Bill Meltzer: Wrap: Tampa Nips Flyers, 1-0

Bill Meltzer: Wrap: Tampa Nips Flyers, 1-0
- bmeltzer

Speaking as a spoiled Flyers fan, it’s a tough transition going from a team that had all the makings of fun to watch from the mid 90’s to the early 20-teen’s, to whatever we are now. If we lost, we were still fun to watch because we had guys willing to mix things up to set the tone for the next match up or to simply turn momentum in our favor. The Flyers were a top 3 team in the mix for any big fish both on the trade or free agent market. We were tough, we were in your face, we could score. When we win a game today, it’s awesome! When we lose like we did today or basically every road trip of this season. It feels like a waste of 3 hours of an evening.

Wish they would try the old PP set up for a few games

Trade giroux

Watching Cam Talbot play. He’s a good goalie. It’s not that Elliott is bad, I’m just waiting for his next trip to the IR.

Blow Joe’s winning in Vegas. PO going to be tough sledding.

i love how kassian bet tkachuk's ass tonight

It’s a shame and a tough way to decide a good game with a fluke goal.

Putting Voracek netfront on the pp is even more asinine than having Giroux on the right side. Therrien needs to go, immediately. Grow a pair Chuckles and get this done. If his pal AV doesn’t like it, tough poop.

Putting Voracek netfront on the pp is even more asinine than having Giroux on the right side. Therrien needs to go, immediately. Grow a pair Chuckles and get this done. If his pal AV doesn’t like it, tough poop.
- BiggE

The high paid players on this team are not producing. The Flyers do not have a single player in the top 40 in the NHL in scoring.

They are trending towards missing the playoffs again. That can't happen. The minimum this year is winning a playoff round.

Very little effort by the big guns!

Very little effort by the big guns!
- leafluver27

Effort was fine.

So their effort was good? Then what’s the issue...execution? Ability?

You’d think some combination of Giroux, Voracek, JVR, Coots, TK, Hayes, Provorov, Niskanen could get something going on the PP.

So their effort was good? Then what’s the issue...execution? Ability?
- Dkos

I know it's hard to believe but sometimes the other team beats you. I mean it's not like the Bolts have back to back shut outs or have won ten games In a row. Not like they are a ridiculously hot team right now.

Nah.. The Flyers are missing the playoffs, they suck as a team, burn it down.

So their effort was good? Then what’s the issue...execution? Ability?
- Dkos

Finesse and overall speed

I know it's hard to believe but sometimes the other team beats you. I mean it's not like the Bolts have back to back shut outs or have won ten games In a row. Not like they are a ridiculously hot team right now.

Nah.. The Flyers are missing the playoffs, they suck as a team, burn it down.
- opeth_pa

This is an overreaction. I don’t think I’m the only person wondering why this team’s pp is so weak. I didn’t say anything about the team sucking. I didn’t mention anything about playoffs.

This is an overreaction. I don’t think I’m the only person wondering why this team’s pp is so weak. I didn’t say anything about the team sucking. I didn’t mention anything about playoffs.
- Dkos

You are correct. The team does not suck and they MAY make the playoffs. If you see this team as anything more than mediocre or just slightly north of there, you are not watching enough hockey

So their effort was good? Then what’s the issue...execution? Ability?
- Dkos

The issue was how damn good the Lightning are. They get on the puck in a flash and also turn defense to offense in the blink of an eye. Last night, the Lighting were pretty airtight defensively, too. The Couturier line actually fared fine for the majority of the game but the lanes just weren't there. As a team, the Flyers were forced to spend a lot of energy, shift after shift, matching Tampa's defensive game. They did a good job of it, too, and had a few pushes but weren't able to sustain it.

The Flyers were the better team in the first period last night, penalties aside (the kills were great against a team that entered with a 29 percent power play, and nearly 40 percent during their streak). Tampa put Philly in bend but don't break mode virtually the entire second period. Third period was even.

Play that way most nights against most teams, and you'll win. The door will open at some point, and you'll get chances. The Flyers played better against Tampa than they did in the win against the Caps on Wednesday. But the Caps were turning pucks over and let themselves get outcompeted at times. They weren't awful, just not on the top of their games. Tampa played last night like a club would in a playoff game. Tampa had very few unforced errors after the early minutes of the game, and when they did, they recovered. Would have been nice to see the Flyers force a few more but they had their hands full because Tampa was bringing a lot of pressure on the puck.

I can live with last night's game (as if there's a choice), apart from the power play making life too easy on Tampa; in fairness, the Lightning had bodies and sticks in the lanes all night and made life hard on the Flyers' power play, so it's a two-way street there. It's the games like the ones in Minnesota, San Jose, LA (especially) and the first period of the Vegas game that are indefensible.

The Flyers worked their tails off last night, and lost 1-0 to what -- right now -- is the best team in the NHL. Came down to a single bounce of the puck. That's going to happen. Those games where they got outworked, strung together in succession, are why the team lost its cushion and is now on the bubble.

You are correct. The team does not suck and they MAY make the playoffs. If you see this team as anything more than mediocre or just slightly north of there, you are not watching enough hockey
- DaveofYork

There is very little separating 3/4 of the league. There is a small elite group, a couple bad teams and a glut in the middle.

Putting Voracek netfront on the pp is even more asinine than having Giroux on the right side. Therrien needs to go, immediately. Grow a pair Chuckles and get this done. If his pal AV doesn’t like it, tough poop.
- BiggE

They aren't firing Therrien in-season. Except in cases where there's a head coaching change or it involves something behavior-related or due to personal circumstances, it's rare for an assistant to be let go in-season.

Although a disappointing loss I was "fine" with the outcome and happy with the effort of the team, We kept up with a hot team right now, Had a bad bounce (that I still thought Maroon got with a high stick) and after the terrible effort on the road trip it was hard to be upset with what we saw. Would like to see Farabee get his game back, and Jakes effort sometimes on little things like even skating to the bench for a line change or chasing the puck down to support a teammate when we had Hart pulled for the 6-5 at the end - can shot a little more urgency but overall its not like we got blown out.

They aren't firing Therrien in-season. Except in cases where there's a head coaching change or it involves something behavior-related or due to personal circumstances, it's rare for an assistant to be let go in-season.
- bmeltzer

We are only 40 or so games into the new regime....if they struggle I think Fletch owes them a ‘trade for shake up’ before we gas a coach.

Blow Joe’s winning in Vegas. PO going to be tough sledding.
- Landsbergfan

They'll be OK playoff-wise if they can play the way they have the last two games. You forget that every team is going to have some losing skids and .500 stretches. They'll also have their own stretches where the schedule is brutal.

For example, right after the All-Star break/bye week, Florida is going to run into a five games in eight nights stretch that includes Toronto, Columbus, Vegas and Pittsburgh in succession. Columbus plays Boston this week (one night after the Flyers do), and then Carolina (where you just hope it's not a three-point game).