Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: The Good, Bad and Ugly as Flyers Drop Game 1

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: The Good, Bad and Ugly as Flyers Drop Game 1
- bmeltzer

The Flyers seem to play into the Rangers hands far too willingly.

I mentioned this in the other blog, but, the Flyers get their transition game started far to slowly and the Ranger forecheck is eating them alive. Rather than a crisp, smart first pass, there's delaying and passing between defensemen....and all that does is allow the Rangers to fire up the forecheck and set up their trap, so even if the first pass up the ice is a good one, the forwards have to get through the gauntlet in the neutral zone.

Toss in the sloppy execution, along with a lack of discipline(which totally collapsed in the third) and the Rangers dominate you. You can't sit back and let NY set up their forecheck and clog the lanes in the neutral zone and expect to win.

Flyers have been the only non competitive team in the playoffs so far.

Well Bill just rained on the parade for those saying Coots had a good game. Should've never shaved the beard.

Too soon?
Bill did your write this before the game?!?

The Flyers seem to play into the Rangers hands far too willingly.

I mentioned this in the other blog, but, the Flyers get their transition game started far to slowly and the Ranger forecheck is eating them alive. Rather than a crisp, smart first pass, there's delaying and passing between defensemen....and all that does is allow the Rangers to fire up the forecheck and set up their trap, so even if the first pass up the ice is a good one, the forwards have to get through the gauntlet in the neutral zone.

Toss in the sloppy execution, along with a lack of discipline(which totally collapsed in the third) and the Rangers dominate you. You can't sit back and let NY set up their forecheck and clog the lanes in the neutral zone and expect to win.
- Jsaquella

In my opinion

The delaying is because the defenseman don't have a clean option to make a quick pass. They aren't passing up the opportunity to move the puck to an open forward in favor of a D to D pass.

Flyers have been the only non competitive team in the playoffs so far.
- Just5

as much as i wish it was the case, one bad game doesnt make an noncompetitive series just yet.

In my opinion

The delaying is because the defenseman don't have a clean option to make a quick pass. They aren't passing up the opportunity to move the puck to an open forward in favor of a D to D pass.
- MJL

then the forwards need to make sure they come back a little bit to try to provide the defenders with a shorter, higher percentage pass.

They seem to play to combat what the Rangers do, instead of playing their own game....they really look discombobulated against the Rangers....probably because they are changing to adapt rather then just playing their own system.

I still can't comprehend the game plan. Hopefully the Flyers as a whole had a team-wide brain fart, and it wasn't the style that Berube wanted them to play.

EVERY time there was a loose puck along the boards you would see the Flyers outnumbered. One Flyer battling two or three Rangers ... while the other Flyers backed safely away.

I predict line changes and lineup changes for game 2. And hopefully a more proactive approach.

Also ugly - Grossmann 2nd on the team in ice time. Berube got out coached tonight.

as much as i wish it was the case, one bad game doesnt make an noncompetitive series just yet.
- stayinthefnnet

In my opinion

No it's doesn't. But although I don't agree that the Flyers were non competitive, I think his premise is correct. I didn't see playoff intensity from the Flyers tonight.

then the forwards need to make sure they come back a little bit to try to provide the defenders with a shorter, higher percentage pass.
- stayinthefnnet

In my opinion

Absolutely

For me, you have one team that's trying to make the game faster, and one team that's trying to slow the game down.

One outskating the other. Until that changes...

Well Bill just rained on the parade for those saying Coots had a good game. Should've never shaved the beard.
- EducatedOpinion

He was on the ice for 3 goals against.....not sure that's a game I would think Couturier would be happy with.

Also ugly - Grossmann 2nd on the team in ice time. Berube got out coached tonight.
- Feanor

Grossmann was not part of the problem in this game. He played well, apart from one bad giveaway (which didn't end up being costly). He was stapling Rangers to the walls and giving Flyers forwards plenty of time to dig pucks loose -- alas, they lost most of those battles. That's something about his role the Corsi crowd doesn't always grasp.

Also ugly - Grossmann 2nd on the team in ice time. Berube got out coached tonight.
- Feanor

Grossmann should sit for game two.

He gets that deer in the headlights look when he has the puck in the D zone.

Grossmann was not part of the problem in this game. He played well, apart from one bad giveaway (which didn't end up being costly). He was stapling Rangers to the walls and giving Flyers forwards plenty of time to dig pucks loose -- alas, they lost most of those battles. That's something about his role the Corsi crowd doesn't always grasp.
- bmeltzer

he was also very slow in making decisions with the puck. Several times he just held onto the puck until he was under pressure, and it was too late to get it out of the zone.

Grossmann was not part of the problem in this game. He played well, apart from one bad giveaway (which didn't end up being costly). He was stapling Rangers to the walls and giving Flyers forwards plenty of time to dig pucks loose -- alas, they lost most of those battles. That's something about his role the Corsi crowd doesn't always grasp.
- bmeltzer

Bill, how do you think Berube did tonight? Honest question I'd like to hear your opinion.

Grossmann was not part of the problem in this game. He played well, apart from one bad giveaway (which didn't end up being costly). He was stapling Rangers to the walls and giving Flyers forwards plenty of time to dig pucks loose -- alas, they lost most of those battles. That's something about his role the Corsi crowd doesn't always grasp.
- bmeltzer

In my opinion


The defenseman were under siege all game. Not easy to play under those circumstances. And considering all the D zone time and forecheck they were exposed to, they limited the damage and had the game at 1-1 until the penalties broke it open. Flyers have to play a quicker and more intense game.

For me, you have one team that's trying to make the game faster, and one team that's trying to slow the game down.

One outskating the other. Until that changes...
- flyer_nutter

Thats a nice observation. So many teams just seem to be better than the Flyers through the neutral zone. I think you can attribute that to the mix of players the flyers have collected.

he was also very slow in making decisions with the puck. Several times he just held onto the puck until he was under pressure, and it was too late to get it out of the zone.
- FlyerGuy

He was fine, apart from one turnover. You have to have somewhere to go with it. That was a problem for all the Flyers' D tonight. The NY forecheckers got on them fast.

In my opinion


The defenseman were under siege all game. Not easy to play under those circumstances. And considering all the D zone time and forecheck they were exposed to, they limited the damage and had the game at 1-1 until the penalties broke it open. Flyers have to play a quicker and more intense game.
- MJL

But a big chunk of that is their own doing. You can't discredit that. Its not 1995 anymore. Forwards are going to be marked in the neutral zone. Figure out another way.

Bill, how do you think Berube did tonight? Honest question I'd like to hear your opinion.
- EducatedOpinion

Well, the team got outplayed in all three periods -- some more than others -- so Vigneault did better.

In my opinion

Absolutely

- MJL

oh yeah. thats the pens problem a lot too. try to hit this miraculous home run stretch pass every play. definitely not going to work against a team like the rangers. going to have to dink and dunk and work to establish the zone. the flyers forwards have the skill to establish quality chances in the zone, but theyre going to have to grind it out to set up there in the first place.