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Flyers Gameday: 1/22/08 vs. New Jersey Devils |
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Notes, quotes and commentary on tonight's 7-3 loss to New Jersey:
* Coming into tonight's game, the Devils had the 28th-ranked powerplay in the NHL, while the Flyers had killed off 32 of their last 35 penalties. Obviously, those stats were rendered meaningless, as New Jersey scored five powerplay goals.
"They play a very simple powerplay. They shoot the puck a lot, and then try to outnumber you in front of the net," said Derian Hatcher after the game. "It hasn't been working for them too much lately, but they kind of took it to us tonight."
John Stevens credited the Devils for their work ethic, but also took issue with his own team. "To give up five powerplay goals means that you don't have enough urgency. We have to get in there and block shots. Tonight, we gave up the lanes."
On the Devils first powerplay, with the Flyers leading 1-0 on a Daniel Briere deflection seconds after a faceoff win, Philly actually got off to a great start on the kill. Derian Hatcher rocked a Devil with a solid check, Sami Kapanen cleaned up a rebound in front of the net and later nicely rode Jamie Langenbrunner off the puck. Next thing you knew, though, Johnny Oduya's point shot found the net. There was some question as to whether Kapanen screened Antero Niittymäki or Jim Vandermeer had gotten a piece of it and slightly deflected it, but the Flyers keeper said he saw it all the way.
On the second Devils powerplay, Niittymäki made terrific saves on Dainus Zubrus and Patrik Elias and seemed sharp as a tack. But then a blocked puck sat in between the skates of Kimmo Timonen and rather than staying in the butterfly, Niitty tried to get up. At that very moment, Jamie Langenbrunner put the puck through Timonen's legs and then through a five hole that wasn't there a fraction of a second earlier.
In both cases, the Devils made their own luck. From there, the Flyers' execution and confidence on the kill fell off the cliff.
The third goal, scored by Zubrus (who has scored half of his goals this season against his original NHL club), was a save that Niitty needed to make. Zubrus had time to stop the puck in the circle and shoot it past Niitty.
The fourth was a double miscue by the Flyers defense pairing of Randy Jones and Derian Hatcher. Jones got beaten by his man, Oduya (whom the Flyers made look like Bobby Orr tonight) and failed to seal off the passing lane. Hatcher, meanwhile, blew his coverage of the other side, putting his head down as though he thought Oduya was going to swing around the net.
The fifth one had the Flyers' killers looking totally unsure of themselves, and Niittymäki was hung out to dry with Devils buzzing the slot and Zach Parise walking in to score.
* The Flyers got the start they wanted tonight, but between springing a leak on the penalty kill and taking some bad penalties (Scottie Upshall in particular took two horrendous minors that proved costly), they started to get frustrated.
New Jersey thrives off other clubs' frustration -- although it usually stems from the Devils' team D, not their powerplay-- and from there, the Flyers ended up chasing the game.
"The Devils are extremely frustrating to play against, especially once they get the lead," Daniel Briere said after the game. "But up until the third period, everyone in our lockerroom felt we were right in the game. Going into the game, this was as confident as I've felt about our team going against the Devils."
The second period was played at more of the Devils' preferred tempo. Jeff Carter's deflection powerplay goal late in the second period at least should have given the Flyers some momentum, but the Devils came out the hungrier team in the third and Flyers' had two awful defensive breakdowns early in the period to seal the deal.
Another key turning point in the game: the Flyers' inability to capitalize on a lengthy 5-on-3 advantage when they were down 3-2 late in the first period.
"I was really excited about this opportunity," Stevens said. "I was kind of tired of hearing, "You guys are great, but here come the Devils.' But we made that fear come true. ... I don't buy the idea of a team getting in your head. You just have to go out and play."
* Riley Cote had a long, spirited fight with the much bigger Michael Rupp (against whom he gives up four inches of height and 20 pounds of weight). It was a good spot to fight.
Steve Downie's subsequent fight with David Clarkson was immensely entertaining and memorable for Downie's taunting and head-bobbing while Clarkson tried in vain to punch him, eliciting laughter from Jeff Carter and the Flyers' bench. Downie also got in a couple good shots early. But it probably wasn't a great time for Downie to go. He was at the end of a long shift (one of the Richards line's best of the game) and the stoppage of play was more to Devils' advantage than the Flyers at the moment.
By the way, during the Downie-Clarkson fight, Downie lost his hearing aid. Jeff Carter picked it up from the bench.
* Martin Brodeur had a pretty average night by his standards-- not bad by any means, but he didn't seem invincible. When the Flyers beat the Devils in the 2004 playoffs, they had some success shooting the puck directly at Brodeur's feet and collecting rebound goals on the other side of the net. They didn't score any that way tonight, but came close twice. When he's at the peak of his game, Brodeur gives up very few preventable second-chance opportunities.
* Rodney Pelley owned Jeff Carter in the faceoff circle tonight. Carter finished the game 4-for-17 in the faceoff circle and Pelley won all seven draws he took , mostly against Carter.
*The Flyers' hitting game went south after the opening period. Nearly half of their 13 hits came in the first period, which was also Philly's best in terms of generating pressure. The Devils outhit the Flyers 19-13. In addition, the Devils blocked four shots in the first period, six in the second and four in the third. Philadelphia had seven blocks for the game. That combination of stats is usually a losing one for Philly -- when the club is winning, they're the ones who outhit the opposition and block more shots.
* Simon Gagne had several good scoring chances tonight against Brodeur, including one where it looked like he had plenty of net to shoot at. He just couldn't bury one in this tilt.
* I commented after the Ottawa game on Sunday that I thought Jim Vandermeer was one of the few Flyers who turned in a subpar performance. He struggled against the Devils tonight as well. Vandermeer blocked three shots, but was beaten on several ocassions, got himself out of position and was not very good on the penalty kill tonight.
While the Jones-Hatcher coverage gaffe on the fourth Devils goal is getting most of the postgame attention, I thought Vandermeer had the weakest game on the Flyers' D tonight on a shift-by-shift basis. Vandermeer was also one of the culprits on Parise's goal at 32 seconds of the third period, which all but made a comeback impossible.
***
The Flyers (26-15-2-3, 57 points) are at home tonight for a crucial Atlantic Division showdown against the New Jersey Devils (27-17-2-1, 57 points). The winner of the game will leapfrog the idle Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the division. Antero Niittymäki and Martin Brodeur will start in goal.
Tonight's tilt marks the second of six straight home games for the Flyers, who are 9-1-1-0 in their last 11 games and have recorded points in 12 of the last 13. The lone regulation loss came against the Devils.
New Jersey has won three straight games agains the Flyers and three of the four meetings this season. The Flyers are 3-12-4 in the last 19 regular season games they've played against New Jersey.
Philly is hoping the presence of Simon Gagne (the team is 12-3-1 with him in the lineup), the white hot play of the Mike Ricards line, the club's tremendously improved scoring depth and increased focus on team defense will enable them to play with the lead against the NHL lowest-scoring (115 GF) and hardest-to-score-against (109 GA) club.
It is extraordinarily difficult to play from behind against the Devils, so it's crucial that the Flyers remain patient and play from in front or with the score tied. Meanwhile, the Flyers sport a gaudy 11-1-1 record when leading after one period and a gaudy 22-1-0 mark when leading after 40 minutes. Of course, solving Martin Brodeur is always a tough challenge.
The first period is especially critical. Although the Flyers have markedly improved their play in the opening 20 minutes, it is still the only period in which the club has been outscored by their opponents (39 GF, 41 GA). The Flyers hold a 65-53 scoring edge in the second period and a dramatic 48-29 edge in the third period.
As well as the Flyers have played at even strength of late, special teams has been their strongest suit. The powerplay has connected at a 38% clip (15 for 40) over the last eight games. The Flyers have also killed off 32 of 35 penalties (an 86% success rate) over that span.
The hottest line in the NHL continues to be the combination of Scott Hartnell, Mike Richards, and Steve Downie.
Hartnell has 10 goals and 14 points in his last seven games. In his last eight tilts, Richards has 10 points (3 G, 7 A). A true model of consistency, Richards has not gone more than three straight games without a point this season and has only gone back-to-back games without a point twice. Downie has points in four straight games, and eight points (3G,5A) over the last eight games.
Another Flyers' forward to watch closely tonight: Jeff Carter. Throughout his young career, he has struggled mightily in his 19 games against New Jersey -- one goal, three points, minus-nine, 42.8% faceoff percentage, and 2.3% shooting percentage (43 shots) against Brodeur. On the flip side, Carter has points in seven of his last eight games. He's only scored one goal in his last six games, however.
After tonight, the Flyers and Devils will meet again on March 28 in New Jersey and on April 4 at the Wachovia Center.
The Flyers' probable line combinations and scratches for tonight:
Forwards
R.J. Umberger - Daniel Briere - Simon Gagne
Scott Hartnell - Mike Richards - Steve Downie
Scottie Upshall - Jeff Carter - Mike Knuble
Riley Cote - Jim Dowd - Sami Kapanen
Defense
Kimmo Timonen - Jim Vandermeer
Braydon Coburn - Derian Hatcher
Randy Jones - Jason Smith
Goaltender
Antero Niittymäki
[Martin Biron]
Probable scratches:
Lasse Kukkonen (healthy)
Joffrey Lupul (spinal cord contusion, concussion)
Rory Fitzpatrick (hernia surgery)
Mike Rathje (LTI)
Note: The Flyers have reassigned Denis Tolpeko to the Phantoms. The rookie had been recovering from a shoulder injury.
***
The Flyers have a 2 PM press conference scheduled today in which Peter Luukko and Ed Snider will formally announce plans for a development project that could eventually see the historic Spectrum (the Flyers' home from 1967 to 1996, and home of the Philadelphia Phantoms ever since) demolished to make room for an entertainment complex.
The City of Philadelphia owns the land. However as part of the agreement to build what's now called the Wachovia Center (formerly known as First Union Center, CoreStates Center and, during its development days, Spectrum II) with private funds, the city granted Spectacor (now Comcast-Specator) development rights on the grounds.
At this point, it's unclear where the Phantoms will play their home games if the Spectrum is knocked down. The Flyers have expressed a desire to keep their AHL affiliate close by.
***
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