Bill Meltzer: Wrap: Flyers Dismantle Islanders, 5-2

I still cannot understand how Jake got a major for having someone run into him.

Wish they played like this before the holidays.

Hartman seems to fit in nicely.

Great to see a real D. Sanheim and Myers bring skill, speed and size. Give Hextall his due, you could see his vision for the D. If Morin happens to pan out? They say you build from the goal out...

Don’t dare to hope
Miss by 5

Wayne Simmonds would have went after someone...Welcome too the soft Flyers

Wayne Simmonds would have went after someone...Welcome too the soft Flyers
- twpguy

I don’t understand what happened to Wayne points wise after having a strong first half. He didn’t have much of camp. He recovered from offseason surgery. Now he looks like he’s never going to score again, which I find doubtful. If his value goes down in terms of money he could be signed to, I would still take him back because he is a leader and he will stand up for his teammates. He’s just gonna have accept a lesser role and work his way back up.

I don’t understand what happened to Wayne points wise after having a strong first half. He didn’t have much of camp. He recovered from offseason surgery. Now he looks like he’s never going to score again, which I find doubtful. If his value goes down in terms of money he could be signed to, I would still take him back because he is a leader and he will stand up for his teammates. He’s just gonna have accept a lesser role and work his way back up.
- SuperSchennBros

He deserves a chance to fully recover, I do think he will be better next season. He does have locker room and on ice qualities that every team needs or misses. I do think JVR is better on PP1 now. That doesn’t mean Simmer won’t bounce back next year. If the Flyers has someone to run PP2 (Panarin) then a healthy Simmer would make a real good 2nd unit

The NHL is clearly trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up with calls like that on Jake. Absolute garbage! He didn't deliver a hit, he braced for a hit. Say it the way it is Bill. Every writer trying to sugar coat what happened is just adding to the problem in my opinion. It was not a hit. He made no motion towards Girlchuck. He just got himself in a position to show the boy what a brick wall feels like.

I want to say, there is no other writer in hockey I have more respect for than you, Bill. Please call it what it was. The NHL will not fix itself if everyone falls in line and doesn't call them out when they are wrong.

I don’t understand what happened to Wayne points wise after having a strong first half. He didn’t have much of camp. He recovered from offseason surgery. Now he looks like he’s never going to score again, which I find doubtful. If his value goes down in terms of money he could be signed to, I would still take him back because he is a leader and he will stand up for his teammates. He’s just gonna have accept a lesser role and work his way back up.
- SuperSchennBros

He is in decline? Just a thought...

I still cannot understand how Jake got a major for having someone run into him.
- 2Real

I missed it but I'm puzzled by the call. So when did boychuk threaten jake? On the ice?

The NHL is clearly trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up with calls like that on Jake. Absolute garbage! He didn't deliver a hit, he braced for a hit. Say it the way it is Bill. Every writer trying to sugar coat what happened is just adding to the problem in my opinion. It was not a hit. He made no motion towards Girlchuck. He just got himself in a position to show the boy what a brick wall feels like.

I want to say, there is no other writer in hockey I have more respect for than you, Bill. Please call it what it was. The NHL will not fix itself if everyone falls in line and doesn't call them out when they are wrong.
- BadCowboyDan

I don’t have a problem with a minor interference penalty. That’s all it was

Hartman - 2
Simmonds - 1

I was stuck watching the islanders feed.....when jake backed up into boychucky. They were calling for 5mins and getting tossed out of the game due to some rule that states if it is 5 min major for interference and the player is hurt......jake would be tossed, period.

They also went on about a 1-2 game suspension.....it was painful to watch

I was stuck watching the islanders feed.....when jake backed up into boychucky. They were calling for 5mins and getting tossed out of the game due to some rule that states if it is 5 min major for interference and the player is hurt......jake would be tossed, period.

They also went on about a 1-2 game suspension.....it was painful to watch
- huks99

I hope in 20 years when they decide where they want to reside and get a new arena they get new announcers as well.

Sanheim passed ghost in points....amazing

He is in decline? Just a thought...
- BadCowboyDan

Is that a thought? Did you think this out?

Sanheim passed ghost in points....amazing
- Just5

There is no reason why we shouldn’t beat Ottawa Monday. If or when we do beat them, we will be three points behind the Habs who don’t play a game until Tuesday. Unfortunately, the Habs face the Wings that night.

There is no reason why we shouldn’t beat Ottawa Monday. If or when we do beat them, we will be three points behind the Habs who don’t play a game until Tuesday. Unfortunately, the Habs face the Wings that night.
- SuperSchennBros

While the Flyers will still have to pass the Habs, they gained no ground last night on Columbus (who moved past Montreal into the lower wildcard spot, both via ROW and because the Blue Jackets have played one fewer game than the Canadiens).

The Flyers could use help from the Islanders tomorrow (preferably in regulation) in addition to taking care of their own business against Ottawa. That would put the Flyers four points (three standings points + ROW disadvantage) behind the Blue Jackets and Canadiens before the Habs play again on Tuesday.

I’ll take the new soft Flyers if that means they play like they did last night.

The NHL is clearly trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up with calls like that on Jake. Absolute garbage! He didn't deliver a hit, he braced for a hit. Say it the way it is Bill. Every writer trying to sugar coat what happened is just adding to the problem in my opinion. It was not a hit. He made no motion towards Girlchuck. He just got himself in a position to show the boy what a brick wall feels like.

I want to say, there is no other writer in hockey I have more respect for than you, Bill. Please call it what it was. The NHL will not fix itself if everyone falls in line and doesn't call them out when they are wrong.


- BadCowboyDan

That's simply not accurate. Boychuck was coming in to aggressively pursue the puck which as coming around the boards. Voracek ignored the puck and threw a deliberate shoulder into Boychuck. While I don't agree with it being a major, it is definitely a penalty.

Is that a thought? Did you think this out?
- SuperSchennBros

He's managed only 1.2 SOG/game so far in Nashville.

That's down from 2.2 SOG/game as a Flyer this season. Just two seasons ago he was above 2.8 SOG/game.

But what's different is, for the first time since he was in LA, his SH% dropped under 13.5%. He's at 11.2% now for the year.

It's the beginning of a trend, and it can spiral pretty quickly if he's not able to justify being on a line with better teammates to create chances for him.

The NHL is clearly trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up with calls like that on Jake. Absolute garbage! He didn't deliver a hit, he braced for a hit. Say it the way it is Bill. Every writer trying to sugar coat what happened is just adding to the problem in my opinion. It was not a hit. He made no motion towards Girlchuck. He just got himself in a position to show the boy what a brick wall feels like.

I want to say, there is no other writer in hockey I have more respect for than you, Bill. Please call it what it was. The NHL will not fix itself if everyone falls in line and doesn't call them out when they are wrong.
- BadCowboyDan

The league has figured out what they want. They progressively want less and less hitting in the game, primarily due to concussions but also generically due to general injury risk. There was a directive to call interference on reverse hits like last night. If there's an injury, it's a major. If it's head contact, it's a major, a game misconduct and a likely review for supplementary discipline.

As Paul Stewart says, refs are like postal carriers: they deliver what their supervisors and bosses in hockey ops tell them to deliver.

For many years, Jake's hit last night would not have been an interference penalty ("Player A is as entitled to be in that space as Player B"). Now it is.

Whether I like it or not doesn't matter. It's a penalty now as the NHL directs it to be called.

He's managed only 1.2 SOG/game so far in Nashville.

That's down from 2.2 SOG/game as a Flyer this season. Just two seasons ago he was above 2.8 SOG/game.

But what's different is, for the first time since he was in LA, his SH% dropped under 13.5%. He's at 11.2% now for the year.

It's the beginning of a trend, and it can spiral pretty quickly if he's not able to justify being on a line with better teammates to create chances for him.
- Tomahawk

Sample size.

The league has figured out what they want. They progressively want less and less hitting in the game, primarily due to concussions but also generically due to general injury risk. There was a directive to call interference on reverse hits like last night. If there's an injury, it's a major. If it's head contact, it's a major, a game misconduct and a likely review for supplementary discipline.

As Paul Stewart says, refs are like postal carriers: they deliver what their supervisors and bosses in hockey ops tell them to deliver.

For many years, Jake's hit last night would not have been an interference penalty ("Player A is as entitled to be in that space as Player B"). Now it is.

Whether I like it or not doesn't matter. It's a penalty now as the NHL directs it to be called.
- bmeltzer

Peter Forsberg did reverse hits all the time. If Voracek had the puck, it might've been different.

Last night was a good team effort.

Who else was worried about Elliot when he was slow to get up?

I can understand giving Jake a minor for interference on that play...in some ways, but since Boychuck deliberately took multiple steps to initiate a hit, why doesn't he too get a minor? Because he took the worse in the impact?

That is stupid.

Myers looks really good. Calm. Sanheim looks smooth and more confident every shift.