Exactly -- Mason's narrative nationally is set. You don't even have to read the previews about him, you know what they're going to say already
- AllInForFlyers

Hockey loves its tropes, and its group think.

Yeah... Cam Ward's still riding out the glow from his rookie year (and some poop from Red Deer), for pete's sake. He's sooooo clutch.

Meanwhile, Steve Mason is a time bomb waiting to explode, and Devan Dubnyk is a complete lost cause.
- Tomahawk

Jonathan Quick might be headed down this path too. Outside of 2011-12, he has been a slightly above average starter but he's heralded as the second coming of Dominik Hasek.

That stuff baffles me. We talk about team-based play all the time, yet some guys get more credit or blame and some guys get less credit or blame, all the time -- not just in Philadelphia, but all over the league

How do Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, for example, escape all the criticism that Thornton and Marleau get? It's baffling
- AllInForFlyers

You have to look more closely than highlights and recaps. Look at Gagne, people see him as a clutch guy. His playoff PPG average is 0.54. Solid, not spectacular. Patrick Marleau, who idiots like JR shred on TV, averages 0.7 PPG in the post season....in other words, Marleau produces 0.05% better in the regular season, in terms of points than the playoffs. Meanwhile Gagne sees a drop of 0.21 in PPG in the playoffs.

Watching the games is paramount, using statistical analysis is very helpful, because quite honestly, what fans have time to watch every game for every team? I mean more power to you if you have the time to watch 4 or 5 NHL games a day, work a job and spend time with the family.

Happens to goalies too. Cam Ward has been about an average starting goalie throughout his career but partly because of his Conn Smythe, he has a $6.3m cap hit. That's only $575k less than Lundqvist's was before his recent extension. Also, Michael Leighton.
- NickTheKid87

Oh, yeah. Ward's rode it. Mike Smith is riding it a bit as well, after he took Phoenix to the WCF with his dominant performance a few years ago.

You have to look more closely than highlights and recaps. Look at Gagne, people see him as a clutch guy. His playoff PPG average is 0.54. Solid, not spectacular. Patrick Marleau, who idiots like JR shred on TV, averages 0.7 PPG in the post season....in other words, Marleau produces 0.05% better in the regular season, in terms of points than the playoffs. Meanwhile Gagne sees a drop of 0.21 in PPG in the playoffs.

Watching the games is paramount, using statistical analysis is very helpful, because quite honestly, what fans have time to watch every game for every team? I mean more power to you if you have the time to watch 4 or 5 NHL games a day, work a job and spend time with the family.
- Jsaquella

That's exactly why this stuff baffles me -- I watch far more hockey than I should, and I hear stuff like this all the time. It's just crazy, sometimes

For example: At this stage of their careers, Eddie Lack is Ryan Miller.

No disrespect to Miller, because Miller's still a good goaltender. But if Vancouver made that switch, they wouldn't see a huge difference. Miller's in decline, Lack's ascending.

Yet Miller gets the net in Vancouver. Period.

Oh, yeah. Ward's rode it. Mike Smith is riding it a bit as well, after he took Phoenix to the WCF with his dominant performance a few years ago.
- Jsaquella

MAF rode that train too for awhile but now he's probably underrated. Same goes for Ryan Miller after the Olympics and his 2009-10 season. He's underrated now too. TJ Oshie has been getting the attention that most stars get and he's been nothing more than a solid second line forward his entire career and only hit the 20 goal mark once.

Watching the games is paramount
- Jsaquella

Sometimes my face is so deep in the spreadsheets I can't even see the TV out of the corner of my eye -- that's if I have it on at all, because I've learned to just read the games encoded now, like the Matrix.

For example: At this stage of their careers, Eddie Lack is Ryan Miller.

No disrespect to Miller, because Miller's still a good goaltender. But if Vancouver made that switch, they wouldn't see a huge difference. Miller's in decline, Lack's ascending.

Yet Miller gets the net in Vancouver. Period.
- AllInForFlyers

Brodeur played 39 games last year and Cory Schneider played 45. Brodeur's sv% was .901 while Schneider's was .921. If his name wasn't Martin Brodeur, he wouldn't have even been in the NHL.

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 10/14/14 vs. ANA
- bmeltzer

Should be an interesting game. Both teams are similar in that they don't play for possession, but would rather concede possession and try to take away shooting lanes/block quality shots.

MAF rode that train too for awhile but now he's probably underrated. Same goes for Ryan Miller after the Olympics and his 2009-10 season. He's underrated now too. TJ Oshie has been getting the attention that most stars get and he's been nothing more than a solid second line forward his entire career and only hit the 20 goal mark once.
- NickTheKid87

I'd agree with some of that about MAF -- I kill that guy because it's fun and I like to do it, but even I'd admit that he's stabilized his game ever since the Flyers strafed him in the playoffs

He hasn't been the reason they've lost the last couple of years. I may never say that again because I like killing the guy, but there it is

Sometimes my face is so deep in the spreadsheets I can't even see the TV out of the corner of my eye -- that's if I have it on at all, because I've learned to just read the games encoded now, like the Matrix.





- Tomahawk

Agent Smith's PDO is high

That's exactly why this stuff baffles me -- I watch far more hockey than I should, and I hear stuff like this all the time. It's just crazy, sometimes
- AllInForFlyers

Some buzz words/phrases to be wary of are "warrior", "heart-and-soul", "meat-and-potatoes", "locker room presence", "clutch", etc.

Not saying that these words can't be applied to good players but when a player's only asset is his "locker room" presence, it needs to be questioned whether or not he should be on the roster.

Should be an interesting game. Both teams are similar in that they don't play for possession, but would rather concede possession and try to take away shooting lanes/block quality shots.
- bradleyc4

Anaheim's really good, but I do wonder if that holds up all the way to the Cup

MAF rode that train too for awhile but now he's probably underrated. Same goes for Ryan Miller after the Olympics and his 2009-10 season. He's underrated now too. TJ Oshie has been getting the attention that most stars get and he's been nothing more than a solid second line forward his entire career and only hit the 20 goal mark once.
- NickTheKid87

MAF did ride the line all the way out, going from overrated to underrated. He's also stabilized himself. He was solid the last couple o playoffs-not great, but solid.

The years he struggled he put up good regular season numbers and had things snowball on him in the springtime. One bad goal would turn into 3, and a bad game would turn into a lost series.

Some buzz words/phrases to be wary of are "warrior", "heart-and-soul", "meat-and-potatoes", "locker room presence", "clutch", etc.

Not saying that these words can't be applied to good players but when a player's only asset is his "locker room" presence, it needs to be questioned whether or not he should be on the roster.
- NickTheKid87

You're making David Clarkson very sad.

Should be an interesting game. Both teams are similar in that they don't play for possession, but would rather concede possession and try to take away shooting lanes/block quality shots.
- bradleyc4

After all the talk about zone entries and whatnot and the Flyers are still dumping and chasing more often than not.

I'd agree with some of that about MAF -- I kill that guy because it's fun and I like to do it, but even I'd admit that he's stabilized his game ever since the Flyers strafed him in the playoffs

He hasn't been the reason they've lost the last couple of years. I may never say that again because I like killing the guy, but there it is
- AllInForFlyers

In the regular season, MAF has been pretty much the same goalie his entire career. The playoffs are a different story. Aside from 2008, 2009 and 2014, his sv% has been under .900 in the playoffs. By that metric, last year was his second best playoff year (.915), with 2008 being the best (.933) and the Cup year in 2009 being his third (.908).

That stuff baffles me. We talk about team-based play all the time, yet some guys get more credit or blame and some guys get less credit or blame, all the time -- not just in Philadelphia, but all over the league

How do Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, for example, escape all the criticism that Thornton and Marleau get? It's baffling
- AllInForFlyers

Some guys are paid more than others too... Not that I completely disagree but a team usually needs it's star players to be star players.

Remember when all we did was worry about Rinaldo and how he would hurt this team. Is it me or as he actually played well outside of the penalty against Boston? He has actually been killing penalties too.

Should be an interesting game. Both teams are similar in that they don't play for possession, but would rather concede possession and try to take away shooting lanes/block quality shots.
- bradleyc4

Boudreau's a weird one... he just lets his stars do whatever they want.

On the other hand... Chief preaches structure, but the players still do whatever they want.

After all the talk about zone entries and whatnot and the Flyers are still dumping and chasing more often than not.
- Jsaquella

People may disagree, but I do not feel that you can win that way any longer

Even if you turn the puck over from time to time -- and you will -- you have to try to carry the puck, even against good teams.

Hell, especially against good teams. You give the puck to a team like Tampa, from what I saw last night, and Montreal too, they are just gonna skate the puck back and eventually, you are giving up quality chances and goals

Stamkos pumped TWELVE SHOTS ON GOAL last night. You can't let that happen. Because there's no way he's not gonna score. It's just not going to happen.

You have to try to keep the puck. It's not always going to work. But you have to try

My prediction for tonight

4-1 Flyers

Blair Jones energizes the building with a fight

Someone on the 4th line scores

Simmonds scores PP goal

Couturier and Voracek with goals

Remember when all we did was worry about Rinaldo and how he would hurt this team. Is it me or as he actually played well outside of the penalty against Boston? He has actually been killing penalties too.
- J35Bacher

He's done a very good job. Hopefully he can keep it up for the whole season.

Anaheim's really good, but I do wonder if that holds up all the way to the Cup
- AllInForFlyers

It didn't last year.