Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/4/14 vs. EDM

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!!!

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!!!
- ggunky

This will be a tough test for the Oil. I wish them luck

I'm interested to see how Carlo Colaiacovo looks tonight. I wonder if the Flyers will be able to be aggressive early and avoid an early hole.

If the Flyers don't come out from the opening puck drop with urgency. It might be time to start questioning the leadership on this team.

If the Flyers don't come out from the opening puck drop with urgency. It might be time to start questioning the leadership on this team.
- MJL

Agreed, then again why should Giroux, Streit, Simmonds be responsible for getting a team full of men wanting to win a hockey game??? Its ridiculous.

If the Flyers don't come out from the opening puck drop with urgency. It might be time to start questioning the leadership on this team.
- MJL

Starting with the coach

Starting with the coach


- Giroux_Is_God

At some point, it might get to that.

Starting with the coach


- Giroux_Is_God

It's on the coach and the players. It's also tied to execution. Poor execution can lead to a team getting outplayed and seemingly outworked. A bad outlet pass gets picked off, a bad clear is kept in, a guy misses a pass and it leads to icing...all that leads to defensive zone time and expended energy chasing the puck.

The Flyers penchant for playing dump and chase is also an energy killer. Energy is expended chasing the dump in down and if the race is not won, it's easy for the the opposing team to turn around and move the puck up ice against you.

Are there games where a team gets outworked? Sure. These players are humans. I just hate when the struggles of a middle of the road team get labeled simply as getting outworked. There's other factors that lead to that happening.

Is it an accountability issue? Is it a lack of ability to execute leading to the team not being as aggressive as it needs to be? Is it poor cohesion caused by line juggling? I think they need to look at why they seem to be outworked and whether it's a leadership issue or something else.

I say this because we have seen this leadership group, or at least the bulk of it, lead this team to a huge turnaround and the playoffs.

I was listening to a Ken Hitchcock press conference yesterday on NHL Network Radio on Sirius. Most of it was routine updates on the Blues but Hitch said something quite interesting about special teams play.

He said that he benchmarks outstanding special teams play in today's NHL as a score of 105 (combined power play and penalty killing success percentages, in any combination).

Here's a look at the Flyers' special teams scores in recent years:

2011-12: 101.5 (19.7% PP, 81.1% PK)
2012-13: 107.5 -- tops in the NHL (21.6% PP, 85.9% PK)
2013-14: 104.5 (19.7% PP, 84.8% PK)
2014-15 to date: 95.3 (19.5 on power play, 75.8 on PK)

I was listening to a Ken Hitchcock press conference yesterday on NHL Network Radio on Sirius. Most of it was routine updates on the Blues but Hitch said something quite interesting about special teams play.

He said that he benchmarks outstanding special teams play in today's NHL as a score of 105 (combined power play and penalty killing success percentages, in any combination).

Here's a look at the Flyers' special teams scores in recent years:

2011-12: 101.5 (19.7% PP, 81.1% PK)
2012-13: 107.5 -- tops in the NHL (21.6% PP, 85.9% PK)
2013-14: 104.5 (19.7% PP, 84.8% PK)
2014-15 to date: 95.3 (19.5 on power play, 75.8 on PK)
- bmeltzer

For a team that has been shaky at ES over the last few years, they need to do better on special teams.

The PP has been in a rut, but that will come around. The PK has been prone to breakdowns thus far.

If the Flyers don't come out from the opening puck drop with urgency. It might be time to start questioning the leadership on this team.
- MJL

Something has to be questioned that is for sure. I don't know if it is on ice leadership as G looks pretty intense every shift.
The slow starts are painful and it is catching up to them. Good hockey teams do not fall behind almost every game. Read, Umberger, B Schenn, Couts...it would nice for these players to work hard and finish.

If the Flyers don't come out from the opening puck drop with urgency. It might be time to start questioning the leadership on this team.
- MJL

If you don't and the Flyers play bad.... Can ya do us a solid and trade Couturier to us?? Please and thank you!

It's on the coach and the players. It's also tied to execution. Poor execution can lead to a team getting outplayed and seemingly outworked. A bad outlet pass gets picked off, a bad clear is kept in, a guy misses a pass and it leads to icing...all that leads to defensive zone time and expended energy chasing the puck.

The Flyers penchant for playing dump and chase is also an energy killer. Energy is expended chasing the dump in down and if the race is not won, it's easy for the the opposing team to turn around and move the puck up ice against you.

Are there games where a team gets outworked? Sure. These players are humans. I just hate when the struggles of a middle of the road team get labeled simply as getting outworked. There's other factors that lead to that happening.

Is it an accountability issue? Is it a lack of ability to execute leading to the team not being as aggressive as it needs to be? Is it poor cohesion caused by line juggling? I think they need to look at why they seem to be outworked and whether it's a leadership issue or something else.

I say this because we have seen this leadership group, or at least the bulk of it, lead this team to a huge turnaround and the playoffs.
- Jsaquella

There are symptoms, and there are causes of symptoms. Why do they dump and chase so much? It's because they're always coming out of their own zone, having to go the full 200 feet, against an opposition that is well positioned defensively. That leads to dump ins. Execution is also an issue. Periods of games this season they have not been sharp with the puck, passes off that lead to icings. Passes in the skates. Another issue has been defensive coverage issues. Blown assignments on the back check or around the net. All of that is true.

But what is true, and is not a hard point to understand, is that when the puck is dropped in the opening period, and they don't have jump or aren't playing with urgency. What is the excuse then? In the opening minutes and period of a game, none of the effects of being worn down due to poor execution, or expending energy due to having to defend or chase down pucks are present.

Without a doubt, the single biggest and most debilitating issue this team faces, is that it simply doesn't come to play in the opening period, and parts or in some case the entire game. And that is a question of leadership of the players. It's inexcusable, and it has to change. They are not a good enough team to just show up. Not many are.

I was listening to a Ken Hitchcock press conference yesterday on NHL Network Radio on Sirius. Most of it was routine updates on the Blues but Hitch said something quite interesting about special teams play.

He said that he benchmarks outstanding special teams play in today's NHL as a score of 105 (combined power play and penalty killing success percentages, in any combination).

Here's a look at the Flyers' special teams scores in recent years:

2011-12: 101.5 (19.7% PP, 81.1% PK)
2012-13: 107.5 -- tops in the NHL (21.6% PP, 85.9% PK)
2013-14: 104.5 (19.7% PP, 84.8% PK)
2014-15 to date: 95.3 (19.5 on power play, 75.8 on PK)
- bmeltzer

So the Flyers basically need to get their PK up to about 85%.

So the Flyers basically need to get their PK up to about 85%.
- MJL

Or the power play to 30%

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!!!
- ggunky

Or the power play to 30%
- mickel25

Or winning hockey games to 100%

Or the power play to 30%
- mickel25

Well I pretty much figured that isn't going to happen.

Or the power play to 30%
- mickel25

Or PP to 22.2574% and PK to 82.7486%

Something has to be questioned that is for sure. I don't know if it is on ice leadership as G looks pretty intense every shift.
The slow starts are painful and it is catching up to them. Good hockey teams do not fall behind almost every game. Read, Umberger, B Schenn, Couts...it would nice for these players to work hard and finish.
- 3flyerkids

I do think some of these issues have to do with the immaturity of the young guys on the team...these are grown men and should be ready to go when the puck drops. They shouldn't require a "this is your time, go out there and take it" speech before every game!

Or winning hockey games to 100%
- funmaster18

I like this idea...

Or the power play to 30%
- mickel25

The second unit is brutal to watch...not a fan of Berube and when I see the top unit leave the ice 45 seconds to 1 minute in the power play to bring on an inept second unit I cringe. I'll watch other teams leave their top unit on for a minute and a half of the power play and I wonder why Chief doesn't do the same

We shouldn't be surprised at the PK unit struggling compared to last season. Kimmo and Coburn were the mainstays of last year's unit.

The second unit is brutal to watch...not a fan of Berube and when I see the top unit leave the ice 45 seconds to 1 minute in the power play to bring on an inept second unit I cringe. I'll watch other teams leave their top unit on for a minute and a half of the power play and I wonder why Chief doesn't do the same
- aantny88

Fire Berube in the offseason, pay Babcock 24 million a year to coach until he dies.