the playoffs. Besides, Brian Boucher doesn't look 100 percent healthy yet.
2. The Flyers need Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to step up. Excluding an empty-net score by Carter, they have combined for one goal and a minus-11 rating in the Finals. Carter won't admit it, but he doesn't seem to be himself and is undoubtedly bothered by his still-healing foot. The Danny Briere line has been spectacular, but it needs some support.
3. Insert Dan Carcillo into the lineup in Game 6. The Flyers didn't play with an edge in their 7-4 loss Sunday night in Game 5. Carcillo's energy was needed. JVR (goal) should stay in the lineup. Arron Asham had a team-high seven hits, so Peter Laviolette may be reluctant to sit him. Darroll Powe is a candidate to sit, but only if Ian Laperriere takes his spot on the penalty kill. Laperriere has only been used sparing on the PK since returning from a head injury.
The best solution: Dress five defensemen and 13 forwards. Oskars Bartulis played just 1:58, so a sixth D-man isn't really needed. Yes, it's risky if a game goes into overtime and the defensemen are dragging. But it's worth the risk to have Carcillo available when a jolt of energy is needed.
4. Chicago goalie Antti Niemi has looked extremely pedestrian. The Flyers need to swarm the net early in Game 6 _ like the Hawks did at the start of Game 5. The Flyers cannot play passively at the start. They need to set the tone, need to play with desperation. Think the last four games against Boston.
5. Yes, Chris Pronger had an awful game (career-worst minus-5) on Sunday, but special teams decided Game 5 _ Chicago was 2 for 4 on the power play, the Flyers were 0 for 3.
6. Give Chicago coach Joel Quenneville credit. His line changes ignited his offense. That said, the Hawks' new No. 1 line _ Jonathan Toews, Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa _ was still a minus-6. It was the other lines that stepped up _ and, with the Flyers having the last line change on Wednesday, Laviolette will get more favorable matchups.
7. For what it's worth, the Hawks have lost 10 straight in Philly since 1996, and the Flyers have an NHL-best 9-1 home record during this year's playoffs.
8. Crank up Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " _ and watch a replay of Game 7 in Boston.
9. Repeat No. 8, as needed.
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Buy tickets to Flyers-Blackhawks Game 6 
Dead on about Niemi. For all the hype this guy gets, he has a major weakness: once he goes down, that's pretty much it. If you have another guy on the opposite side of where he sprawls out, there is a high chance the net will be wide open. No doubt he's a talented goalie, but we have exploited his weaknesses many times. We just need to sit in front and around the net and shoot the puck in. Yes the Flyers came out pretty flat and only seemed to get jumps at points, nothing really sustained. But let's not forget about some of the bad calls, or non-calls, that pushed the Hawks forward. Yeah some of the stuff gets let go, which is fine, but how the hell could they miss a high stick to Briere's face that drew blood? It was in the faceoff where both refs usually, or should be, looking. Need a better effort Wed night, which I think will happen. LET'S GO FLYERS!!— ena1977- Keep your advice to yourself next time.— bradleyc4
- Sam, you're a Leighton apologist to the very end. Have you seen his stats in the Stanley Cup finals: 4.02 GAA. 0.867 save pct. Many soft goals. He will not start Wednesday.— eagle1971
- free advice for you..ask for re-assignment..— spittooncj
- You're spot on, Sam, except maybe for number 5 -- special teams were A factor, but not THE factor. Several Flyers took the night off.— bucknelldad
- I also think you're spot-on, here, especially with the dress Carcillo and only 5 d-men. In addition, I think Lavy should mix and match the 1st (Richards) and 3rd (Giroux) lines, as he did in last night's 3rd period. It's obvious that Carter is more comfortable in the middle, than on a wing with Richie.— jimbo712
- Lappy with only 19 seconds of PK time? I guess we are playing him to score now? I "get" the fact that he is virtually owed the right to be on the ice by way of hard work and sacrifice but come on...— LiLAlConroy
- Niemi certainly didn't have stellar games Friday or Sunday, but a lot of htose goals were given up by the Flyers ability to exploit defensive lapses and some beneficial deflections. DOn't look down on him. He looked really good last wednesday in the OT game.— Todd M
Comment removed.- I'd move Carter down the line-up. Richards line has not been as good without a physical presence and Carter is not only not physical, he looks to be avoiding contact. Wasn't sure how you'd get Carcillo into the line-up, dressing 5 D-men does make some sense. As bad as they were, they seemed to have no real problem scoring on Neimi. They need to be more aggressive defensively. Certainly can beat this team.— gee1971
- Comment removed.
- I believe special teams were the difference. the zebras handed this game to chicago on a silver platter. the flyers had weathered the first 10 minutes and then a phantom crosscheck puts the hawks on the powerplay which gets the team and the crowd fired up with the first goal. look at the replay. all glove. no stick. despite the 0-3 first period deficit the flyers still probably would have won this if it weren't for another phantom call on pronger for hooking which led to the 5th goal and eventual game winner. it is a shame to see a game of this magnitude decided by anything but the players. you have to let them play in the playoffs and especially in the final. it makes for a better game all around. see the olympics. the philly and nj series was a disgrace too. waaay too many penalties that disrupted the natural flow of playoff hockey. even though the flyers trounced the devils i still would have preferred less penalties. yes, this was the hawks best game yet and they did control the first period but without those two horrible calls that resulted in pp goals this is a different game. i like the 5 dman option. to be honest, i wouldn't object to sitting carter in favor of carcillo either. carter has looked lazy much too often. if he's not effective because he's still hurt then he shouldn't be taking up a roster spot.— BroadStreet
- Sit Carter! He doesn't do anything and that includes forecheck, backcheck, pass, or hit the net when he shoots. Total liability right now. If his foot hurts that badly then it's time to play someone who can play all out with the Cup on the line. See ya Jeff!— forphillyfromla
- Blaming officiating is stupid and won't help get us the win. Replacing Bartulis with Carcillo makes the most sense. Dressing a guy who plays for 2 minutes is a waste. Also, shoot early and often from every angle. Niemi puts every rebound right back in play— Flyers1975
interesting solution to get carcillo in. not sure if it's worth the risk, but i like the creativity
