Dissecting the shootout

No team has fared worse than the Flyers (20-39) in the shootout since it was instituted in 2005.

This season, the Flyers (1-5) already have dropped five points. Like it or not, those lost points impact the playoff seeding - and could mean the difference between millions of dollars in revenue, banner years, and even a run to the Stanley Cup finals with favorable matchups.

The Daily News sought out two experts-turned-television analysts for their take on the Flyers' perennial Achilles' heel. And it's not just limited to the goaltender - the Flyers' forwards have historically underperformed. So, we tapped Kevin Weekes, who found shootout success as the backup to two of the game's greats in Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur, and former Tampa Bay Lightning coach Rick Tocchet.

Both know the importance of the game-deciding skills competition:

KEVIN WEEKES, THE GOALTENDER

Born: April 4, 1975 (36)

Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario

Height: 6-2; Weight: 215

Career: 11 seasons, 348 GP Teams: Florida, Vancouver, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay, Carolina, NY Rangers, New Jersey

Now: NHL Network, CBC and NBC analyst

On Twitter: @KevinWeekes

Claim to fame: 2002 Stanley Cup finalist with Carolina

Shootout stats: 4-2 record, 10-for-17 on shots (58.8 save percentage)

WEEKES SAYS:

"My goaltending coach in New York [with the Rangers], Benoit Allaire, always said, 'The shootout is the question. You have to be the answer.' I've always firmly believed that.

"Penalty shots and breakaways are a different monster for goaltenders. A breakaway comes at you with real game speed and tempo. Shooters can't take time to make a risky move, they're getting pursuit and back pressure. It's a much more intense play. Penalty shots, there is still pressure, but it's a different pressure depending on the game situation. It's a classic one-on-one, players are still likely to make a safer-type move.

"With shootouts, you can throw that all out. There is no pressure. Players can be a lot more creative and daring and get away with it. They want to blur the line between the move and the rule book, with stopping, spinning, 360s, all while incorporating head fakes, stick fakes and body fakes.

"Goaltenders need to be as patient as possible, to try and make the shooter make the first move.

"For me, I tried to put myself in the best spot. I'd go through and watch video of every team, just to get an idea of what the top players for each team like to do. I'd know that Ilya Kovalchuk likes to either go top shelf or five-hole every time. See what Eric Staal and Zach Parise do. It's not hard - just watch the NHL Network or NBC Sports Network's 'NHL Overtime' every night.

"Jussi Jokinen [30-for-64 all time] is the best in the league. He does almost the same move every time, usually scoring at will.

"But you can't overthink it. You have to remember that you're playing it live, but for me, I'd also like to play the odds. How can I give myself the highest percentage to win? Look at hitters. They know what pitch Roy Halladay likes to throw when he has a full count.

"I had a chance to watch some great goaltenders. Henrik Lundqvist and I would talk about it - and he took a whole different approach. In Sweden, he grew up practicing breakaways every day for 13 or 14 years. He loved it. Watch their warmups next time, he even does it in warmups.

"For goaltenders, it's about skill, timing, patience and reading. For Ilya Bryzgalov, he needs to play to his strength. He is a big guy, a tall goalie. He is bigger than Lundqvist, but he doesn't play as big. To me, I see that he is retreating into the net more quickly. He needs to match the player's speed or else he is giving the player too many options. If he narrows the distance, the shooter will have less net and less options. The odds are decreased.