I wasn't happy with Timmonen last night. He's such a smart player but over and over and over I watched him not contest a zone entry because he was worried he'd give away a break away. Unfortunately, everytime he was on the ice they could enter our zone like they were at the park chasing butterflies.
Don't get me wrong I adore Timmonen and he's a great player but last night was a really bad game for him.
- FlyersGrace

It's a tough series for him...hell, it's just a tough series for a lot of guys, but for a 39-year-old defenseman to be defending against guys like Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard...those guys can really skate or are really shifty with the puck.

It's just...just a tough series for a few guys, Timonen included. Tough series

Would not take that bet

Any of the three players could go nuts in a single game and light it up

But it is hard to do in the playoffs, the opponents game plan is to shut these guys down
- Marc D

i know. which is why i thought it was an interesting proposition. within 2 or 3 combined games, they could eclipse that. but then again, they might not break 3 or 4 combined.

id say you have at least 8 games left between the two series. Maybe more. if you were forced to take the over/under for combined goals of the three of them at 4.5, where do you (or anyone) lean?

I'm not saying Rinaldo can't touch the ice when the team is behind, but I would like to see them ride Giroux a little more. FWIW, the top line has scored goals with McDonagh on the ice at even strength in two straight games.
- PhillySportsGuy

Down 2 goals mid-way through the third period of a playoff game he shouldn't touch the ice.

For further information, please consult CSP's save on Hartnell
- Giroux_Is_God

I wasn't happy with Timmonen last night. He's such a smart player but over and over and over I watched him not contest a zone entry because he was worried he'd give away a break away. Unfortunately, everytime he was on the ice they could enter our zone like they were at the park chasing butterflies.
Don't get me wrong I adore Timmonen and he's a great player but last night was a really bad game for him.
- FlyersGrace

Agreed. Very tentative. Like you, I love Timonen, but I prefer the Flyers don't bring him back next year. Especially not for 6 million.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

The Flyers continue to play into the Rangers game plan. The game was completely dictated by the Rangers.

The Rangers gap control, defensive zone coverage, aggressive forecheck, tremendous defensive collapses and stellar shot blocking feel as though they're tailor-made to disrupt the Flyers specifically.

Claude Giroux
The Rangers have absolutely neutralized Giroux. He's getting clipped, chopped, slashed, held up, cross checked and outright interfered with nearly every time he's near the disc. Giroux, in turn, is focusing more on retaliation and exerting energy 'trying to draw' a penalty opposed to just playing his game. Giroux isn't the speediest of forwards and obviously not the strongest. When he dictates the play and slows the game down, he's able to work his creative magic and open up options. I haven't seen him play the game his way yet. Unless he's ready and willing to claw and scratch through the Rangers checkers I'm afraid he'll remain to be the player we've seen through 3 games. A decent player but not a dominant, all-star/superstar player with the ability to take over the game.

Officiating
I thought there were a couple obvious calls that weren't whistled. In particular one against Giroux who started a rush in the neutral zone and upon moving the puck to the left winger was absolutely clipped/interfered with as the line rush was developing. Another tragic missed call was a stick hold on Couturier by Staal as Staal was beaten along the boards. A pathetic 'even up' call was made later against Carcillo who I thought made a solid defensive play but was penalized for it.

Ray Emery
That first goal was tragic indeed. Bad goal. He almost made the save too but it really should have never happened. You either glove that cross or you let it whizz by. The Carcillo goal was a tough break but nothing I'd consider 'soft'.

Hartnell has been solid. Couturier as well. Voracek has been down right beastly.

Still kind of waiting for Read and Brayden Schenn to show me some something.

Unless the Flyers adjust and switch up their strategy this series is over very quickly. The Rangers have the book, bible and cliff notes on the Flyers and they're executing it perfectly.

Finally, the Flyers PP has been utterly dissected, studied and negated by New York. I say kill the umbrella look and switch it up. Let Voracek play the role of Giroux and qb it.

Would love to see Jake on the PK.
- Pixote Andolini

i agree with all of this except for hartnell. i think he's been lousy. he's a veteran of this team and needs to be more than a passenger taking penalties, letting pucks get by him in the neutral zone and sending horrible passes all over the ice. his literallly useless out there.

i would like to see a hell of a lot more from simmonds and read as well.

It's a tough series for him...hell, it's just a tough series for a lot of guys, but for a 39-year-old defenseman to be defending against guys like Rick Nash, Carl Hagelin and Mats Zuccarello, Derek Stepan and Derick Brassard...those guys can really skate or are really shifty with the puck.

It's just...just a tough series for a few guys, Timonen included. Tough series
- AllInForFlyers

You really have to be jealous of the Rangers' blueline... everybody's got size, speed, sacrifice, puck-moving ability and experience.

[quote=MidnightMarauder]A player, getting hit at or near the head, can't have their reaction be judged too much.

Read's hit wasn't vicious just as Neal's wasn't on Giroux, in Game 3, but Giroux looked like Mike Tyson caught him with a right hand after that bump.

/quote]


I dont remember Giroux laying on the ice for a minute. There is one thing emphasizing the hit, and there is another to just completely make this a soccer match.

When in doubt, make sure you blame your team's best player. Bonus points for if said player is one of the league's best and if you come up with a catchy nickname to mock him when things go sour, because he's obviously not trying hard enough

*Page 1, Paragraph 1 of "How to Be a Fan of Philadelphia Sports"
- AllInForFlyers

Aren't top players of other teams, playing against top shutdown defenseman, in the playoffs? And aren't they effective players, in doing so? If Giroux is going to be among the elite players in the League, and not saying he isn't. Then he is going to have to play well, and produce against top defense pairs. And if the Flyers are going to be successful both now and in the future, as a team, then that has to happen. Giroux has always been a very good player in the playoffs. So I'm really expecting him to bust out sooner then later.

A player, getting hit at or near the head, can't have their reaction be judged too much.

Read's hit wasn't vicious just as Neal's wasn't on Giroux, in Game 3, but Giroux looked like Mike Tyson caught him with a right hand after that bump.

Regardless, I think Carcillo will never get the benefit of the doubt, from the officials, but that is a bed he knows he made for himself.

The officials have not been consistent, at all, in this series. Yes, the Flyers have been called for some suspicious penalties but the Rangers have as well. The Flyers need to be more disciplined but this is not a new issue for them; weren't they the most penalized team in the league this season?
- MidnightMarauder

I believe the Flyers also drew the most penalties during the season as well. And let's face it, the Rangers are no saints, so there's no reason they should have had, going into last night's game, 3 times as many PP opportunities as the Flyers.

There were definitely bad calls for both, but the 1st penalty of the night against Simmonds was atrocious, and only occurred because Dorsett took an NYU acting class prior to the start of the game. And I'm hoping the officials have finally taken note of the Rangers propensity to exaggerate hits. If anything, Rangers should be in the box a bit more often for theater on ice.

I don't know that I would call them the best shutdown tandem in the League, but they are certainly very good. And Lundqvist is a top goalie. But Giroux is not getting it done in this series. He's not even been a factor in getting quality chances. And the Flyers are not going to go far in any series, with Giroux not playing well. He is the Flyers offensive catalyst. And he's not getting it done. Either at ES or on the PP. He needs to be much better. I'm not going to say he's not a top player, because he obviously is. But he's just having a bad series. And if the Rangers go on, we'll see top players and top lines score against Girardi and McDonagh. And we'll see that they're not invincible.
- MJL

he's flat out sucked. simple as that. and he's sucking at at time when he can't.

I believe the Flyers also drew the most penalties during the season as well. And let's face it, the Rangers are no saints, so there's no reason they should have had, going into last night's game, 3 times as many PP opportunities as the Flyers.

There were definitely bad calls for both, but the 1st penalty of the night against Simmonds was atrocious, and only occurred because Dorsett took an NYU acting class prior to the start of the game. And I'm hoping the officials have finally taken note of the Rangers propensity to exaggerate hits. If anything, Rangers should be in the box a bit more often for theater on ice.
- wolfhounds

Ah yes, I'd be curious to know if the league is following up on these embellishment calls. Stewie's Neal blog talked about suspensions handed out after so many embellishment calls. I wish they'd enforce it!

You really have to be jealous of the Rangers' blueline... everybody's got size, speed, sacrifice, puck-moving ability and experience.
- Tomahawk

They have 3 defenseman who would be our best defenseman.

A player, getting hit at or near the head, can't have their reaction be judged too much.

Read's hit wasn't vicious just as Neal's wasn't on Giroux, in Game 3, but Giroux looked like Mike Tyson caught him with a right hand after that bump.

Regardless, I think Carcillo will never get the benefit of the doubt, from the officials, but that is a bed he knows he made for himself.

The officials have not been consistent, at all, in this series. Yes, the Flyers have been called for some suspicious penalties but the Rangers have as well. The Flyers need to be more disciplined but this is not a new issue for them; weren't they the most penalized team in the league this season?
- MidnightMarauder

When the player getting hit near the head has Carcillo's well deserved reputation for theatrics and embellishment, they will get judged. Especially considering that Carcillo was immediately back on the ice.

Flyers fans had two years of his nonsense...whipping his head back and acting like his eye was out when a stick missed him by two feet and the refs know his act as well.

The Flyers need discipline in avoiding penalties, for sure. But they need to be more disciplined in their play, too.

I understand that nobody wants to blame Emery, the point is that a good goalie may stop that shot. May have kept the Flyers in that game. In a defensive series like this one. You need better than average goaltending and IMO the Flyers havent recieved that to this point. We are lucky to be only down 1 game because of that fact.
- GOA88

he was part of the loss last night, no question. that first goal....the flyers are playing with energy, it's early, the building's rocking...garbage goal that should never happen. i feared it, it happened, and the rest was predictable as could possibly be.

mason will be ready.

that said, the flyers need to wake the (frank) up and figure out how to get decent chances on goal. 48 attempts missed the net or were blocked. that's insane. csp gets lucky on two plays and stops the rest. they have to make life miserable for him, and right now they're not paying the price to do that.

Aren't top players of other teams, playing against top shutdown defenseman, in the playoffs? And aren't they effective players, in doing so? If Giroux is going to be among the elite players in the League, and not saying he isn't. Then he is going to have to play well, and produce against top defense pairs. And if the Flyers are going to be successful both now and in the future, as a team, then that has to happen. Giroux has always been a very good player in the playoffs. So I'm really expecting him to bust out sooner then later.
- MJL

giroux has played well much more often than not in the playoffs over the course of his career. but now that he is reaching that next level status in prominence, he's going to have to learn how to deal with it. im not claiming to be a black and white thing, where a player either gets it or he doesnt. crosby has one of the best playoff PPGs ever, and malkins cup run was something like the highest total of points in pushing 2 decades. and neither of them right now are exactly tearing it up. I know crosby may be averaging over a point per game or whatever, but he really hasnt exactly asserted much influence over the games.

and jack johnson is much easier to go against than ryan mcdonaugh. it happens. people want to say that the stars get the benefit of the doubt all the time for calls, but in the playoffs, i think it almost tilts the other way.

Flyers fans had two years of his nonsense...
- Jsaquella

"You're going to love him."


uh, no

They have 3 defenseman who would be our best defenseman.
- PhillySportsGuy

Worst thing is, they spend a little over $19M for their entire group, and the Flyers are closer to $30M.

I believe the Flyers also drew the most penalties during the season as well. And let's face it, the Rangers are no saints, so there's no reason they should have had, going into last night's game, 3 times as many PP opportunities as the Flyers.

There were definitely bad calls for both, but the 1st penalty of the night against Simmonds was atrocious, and only occurred because Dorsett took an NYU acting class prior to the start of the game. And I'm hoping the officials have finally taken note of the Rangers propensity to exaggerate hits. If anything, Rangers should be in the box a bit more often for theater on ice.
- wolfhounds

To be fair the disparity in power plays, in the first two games, is a little distorted. The Flyers took three senseless penalties at the end of Game 1; penalties that were way too obvious to dismiss by these suspect officials.

If the Flyers didn't go the cheap route late the man advantage comparison is only 3-1 Rangers. More so, that Akeson double minor call was a no brainer. Of course calls were missed, on both sides, but that's how it goes unfortunately.

Game 2 the Flyers took some undisciplined penatlies again. Yes the Rangers got away with a few indiscretions but Philadelphia did as well.

Game 3 was evenly and poorly officiated all the way through.Officials aren't the reason why the Flyers are trailing in the series and the series is still very much up in the air as of now.

Their top players needs to be better and Mason needs to stand tall in net for the Flyers to have a chance.

Is Downie done for the year? What's his deal?
- eayost

another Homer trade gone bad

Worst thing is, they spend a little over $19M for their entire group, and the Flyers are closer to $30M.
- Tomahawk

Home grown. Its nice to have the luxury of banging out a long term deal while the player still has rfa years left. Those rfa years will keep the cap hit down.

Flyers are always forced to sign guys at peak performance on the open market.

When the player getting hit near the head has Carcillo's well deserved reputation for theatrics and embellishment, they will get judged. Especially considering that Carcillo was immediately back on the ice.

Flyers fans had two years of his nonsense...whipping his head back and acting like his eye was out when a stick missed him by two feet and the refs know his act as well.

The Flyers need discipline in avoiding penalties, for sure. But they need to be more disciplined in their play, too.
- Jsaquella

Not defending Carcillo, believe me, I know what type of player/agitator he has been.

But these days head hits aren't to be taken lightly; regardless of the impact or the person on the receiving end of said hit. Read won't get suspended and I am ok with that decision. Read's not that kind of player and Carcillo is not hurt; as evidenced by the myriad of memes and photos with Carcillo's eccentric goal celebration soon after this incident.

Home grown. Its nice to have the luxury of banging out a long term deal while the player still has rfa years left. Those rfa years will keep the cap hit down.

Flyers are always forced to sign guys at peak performance on the open market.
- PhillySportsGuy

Only Staal was drafted by them... Girardi was homegrown. But the rest of the guys were smart trades and UFA signings.

Edit: the only solace I take from their blueline is knowing that guys like Skjei and McIlrath look like busts.

I'm working on my self control, but still sometimes my language can get a bit salty when I get riled up. It's a character flaw for which I apologize.
- Scoob

my wife thinks I have hockey tourettes

Pens blogger talking about them needing to win game 4 to get rest for the next round. Really??!