We know the Flyers are what they are ... a bubble team at best. However I cant get over this ongoing issue with the PK. To be a season long struggle and date back to last year as well, it has to fall on the coaching. It was mentioned in the previous blog by another poster but they were able to witness two of the top 5 PK teams (Caps & Ducks) right in front of their eyes the last two games and how they're successful ... by being aggressive and forcing the PP to make quick decisions. I don't understand this passive box/diamond which usually ends up collapsing in front of Mason. How on Earth are two guys wide open down low after the shot got through on the first goal last night?

Mason has been very vocal about wanting to see the shot and if you're going to get in front of it, it has to be blocked. Why wouldn't a coaching staff institute a PK structure to make your goaltender comfortable. This passive box just creates way too much traffic for Mason and then he has to fight off one or two guys down low once the shot gets through. It doesn't work and IMO has been the teams biggest issue thus far. So as much as I loved and respected Laperriere as a player, he's failed big time with the PK unit.
- SeaIslelandLush

Yeah i think there will be a change over the summer

Okay Hexy, the time is now. Sell sell sell!!! Jake, G, Simmons, Ghost & Mason are the only untouchables on this team. The rest are ready to move. In the minors, Konecny & Provorov are the only untouchables. Time to make a move & get the sniper we have so desperately needed for years.
- cousjoe

Yes, the sniper market is ripe for picking. What the heck, get two!

I'm glad this games out of the way after the ducks got poleaxed in Pittsburgh / Kinda thought they'd have a good effort tonight / was it just me or were the refs terrible both ways tonight? - Freddie made some big saves when he had to - and generally when the ducks score three goals or more they are tough to beat - which until recently had been pretty rare - flyers had spurts where they looked pretty dangerous
But they kept taking even up penalties - I couldnt understand that -

I'm glad this games out of the way after the ducks got poleaxed in Pittsburgh / Kinda thought they'd have a good effort tonight / was it just me or were the refs terrible both ways tonight? - Freddie made some big saves when he had to - and generally when the ducks score three goals or more they are tough to beat - which until recently had been pretty rare - flyers had spurts where they looked pretty dangerous
But they kept taking even up penalties - I couldnt understand that -
- dozerD10

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I've been pretty sick so I took some Nyquil and passed out in the first. Damn glad I did.

So last night the Devils put Brodeur's number in the rafters, and erect a statue of him... Then they take the ice and win the game.

The Flyers celebrate their 50th anniversary by laying an egg on the ice, and having some schlub who made trades that wouldn't be approved on NHL2016 cut a cake.

Pathetic!

Big thing I noticed was the ducks don't have a Vandevelde or white. Every one of their guys can play. Even the guys who are in mucker roles play fast and with skill.

So last night the Devils put Brodeur's number in the rafters, and erect a statue of him... Then they take the ice and win the game.

The Flyers celebrate their 50th anniversary by laying an egg on the ice, and having some schlub who made trades that wouldn't be approved on NHL2016 cut a cake.

Pathetic!
- PLindbergh31

I was waiting for you to mention Holmgren

So as much as I loved and respected Laperriere as a player, he's failed big time with the PK unit.
- SeaIslelandLush

He was the PK coach when they were 7th in the NHL with an 84.8% success rate in 2013-14. Did he forget how to coach or did the Flyers not have equal PKing replacements for Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn and Adam Hall and simultaneously get less out of guys like Matt Read & Nick Grossmann (last year) than they were getting a few seasons ago?

It's not Lappy, IMO. It's the latter.

I sat behind flyers bench last night and it's insane how much bigger of a team Anahiem is compared to us. Sitting that eye level you really see it. Incredible how many shots they can block. And the refs were terrible. Perry is a punk and I wish he was man enough to fight his own battle against Manning. I tip my cap to Manning he played tough all night.

this stretch is turning out to be a killer. so, now on to trade talk. would LA want streit since they missed on Buff?
- MrPerfect316

I think they'd go Yandle before Streit but I'm sure a lot of teams like Yandle. So maybe whoever misses out on Yandle goes for Streit

I was waiting for you to mention Holmgren
- YuenglingJagr

Did I frame it in a suitable way?

How a team who the night before got their buttcheeks kicked in 6-2 can come into OUR home building the next day and pound us into dust in beyond me.

Start the court own to 2017-18.

I sat behind flyers bench last night and it's insane how much bigger of a team Anahiem is compared to us. Sitting that eye level you really see it. Incredible how many shots they can block. And the refs were terrible. Perry is a punk and I wish he was man enough to fight his own battle against Manning. I tip my cap to Manning he played tough all night.
- arichardson22

I was impressed with how Manning manhandled Maroon.

So last night the Devils put Brodeur's number in the rafters, and erect a statue of him... Then they take the ice and win the game.

The Flyers celebrate their 50th anniversary by laying an egg on the ice, and having some schlub who made trades that wouldn't be approved on NHL2016 cut a cake.

Pathetic!
- PLindbergh31

Yeah, the schlub who took a 56-point team and overhauled it into a conference finalist (the very next year) and a Stanley Cup finalist (two seasons after that). The same one who built 106-point and 103-point teams the next two seasons after that.

The one who took two players who, despite being on-ice stars, had to go and turned the deals into Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Brayden Schenn?

Were some of the moves and cap decisions detrimental in retrospect? Yes. But Holmgren was FAR from a "schlub."

He was the PK coach when they were 7th in the NHL with an 84.8% success rate in 2013-14. Did he forget how to coach or did the Flyers not have equal PKing replacements for Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn and Adam Hall and simultaneously get less out of guys like Matt Read & Nick Grossmann (last year) than they were getting a few seasons ago?

It's not Lappy, IMO. It's the latter.
- bmeltzer

Yeah, the schlub who took a 56-point team and overhauled it into a conference finalist (the very next year) and a Stanley Cup finalist (two seasons after that). The same one who built 106-point and 103-point teams the next two seasons after that.

The one who took two players who, despite being on-ice stars, had to go and turned the deals into Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Brayden Schenn?

Were some of the moves and cap decisions detrimental in retrospect? Yes. But Holmgren was FAR from a "schlub."
- bmeltzer

Bill is dropping it hard today! I love it!

He was the PK coach when they were 7th in the NHL with an 84.8% success rate in 2013-14. Did he forget how to coach or did the Flyers not have equal PKing replacements for Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn and Adam Hall and simultaneously get less out of guys like Matt Read & Nick Grossmann (last year) than they were getting a few seasons ago?

It's not Lappy, IMO. It's the latter.
- bmeltzer

Great point and I wholeheartedly agree. When you have guys like Streit consistently killing penalties, it's a pretty big personnel problem. Hopefully when guys like Morin and Provorov start to come in their PK will get back up to where it was 2 seasons ago.

...The one who took two players who, despite being on-ice stars, had to go and turned the deals into Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Brayden Schenn?
- bmeltzer

Don't forget Zhitnik for Coburn. Holmgren did make a number of gaffs in contract offers, but really did a great job in shaping the current core and getting decent value in trades.

Yeah, the schlub who took a 56-point team and overhauled it into a conference finalist (the very next year) and a Stanley Cup finalist (two seasons after that). The same one who built 106-point and 103-point teams the next two seasons after that.

The one who took two players who, despite being on-ice stars, had to go and turned the deals into Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Brayden Schenn?

Were some of the moves and cap decisions detrimental in retrospect? Yes. But Holmgren was FAR from a "schlub."
- bmeltzer

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Yeah, the schlub who took a 56-point team and overhauled it into a conference finalist (the very next year) and a Stanley Cup finalist (two seasons after that). The same one who built 106-point and 103-point teams the next two seasons after that.

The one who took two players who, despite being on-ice stars, had to go and turned the deals into Voracek, Couturier, Simmonds and Brayden Schenn?

Were some of the moves and cap decisions detrimental in retrospect? Yes. But Holmgren was FAR from a "schlub."
- bmeltzer

Schlub is just me attempting to be humorous. But I disagree. Holmgren was a bad General Manager overall.

I sat behind flyers bench last night and it's insane how much bigger of a team Anahiem is compared to us. Sitting that eye level you really see it. Incredible how many shots they can block. And the refs were terrible. Perry is a punk and I wish he was man enough to fight his own battle against Manning. I tip my cap to Manning he played tough all night.
- arichardson22

thanks a lot for the loss btw

They just didn't look like they were ready or willing to play last night.

That first period was atrocious.

I think they'd go Yandle before Streit but I'm sure a lot of teams like Yandle. So maybe whoever misses out on Yandle goes for Streit
- arichardson22

Not sure the Rangers deal Yandle. Especially now that McDunnuh is hurt. Yandle has been playing yuuuuuge minutes in his absence.

I was impressed with how Manning manhandled Maroon.
- PLindbergh31

Maroon does have 2 inches and 35 pounds on him. I thought he did well standing in there and not backing down.

They just didn't look like they were ready or willing to play last night.

That first period was atrocious.
- johndewar

That's the problem I had. It didn't seem so much a size disadvantage, but a lack of a concerted effort on the flyers to play a team game. They were chasing the whole time. The size advantage for the ducks didn't help, but I don't think all sizes being equal that they would have won the game anyway.