• March 29, 2024

Offense, Special Teams Flop in 2-1 Loss to Rangers

The silver lining of the Philadelphia Flyers’ season to date is that Ilya Bryzgalov has performed like a confident starting goaltender should. He ranks 8th in the NHL in goals-against-average among goaltenders with at least four games played.

It’s a shame that the offense can’t support his efforts.

There was optimism heading into tonight’s game against the New York Rangers that the Flyers, coming off a day of rest, would be able to follow up on their first win of the season against the Blueshirts with a second.

Sadly, the team that seemed disinterested in Tampa Bay on Sunday was the same that showed up at Madison Square Garden.

The Rangers were able to get on the board early in the first period. A low shot from defenseman Michael Del Zotto through traffic beat Bryzgalov near the post.

Bryz settled in after that goal, stopping 26 of 28 shots in total.

The defense, which included Andreas Lilja in his first game of the season, also played decently. Braydon Coburn carried the puck in deep better than some of the top six forwards did and Kimmo Timonen provided the lone goal on the powerplay (which never would have happened without the support of Wayne Simmonds).

The offense is just a mess. Few players were able to consistently carry the puck in and rarely did the puck cycling make its way outside of the zone perimeter.

The lone shining star was Danny Briere, who accounted for 10 (!) of the team’s 27 shots on Henrik Lundqvist.

Brayden Schenn, who has been nonexistent this season, finished with three blocked shots, three hits and a 27% face-off success.

The team as a whole won just 34% of their face-offs.

The powerplay, which was afforded six opportunities during the game along with nearly two minutes of 5-on-3 time (arguably 5-on-2 as one player broke a stick), only connected once. The Rangers’ penalty kill made it clear that neither Jake Voracek nor Claude Giroux should be on the points, as both turned over the puck on multiple occasions when pressured.

Voracek took just a single shot on the powerplay, preferring instead to pass the puck, even if there were no open lanes.

The rule of thumb is that a good team will get at least one shot on net every 30 seconds on a powerplay. At this high standard, the Flyers should have had 24 shots on net on the powerplay. They finished with 7 (or roughly one shot per 2:00 attempt).

Assuming he’s healthy, Kurtis Foster will likely be back in the line-up on Friday versus the Capitals and will man the point on the second powerplay unit. Foster is not the preferred choice for that role, but he’s the best option that the Flyers have.

Head coach Peter Laviolette gave the team Monday off to relax. A bag skate is probably in order after this debacle.

Josh Janet

Josh Janet was raised in Northern New Jersey, but by an odd set of circumstances, is a Philadelphia sports fan. While recently converted to the Phillies, Josh is a diehard Flyers fan and can be expected to stay on top of the latest NHL news.

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DCar
DCar
January 30, 2013 3:19 am

This team is hard to watch! I can’t believe I’m saying this! This is the Dark ages of Philly sports right now! This last 2 years, is as bad as the 90’s & early 00’s. Please get better soon, because the Birds & Phils need to be rebuilt, the next couple of off-seasons, & the 76ers are a Black hole!

DCar
DCar
January 30, 2013 6:01 am

The hilarity of this season thus far, is Bryz & Luke Schenn, are our best players. Both, where many peoples biggest ??’s

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 6:54 am

A “Long” Short Season this wiil be
I don’t think this Flyers Team will win more than
22 Games this Season..just not enough Playmakers throughout
Their Line-Up.. Bryz has been playing pretty well
Considering..but Forward play has been brutal and their Defense
Is slow and cannot create any fast, up the ice, odd man rush and sciring opportunities.. Their Special Teams are lacking and will be the differences of a lot of close losses this Season I’m afraid..

jakedog
jakedog
January 30, 2013 8:29 am

Paulman, the expert, quotable source on all things Philly, although perched somewhere remote in Appalachia, his wit and wisdom unparalleled , erudite on other subjects as well, particularly ’70s trivia, fascination with hips, always stays thirsty, there will be paulman, there will be paulman….

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 8:43 am

**Not so Breaking News in the Sports/Entertainment World***
3 Time Indy 500 Winner Dario Franchitti and Wife/Actress Ashley Judd have
agreed to end their 14-Year Marraige on Amicable Terms…
Jon Hart to provide Details of their Settlement at a later time, after his vacums
the steps in his Parent’s basement..

DCar
DCar
January 30, 2013 8:54 am
Reply to  paulman

Watch it Paul, he’ll retaliate with his juvenile, Fraudman, fraudfan, comments! He might hurt your feelings? NOT!

daggolden
daggolden
January 30, 2013 8:54 am

The bad thing about Philly sports is that they all actually spend money. The Eagles are actually the closest team to winning a championship in the city. lol. Because they have new regime and hope. Theres no hope for Phillies, Sixers or Flyers. Phillies have 180 million dollar payroll with worst outfield in MLB a bad OBP team with left, right 3rd, and 2nd base avg to terrible defensive players. The NBA is set up that the Sixers cant win w/o getting lucky in draft and Bynums bad knees(they tried). Flyers have one star and bunch of role players with some young talent we hope improves. But we know the Flyers once a young player gets better he will be traded for a quick fix veteran player on the decline.

DCar
DCar
January 30, 2013 9:13 am
Reply to  daggolden

Eagles need to be rebuilt, how are they closer to a Championship? I agree with the rest of the post.

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 9:51 am

What I have noticed with the Philly Teams in recent years is that with the Success of the Phils,Eagles and the consistent Flyers is that Ownership gets complacent, with the cash,attendance,merchandising rolling in the registers and and end up hiring “Yes Men” in the the Front Office’s who don’t challenge the Owners visions of doing what it takes to get that Championshipo.. It’s as if they hire these GM’s (Roseman,Amaro,Holmgrem) to keep the “Status Quo” and take advantage of the rabid Fan Base and delusional Local MEdia without really doing anything to change things up and over a period of time, these Franchises,Teams have become very predictiable and stale in how they do things..

#1) Eagles.. Small but fast & exciting Offensive Players, but Soft Defense (for how many Seasons now)
#2) Phillies .. No Small Ball, Still have Rollins batting Lead-off when he’s not a legitimate Lead-off hitter.. Relying on Chase Utley/Howard and Holladay for a legitimate shot in 2013 ..
#3) Flyers,.. Shaky Goaltending, Limited Defensemen.. Cannot seem to develop Players at the minor league level..

The biggest weakness in Philly Sports are the GM’s that are in place for these Franchises, they are Yes Men and to be honest, not sure if they are even that knowledgeable about Drafting,and Developing Young Players..

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 10:07 am
Reply to  paulman

i think the eagles went compeltely against the status quo against their philosophy…changed their entire defensive and offensive line philosohy, were far from complacent and it backfired in a big way.
the phillies were not complacent, making many huge moves- relying on utley and howard, they have no choice! as for no small ball…you have many times on here declared ‘why are they built on pitching in a HR park’– once again you flip flop like a fish on deck!
the flyers, i watch but only casually– seems they make huge splashes and continue to develop young players at the same time…

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 10:34 am

Eagles Franchise has been in decline since 2009.. after those butt-whipping put on them by the Cowboys in those back-back losses to close out the McNabb Era.. 2010 was lucky and they caugh “lightning in a bottle” with Vic for that 6-8 week stretch in Mid-Season which actually hid the deficiencies of this Team (OL,Secondary,LB, & Special Teams Play) and here we are in 2013 and the same areas of need and updgrade are the same but now you can add DT, WR,TE and possibly QB to the list of Needs
Organization was on cruise-control the last few years and are now paying the price for 2-3 Poor drafts in the Row (2009 thru 2011) and poor acquisitions thru Free-Agency (Asmo,R Brown,S Smith, VY) instead of Developing young talent to grow with the team for the long-term…and of course, questionable Coaching Hires… but now Chip is in Town with a clean slate to work with.. but it is goiing to take some time (2-3 Years minimum) to rebuild this Team as a legitimate Super Bowl Contendor.. They may be able to compete in the weaker NFC East for a 9-7/10-6 Record to make the Playoffs.. but they are way behind to the Top 6-8 Teams in the NFC Conference right now ..

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 10:45 am
Reply to  paulman

you are exactly correct those butt whippens were teh beginning of the end. they did not stay pat they tried something different and it was even worse. my point was stating that you claimed complacency i think it was the exact opposite. they changed their value system… old FA’s, a consistent approach to O and D line…for gimmicks… that was a complete overhaul not staying pat!

daggolden
daggolden
January 30, 2013 10:51 am

DCAR the reason the Eagles are closest team to win championship is because all the teams need to be rebuilt and the Eagles have started the process already. The Flyers acutally have a few young players but as I stated before they just cant get it right nothing ever changes with thier philosophy hence the 40 years and counting. Phillies have had thier run and need to reboot and the NBA you have to hit the lottery multiple times.

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 11:23 am

the phils are 3 ‘ifs’ from contention the eagles are about 30 ‘ifs’– including ‘if they find a qb’ and ‘if their coach can do it in the nfl’ and ‘if they draft 7 defensive players that can play’

DCar
DCar
January 30, 2013 2:15 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

NO, the Phils aren’t 3 ifs from anything! There entire roster are ifs, 3/5 of the rotation are ifs, the entire bench are ifs. The only givens are Hamels & Papelbon. What are you smoking?

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 2:25 pm
Reply to  DCar

howard is not an if… he should bounce back to play 1b after the injury, 35 hr, 115-120, utley is an if, rollins will hit .270, 20 hr, 30 sb, 100 runs (THAT IS A GIVEN), young…. i have him as an improvement, ruf IF can hit 25 hr, 85 rbi, CF is fine not great .290, 40 SB’s and righfield blows. the other big if is halladay. they did a great job with BP which really cost them. as i’ve said they are not the favorite, they need some breaks and those 3 big ifs

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 3:02 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Domonic Brown breaks out big time in 2013
Bats 317, HIts 21 HR with 79 RBI’s, Steals 24 Bases and scores 92 Runs,
He only makes 2 Errors in RF all Season while throwing out 21 Base Runners at 2nd/3rd & Home to lead the NL in Assists..

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
January 30, 2013 11:45 am

So the team closest to winning a championship is the team that has never won a championship?

The Flyers have a young nucleus of talent to build around including a captain who is one of the most skilled players in hockey. What do the Eagles have to build around?

What are you talking about with the Flyers trading their young talent. The team as a whole got much younger in the last couple of off-seasons. At least with key positions. They could have moved Coots, Schenn to try to get a vet player but they didn’t. They moved JVR but for a position of need. Richards and Carter both went for younger players and draft picks. If you want to say that their FA signings haven’t worked out fine, but trading away young talent is what the Phils do. The problem with the Flyers is that they cannot develop a goalie, so they have been chasing one for years.

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 11:56 am
Reply to  bugsyhawk

what young talent has the phils traded? none of the people traded in the last 4-5 years have really done anything– yet in those trades they got doc, lee, aumont….in baseball trading prospects or should i say trading FOR prospects is no guarantee.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
January 30, 2013 1:34 pm
Reply to  haveacigar

Please don’t put effin Aumont on your list to try to prove a point. Aumont blows. Can I go back 6 years, because Gio and Gavin Floyd are pretty good though Gio may be a little enhanced according to reports?

And in any sport trading for prospects doesn’t always work out.

bugsyhawk
bugsyhawk
January 30, 2013 1:36 pm
Reply to  bugsyhawk

They shoulda got Brandon Morrow in that deal for Lee.

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 2:06 pm
Reply to  bugsyhawk

gio i think was gillick. you have to give up something to get something. ‘shoulda got’? you make deals based on certain value numbers etc… you don’t know that morrow was on the table.

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 2:10 pm
Reply to  bugsyhawk

6 years ago was 2007 dickwad…they went to the playoffs 5 straight years, 2 WS appearances with one win… so what that they traded gio and floyd… they f.ing WON a lot in those years!

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 12:40 pm

**Phils sign Utility IF Yunelisky Betancourt to a Minor-League Deal and I would not be surprised to see him make the big Club and possibly be the Opening Dy 2B as Chase Utley waits to late May/June to return to the field again..
Had some good Seasons with the Brewers, is versatil and play 2B/SS and even 3B with some pop in his Bat though he’s a wild swinger up at the Plate and Strikeouts too often..

paulman
paulman
January 30, 2013 12:45 pm

Phils 2013 Season is contingent that 4 Players perform close to their Career #’s/Stats or at least to 90% of their Career Productions #’s
That’s Utley,Howard and Doc.. If All 3 bounce back and have solid,consistent Seasons, the Phils will battle for a Wildcard Spot and Battle to the end .. If 1,2 or all 3 continue their decline, have injuries, miss a lot of games or simply put don’t perform close to Career #’s, then his 2013 Phillie Team will struggle to make the Playoffs and enup with about 85 Wins which will not be good enough to make the Post-Season

haveacigar
haveacigar
January 30, 2013 3:44 pm

That would certainly help. The big problem people talk about the aging roster but really if brown and Mayberry had stepped up last year would have been different. You need the youth in your system to produce….

lewdoggie20
lewdoggie20
January 30, 2013 4:30 pm

I think the issue for the flyers is the same as what Washington went through. High flying offence and then the same coach tries to tighten things up (to help bryzgalov) and it has hurt the offence. This team is young and will be streaky. I wouldn’t count them out of the pilaff offs yet but I also would not count them out of bottom 3 either. I think a different coach will be need before this team shines. There is gold at the end of the rainbow if the flyers have a top 5 pick this year. The draft is really strong for the top 5-7 picks.

timm00
timm00
January 31, 2013 6:15 pm

This is par for the course with Laviolette. He’s a turnaround guy, peaking early with a team – and then he can’t find ways to win a year or two after he tops out. If Holmgren doesn’t know this history nor expect it to be repeated, this will be a painfully long, shortened season with minimal cause for optimism.

paulman
paulman
February 1, 2013 11:53 am

Flyers Coach Laviolette = Former NBA Coach Larry Brown ..
Good for Turnarounds and quick Success, then fades out and Players begin to tune him out, as his System becomes stale .,.