He better be...but I doubt it. Yandle or Myers please
- 3flyerkids

I'd pass on both.

I have to agree that being 4-3-2 at this point is a good position to be in especially playing against teams with a combined record of 49-23-11.

Schultz and MDZ have been pleasant surprises.
Voracek really did play like a superstar last night.
I like Ghost a lot, but he was clearly outmuscled several times last night, having said that his puck skills and skating are really good.
Couts doesn't look outstanding on the ice at times, but almost every game the other teams best lines don't seem to score much. That says something to me about how great a player Couts really is.
- ManCity

Ghost will forever be outmuscled. I think he has done well for his first couple games, considering the competition And his partner

He should go back down once we get healthy, but it's clear he's a big part of the future

I'll save my snarky Brayden Schenn comments for another day. He scored and won the game. It was good to see.

Also: Why was Mike Richards talking with the refs during the replay? I thought that sort of thing was only allowed for captains or assistant captains? I'm not trying to slag Richards (I'm still a big fan).....but I did think that was sort of a rule that only the captain or assistant could participate in those conversations.

Ghost will forever be outmuscled. I think he has done well for his first couple games, considering the competition And his partner

He should go back down once we get healthy, but it's clear he's a big part of the future
- Just5

Gostisbehere's partner isn't an issue. I think the kid is competitive, and once he grows a little, he'll be able ot hold his own in physical battles. But he'll never be a player that knocks people of the puck.

I don't think they're quite talented enough to sustain this type of play. It's early but I can't see playing Del Zotto for 26 minutes a night being a regular thing because if it is, they'll probably get burnt more often than not. I still think this is a middle of team but it's good to see that it is possible for them to be defensively responsible.
- NickTheKid87

Agreed. This team will be forever prone to the kind of night they had against Chicago unless they clean this up.

On the other hand, I'd rather they be in the position they are in now vice the position they were in this time last year.

I'd pass on both.
- MJL

Either one would be a much needed upgrade on the back end. IMO Laughton would not be much of a drop off from B Schenn.

Ghost will forever be outmuscled. I think he has done well for his first couple games, considering the competition And his partner

He should go back down once we get healthy, but it's clear he's a big part of the future
- Just5

Only 7 dmen face lesser competition than Ghost (Hillen, Robak, Pardy, Ballard, Moore, Schmidt, Postma) so, IMO, he leaves something to be desired considering the competition. However, it's only been two games so sample size is a real issue. I agree that he should be sent back down when everyone's healthy. Maybe even sooner. They're being very prudent with him and I love that.

Agreed. This team will be forever prone to the kind of night they had against Chicago unless they clean this up.

On the other hand, I'd rather they be in the position they are in now vice the position they were in this time last year.
- johndewar

I'm of the opinion that most if not all NHL teams can beat any other NHL team when the former is at their best. The Flyers are no exception. What separates the good from the bad is the consistency. The Flyers give me no reason to believe the last stretch is sustainable, just like their shoddy place in the first 4-5 games wasn't sustainable. I think they'll do this a lot this year - reel off 3 or 4 good games followed by 3 or 4 bad games.

I'm over the opinion that most if not all NHL teams can beat any other NHL team when the former is at their best. The Flyers are no exception. What separates the good from the bad is the consistency. The Flyers give me no reason to believe the last stretch is sustainable, just like their shoddy place in the first 4-5 games wasn't sustainable. I think they'll do this a lot this year - reel off 3 or 4 good games followed by 3 or 4 bad games.
- NickTheKid87

Yeah, I agree. Their 5v5 problems have not left the building. I think the ceiling for this team is what they did last year and that's about it.

Gostisbehere's partner isn't an issue. I think the kid is competitive, and once he grows a little, he'll be able ot hold his own in physical battles. But he'll never be a player that knocks people of the puck.
- MJL

L Schenn was the only flyer that was just bad last night. When he plays, many times he stinks

nice win,. very exciting entertaining game...what a blessing emery has been

L Schenn was the only flyer that was just bad last night. When he plays, many times he stinks
- Just5

Ghost was much worse than LSchenn. Schenn was not at fault for the 2nd goal.

Ghost was much worse than LSchenn. Schenn was not at fault for the 2nd goal.
- Feanor

I thought the forwards were more at fault than the defenseman. It was the trailing player who ended up scoring the goal. Also, the forwards were the ones who allowed a clean 3 on 2 from the opposite blue line in.

I like wins

I like wins
- BulliesPhan87

I like like wins.

Overall, a very nice game. They absolutely dominated LA in the first period, and I thought they carried the play a bit more in the 3rd. The second period was a but of a letdown, but against this LA team, I'll take it. My notes:

The Good:
- Voracek was a flat-out superstar last night. The play that stands out most for me was when he pulled the puck around Doughty and split 3 LA players to get an in-tight shot against Quick. It wasn't a goal, but it showed how dominating he can be even against superstar players.

- Simmonds was probably the Flyers second-best skater. He was all over the place (a bit too much on his first-period penalty). He just narrowly missed a slam-dunk PP goal. Was very active and creating havoc all over the ice.

- Couturier has a monster of a game. Defensively, he was very strong on the puck carrier and broke up some very nice passes. Would have preferred him to shoot on his 2-on-1, but he led the way defensively and had some good offensive pressure.

The Bad:
- Shayne Gostisbehere had a largely forgettable game. Aside from giving me a heart attacks skating the puck directly in front of Emery through 2 Kings (good job, NEVER DO IT AGAIN, he made some very bad reads, didn't win a single board battle, and made some gaffes with the puck. All of these things are correctable, but he showed, to me, why he needs more time in the AHL. In the NHL, even the smallest mistake will be exploited, and he had more than a few of them. I still love the kid and think he can be a difference-maker, but he needs time.

- Matt Read also may want to forget last night. His forced, low-percentage pass to MDZ on the PP was about as bad of a decision as you can make. I'd rather you eat it or throw it down low (although there was no support). He didn't do much with the puck and he wasn't doing much without it. He seems to have lost a bit this season so far.

- Zac Rinaldo. This is a bit unfair, because he actually played a largely solid if unspectacular game. But the play on the Richards goal is about as bad as can be. He was playing with the puck facing the wrong way high in the zone with pressure. Instead of playing it back to a D or shifting to his backhand and chipping it deep, he was knocked down, and coverage was never able to be established. A pretty unforgiveable play.

I like like wins.
- NickTheKid87

I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment

I thought the forwards were more at fault than the defenseman. It was the trailing player who ended up scoring the goal. Also, the forwards were the ones who allowed a clean 3 on 2 from the opposite blue line in.
- PhillySportsGuy

The second goal was the forwards' fault, but Ghost failed to pick up the correct player after the initial rush. Overall, both Schenn and Ghost had bad games.

You owe me $2.

http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/616098

So apparently Schenn was acting like a baby when his goal was nearly called back. Unlike Quick who lost his poop when the call stood on the ice.

Either one would be a much needed upgrade on the back end. IMO Laughton would not be much of a drop off from B Schenn.
- 3flyerkids

More to it then that. There is the cost involved. Both players would cost more then just B Schenn. And hoe do you know that Laughton would not be much of a drop off from B Schenn? What is that based on?

I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment
- BulliesPhan87

Afraid wins will stop showing up?

L Schenn was the only flyer that was just bad last night. When he plays, many times he stinks
- Just5

Disagree completely. L. Schenn was fine last night.

Ghost was much worse than LSchenn. Schenn was not at fault for the 2nd goal.
- Feanor

L. Schenn was on the ice last night when a goal was scored. Of course he's at fault.

More to it then that. There is the cost involved. Both players would cost more then just B Schenn. And hoe do you know that Laughton would not be much of a drop off from B Schenn? What is that based on?
- MJL

I'm not backreading, what's the contention here?

Also, Laughton has played like 10 pro games, so I don't think anyone can say with ANY level of certainty how he'd be compared to Schenn. Also, Laughton is a center and it's clear the team is trying to make Schenn a LW, so the comparison isn't really valid.

These Florida road trips have often been ugly for the Flyers.
I would love to see them win in Tampa but it seems like a brutal match up for them.


I guess when VLC is back he goes between 10 and 17 again and takes a spot on the #1 power play. Is this a given though?