Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/23/13 vs. New York Islanders

2:30 AM game day blog - wow, that's dedication Bill! Nice job as usual.

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/23/13 vs. New York Islanders
- bmeltzer

Time for Tickt to go to the AHL, no? Like the guy and think he should
be playing. Bring up a Newbury or Vandevelde to be the extra

2:30 AM game day blog - wow, that's dedication Bill! Nice job as usual.
- BringBack25

Have to stay on top of the workload if I want to get to spend time with my kids before a game night.

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/23/13 vs. New York Islanders
- bmeltzer

Now, let's not forget about Rosehill's goal against EDM that got all this started.

LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!



LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!



LET'S GO FLYERS!!! CLAP! ~ CLAP! ~ CLAP!CLAP!CLAP!!!

Did it take the thrashing and lone brawl against the Caps to wake this team up? Has it been them getting used to Chief's system or was it both?

Did it take the thrashing and lone brawl against the Caps to wake this team up? Has it been them getting used to Chief's system or was it both?
- LJF

More then anything they got back to playing a 5 man unit game. The forwards supporting the Defense. The Defense joining the forwards on offense.

I really like what Berube has them doing. I love the conditioning stints he puts then through in practice. He skates the players hards for good chunks of the practice building up their endurance.

Then of course there is that confidence thing. You can see a few of the players look different from just a few weeks ago. Confidence is a funny thing.

The Comcast Network

More then anything they got back to playing a 5 man unit game. The forwards supporting the Defense. The Defense joining the forwards on offense.

I really like what Berube has them doing. I love the conditioning stints he puts then through in practice. He skates the players hards for good chunks of the practice building up their endurance.

Then of course there is that confidence thing. You can see a few of the players look different from just a few weeks ago. Confidence is a funny thing.
- ggunky

+1

I'd say the recent offensive explosion owes credit to the team's god-awful early SH% regressing back to the mean, the Downie trade allowing the 3rd-line to become a consistent threat, and the re-insertion of Gus giving them a puck-mover on each d-pair.

+1

I'd say the recent offensive explosion owes credit to the team's god-awful early SH% regressing back to the mean, the Downie trade allowing the 3rd-line to become a consistent threat, and the re-insertion of Gus giving them a puck-mover on each d-pair.
- Tomahawk

I think Chief's systems are in place and players are comfortable with it now and that helps with their confidence. Sometime last year the team quit on Lava. The Downie trade has been good for 5 on 5, but it seems to have hurt the PK. I think that will work itself out soon. Overall I really like the Downie trade.

Also I think the line brawl helped this team, they finally said to themselves enough is enough. They finally proved they were a team.

Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/23/13 vs. New York Islanders
- bmeltzer

Looks like all our div opponents lost last night. Also, Bob lets in 6 vs the Canucks on 35 shots... a couple of those goals looked really weak..

+1

I'd say the recent offensive explosion owes credit to the team's god-awful early SH% regressing back to the mean, the Downie trade allowing the 3rd-line to become a consistent threat, and the re-insertion of Gus giving them a puck-mover on each d-pair.
- Tomahawk

I agree.

They weren't as bad as they were early -- though they were close, in some ways, because they clearly weren't moving the puck at even a bad NHL level with Gus on the bench -- and they aren't as good as they look now, with no 5v5 goals getting scored on them.

That doesn't mean they won't win their share of games, because they likely will, because instead of having one sometimes shaky starting goaltender and one clear backup, the Flyers actually have two goaltenders that can steal games, if they get any kind of offensive support.

The Downie trade was the right move at the right time, because instead of getting one player back, we actually might have gotten 1.5, considering Sean Couturier is now putting up a few points.

Don't know how good this team can be yet -- I still don't get the feeling that all is smooth with Scott Hartnell, and I doubt that Brayden Schenn is all of a sudden going to be extremely consistent -- but at the same time, if they can win today, they'll be back at .500...and after a 1-7 start, that's no small feat.

I agree.

They weren't as bad as they were early -- though they were close, in some ways, because they clearly weren't moving the puck at even a bad NHL level with Gus on the bench -- and they aren't as good as they look now, with no 5v5 goals getting scored on them.

That doesn't mean they won't win their share of games, because they likely will, because instead of having one sometimes shaky starting goaltender and one clear backup, the Flyers actually have two goaltenders that can steal games, if they get any kind of offensive support.

The Downie trade was the right move at the right time, because instead of getting one player back, we actually might have gotten 1.5, considering Sean Couturier is now putting up a few points.

Don't know how good this team can be yet -- I still don't get the feeling that all is smooth with Scott Hartnell, and I doubt that Brayden Schenn is all of a sudden going to be extremely consistent -- but at the same time, if they can win today, they'll be back at .500...and after a 1-7 start, that's no small feat.
- AllInForFlyers

Agreed on the Downie trade. Not only did we get the better player IMO, it gives us flexibility going forward with the cap. If Downie plays well, re sign him, if not, we get cap space to sign someone else. I do worry about how the PK has looked, but it is easier to get a guy like Hall to help on the PK than it is to get a Downie.

I think Chief's systems are in place and players are comfortable with it now and that helps with their confidence. Sometime last year the team quit on Lava. The Downie trade has been good for 5 on 5, but it seems to have hurt the PK. I think that will work itself out soon. Overall I really like the Downie trade.

Also I think the line brawl helped this team, they finally said to themselves enough is enough. They finally proved they were a team.
- LJF

The old adage that coaches get too much credit when teams win, and too much blame when they lose is true.

I don't think they ever really quit on Lavi, or that the guys are necessarily running through walls for Berube now... the players themselves were simply under-performing and not working together -- and the way the team was constructed didn't exactly make it easy for them to turn things around.

Thanks to continued hot goaltending and some sticks coming alive, they've been rattling off wins (against poor teams), but the fundamental problems with the club (mobility/skill on D, young players still growing, too old/declining in key areas) will still be issues moving forward. No amount of fresh messages, conditioning, or system tweaks from Berube are going to be able to mask any of those things for long.

i think you express the concerns of many of us here. yes, they are winning but can they keep up this pace? even if they play well against boston, detroit, pitt, the caps, tb and the upcoming "trip" they are lucky to win half those games due to the issues you mention. hopefully they don't try the 'big trade' to get some pieces and lose more young guys

The old adage that coaches get too much credit when teams win, and too much blame when they lose is true.

I don't think they ever really quit on Lavi, or that the guys are necessarily running through walls for Berube now... the players themselves were simply under-performing and not working together -- and the way the team was constructed didn't exactly make it easy for them to turn things around.

Thanks to continued hot goaltending and some sticks coming alive, they've been rattling off wins (against poor teams), but the fundamental problems with the club (mobility/skill on D, young players still growing, too old/declining in key areas) will still be issues moving forward. No amount of fresh messages, conditioning, or system tweaks from Berube are going to be able to mask any of those things for long.
- Tomahawk

Thanks to continued hot goaltending and some sticks coming alive, they've been rattling off wins (against poor teams), but the fundamental problems with the club (mobility/skill on D, young players still growing, too old/declining in key areas) will still be issues moving forward. No amount of fresh messages, conditioning, or system tweaks from Berube are going to be able to mask any of those things for long.
- Tomahawk

Would you aggressively look to do something with the defense, or just let it ride and take it to the offseason, when Meszaros and Timmo are off the books -- though, for the record, Timmo's looked a lot better in the last stretch.

The old adage that coaches get too much credit when teams win, and too much blame when they lose is true.

I don't think they ever really quit on Lavi, or that the guys are necessarily running through walls for Berube now... the players themselves were simply under-performing and not working together -- and the way the team was constructed didn't exactly make it easy for them to turn things around.

Thanks to continued hot goaltending and some sticks coming alive, they've been rattling off wins (against poor teams), but the fundamental problems with the club (mobility/skill on D, young players still growing, too old/declining in key areas) will still be issues moving forward. No amount of fresh messages, conditioning, or system tweaks from Berube are going to be able to mask any of those things for long.
- Tomahawk

It is always up to the players, but having a coach that can put in a system or change a system that the current players can succeed in helps. Lava was preaching the same thing over and over and the team tuned him out.

Would you aggressively look to do something with the defense, or just let it ride and take it to the offseason, when Meszaros and Timmo are off the books -- though, for the record, Timmo's looked a lot better in the last stretch.
- AllInForFlyers

I think most of us realize that there's not going to be a quick fix... even getting a top guy via UFA isn't going to really improve the D from top to bottom like it really needs to be.

If I were GM, I'd let Kimmo and Mez go (of course), try like hell to unload Streit and Grossmann, and designate Coburn, Schenn and Gus as my basic building blocks. While waiting for the influx of Morin/Hagg/Ghost, I'd sniff around for affordable D of the same age range as the young core, and work in some Phantoms (Alt). I'd avoid anybody on a big-$, long-term deal, and anybody over the age of 28.

I think most of us realize that there's not going to be a quick fix... even getting a top guy via UFA isn't going to really improve the D from top to bottom like it really needs to be.

If I were GM, I'd let Kimmo and Mez go (of course), try like hell to unload Streit and Grossmann, and designate Coburn, Schenn and Gus as my basic building blocks. While waiting for the influx of Morin/Hagg/Ghost, I'd sniff around for affordable D of the same age range as the young core, and work in some Phantoms (Alt). I'd avoid anybody on a big-$, long-term deal, and anybody over the age of 28.
- Tomahawk

This is actually as good a plan as we're likely going to see -- I don't think a pairing of Grossmann/Streit is horrifying as a third pair, with Grossmann on the PK and Streit on the PP, but when they're your second pair...hey, I like them both. I really do. But when that is clearly our second pair, that's not going to get it done for a Cup.

Please, Terry Murray. Deliver Mark Alt to this franchise, ready to rock. Please.

This is actually as good a plan as we're likely going to see -- I don't think a pairing of Grossmann/Streit is horrifying as a third pair, with Grossmann on the PK and Streit on the PP, but when they're your second pair...hey, I like them both. I really do. But when that is clearly our second pair, that's not going to get it done for a Cup.

Please, Terry Murray. Deliver Mark Alt to this franchise, ready to rock. Please.
- AllInForFlyers

I like Grossmann as a player, but they already have Schenn.

If they could get out of Streit's deal, it would be nothing short of a miracle...

I like Grossmann as a player, but they already have Schenn.
- Tomahawk

I think you need two such players, especially in the postseason when it turns into broom-closet hockey.

Have to stay on top of the workload if I want to get to spend time with my kids before a game night.
- bmeltzer

you also may want to consider a little sleep.... 4:30 AM??

More then anything they got back to playing a 5 man unit game. The forwards supporting the Defense. The Defense joining the forwards on offense.

I really like what Berube has them doing. I love the conditioning stints he puts then through in practice. He skates the players hards for good chunks of the practice building up their endurance.

Then of course there is that confidence thing. You can see a few of the players look different from just a few weeks ago. Confidence is a funny thing.
- ggunky

looking at the sabres bench during that last game, i recognized that look on their faces
thankfully the flyers don't have the look anymore

Looks like all our div opponents lost last night. Also, Bob lets in 6 vs the Canucks on 35 shots... a couple of those goals looked really weak..
- Hextall271

i'd put a heartface here but i love bob and i feel bad for him