Is that Hawaii, lol
Love Alex
- Marc D

This whole bubble thing is becoming a playoff factor. Rask said bubble life is boring when he left (I am not saying that was the most important factor).

Tocchet talked about the bubble strains:


"This whole bubble thing ... it's about who wants to stay. You can tell who wants to stay and who wants to go home. For this game, it looked like we wanted to go home. We'll see about the next game."

You said the same thing yesterday.
- Scoob

You gonna make him stop tough guy!!!

You gonna make him stop tough guy!!!
- ClaudeFather

Well you keep telling me stop. What makes you think I am? You have to be tough because you’re definitely not smart

From The Athletic:

3. When the Flyers hit the ice for Game 4’s opening faceoff with the trio of Raffl, Nate Thompson and Tyler Pitlick, it appeared the team’s lineup changes from Game 3 would be cosmetic. Yes, Joel Farabee and Connor Bunnaman were checking in for van Riemsdyk and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel, but they could simply slide into those vacated places on Line 3, right?

Not so fast. Immediately after the opening shift, the Flyers went into full lineup shuffle mode — which Raffl confirmed after the game was the plan all along. Suddenly, Giroux was with Derek Grant and Scott Laughton. Raffl was up with Sean Couturier and Voracek. Farabee took up left-wing duties with Kevin Hayes and Travis Konecny. And Bunnaman replaced Raffl with Thompson and Pitlick.

The Canadiens seemed just as confused as viewers on television, who were told before the game that the line combinations would run far closer to those of Game 3. It very well may have contributed to the relative chaos at the start of the game, as Montreal associate head coach Kirk Muller was forced to determine on the fly how he wanted to match up against a team that was spreading the offensive wealth across three lines rather than two: a tough task for a coaching staff missing its leader, Claude Julien.

From The Athletic:
- MBFlyerfan

Love that from AV. (frank)ed with their last change

Any team that’s forced to play the trap against the Montreal Canadiens should be kicked out of the bubble lol especially when it’s top seed against #24. Embarrassment to hockey imo. But it’s AV coaching, I wouldn’t expect any less.
- QuickSCF

What a lame thing to say...


Anyway.... GO HABS!

Yeah, the five-time Jack Adams Award finalist (who very well may have won it this season for the second time), and has taken teams in both conferences to the Stanley Cup Finals, is a lousy coach because anonymous message board poster guy says so.

The Flyers do not -- and are not -- playing the trap.

The Canadiens were the NHL's No. 2 puck possession team this season (both by Corsi and shot-on-goal measures), and No. 3 in expected goal differential. They are a very good forechecking team. The Flyers have generally limited their high-quality chances in Games 1, 3 and 4, and Hart has taken care of the rest.

The Flyers were 7th in goals-per-game in the NHL this season (also 7th in GAA). They can win different ways. In this series, they've had to win low-scoring games. That's fine. When you give up 1-1-1-1-5-0-0 goals over a seven-game stretch, the five-goal one is the outlier, not the others.

Now go back to your troll hole.
- bmeltzer

Pretty much

From The Athletic:
- MBFlyerfan

That is really good insight
I know I was confused watching in the first period the line combos
AV took away the last change advantage Montreal had with his mixed lines yesterday

1. Voracek wasn’t demoted. Voracek got hurt and Farabee was handed an opportunity and the line of Couturier and Giroux responded well for one game.
- SuperSchennBros

No he was demoted, unrelated to injury. Actually to the 4rth line.

https://www.inquirer.com/...lt-carchidi-20191017.html

2. Ghost was handed an opportunity and even after how stead the Braun/Hägg pair were down the stretch, helping us win 9 of 10 games before the regular season ended.
- SuperSchennBros

But they were willing to give him a chance even in spite of the fact that Hagg was playing well. Thus, coaches are willing to experiment. They are not stubborn. That was my point. That there is no obstinacy regarding JVR.

3. JvR ended the season injured. Sure, we don’t seen very many block shots from JvR but I would assume he has taken much punishment by making his money in the crease, which is a dirty area to take punishment. He also took a pretty big hit from Shea Weber after avoiding one Hab and walking right into the Habs’ Captain.
- SuperSchennBros

JVR actually does not set up shop there very often. He is not Leclair. He tends to float a little further up, looking for deflections first and then go to the net. How often do you see him draw a x-checking penalty, (which would be quite high if he was a blue paint pest with his size)?

Answer: almost never.

4. How much better did Giroux make Grant and Laughton yesterday? The truth is, nobody can make them much better. It was a weird line to put together and expect results. Do you expect the Giroux, Grant and Laughton line you be a long term thing? I don’t.
- SuperSchennBros

Long term thing is irrelevant. Not long is my guess. We were talking about last game though, weren't we?

Grant had his best game yesterday. Laughton, I am afraid, is well ahead of JVR right now in terms of value to the club.

We need a mix of skill and guys who are willing to go to the net in the top six. The reality is, the only guys willing to drive to the net play in the bottom six like JvR, Nate Thompson, Nick Aube-Kubel, Michael Raffl but won’t receive much feeds there.
- SuperSchennBros

JVR rarely drives to the net. That's part of the problem. He does it every blue moon, and always from the off-wing for some odd reason. He has been a bit off a floater all his career.

Love that from AV. (frank)ed with their last change
- Just5

Av DoEsNt MaKe AdJuStMeNtS

This whole bubble thing is becoming a playoff factor. Rask said bubble life is boring when he left (I am not saying that was the most important factor).

Tocchet talked about the bubble strains:


"This whole bubble thing ... it's about who wants to stay. You can tell who wants to stay and who wants to go home. For this game, it looked like we wanted to go home. We'll see about the next game."
- PT21

Weirdest playoff atmosphere ever

When Bill mentioned that Couts had to leave his 3 day old baby to go into the bubble, that really hit me as a Dad. These guys are fathers, husbands and humans first, and this has to be very difficult. Look at Tuuka Rask.

From The Athletic:
- MBFlyerfan

Highly interesting. Thanks.

Well you keep telling me stop. What makes you think I am? You have to be tough because you’re definitely not smart
- SuperSchennBros

Says the guy that asked the same questions how many days in a row haha.

My view is that you play who you play. There are no easy outs. Eventually have to play whoever is still standing, anyway.
- bmeltzer

Not thrilled doesnt necessarily mean not confident. I think it would actually be a heck of a story line to beat the 3 teams who arguably gave us the most trouble all year in 3 straight series to advance. Still would prefer that series to go a few more. Tampa vs boston if it shakes out that way is going to be a fun watch too.

Weirdest playoff atmosphere ever

When Bill mentioned that Couts had to leave his 3 day old baby to go into the bubble, that really hit me as a Dad. These guys are fathers, husbands and humans first, and this has to be very difficult. Look at Tuuka Rask.
- Marc D

I haven’t had the chance to look into it more, but I got an update the other day that the NHL and NHLPA are working out a deal to allow families to join the bubble later in the tourney. I believe during the Conference finals

Weirdest playoff atmosphere ever

When Bill mentioned that Couts had to leave his 3 day old baby to go into the bubble, that really hit me as a Dad. These guys are fathers, husbands and humans first, and this has to be very difficult. Look at Tuuka Rask.
- Marc D

I dont know that I could leave my newborn for that long and remain focused. I barely could remain focused at work. Your heart is just somewhere else during that time as a new father.

I haven’t had the chance to look into it more, but I got an update the other day that the NHL and NHLPA are working out a deal to allow families to join the bubble later in the tourney. I believe during the Conference finals
- arichardson22

They said something like 2 family members per player when it gets to edmonton. Not sure if that actually shakes out that way.

From The Athletic:

9. My thoughts on van Riemsdyk and Aubé-Kubel being removed from the Game 4 lineup? I get JvR being out, even if I still hold that the Flyers are a better team with him. Perhaps in this series, with this particular style of play taking hold, there are better fits for the top nine. But Philadelphia is going to need his scoring punch and play-driving ability at some point in the playoffs, and that’s not something to toss aside lightly. As for Aubé-Kubel, he was deemed unfit to play, according to a source. (He blocked two painful-looking shots in Game 3.) If healthy, he deserves to be in the lineup every night.

Av DoEsNt MaKe AdJuStMeNtS
- arichardson22

lol!

Weirdest playoff atmosphere ever

When Bill mentioned that Couts had to leave his 3 day old baby to go into the bubble, that really hit me as a Dad. These guys are fathers, husbands and humans first, and this has to be very difficult. Look at Tuuka Rask.
- Marc D

I am sympathetic but also my personal opinion is that this thing is overblown. It may well be because we don't have kids and I am ignorant.

Those working on Wall Street come to sleep at night but they don't feed the baby then. Otherwise, 6 days a week, they are at work for 14 hour days. Consultants have to go away to work on projects all the time and having an infant will only give you so much slack and only once or twice. Then there is the army, and those who work on oil rigs, and those who go fishing to say Alaska. The truck drivers, the guys who take RVs from place to place and so on.

You are an ER doctor, right? The 2-3 ER docs I know do these alternate shifts where they have grueling routines for a week, when they do very long shifts, and are on call throughout the night, and then the next week they have no clinical responsibilities. In the week they are on, they are essentially a ghost in the house.

These guys are doing it once in their lives, with millions of their own money at stake, and getting every amenity being handed to them in the hotel, when tens of thousands are dying.

I am sympathetic but also my personal opinion is that this thing is overblown. It may well be because we don't have kids and I am ignorant.

Those working on Wall Street come to sleep at night but they don't feed the baby then. Otherwise, 6 days a week, they are at work for 14 hour days. Consultants have to go away to work on projects all the time and having an infant will only give you so much slack and only once or twice. Then there is the army, and those who work on oil rigs, and those who go fishing to say Alaska. The truck drivers, the guys who take RVs from place to place and so on.

You are an ER doctor, right? The 2-3 ER docs I know do these alternate shifts where they have grueling routines for a week, when they do very long shifts, and are on call throughout the night, and then the next week they have no clinical responsibilities. In the week they are on, they are essentially a ghost in the house.

These guys are doing it once in their lives, with millions of their own money at stake, and getting every amenity being handed to them in the hotel, when tens of thousands are dying.
- PT21

Keep it to the first paragraph. You're not a father. Everyone responds to it differently. Some care more about being home and being there. Not a father, then you dont get a vote on how hard it is to leave a newborn.

Keep it to the first paragraph. You're not a father. Everyone responds to it differently. Some care more about being home and being there. Not a father, then you dont get a vote on how hard it is to leave a newborn.
- Tfaehner

Gotcha.

Since you are here, are you are a hockey player? Which team?

Hard to argue with back to back shutouts. This is the style they need to play against Montreal I guess.

I can guarantee averaging 1.25 goals a game against Bos/TB/Colorado/LVK will make for a quick exit.

I would assume JVR would be back in the lineup tonight. Have to think Vigneault's message has been made loud and clear.

The concept of paying a player 7 million dollars, and having them sit as a healthy scratch during the most important games is something that makes no sense.

...It may well be because we don't have kids and I am ignorant.

- PT21

I never once was homesick in my life until I had a child. I traveled for work extensively and loved seeing new places and meeting new people.

The first time I had to leave my son, he was 3 months old. I was attending a conference for a week, same as I had done each year for five years. On the first night I couldn't sleep. I kept asking my wife to send me pictures. The next day I couldn't concentrate at work and kept thinking about what they were doing, if what I was doing was worth being away, and if I could keep traveling like this. That night, someone attended a party we had for our clients with their own 3 month old and I quite literally stole their child just so I could hold them. It brought tears to my eyes (and does right now thinking about it.) I don't think I had until that point in my life experienced anything like this.

Having children quite literally changes your brain. If it doesn't, then you're a sociopath. Often we make sacrifices to ensure the betterment of our family but I'd never ever question someone who decided to choose being close to their family over any amount of money. I've turned down job offers that would double my salary at the expense of more time away. There is no price that can be paid for the time you would miss.

You can always get more money but you can't ever get more time.

after 156 days I wish I could distance myself for longer than a trip to the supermarket!