The Ended Flyers Thread

[bkeich]

And you also aren't factoring in players like Couturier, who is way above his shootout expectations. Or why his moves seem to be better than in years past.

True enough. Did you see Farabee's move also, that was very nice. That level of control of the puck is perfect for the shootouts.

Shootouts are always going to have a big "luck" portion to them, because even the best players are less than 40%, so if you get a little bad luck and your 3 all miss you are in trouble. Shootouts are also almost always a small sample size, if a team is in 8 a year the difference between winning 3 and winning 5 could get a team in the playoffs, but it could really be just a function of small sample size.

That said, I do think that goal tending was a portion of why the Flyers were bad at shootouts year after year. I also wonder if coaching has an issue, really, how much time does the coaching staff spending working with a few guys to give them "good" moves rather than just ones they like. I honestly dont know (nor do I know if our current coaching staff does any better).

[Florida_Sunshine]

My comment has nothing to do with stats or facts, it is just my observation that our shooters were lousy at the shootout.....

[Dirk41]

Even with the shootout loss, encouraging to hang with the Caps. That's a game that old Flyers teams seemingly lost 5-1 in the past.

[LegoDoom]

Morgan Frost being put on the top line is interesting, but has worked well early on.

This is just ridiculous:

[bigegypt0417]

it's interesting to see this franchise not afraid to bring up talent. this team has some really good talent coming through the system.

[xogfog]

the top three lines are now very interesting:

Giroux - Frost - Konecny
Lindblom - Couturier - Farabee
JVR - Hayes - Vorcek

If Patrick comes back, he'd be the 4th line center, and probably put together with Laughton and Raffl as his wingers.

That's a really good squad if it materializes.

[Austinfan]

They were never afraid of bringing up talent, Provorov, Patrick and Konecky were 19 year old rookies.
But some players take longer, both Sanheim and Myers have been inconsistent.

And different circumstances, Lindblom dominated the SHL at 20, but for a guy with average speed, there's a big adjustment to the smaller NA rinks.

A lot of the players they brought up this year had NHL bodies but weren't NHL ready, but outside of elite talents, a lot of players need a couple AHL seasons, not unlike ML players who repeat AAA ball to work on their skills.

[LegoDoom]

the top three lines are now very interesting:

Giroux - Frost - Konecny
Lindblom - Couturier - Farabee
JVR - Hayes - Vorcek

If Patrick comes back, he'd be the 4th line center, and probably put together with Laughton and Raffl as his wingers.

That's a really good squad if it materializes.

I agree, but have a minor gripe. I'm a big Couturier fan, but the 2nd line could use more speed. All of those players have a high hockey IQ, which should be spread out with skaters that have more speed and finishing moves. Maybe swap TK with Farabee?

[xogfog]

Well, the lines at practice today were different with Laughton returning.

Giroux - Frost - Konecny
Lindblom - Couturier - Voracek
Laughton - Hayes - Farabee
JVR - Raffl - Pitlick

Not sure if they'll use that in the game or not because that leaves no natural center on the 4th line, also would seem like a slat in the face to JVR but we'll know soon enough, they play Calgary this afternoon at 1:00pm.

They also placed Patrick on LTIR, but it is retroactive, so he will not have to miss any games if he is ready to come back, it was just a salary cap move.

[xogfog]

Don't look now but the Flyers are winning a lot of games, the just finished a hot November with a league best 24 points in the month, earning a point in all but 2 games.

Provorov coast to coast today in overtime to win it 31 seconds in...

https://twitter.com/NBCSPhilly/status/1200907942679191552

[phillychuck]

Great goal by Provorov. The point total isa bit misleading, isn't it? Didn't they play a league high number of games in November?

[xogfog]

Still points in all but two games in the month.. Tied for 4th most points in the league right now. They have played a lot of overtime games, already a couple more than last season.

[Austinfan]

November was a bit misleading, Hart/Elliott played out of their heads .927 save % between them.
Top guys were Couts, TK, Lindblom, Voracek, Farabee, Provorov and Braun.
Laughton returning reset the Hayes line which then took off, chemistry matters.
A lot of guys need to step up to sustain this pace, but with lines and D-pairs settling down, I won't be surprised if this happens, and kids like Frost need time to acclimate to the NHL.

[phillychuck]

I thought Voracek was pretty uneven in November--he was the worst player on the ice (turnovers killed him) too often, although his high points are still pretty high. Giroux hasn't hit his stride yet, either.

[Philsmania]

With the Eagles going belly-up and the Sixers seeming to be missing something, get ready for a rush of irrational exuberance about the Flyers.

[zambonir]

Heh, I've seen people already skip right to "pitchers and catcher report in...."

[Lawman]

I don't really follow hockey, so this is me.

[zambonir]

Yeah not enough people follow hockey. Unless the Flyers make a run at the top seed the bandwagon won't really turn up until May. Also for all the angst the Sixers are really the thing this year.

[Lawman]

In my defense, I'm not a bandwagon fan. I consider myself an unknowledgable fan of the Flyers. I'll pay attention to the series when they are in the playoffs, but even then that's about it.

[zambonir]

No judgment! And I'd say you just described 80% of the city. I say that as a huge hockey fan.