Coming away from last night's 4-3 shootout loss to the Devils, it was hard to get a read on whether it was a glass half-full or half-empty night. I'm inclined to go with the latter, because there was a lot not to like from a Flyers' perspective, apart from the end score.
First, the positives:
* Sergei Bobrovsky played a strong game in net overall, despite yielding 3 goals on 39 shots in regulation and stopping just 1 of 3 in the shootout (an area where he struggled as a rookie las year). The one point the team managed to come away with was largely a result of Bobrovsky making about a half-dozen timely -- and sometimes spectacular -- saves. Otherwise, we might be deconstructing a 7-3 or 8-3 loss.
* The Flyers got goals from members of three different lines last night That will win a lot of hockey games. Despite being outplayed, especially in the second period, the Flyers managed to build leads of 2-0 and and 3-2. They were opportunistic on their scoring chances, at one point holding the 2-0 edge despite having just 11 shots to that point.
* Claude Giroux was once again a beast for Philly. He tallied the team's second goal (off a beautiful feed by Jaromir Jagr, who was given far too much time and space on the play by the Devils). Giroux also logged a game-high 27:04 of ice time and won 62 percent (16-for-26) of his faceoffs.
* Max Talbot continues to be an upgrade to the checking line in every department but faceoffs (although Talbot managed to go 7-for-13 in that department last night). His hustle and tenacity are most every game. Last night, he had one of the better offensive games of his career. He got two breakaways, getting robbed once by Johan Hedberg and earning a penalty shot on the second. On the penalty shot, Talbot moved in slowly from right to left, put a little head/shoulder deke on Hedberg and scored on the forehand for his fourth goal of the season.
* You have to keep in mind that the Flyers are still without Chris Pronger, and are racked by injuries to their forward corps. That can lead to some bumpy games, and the bottom line is that the club has taken 5 of 6 points in its last three games despite missing some key personnel.
* Zac Rinaldo crammed a lot of activity into his 2:24 of ice time. He scored his first NHL goal, with a nice finish off a perfect pass from fellow rookie Sean Couturier. He nearly had a second as well. In the first period, he crushed Adam Larsson with a huge hit that would have been highlight reel worthy except for the fact that left his feet a little and drew a charging penalty as a result.
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Now for the negatives from the game, which I'm afraid is a longer and more significant list:
* When a team holds a multiple goal lead at one juncture AND owns a third-period lead, nothing less than two points is acceptable. In Buffalo, the Flyers' lost 2/3 of their early 3-0 lead. Last night, they couldn't hold two-goal or one-goal leads. The goaltending was not to blame in either game. In fact, the play of Ilya Bryzgalov on Wednesday and Bobrovsky last night was largely what got the club their three points.
* That second period last night was one of the ugliest from a defensive standpoint -- defensemen and forwards alike -- that the team has played all year. In many ways, it was just as bad as the Winnipeg and Montreal (2nd and 3rd periods) games. The only difference was less damage got done on the scoreboard.
* The Flyers' blueline without Chris Pronger is a disaster area right now. Apart from Kimmo Timonen, who plays well virtually every night, the rest of the defensemen on whom the team relies heavily -- Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle and Andrej Meszaros -- have really come up small in the games since Pronger was lost. Each of these players deserves their own individual mention in the negatives section. Erik Gustafsson (offensive-minded, undersized rookie) and Andreas Lilja (6th/7th defenseman) aren't ready/able to pick up the slack.
* Last night, the Flyers' had 18 giveaways, with 12 coming from the defensemen. That does not even count failed clears or pressured turnovers that did not get recorded as giveaways. Every time the puck goes into a defensive corner, you hold your breath unless Timonen is the one retrieving the puck.
* Coburn was charged with three giveaways last night and was all over the place -- not in a good way -- in his coverages and pinches. He was also guilty of a questionable hit of the type that the NHL has been suspending players for this season, finishing the check up around the head. For the Flyers' sake, hopefully this one slides through because no harm was done and play simply continued.
* Defending Barry Ashbee Trophy winner Meszaros has been one of the team's biggest disappointments in the early going. His positional play and puck management have been questionable in all three zones. In addition, right now, he couldn't shoot a puck from the point into the Delaware River. Even when he has a wide open shot and a good angle, everything is going wide.
* Carle did not play that badly overall last nigh (at least in comparison to Coburn and Meszaros) but he directly caused the Devils' third goal by trying to go up the middle on a breakout. The puck was turned over and David Clarkson went in and scored with 6:35 remaining in regulation. That was an awful play at the worst possible time.
* Perhaps Ilya Bryzgalov might consider using a little of his massive salary to get early Christmas presents for Wayne Simmonds and Meszaros. Both guys could use the same iPad compass that Bryz did to find his way out after being "lost in the woods." Simmonds has been scuffling pretty much ever since the game against Los Angeles.
* The Flyers injury woes continue to mount. James van Riemsdyk (lower body injury) was a late scratch from the game, and is considered day-to-day. At one juncture of the game last night, Jaromir Jagr went up the tunnel with trainer Jim McCrossin but he soon returned to the ice, and played fine.
* Danny Briere looked out of sorts in his first game back after missing the previous two with a ribcage issue. His timing was way off. Afterward, he gave his usual honest assessment. He said, "It was a battle; I am not going to lie. There are going to be games like that, not having played and practiced with the team in the last week kind of caught up to me a little bit at times.”
* In the games since Pronger was lost to the eye injury, the Flyers are now 1-for-22 on the power play. When I asked Peter Laviolette about the power play after last Saturday's game, he vehemently insisted that the team was still doing just fine in that department. It hasn't helped of course that Briere and others have also been out, but there are clearly some adjustments needed right now. It starts out on the points but the guys down low (especially Simmonds) need to do a better job of getting to loose pucks.
Also, the Flyers need their "money players" to snipe a few on the man advantage. Jagr had three good looks at the net from inside the NJ box last night, shanking one shot attempt, getting snuffed out by a block on another and simply missing the net on the third.
* Peter Laviolette's game management last night left a whole lot to be desired. I'm not blaming the coach for the outcome of the game, but I don't think his personnel management last night was very good, either in the short-term perspective of the game or the bigger picture.
I know why he overused the top forward line and Timonen -- there was no real other choice with others banged up and so many defensemen struggling. But a) the team is in the midst of three-game-in-four night stretch, and b) doing that has a cumulative effect during the season, especially on an aging defenseman like Timonen.
There were opportunities to spread some minutes around, and Laviolette didn't do it. In particular, I didn't understand his use of Sean Couturier at all, either. He was one of the team's better players every time he hit the ice, and he only played 11:34 total. In the first two periods combined, Laviolette used Couturier for a total of 3:50 at even strength. Did the coach simply forget about him, especially during the second period? Suddenly, in the 3rd period and overtime, Couturier was out there a lot.
I thought Rinaldo earned himself a few extra shifts -- at least early in 3rd pd -- but the bench was shortened in the middle of a three-game in four night stretch. The Flyers never trailed in this game and only had to kill three penalties. So you can roll four lines a little bit more. When supporting players like Rinaldo plays 2:24 and Jody Shelley plays 1:16 (three shifts) in the second of back-to-back games, the veteran players can end up with no legs by the end of the second game.
Last but not least, I didn't understand why the coach picked Simmonds over Jagr for the shootout, Simmonds' preseason shootout success notwithstanding. On the one hand, you have a future Hall of Famer who has been red-hot of late. On the other, you have a role player who has been struggling. Which guy would YOU want to have shooting?
* These last two games have been a major grind. I'm concerned about the team's energy level going into Saturday's game against Columbus. That's a game that might be tough to get "up" for anyway.
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