Bill Meltzer: Wrap:Flyers Fail to Close Out Boston, Lose 4-3 in OT

Thanks, Bill.

Bill, thanks as always for your thoughts. What in your opinion has happened that the team that closed so many games down last season is incapable this season? I feel like the other teams have adjusted to the Flyers and the Flyers have not responded....yet.

Post game picture

Laughton is the king of stupid penalties. Use your brain Scotty!

Scotty better sit next game. Him and Hayes really ruined what was a solid showing after the debacle of the first 12 minutes or so of the first period.

I just don’t get the lazy play that creeps into these guys

So.....D was the issue? Again?

Fletch needs to shore up our back end. If we can't do it in-house, we need to start exploring who's out there.

After the Flyers scored their third goal, I was thinking to myself how good this team is when they skate with purpose, forecheck, enter the zone with speed, and play smart. All that came to a grinding halt at the 12-minute mark of the third period. When they collapse, they are really good at collapsing. I agree, Bill...Hart deserved a better fate.

Are we missing Coots? Sure. But those bonehead penalties will kill even the best of teams, Selke winner in the lineup or not. I’m 100% in the camp of benching Laughton, and NAK a game or two (imo, Hayes’ penalty late in the game is on the ref...should have never been called). Those two are not solely responsible for the collapse, of course, but they certainly opened the floodgates for what transpired late in the game.

Scotty better sit next game. Him and Hayes really ruined what was a solid showing after the debacle of the first 12 minutes or so of the first period.

I just don’t get the lazy play that creeps into these guys
- Just5

I’ll have to watch it again, to be sure but I didn’t think the Hayes penalty was as egregious as the others. With 2 mins left and having let so much go, to call that with exactly 2 mins left was madness. That decided the game

Hey G had 3 shots on goal!!

Thanks, Bill.
The Flyers are such a hard team to watch this year. One period they are controlling the puck like vultures, the next period they look like the bottom-feeders of the league. No consistency in their game. Some teams struggle to be consistent game-to-game, but the Flyers regularly have consistency issues period-to-period, and sometimes shift-to-shift. I'd love to see an actually steady 60-minute performance from this group.
Also, giving up these two-goal leads regularly is not something Stanley Cup teams do. If they don't reel it in and tighten up their play with the lead, they won't have a chance at the cup.
Not trying to pick on him, but for the few good things Ghost brings to the table, he sure has a lot of issues in his own end. Having him and Gus in the lineup on the same night is a recipe for disaster. Ghost is so careless with the puck, particularly when he is handling it anywhere near Hart. I cringe whenever I see him handle the puck back there.
It's clear there are sizeable defensive gaps in our lineup. I think it could be remedied with an acquisition of a solid vet, but who can we logically expect to get in a trade? I don't see anyone reliable that can play on the first line being acquired this season.
I don't have a lot of faith in this group with all the defensive issues. You can't play as team for half the game and expect to luck into wins every night. Too many lost coverages (2 and 3 players chasing one opposing player with the puck), too many soft attempts at getting the puck out of the defensive zone, too many lazy passes up the ice to no one.

Also, Laughton's penalty was such an immature play. He should really know better than that by now.

Scotty better sit next game. Him and Hayes really ruined what was a solid showing after the debacle of the first 12 minutes or so of the first period.

I just don’t get the lazy play that creeps into these guys
- Just5

Hayes’ penalty should have never been called, that was pathetic by the officiating crew. I will accept the Laughton penalty (even though it looked like a dive), but the way the game was being called that penalty on Hayes cannot be called. They also showed it in slowmo and it was nothing.

Scotty better sit next game. Him and Hayes really ruined what was a solid showing after the debacle of the first 12 minutes or so of the first period.

I just don’t get the lazy play that creeps into these guys
- Just5

He benched TK for bad play. Will he do the same here? NAK can also take a seat as he takes bad penalties in what seems every game.

He benched TK for bad play. Will he do the same here? NAK can also take a seat as he takes bad penalties in what seems every game.
- Striiker

The nak and Laughton penalties were stupid but the nail in the coffin was that Hayes call. I still do not like how the refs all of a sudden we’re calling everything at the end of the game when most had been let go.

while I agree on Nak, they let the rat facewash Hayes then grab his stick twice and hold it for a good while. I think you can make a case for all 3 calls against the Flyers, just no idea how the other doesn't get called. The refs selected their calls and became part of the game, however the Flyers controlled who won that game. They will be better

I am sick to my stomach and I am sick of this team already, and the season is not even 1/4 of the way through. This team has a systemic problem that I don't think can be fixed with the current personnel. The Flyers can't play 60 minutes of hockey, they can't play AV's system consistently and they can't raise their intensity at the end of games to close them out. The veterans on this team let them down again last night with STUPID, LAZY penalties, resulting from just not moving their skates. What is their problem? Are they not in shape or just LAZY, or both? Giroux actually stated: "Its a LITTLE frustrating not winning tonight". A LITTLE? There it is folks right there, to me it starts with that statement! You can't lose that game last night, you can't keep giving your divisional opponents points like they did with the Islanders. ITS NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Someone asked me if the Bruins played 60 minutes last night, and I responded "No, they played 61 minutes!".

Hayes’ penalty should have never been called, that was pathetic by the officiating crew. I will accept the Laughton penalty (even though it looked like a dive), but the way the game was being called that penalty on Hayes cannot be called. They also showed it in slowmo and it was nothing.
- ClaudeFather

I disagree. Hayes could have taken 1 stride to get in front of Marchand on the boards to rub him out, instead he stood still and used his arms to impede Marchand up the boards. The reason why there were so many penalties late in the game on the Flyers is they stopped skating once the Bruins made it 3-2. If one penalty could have been let go, it was the one on NAK, players do that all the time.

The nak and Laughton penalties were stupid but the nail in the coffin was that Hayes call. I still do not like how the refs all of a sudden we’re calling everything at the end of the game when most had been let go.
- Hextall271

Both the Laughton and NAK calls were correct, in fact very easy to make.

Not blaming him. But anyone else think provie had an off night?

Not blaming him. But anyone else think provie had an off night?
- Peter Richards

Him and ghost were horrible

Not blaming him. But anyone else think provie had an off night?
- Peter Richards

Agree

Not blaming him. But anyone else think provie had an off night?
- Peter Richards

Yes, he did have an off night. Niskanen is a HUGE loss and Fletcher needs to replace him. I am sure he can make a deal somewhere, no one knows who or what is available unless you are a GM. Gus and Ghost cant be in the lineup together. Just more evident every game the loss of NIskanen, as Provy needs a more stable partner.

I need to take a week off from watching them. Constantly watching them blow 2 goal leads is detrimental to my health.

Scotty better sit next game. Him and Hayes really ruined what was a solid showing after the debacle of the first 12 minutes or so of the first period.

I just don’t get the lazy play that creeps into these guys
- Just5

It would be silly to scratch Laughton.