For Flyers' Hartnell, confidence needs to grow like his beard
AMONG ALL of the Flyers streaming in and out of the locker room this week in Voorhees, N.J. - and it's been more than usual thanks to their decimated front line - Scott Hartnell stands out.
AMONG ALL of the Flyers streaming in and out of the locker room this week in Voorhees, N.J. - and it's been more than usual thanks to their decimated front line - Scott Hartnell stands out.
It's not because his long, wavy, ginger locks demand attention.
It's not because his humorous, lighthearted deadpans always draw a laugh.
Right now, there is not a single player in the Flyers' locker room who has less confidence. And it is plainly obvious.
Hartnell knows that. Ask him if he sports the best playoff beard on the team.
"I don't know. Do I?" Hartnell responded.
The answer is a resounding yes. Hartnell got a head start on the playoff beard, and no player will come close to matching it. His facial hair is so thick it curls. Baby-faced James van Riemsdyk must be jealous.
Recently, Hartnell has struggled to find positives in his game. A 30-goal scorer last season, Hartnell has not scored in his last 17 games. Hartnell was last credited with a goal in Dallas on March 18, when a Jeff Carter shot took a fortuitous bounce off his butt and into the net for the game-winner.
If you don't count that lucky bounce, Hartnell has scored just one goal in the last 34 games.
"I haven't been scoring," Hartnell admitted. "I still don't feel too confident with the puck. But a shot, a tip or a tap-in goal can give you confidence quicker."
No matter the numbers, skating into the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Bruins on Saturday without Carter and Simon Gagne, Hartnell now will be relied on in a way that he hasn't been in months.
Coach Peter Laviolette has kept Hartnell in the thick of his top two lines in hopes that one day things will click. Simply put, the Flyers do not have enough depth to withstand another series with a scoreless Hartnell.
Laviolette insists the talent and the potential are there. That's why he has kept Hartnell's minutes and role largely unchanged all season.
"Scott's here for a reason," Laviolette said. "He scored 30 goals in his past. We have to continue to put him in positions to be successful. He goes back there because he's capable.
"Not everyone in the lineup is capable of scoring 30 goals. There are different strengths and weaknesses for every player. His is that he can put the puck in the back of the net and contribute offensively."
Hartnell has tried different things to break out of his slump. A few weeks ago, Hartnell said, he consulted his father, Bill, back in Lloydminster, Alberta. Bill Hartnell, who watches almost every game, told his son to shoot more.
That hasn't helped. Hartnell has 23 shots in the last 17 games, with nothing to show.
"I know what it takes," Hartnell said. "I've been in the league long enough to score goals. Personally, I have to pick it up. I have to bear down. I have to stay on my feet in front of the net."
No matter the area of the ice, Hartnell has had a tough time staying on his feet. He is seemingly upended or caught off-guard three or four times every game. Still, Hartnell's money spot has been in front of the opposing goaltender.
But Bill Hartnell hasn't been the only one to try to lay some advice on Scott. Laviolette said he has tried to work Hartnell every way he knows how as a coach.
"You can pick out something good or you can pick out something to get on them," Laviolette said. "You can try backing away to see if they can get hot and get going to a point where they can get some confidence.
"Something good has to happen. You grab it. You talk about it for a second and maybe try to build on it."
Hartnell said the best thing he could build on from Round 1 was the fact that he didn't take any "stupid penalties." Hartnell took the second-most minor penalties in the NHL during the regular season. This round, Hartnell could even be called on as a penalty killer in the absence of Ian Laperriere.
Hartnell said it would have made for a "long summer" if he didn't get another crack at a rebirth in the second round.
"It's been a disappointing season all around," he said. "I know when I'm playing well and when I'm not. We won the first round and that was a good step for me."
Hartnell knows a few goals in the playoffs will go a long way toward erasing the lingering memories of his miserable regular season.
"You can make a lot of friends and a lot of people happy if you have a good playoff," Hartnell said. "It's crunch time. There are eight teams left playing for the Stanley Cup. I've got to realize that this opportunity doesn't come up every year."
For more news and analysis, read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.