Having been unable to travel to Tampa Bay for tonight’s match-up (and thus no post-game quotes), I am stealing Micah’s format for my thoughts on the Flyers’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Lightning.
What I Liked…
- Witnessing James Van Riemsdyk earn his first Gordie Howe Hat Trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight). He hasn’t been on the scoreboard for the last five games or so, but he’s been putting in a decent work ethic in that span and it was nice to see him rewarded for his efforts. For the record, his fight against former Flyer Randy “Human Turnstile” Jones in defense of Claude Giroux was the first of his NHL career.
- Coach Peter Laviolette completely revamping the team’s playing style to counterattack the Lightning’s 1-3-1 neutral zone trap style in the first period. It didn’t prevent the Lightning from outshooting the Flyers 12-4, but it slowed down the game to where they could contain their opponents to low percentage shots.
- Darroll Powe scoring a beautiful goal on a penalty shot. Powe has been getting more press lately, but he’s about as valuable a Flyer as any member on the team for awhile. He has stepped into Ian Laperriere’s role without a hitch and leads the team in hits.
- Brian Boucher stonewalling Stamkos in the shootout, as well as the bulk of the Lightning. His counterpart in Dwayne Roloson was fantastic as well.
What Needs Improvement…
- While goaltender Brian Boucher did not play badly, I was surprised that Lavi didn’t test Sergei Bobrovsky. Boosh was solid in net, as two of the three goals he let in during regulation were deflections that were very difficult to stop, but the team hasn’t figured out which goalie to run with yet. I don’t mind heading into the playoffs with this tandem, but I’m not sold on it.
- Kris Versteeg looked out of step in his first game with the orange and black, but that should be expected. Not only has he never played with Mike Richards or Andreas Nodl before, but he was asked to play a different style than no one on the team has played before, and there was bound to be some confusion.
- As Micah mentioned to me during the game, this team’s low rate of success on the powerplay is serious cause for alarm. Laviolette has said in the past (paraphrasing here) that he believes with the level of talent on the ice, the powerplay would figure itself out. It hasn’t yet (though expect to see JVR on the point more with his slapshot), and it could be a factor in the playoffs.
- The team’s handling of Nikolai Zherdev. Laviolette always refers to his absence as a “numbers game,” but I would have rather seen him on a line with Mike Richards while Nodl bounced to the fourth line. I think the style of play they were implementing in the first period would have suited Zherdev well, as it was about getting players to build up speed heading through the neutral zone and then finessing the puck through the Lightning quagmire.
All in all, a win is a win. The team gains a valuable two points to distance themselves further from the Lightning and from the Pittsburgh Penguins (who they also have two games in hand on). The fact that the game went to a fourteen round shootout should tell you that this is a match-up that should have Flyers fans concerned come playoff time, but there is still time for the team to improve.
The Flyers continue their road trip down to Miami tomorrow night for a tilt against the Florida Panthers, followed by a swing back north to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Former Flyer Rod Brind’Amour will have his number retired in a pre-game ceremony on Friday.
I think the team handles Z this way because his stat line is 15G, 4A. You don’t get that without being seriously selfish. After all, everyone knows Briere sees the open player and shoots anyway, and he’s got 27/19. Everyone knows Carter’s philosophy is shoot first, look for teammates to celebrate with later, and he’s 26/24. How is it even possible to have three times as many goals as assists?
Another theory of mine is they’re keeping him out some because they have some interested trade partners and they don’t want him getting hurt.
Having said all that, I really wonder how it could be a numbers game if they keep rolling out Carcillo (4 points, leads the team in -) ahead of Z. What does Carcillo bring to the team? Nothing at all, except his ability to accidentally clobber Jeff Carter.
You may want to ask or check Reggie Leach for that answer Horatio…
Are you comparing Dan Carcillo to Bobby Clarke? Bobby Clarke was a hall of fame player, and Dan Carcillo is terrible, so …
… or did you mean compare Reggie Leach to Zherdev? I never got to see Leach play, but when I see Zherdev, I see someone trying to compile a highlight reel for himself so that next year he gets a big paycheck.
I don’t think Carcillo is terrible. He’s a decent fourth liner. I think the team re-signed him largely to see if he had scoring potential if given a more prominent role, but he hasn’t been played much over Shelley this year and hasn’t been given many minutes. That said, he’s gone after this season.