I think they need Barkaan's permission to do so but hopefully yours will suffice
- JoeRussomanno

not that it was needed, but just one more reason not to listen to WIP anymore

there were many mindboggling plays yesterday, but one that sticks out in my mind is a play where a Flyer is in the offensive zone battling two Devils on the half boards. Briere is standing about 8 feet away just watching and hoping that the puck will somehow come to him for an offensive opportunity. I have no idea where the other forward was. The puck was won by the Devils and out they came.
- wilsonecho91

That's where I worry about the complacency and confidence. Stuff like that isn't how this team needs it's veterans to play.

EDIT: Better execution is the first step. There's other issues afoot that need addressing. But if the execution doesn't improve, none of them matter a pisshole drilled in a snowbank

they sure seem to say the right things after the last couple of games, but for some reason, nothing changes

Should I shave today?

I have a routine for each game day, but nothing has worked at all this series.

I need to do something drastic.

If I am Lavi this is what i do for tomorrow.

1. If Giroux isn't suspended I put him and Briere on the same line so both cant be double teamed in the offensive zone, and to take away Briere's Defensive liability at center.


2. If Meszaros can play I put him in the line-up. I also play Kubina. The Flyers D is getting killed down low. Need 2 big D-man that can shrug off the forecheck, and clear the crease. Kubina is slow, but it's not the Devils speed that is beating us.

3. Couturier only played 7 minutes last game, he is obviously not healed. Plus Jagr has been awful. I would scratch both for at least the next game and add 2 guys that are fast, and will take the body, and create havok on the Flyers forecheck... Dress Rinaldo and Zulnerczyk.

4. And as far as systems, I would make the wingers stay at the face-off circles in the Defensive zone as a safety valve when the puck is down low. Give the Defense small pases that can be done quickly, with little chance of turn-over.

Hartnell-Giroux-Briere
JVR-Schenn-Voracek
Wellwood-Read-Simmonds
Zulnerczyk-Talbot-Rinaldo

Timonen-Coburn
Carle-Meszaros
Grossmann-Kubina
- RooNosHockey

As we saw on the game winning goal by Zubrus, in defensive zone coverage, the first forward back assumes the center defensive spot. That was Hartnell on that play. So playing Briere at Wing won't take away that liability. Kubina isn't healthy enough to play, or he would be playing. Putting Rinaldo and Harry Z isn't going to do anything. And it's already part of defensive zone coverage basics for the Wingers to drop low and take away the high slot, and to provide a breakout outlet for the defenseman. It's simply not eing executed and the Devils forecheck is pressuring the Flyers defenseman.

Should I shave today?

I have a routine for each game day, but nothing has worked at all this series.

I need to do something drastic.
- KGBflyers10

Get your pubes frosted.

Take what the pressure gives you. Short, smart passes to guys on the move should be open. Hard skating the other way will get guys caught and create opportunity.

When you try to make a low percentage outlet pass or clear into the teeth of the forecheck or a point spot that's covered, you just bought yourself 20 more seconds of having to bust your ass in your own end, rather than attacking their goal.
- Jsaquella

I said this before the series started the Flyers have to learn its okay to win games 2-1, 3-2, 1-0. They dont need to hit the homerun every single play.

But he can tell the forwards to stay below the blue line and make it easier for the defense to get it out of the zone. Lavi's offense has the forwards turning to rush down ice as soon as the defenseman gets the puck. With the way Devils are forechecking, the defense doesnt have time to set up those outlet passes that the team depends on. They need to keep the forwards down low, to provide the defense with a safety valve, which would let them make a short pass, away from the boards, and the fore-checking devil forwards.
- RooNosHockey

He can tell them to stay there, doesn't mean they will. And it is part of Laviolette's system to support the puck in the defensive zone. We saw that in game 6 against the Pens. It's simply not being executed. There aren't any system changes that need to happen. That is not what the issue is.

Get your pubes frosted.
- Jsaquella

He's a Kings fan?

I agree mostly because this team has not been able to put together consistent 60 minute efforts. Why, I don't know, but it would seem unlikely that they would start at this point. Their collective body language tells me they will go rather meekly. The 2 things they need to work on for next year is getting more consistency game to game and tightening up that awful team defense.
- matman31

the team is nowhere near as bad as they are playing right now. they've shut down. i really do hope they make a real effort and go down swinging, but i won't be shocked by a blowout. we've seen it before in an elimination game. i expected a lot more from them last night. even when the got up 2 goals, i literally had zero faith that it would hold up - maybe get out of the period, yes, which they couldn't even muster - but not for the game. the 3rd goal was the dagger, and a shame because they came very close at the other end right before that. puck hops past coburn at the line, timo still breaks up the 2 on 1, and then absolute coverage disintegration. how do you leave a guy (zubrus, of course!) all alone like that?

Be something if the Flyers flipped the script on them like they did to the Flyers in that ECF's way back when
- JoeRussomanno

it would be something. maybe that's their plan. lulling them into a false sense of security.

Lavy gets every single oz. of blame that can be mustered up. Every oz. It's all his fault . . . while John Stevens is wolfing down WCF cake.
- wilsonecho91

is the ratio of people to cake too many?

Just checked the playoff TOI/gm for our D men vs. regular season. Other than Coburn, nobody is really playing outside their comfort zone.

Coburn - reg season = 22:28; playoffs = 27:21 (big diff)
Carle - 23:01; 25:33
Timonen - 21:14; 20:06
Meszaros - 20:39;
Kubina - 19:16; 10:33 (because of injury??)
Grossmann - 18:48; 19:01
Gustafsson - 16:47; 15:58
Lilja - 13:41; 13:58

the team is nowhere near as bad as they are playing right now. they've shut down. i really do hope they make a real effort and go down swinging, but i won't be shocked by a blowout. we've seen it before in an elimination game. i expected a lot more from them last night. even when the got up 2 goals, i literally had zero faith that it would hold up - maybe get out of the period, yes, which they couldn't even muster - but not for the game. the 3rd goal was the dagger, and a shame because they came very close at the other end right before that. puck hops past coburn at the line, timo still breaks up the 2 on 1, and then absolute coverage disintegration. how do you leave a guy (zubrus, of course!) all alone like that?
- hammarby31

a question I'm sure Lavy asked in his own, unique way

bad karma...lavy should have never called g the best player in the world, we won and he had to stick another knife into the pens..

hartnell is honest but should have kept his stinking mouth shut the other day.

now is the time for bryz to really ruffle the feathers, he should go into the locker room and say WTF!

there were many mindboggling plays yesterday, but one that sticks out in my mind is a play where a Flyer is in the offensive zone battling two Devils on the half boards. Briere is standing about 8 feet away just watching and hoping that the puck will somehow come to him for an offensive opportunity. I have no idea where the other forward was. The puck was won by the Devils and out they came.
- wilsonecho91

that happened 12204784934002020 times last night. outnumbered. every. single. time. flyers. watching. doing. nothing.

DISGRACE.

As we saw on the game winning goal by Zubrus, in defensive zone coverage, the first forward back assumes the center defensive spot. That was Hartnell on that play. So playing Briere at Wing won't take away that liability. Kubina isn't healthy enough to play, or he would be playing. Putting Rinaldo and Harry Z isn't going to do anything. And it's already part of defensive zone coverage basics for the Wingers to drop low and take away the high slot, and to provide a breakout outlet for the defenseman. It's simply not eing executed and the Devils forecheck is pressuring the Flyers defenseman.
- MJL

hartnell was in the near corner for some reason. but hey, he managed to come back and hit zubrus after the goal, so he has that going for him. which is nice.

the team is nowhere near as bad as they are playing right now. they've shut down. i really do hope they make a real effort and go down swinging, but i won't be shocked by a blowout. we've seen it before in an elimination game. i expected a lot more from them last night. even when the got up 2 goals, i literally had zero faith that it would hold up - maybe get out of the period, yes, which they couldn't even muster - but not for the game. the 3rd goal was the dagger, and a shame because they came very close at the other end right before that. puck hops past coburn at the line, timo still breaks up the 2 on 1, and then absolute coverage disintegration. how do you leave a guy (zubrus, of course!) all alone like that?
- hammarby31

How often do you see this in hockey? Like at least 50% of the time it ends up going in. I felt it was going to happen too. Just like when we missed on not one, but two PP's in OT. It's almost a foregone conclusion it seems.

it would be something. maybe that's their plan. lulling them into a false sense of security.
- hammarby31

I just remember back then being absolutely mystified as to wtf happened. Iirc the media was having a field day with the lindros return bs and that the team was revolting because he was back in the lineup. I'll never feed into that at all but I think the Devils just woke up and played NHL hockey being the better team they were all along. kinda like this situation here.

When the coach devises a system and the players fail to execute that system competently, it's more on the players than the coach.
- Jsaquella

...unless the coach doesn't adjust his sytem when it's not effective

I'm not pretending to know what the problem is. Seems like they were hyped for the series with the Pens, came down from it during the long layoff and now can't seem to get back into it. The Flyers are an aggressively offensive team. They like to set up in their own zone and come out with speed. The Devils aren't allowing them to setup or to generated any speed. When pressured in their own end the Flyers D isn't good enough to move it out on their own and the O doesn't seem to know how to play in their own end.

Yea he beat Crosby I didn't think he'd become him wtf...
- JoeRussomanno

Are you serious no it doesn't go out the window just because they beat the pens.
The Pens have the same problem the flyers have. The flyers had defensive problems in the pens series as well.
Now that the heat is turned up and they are playing a team that can play a solid disciplined defensive game.
It's about composure at this time of the year. With all the young and inexperienced guys the guys you look to carry the load and lead by example are who exactly? Danny I won't check you Bro Briere?
Talbot, great guy to have but he doesn't have enough help. Hartnell, he should be better but doesn't have the skill set enough to carry a team. Jagr, need a say more. Giroux, he is getting blanketed and it's obvious the extra attention has him frustrated. At least he scored and had an assist last night.

hartnell was in the near corner for some reason. but hey, he managed to come back and hit zubrus after the goal, so he has that going for him. which is nice.
- hammarby31

Voracek was in the corner as an outlet for Timonen which was proper. Hartnell was in front of the net, and went to go around the net incorrectly, leaving the slot unguarded.

hartnell was in the near corner for some reason. but hey, he managed to come back and hit zubrus after the goal, so he has that going for him. which is nice.
- hammarby31

i haven't gone back to rewatch that play, but if I remember correctly, Kimmo's decisionmaking was a headscratcher.

How often do you see this in hockey? Like at least 50% of the time it ends up going in. I felt it was going to happen too. Just like when we missed on not one, but two PP's in OT. It's almost a foregone conclusion it seems.
- rockychocbill

the defensive effort from zubrus and i think sykora on that play was amazing. they were just doing whatever they could to keep the bouncing puck out - diving, swinging sticks, anything, and it worked - that's the commitment you need to win at this time of the year - brad marsh on your knees on the goal line literally putting your face in the way- and they're not doing anything close to that. that's what i don't understand. they all know how hard it is. most of them have been here before. they know what's at stake, and why they're playing. and to put forth the "effort" they have, after all year of showing "no quit"...it defies logic.

bad karma...lavy should have never called g the best player in the world, we won and he had to stick another knife into the pens..

hartnell is honest but should have kept his stinking mouth shut the other day.

now is the time for bryz to really ruffle the feathers, he should go into the locker room and say WTF!
- mydoglicks

I think Bryz needs to let in soft goals. It worked in game one. People been hemming and hawing about so-called soft goals all year from him and they were wining. Now he's shutting it down and still getting left on an island. First shot of the game let one in through the 5hole, what the hell, they are 1-4 when scoring first and 4-0 when yielding the first goal. There is a connection and I think it's psychological I have no other explanation. This series reminds me of the that game in San Jose except it's been that way over the past three games.