DENVER - Good effort by the Flyers. That's a positive because its good effort 2 games in a row. Yeah, they still can't win 2 in a row, but this was very good effort.
“It’s kinda stung us before,” coach JOhn Stevens told me. “We had some opportunities in the second period. A five-on-three. The power play got us going, we got a big goal. But we gave the home team a lead late in the period. It’s tough But I still felt we created chances right up until the end and had some near misses. That’s what we want to see. A fight to the end.”
Kimmo Timonen:
“We have to find a level where we play consistent,” he said. “We can’t play one good game and suck the next game. You won’t make the playoffs that way.
“We have been talking about that a lot. The way we won in Minnesota, we could win a lot of games playing like that. It’s a learning process, too. We have a lot of new guys.
“Coming together and playing the same way is not easy. It’s not a 10-game process. It takes time. We still have a lot to learn. But finding that consistent level is the key. If we do that and we’ll be fine.”
Danny Briere on effort:
briere
“All night I thought everybody played hard. We played a team that played extremely well defensively. The effort was there. It was a solid effort for 60 minutes. We didn’t back down. We kept coming. We were in the game to the end.”
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I have one question we all want answered. On the second goal by COlorado at the end of the second period, the Flyers had Jeff Carter and Mike Richards on the ice.
Why didn't Richards, the best faceoff man the Flyers have, take that draw? Carter lost it and it resulted in a hideous goal with 2.9 ticks left in the period.
Good break for the Flyers on Briere goal when Scott Parker broke his stick.
Too many Flyer turnovers in that first period, especially on the power play with entry passes and set-ups. Ruined chances.
We only saw the Kimmo Timonen pass to Mike Richards once here because of poor replays but it was a breakaway passed ruled offsides. Looked good to us from 180 feet away. That was on a power play.
Did we mention Marty Biron looks sharp. He's on his game tonight, thankfully.
"It was a very defensive period," Danny Briere said. "I think we turned a few puck over on the power play. It was a period where not much was happening yet. I think both teams not having the chance to see each other were just kind of studying themselves in the first period."
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DENVER _ He had a bruised foot suffered in yesterday's practice after he took a shot off the in-step.
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The subject was Bullies, goons and dirty plays and whether John Stevens' Flyers are anywhere near the image of Fred Shero's.
My personal take? Two eras, two different styles, and in the case of this year's Flyers, it's actually undisciplined play and in some cases, reckless hits.
Anyway, the Inquirer wanted an expanded view on tis topic. I talked to the usual suspects - people outside the Flyers I trust, who always have an opinion on the game - Brian Burke, Craig Button, Scotty Bowman _ and several others.
"You take LCB line they had in the 70s," Bowman told me. "That was the best line I ever coached against. It was the only line in my entire coaching career, I couldn't shut down and I had good players. People forget those Philly teams had skill. All they remember is the fighting."
Bowman says the Flyers have assembled the best team in more than a decade. He said the Flyers finally understand they needed more diversity in their players _ more skill.
Like so many people I spoke to, no one sees Stevens' club as New Age Bullies.
Sure, it's fun to say in the media and most of Canada has had a good run talking about the comparsions, especially on TSN. You can get an entire show out of the Flyers on TV.
The consensus is the Flyers had 4 really bad, really stupid penalties on reckless plays and one hit - Randy Jones _ that my panel thought was "a hockey play" gone bad.
Button said it best: Randy Jones is not an intimidator trying to hurt people on the ice. Does anyone seriosuly believe Randy Jones is Chris Pronger in disguise?
It was very, very late on Tuesday night when I called Burke.
"Don't ask me about Niedermayer, I'm not saying anything," Burke told me when he picked up the phone in his house.
This was 24 hours before Scott Niedermayer made it official he was rejoining the Anaheim Ducks.
I have alays enjoyed Burke's candor about the game. He also came up with one of the best lines I have ever heard said about me, as a reporter.
Back in the Lindros Era, when the Flyers and Lindros clan were fighting with each other, Burke and Bob Clarke would often talk about the media coverage in Philly.
Back then, the Flyers were very much convinced they could never get a fair hearing in the Inquirer as to their side of the story, no matter what the story might be that day.
"Panaccio thinks the Flyers found the cure for cancer and won't share it," Burke told a Canadian friend of mine.
I am often reminded of that remark when I go north of the border and end up at The Keg or some other fine establishment with the Toronto writers.
I have to laugh ...
"Anyone who says the Flyers are trying to re-create the 1970s, well, those suggestions are not reflective of what has happened there," Burke told me.
Here's the full story and link to today's Inky:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/20071207_THE_BULLIES_ARENT_BACK.html
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