I'm liking the Farabee-Hayes-Konecny line. Farabee is an incredibly smart player. Reminds me of Couturier with a splash of Forsberg passing.
Aside from Couturier, the top line is struggling. Giroux hasn't done anything since the restart. However, the real issue is the bottom two lines which seem useless. I wish Frost would have been an option. You could put him on the top line and move Voracek down to make a feasible 3rd line. Losing Lindblom and Patrick really hurt the depth of the team.
The bottom lines seemed like their strength in the preliminary games. But they were outworking and out-defending everyone back then. The Isles are just a classic Flyers thorn - never mind the '70s, it is Trotz and Lamoriello now.
If we'd said second-round loss in October that would have seemed fine. And despite the #1 seed they might have been better off playing in April (even though it seemed like it might help them get Patrick back, and Lindblom may yet return).
Well, they weren't really a #1 seed, they were hot when the season was interrupted, but were still 4th when it was, winning three meaningless games to get the #1 seed doesn't mean they were the best team in the East. Still going into the season, we wanted playoffs and second round, we would have been happy with that. It was a weird season with Lindblom's illness and Patrick gone for the year. I think they squeezed the most our of the talent on the roster. Hart should keep getting better, there are still plenty of young talent on the team and in the system. I just wish they had a legitimate 100 point star on the top line. I love Giroux, but 1 goal in his last 26 playoff games, Danny Briere he is not.
The top four yearly salaries in order are Giroux, Voracek, Hayes and Van Riemsdyk, and all of those guys haven't done much in the playoffs (Voracek actually did have a decent series vs. the Canadians). They are kind of hamstrung by those salaries going forward, and if they don't produce, they won't win anything before the young players become expensive too and the cycle continues.
Yes, that's why I said "despite the #1 seed." Had they played in April it might have been a first-round loss to the #5 Penguins, but the lack of interruption and actual home games also could have helped.
The seed should still matter though, inasmuch as we got to play the 12th-best regular-season team and now we're playing #7. But the bubble does seem to have a levelling effect. Our success in the play-in games definitely raised my expectations but even if this series was 2-2 it was going to be a lot tougher to beat Boston or Tampa over 7.
This is what a five year rebuild looks like. The stars at the start begin to age out. Now the new wave is coming but it still needs time to mature. Rest assured that in two years time few opponents will relish coming into the WF building and having to face Hart behind Provorov, Sanheim, Myers & Co. The Flyers will need more fire power up front, down the middle. There is a lot of potential strength on the wings with all of the young guns in the organization. Again, like with the defensemen, two years to mature physically and to add some experience. The Flyers are becoming a force. It takes steps forward and patience.
Flyers stave off elimination with a crazy overtime win, where they took a 3-1 lead deep into the 3rd peried and the Islanders scored two quick goals to send it to overtime, where Hart made a couple great saves to keep them in it before Laughten ended it with a deflection of a Provorov shot.. They lost Couturier early in the game as he banged knees with Barzal and limped off the ice, and he was not able to return.
If Couturier is out for the next game or longer, I wonder if they bring up Frost, or maybe even Lindblom!
Of course you should xogfog!
Fantastic to see Lindblom in the lineup and smiling. Great win, Hart continues to be a revelation, Provorov continues to grow as the #1 D and we got 5 goals against a very stingy defensive team.
Two past Game 7's between the Flyers & Islanders
1975 - Flyers win on route to their 2nd Cup
1987 - Flyers take the dynasty Oilers to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, but cannot close the deal
This has already been a special year; let's keep it going!