First impressions on 0-2 Flyers
UPDATE: Zac Rinaldo will miss a minimum of one week because of a lacerated right leg, GM Paul Holmgren said. Tye McGinn will be recalled from the Phantoms.
First impressions on 0-2 Flyers
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
UPDATE: Zac Rinaldo will miss a minimum of one week because of a lacerated right leg, GM Paul Holmgren said. Tye McGinn will be recalled from the Phantoms.
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BUFFALO - A dozen first impressions on the 2013 Flyers, who are 0-2 for the first time since 2008:
1. Luke Schenn needs to play with more discipline AND more physicality. That’s a fine line, and it takes time to find the right balance.
2. Brayden Schenn has not been that effective on the top line. But it’s early and he deserves a longer look-see before Wayne Simmonds or Jake Voracek is moved to the first unit.
3. The power play is out of sync and dearly misses the injured Danny Briere, who won’t be back until Saturday at the earliest. In addition, the team has been weak on faceoffs.
4. The defense played well in the opener against the Penguins, but left Ilya Bryzgalov out to dry in Sunday’s 5-2 loss in Buffalo. They allowed 41 shots against the Sabres, a team that should have looked rusty because it was playing its first game.
5. Scott Laughton, the team’s No. 1 pick, plays with a tenacity and poise beyond his years. He will give the Flyers a difficult decision on whether to keep him here after he plays five games.
6. The penalty kill has been atrocious. Yes, there have been some bad bounces, but they are giving teams too much room. Opponents are 5 for 9 on their PP against the Flyers, including an empty-net goal. Luke Schenn and Ruslan Fedotenko are newcomers on the team's PK.
7. It’s only two games, but the Flyers have not displayed enough physical play. They have one of the league’s biggest D corps and need to show that size DOES matter.
8. Bryzgalov has been mostly sharp, and the 0-2 start can’t be pinned on him.
9. Don’t expect Flyers management to be patient, especially in a 48-game season. If they start this year like they did the lockout-shortened 1995 season (3-7-1), a major move is coming.
10. The Flyers miss Jaromir Jagr’s presence a lot more than many probably imagined.
11. Rinaldo has played with lots of fire (nine hits in less than 12 minutes), but is now sidelined by a leg injury. The Flyers need to play with Rinaldo's passion.
12. It’s still early, even in a shortened season. Exhale. Breathe. Didn’t that feel good?
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Comments (49)
Concise and to the point, Sam. Good observations.— fentonhardy- Please buy Bryzgaloof out at the end of this season. He reminds me of Roman Checkmanek, waving his arms around after allowing a soft goal.— TommyGun
- 13. no Stanley Cup this year ... or any Philadephia championships for awhile...— warbiscuit
- Wow Sam, keep drinking the Kool-Aid. This team is in big trouble, other than Giroux, there is no scoring, defense is soft and Bryzgalov is not a very good goalie. 37 years and counting...— UDTate
- Who is this "Danny Brriere" fella? Spell check.— Dawk20
- No need to panic but also no time to waste. Holmgren can pick up help at nominal cost in the form of unsigned players available now to address glaring needs:
1. For a sniper to take the pressure off Giroux there is Petr Sykora and Daymond Langkow
2. For a gritty forward to pressure the opposing net and provide some leadership in the locker room there is Jason Arnott, Mike Knuble and Andrew Brunette.
For a apuck moving defenseman with speed there is Chris Campoli
4. For veteran 2-way players providing depth there is Brian Rolston and Brendan Morrison.
There are options. Waiting to make a move to improve this roster to me is not an option.— Claudio Vernight - Stink x 12.........is the impressions.— STEPHEN1988
- The 48 game schedule would have been perfect for Jagr. Who needs him, we got Eric Wellwood.— BobbyD
- They need a top scoring right winger on Giroux's line. That should have been addressed once the decision was made to not resign Jagr. Why does it seem like it's always the Flyers who get off to the slow starts and never seem prepared?— LCBline
- Can we bring back the lockout?— n62
- this team will get its legs and then it will be fine, langenbrunner would give veteran presence and solid penalty kill and he's teriffic on faceoffs— SyddBarrett
- All the talk about Bryz being lousy is clearly by people who aren't watching 60 mins of hockey. Pens game: two in the first, shut them out the rest of the game. One was on him, one was bad deflection. Offense should have pressed harder because once you get the Pens back on their heels, they retreat into a defensive shell, which can be broken. Sabres game-couple bad ones on his part, but poor defense as well. On top of that, refs had an influence in the game. Many of their calls were poor, esp the goalie interference call. The early whistle is my personal favorite. They delay the whistle at the Flyers end, yet Miller hits the ice and it blows pretty fast. Plus they hand Buffalo a goal when the guy kicked it in off his skate. The stick was nowhere near the puck. The refs weren't the reason they lost-sloppy and slow play with poor decision making--but it sure didn't help because they usually called something once some momentum built up. They have to find their timing and hockey sense fast--they have about half the time normally. Plus other good teams around the league are off to bad starts-Rangers, Vancouver (who incidentally pulled their goalie after the first 14 shots were sent his way. Sure he let in 5 but still). I think we will see a better team Tues nite. I also think the system is fine-the players just have to execute it.— ena1977
- Keep Laughton and McGinn on active roster and drop Sestito and Shelley who are mostly always scratches. Like to see these young guys develop and this half season will have an * next to it anyway so why not now— connorjr
- No Leadership! Homer has assembled the softest Flyers ever!— quigly46
- See item 6 above as perhaps the most glaring deficiency to be addressed immediately. In a sprint like this, there is precious little margin for error. Penalties will come and must be dealt with effectively; goals given up on the penalty kill are sure-fire back-breakers. The underachievement (to be kind) of the special teams in the first two games is completely unacceptable.
In a standard season, garnering roughly half of the possible points will gain a playoff berth. Gaining roughly 5/8 of the possible total will frequently win a division and a top three seed. Gaining 2/3 will likely win home ice advantage through the playoffs. Assuming these rough rules of thumb hold now, a team cannot afford to kick away four points as the Flyers did this weekend and expect to come away with much of anything to show for the season.
The time to make corrections is now. It is not impossible that by Groundhog Day the die will have been cast, and we'll know whether there's anything to anticipate--or whether the balance of the season will be spent as straight men / foils / also-rans.— 1940LaSalle - Agree on all points, except I think the PP has looked in sync, but hasn't been able to finish. Against Pitt, in particular, they generated many scoring opps. Simmonds could easily have 2 or 3 goals already.— tfnj42
- Where is the talent after Giroux? Don't trade the 2013 1st round pick. Trading high draft picks for players like Kris Versteeg, Matt Carle and Pavel Kubina and others have hurt the franchise ability to find and develop talented skilled players. Homer seems to think signing undrafted college kids is a shortcut to build a team.— zeke128
- I agree with the comment above. Other than Giroux and Danny B. we don't have any other natural goal scorers.— ANDY-IS-FAT
- It's getting late for the flyers awfully early this year...— bigdaddyG
- 13. Couturier is killing this team right now. He was responsible for the 2 first period goals against the Pens and another 2 against the Sabres. If there is one thing you can almost always bank on in hockey, it is the sophomore slump. Thought he would be much better than most this early in the season, given his play in the AHL, but it appears the minors taught him some bad habits and made his play a step slower than where he needs to be.— snipesmorris
- Wow, the Bryz-haters are out. He kept them in both games. Thank the PK and PP at this point.— thawthor88
- The highlight of my day was reading above where someone called Daymond Lagkow a "sniper".........now that's hillarious!! Thanks for that, I stopped reading your suggestions at that point, but please, call Holmer and offer up some other genious ideas.— Tar Heel 1
- "The highlight of my day was reading above where someone called Daymond Lagkow a "sniper".........now that's hillarious!! Thanks for that, I stopped reading your suggestions at that point, but please, call Holmer and offer up some other genious ideas.
— Tar Heel 1"
What do you do with your head when it's not up your a s s? It's spelled Langkow and he's got 270 career NHL goals. That's more than the number of hand jobs you can give yourself in a month.
Don't kid anybody. You stopped reading cause you reached your word quota. Before you throw the word 'genius' around learn to spell the word 'hilarious'. My neighbor's cat has more brains than you even if you have more body hair.
— Claudio Vernight - This team will struggle to be competitive and is one of the weakest Flyers teams on ice since the disastrous 2006-07 team. Homer has made a couple big swings and misses lately (Bryz signing, JVR traded for at best a stay at home defense, not replacing Jagr, etc). The spotlight is going to shift to him if the Flyers have another 06-07 run, which looks more possible than a playoff run.— Repubrebirth
- What does a short season have to do with the defense being slow, turnover prone and they can't carry the puck up the ice?— jbruder02
- Are you kidding me!!?? Its only been 2 GAMES!!! You morons's already have them done for the season! Give them at least 12 or 14 games!— Smit1
- Big and slow. How can a professional organization be so miserable at recognizing goaltending and defensemen? Who was the last Flyer drafted defenseman that made the All-Star game?— schnitzelboy
- "plz this team is so overrated its pathetic. your defense is horrible and slow. u have no scoring and u have a guy that really needs a haircut and shave this isnt mountain man. CAN U PLZZZ TAKE DOWN THAT STUPID ROCKY STATUE IT WAS A MOVIE MORONS U EMBARRASS URSELVES WHENEVER THEY SHOW IT ON T.V
— scott-stevens-is-god"
Meeting of Devils' fan club tonight in a phone booth outside Spuggy's in E. Newark. The backseat of Fonzy's W.W. bug is not available cause it got repo'ed.— Claudio Vernight - #13...Grossman is a HUGE liability with glacier-like speed.— Nicher
- The loss of Matt Carle is killing this team. They have no one with the ability to skate the puck out of the zone. Coburn has had flashes this season, but has proven to be incapable of doing that for an entire season. He is currently the only D-man of any value on this club.
@snipesmorris.....you couldn't be more incorrect about Couturier. He has been responsible well beyond his years. You seem to be blaming him, simply because you see him on the ice. When you look at the goal in Buffalo, where it appears that Couts has been beaten...you will see that he was the only man back, and Max Talbot simply was brain dead, trying to change. Talbot wandered out of the play, and Couturier was left to cover for Talbot, and the D.
This team lacks skill. Period. Giroux and Hartnell have exceptional skill. Voracek will always be a guy who looks like he could do more...but never does. Simmonds had the best season he will ever have, last year. He is a 'glue guy' and he is great at it. But he is not skilled.
The Schenns are terrible. I used to see potential in Luke Schenn, but the years in Toronto have destroyed him. It will take years to build him up again. Brayden Schenn is officially a bust as a blue chip prospect. He has NHL ability. But his outlook is far more of the Kris Draper mold, than the Steve Yzerman.
Laviolette goes now. Holmgren goes at season's end. And, several years after it's inception, my screen name finally becomes a fact.
In other news....Mike Richards and Jeff Carter still have a Stanley Cup.— Hexy4GM - If ever there was a year to not write off players after 2 games, this is that season. No way you can claim Simmonds has peaked at his age with any merit. Too early to write the final page on the Schenns. Brayden Schenn may not now or ever be a first liner but that doesn't make him a bust. Far too early to judge Luke Schenn. Laviolette is going nowhere. That's beyond ridiculous. Watched the Kings, 2013 version, and I wasn't impressed. But, again, it's early. — Claudio Vernight
- No Hexy, I am not incorrect on Couts. You are blaming B. Schenn for everything, and the kid has been a non-factor both directions. I am saying that the guy who has been on the ice for 7 of the 8 goals against the Flyers is at least somewhat to blame. You defend 1 of those 7 goals-- fine-- i'll give you that without argument....what is your response to these three?
Goal 1 vs. Pens: Flyers lose face-off and Couts stands there, motionless, long enough for me to yell "Couts get to the point!!!" before he starts moving, the pass goes to the point, no one to defend (it should have been Couts), shot, score.
Goal 2 vs. Pens: Couts gets abused by Malkin on face-off, failing to even tie him up in the slightest, allowing him to pass the puck for a quick one-timer, goal.
Goal 1 vs. Sabres: On the PK, Couts is caught out of position and fails to rotate in time to the man he is responsible for, goal. Even Pierre on NBC noted that Couts blew that one.
You keep saying Bryz is playing well, so whose fault are those three goals then? Hint: B. Schenn was not on the ice for any of them, sorry.
At times, you really seem to know what you are talking about, but your hatred of the Richards trade blinds you to any reality beyond Schenn/Simmonds (and by the way, Simmonds was probably the best Flyers on Saturday by most people's account, blown open net and all, as he was very strong on the puck all game).
And PS, Coburn is the only D-man of value on this team? I think if you asked any team in the NHL if they could have Carle or Timonen this year, EVERY SINGLE ONE PICKS TIMO. Get over your man crush. - Yes, we could really use Matt Carle and his -2 so far this season (nice -3 game against the Islanders last night). Let's compare to your whipping boys....
Braydon Schenn: 1
Luke Schenn: 1
Wayne Simmonds: -1
Matt Carle: -2 - @Claudio Vernight, if you read closer at what I had written, you will see that I said Brayden Schenn is a bust as a "blue chip prospect." What you typed, seemed to actually agree with that statement.
As far as Simmonds. I am a fan of his. I have followed his career long before he was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization. I love his effort. He is not, however, an immensely skilled player. He scored a lot of power play goals last season. He is a guy that chips in the occasional goal. Always has been that guy. Even in junior hockey. You hope for him, but you can't count on him to score goals. I don't know how long you have been a Flyers fan, but Simmonds is more like Trent Klatt than he is a John Leclair.
I did not write this team off after 2 games. I wrote them off long before they played those 2. Last season ended because the Philadelphia Flyers refuse to work without the puck. That has not been corrected. Laviolette will not finish this season. He never should have started it, to be honest.— Hexy4GM - "He scored a lot of power play goals last season. He is a guy that chips in the occasional goal."
Hmmm....if you count 17 even strength goals last year as "occasional." Your beloved Richards blasted only 11, and so did Carter. Hartnell had 21 and Giroux 22, so 17 looks pretty darn good in my book for a guy playing on the 2nd/3rd line most of the year.
You can call last season a fluke (as you have), but let's not take away from what it was-- Simmer was very productive. You should be particularly impressed with his play, especially since he had to play a lot of the season with Schenn, who you are convinced sucks. Just makes his 17 even strength goals all the more impressive. - Well I go back to Simon Nolet and Gendron and Sudsy Sutherland and you can't go back any further than that. I saw the old Philly Ramblers play aw well if you're interested in history.
I think Laviolette is an upper echelon coach and you are not at all persuasive on that point.
Goals are goals and you need people who score garbage goals as well as 'skill' goals. They all count and there is no such thing as style points.
If you wrote the season off before it started, then all you are seeking is to validate your point which seems to be that Hextall is the solution. It's not an important point and you don't make it very well even though you seem to have the data before you.— Claudio Vernight - "Big and slow. How can a professional organization be so miserable at recognizing goaltending and defensemen? Who was the last Flyer drafted defenseman that made the All-Star game?"
Well put, schnitzel. The theory that goalers are commodity items, like light bulbs, has become absolute doctrine, not to be questioned. There's a related theory that size = good for defenseman that is held equally beyond question and is equally wrong.
Unfortunately these have been huge blind spots with the Flyers for approximately 30 years. Worse, there's no end in sight until the last of the Clarke era lifers has been pensioned off and an entire new approach has been put in place. I for one would love to see Ron Hextall's return to Philadelphia as a revolutionary GM, but I can't imagine why he'd want to do so after winning it all in southern California.— 1940LaSalle - "The NHL is also trying to cut down on deliberate slashing to the hands / wrists, usually done in an attempt to slow down a player."
The Sidney Crosby Rule! - "scottstvens" is right about one thing: Phily sports is pathetic --particularly when I have to point out to so many morons so many times that a cluless g.m. of the Phillies who turned a potential dynasty into useless trash is not someone that fans accustomed to decent teams would tolerate...fans who support losing trash and imbeciles to run them are losers— warbiscuit
- @snipes, so...you are blaming Couturier for losing a face-off, and being a penalty killer. Go back and watch the numerous odd-man rushes and breakaways.
You talk about my hatred of Schenn and Simmonds, but the reality is that there is love for them despite their history. Tavares-Hedman-Duchesne-Kane-Schenn-EkmanLarsson...which of those names doesnt belong? Give ya a hint, it's Schenn. I don't blame him for any of the losses this season. in fact, he is hardly playing enough to be a factor in either direction. I think Simmonds is great at what he does. I am simply telling you, he is not a goal scorer. You want to think he is. Last year, Simmonds had a good stretch and tallied a lot. He was terrible in the playoffs. He is not an elite goal scorer. That is a fact. That is why i am telling you....Simmonds scored 28 goals last year. More than he ever scored in any season as a pro, or in junior hockey. I am sure the fickle fans of Philadelphia will turn on him soon.— Hexy4GM - No, I am blaming Couts for being defensively irresponsible on two goals, and losing a face off and then failing to tie up Malkin in any way in order to prevent the play from happening on a 3rd goal. You are not blaming Bryz, and as I mentioned, Schenn (and Simmonds) have not been on the ice for 7 of the 8 goals....Couts has. The goals are someone's fault, and it is not Schenn or Simmonds.
Do I think Couts was a great defensive player last year, yes. Has he been a great defensive player this year, no, and you can't chalk everything up to "being a penalty killer." That fact does not give him a pass for poor play.
Last year you went on and on about how Simmonds is not a goal scorer, and then he notches 28. You never, EVER, give him his fair due beyond a backhanded compliment (such as "Simmonds is great at what he does. I am simply telling you, he is not a goal scorer"). Can't you just say something positive about the guy without chopping him down at the same time? He had a good year last year; he was perhaps the best player on the ice on Saturday. Give him some credit, some REAL credit.
P.S. - you are basing how Simmonds will do going forward by reflecting on his first 3 seasons instead of last year? Chew on this:
Mike Richards: 11, 10, 28, 30 (those are Richards's goal totals his first 4 NHL years, in order)
Wayne Simmonds: 9, 16, 14, 28 (those are Simmonds's goal totals his first 4 NHL years, in order)
Those look pretty similar to me, except Simmonds had to play his first 3 years on a defense first team, while Richards benefited from playing on an offense first team (and had Forsberg, one of the best passers of all time, feeding him the puck). Last year the roles were reserved, and Simmonds notched 10 more goals than Richie. - Wellwood to first line. Recall Terry Murry to oversee defense. Control Lavy's offense. Need a defensive trap strategy and we don't have time this year. Slow defense without CARLE and Gus. Shenn is awful but so was JVR.— LaCroix,Nolet,Gendron
- @snipes, you are being foolish. I'd like you to go back and re-read my posts on this thread. None of them are regarding placing blame on these losses, and assigning fault to a player for a goal against. I simply responded to your blame. You want a shorthanded winger to charge the point...that is poor defensive hockey. On the PK he must remain tight in the defensive box. Otherwise it creates a 4 on 3 down low. I will not waste precious font explaining the responsibilities of a center on every play.
As far as the Schenn and Simmonds comments I make...you are interpreting them as you choose. I use them as an example of the mistakes this organization is making. Trading away a leader, who has won at every level (including the NHL one now) for the hopes that Schenn (who has a 3.1 million dollar cap hit) will one day develop, is a mistake. I like Simmonds a lot. He just isnt a natural goal scorer. Mike Richards is not a goal scorer either. He is a 'pass first' player who plays the point on the power play. Your goal comparisons are ridiculous. You take the fact that I say Simmonds is not a natural goal scorer as an insult. I am telling you that it is simply a fact.
I am going to assume that you now hate Couturier. You have criticized his play, therefore you think he is not a good player.— Hexy4GM - Hexy-- sorry to say it, but you are wrong about the coverage re Couts. Go watch the video. There was 1 Pen forward lined up in front of Bryz, not two, and he was marked by L. Schenn. Thus, there was no one for Couturier to cover other than the point man (or double team the guy already covered by Schenn). But no, Couts hung out, eventually allowing himself to be tied up by the Pen forward once he finally decided to move to the point. It was a dumb hockey play, and i bet he would be the first to admit it. Don't act like you know all about hockey; it is obvious you do not.
P.S. - I like Couturier a lot, especially how he played last year, but he is KILLING the team this year. He was on ice for both goals tonight against the Devils, and he made two bad plays that led to the first goal. He has been on the ice for 9 of 10 goals now.... - I am so glad the lockout ended when it did. I needed to have a little more misery in my life sooner than having to wait for the Phillies to ruin my year. If the team was playing like this 34 games into the season would we panic?— djw26
- Sniff, Sniff...
The Flyers stink!!!— 32Maniac - Once again the Flyers are playing poorly. Soooo many mistakes! Bryz has turned out to be a pretty expensive disaster in the net.
I just don't see this team putting a competitive game together anytime soon.— 32Maniac - @snipes, you are right. They should trade Couturier. What was he doing on that play? He should have raced out of position to life Fedetenko's foot.— Hexy4GM
- Would have been nice if he didn't let the puck go right over his stick and then fail to mark his man. I know, these goals are all Schenn's fault, even though he isn't on the ice.
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Broad Street Bull is the Inquirer's blog covering the Philadelphia Flyers and the National Hockey League.
Reach Sam at scarchidi@phillynews.com.
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