In a normal 82-game season, the Flyers would still have 35 games left to play at a comparable point in the schedule. The talk right now might be about how the club, devastated by injuries, has pulled together after a terrible start and numerous winnable games that ended up in regulation losses.
There would still be many ongoing concerns about the club's glaring weaknesses. Even so, there would also be some positive things (special teams play, recently revised forward lines gelling, callups performing well) that could provide hope that the gap just might be able to be closed to reach the playoffs.
Alas, in the lockout-shortened season, the Flyers effectively eliminated themselves from playoff contention weeks ago. The spate of four wins in their last five games is meaningless, although three of the wins came against playoff-bound clubs.
In tonight's 2-1 win over the Islanders, the Flyers were able to put together all of the elements that it takes to be successful in a low-scoring game. It may not have been the most entertaining of games -- especially in the middle stanza -- but the undermanned Flyers were the better team and deserved the win.
The Flyers two goals came from Danny Briere and Oliver Lauridsen. Briere's power play goal, scored in what very well may be his final home game as a Flyer, broke a 20-game goal drought. Half of his six goals this year came against the Islanders. Briere's tally completed a nice passing sequence from Simon Gagne to Brayden Schenn and from Schenn to an open Briere on the doorstep.
Lauridsen, a defensive defenseman known primarily for his physical play, has scored goals in back-to-back games. His first NHL tally was a sheer fluke of an own goal in which Boston's Zdeno Chara put a dribbling backhander off goaltender Anton Khudobin and into the Bruins' net. This one was as legitimate as they come.
In my blog on the team's young defensemen the other day, I discussed how Lauridsen has a bomb of a shot from the point that is also rather accurate. The problem is that it takes him a lot of time to uncoil and fire the shot, so it is only really useful when other teams collapse down low and give him time and space. That was the case tonight. Brandon Manning made a quick D-to-D pass to Lauridsen, who had an uncontested shot that was an absolute rocket. He will never be a regular goal scorer or a power play defenseman but he'll make a few teams a year pay dearly for not respecting his ability to fire the disc.
Above all, the Flyers were able to methodically win a game on a night where they had a healthy array of scoring chances but just two that found the twine. There weren't enough games this year where the Flyers were able to do all of these things on the same night:
* They scored both on the power play and at even strength.
* They use their entire bench in a non-blowout game. Everyone but Jay Rosehill got double-digit ice time. Rosehill skated 7:02 over nine shifts.
* They won a game that went into the third period tied. Philly played a strong first period overall and then scratched out the win in the final period.
* The club's three Phantom callup defensemen (I'm excluding called-up veteran Andreas Lilja) all performed solidly.
* The Flyers excellent but overly busy penalty killing units only had to kill one minor on this night, which they accomplished with relative ease.
* Last but not least, they got a very strong performance in goal from Ilya Bryzgalov, who had to make about four or five tough stops among the 21 saves he made. There were a few breakdowns amidst long but Bryzgalov erased all but one.
It is a bittersweet feeling to see the Flyers winning now. That is not just because the team has lost for winning by decreasing their chances in the Draft lottery (they should still get a good player in this deep Draft class regardless).
Rather, it's because it feels like the team really isn't THAT far away from at least becoming a playoff team again. Philly managed to beat every team in the Eastern Conference at least once this year, even with the protracted schedule and the team's sub .500-record for most of the year.
Let's be realistic: The Flyers still have many key on-ice issues to address and some tough roster-planning decisions to make this off-season. Upgrading the blueline in a weak free agent market and managing the dropping salary cap for next year will be at the top of the list. Even so, there is reason to believe that many of the elements of a winning team are in place, and it will take both patience and honest self-assessment of the team's assets and needs to get back on track next year.
ODDS AND ENDS THROUGH A FLYERS LENS
* In a nice gesture for a player who has served the team well in many ways on and off the ice, fans near the Flyers' tunnel cheered Briere as left the ice at the end of the pregame warmup. He was the last player for either team to exit.
* The Flyers presented their annual team awards before the game. As expected, Jakub Voracek won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP. He also won the teammate-selected Pelle Lindbergh Award as the team's most improved player. Kimmo Timonen won his fourth Barry Ashbee Trophy as the team's best defenseman (and the player ,who is nursing a foot fracture, nearly slipped as he stepped onto the ice). Scott Hartnell won the Yanick Dupre Award for his rapport with the media; continuing an unofficial tradition of having a different player receive the award each year with no repeat winners. Zac Rinaldo won the Flyers' Fan Club-selected Gene Hart award for hard work, dedication and heart on the ice. Claude Giroux won the Toyota Cup as the player with the most three-star selection points.
* TSN announced tonight that four Flyers players -- Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read and Luke Schenn -- will represent Team Canada at the 2013 IIHF World Championships. After the game, I asked Voracek and Lauridsen if they had spoken to their respective national federations about playing in the tourney. Both confirmed they had. Voracek said he wants to focus first on Saturday's season finale in Ottawa and then will turn his attention to playing for the Czech Republic at the Worlds, assuming no injuries. Lauridsen said "nothing is set in stone yet" but he's spoken with Danish federation and would like to go.
* Apart from the six Flyers roster players, there are two Phantoms players who will be going to the Worlds for their respective countries. In a surprising announcement, Phantoms rookie Cal Heeter was named to Team USA along with Tampa Bay netminder Ben Bishop. There will be a third American goalie picked, who will likely serve as the second-string goalie (the one who dresses in games as the backup) to Bishop. Heeter will likely be the emergency third goaltender. In addition, Phantoms rookie forward Marcel Noebels will represent Team Germany.
*Making his NHL debut, defenseman Matt Konan played a solid 13:09 over 16 shifts. He kept things simple and played pretty much mistake-free. He also was credited with a pair of hits and a blocked shot.
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