Essentially * he had to deal with a two on one and a great pass was made where he had to slide and adjust, the shooter faked a shot, got him moving and scored 5 hole. If you think he SHOULD have saved that you are a moron
- ClaudeFather

Hart was over and set in plenty of time as Marchand held the puck and did not shoot right away. Hart bit on a fake and Marchand scored easily. It was poorly played by Gostisbehere and by Hart.

Essentially * he had to deal with a two on one and a great pass was made where he had to slide and adjust, the shooter faked a shot, got him moving and scored 5 hole. If you think he SHOULD have saved that you are a moron
- ClaudeFather

It would have been nice for Hart to make that save, but the real focus should how that entire sequence started, lost puck battles by Giroux and Couturier while Jake V is aimlessly in the low far corner instead of at the point. And then you can put some secondary focus on why Ghost leaves his feet instead of taking Marchand and letting Hart take the shooter on a 2 on 1. Then if you have any focus left after that, you can examine why Hart opened his 5-hole.

Interesting points. However the Flyers do want some veteran leadership on this club, right? I would rather the Flyers move on from Jake and G, and see if they can come to terms with Couturier on a team friendly deal and have him be that veteran leader moving forward.
- jd250

This veteran leadership stuff is nonsense. You don't sign a guy to what is going to be a 60m+ deal to provide veteran (frank)ing leadership.

Kooleus, over on Ek's thread, when we were talking about signing Ekholm to protect Hart's confidence, said it very well. He said you guys are not even a playoff team right now. Why the hell would you sign an expensive vet to a long term deal for that reason. Want to protect Hart's confidence? Play him less, and play Elliott and Lyon.

Here is your veteran leadership. Resign Giroux: 3 years, 18 mil.

People need to understand that you have to bite the bullet on a possible few bad to horrible seasons. See who develops among the prospects. Build a (frank)ing core out of something other than optimism. Build it on performance. THEN do those big money signings.

Hart was over and set in plenty of time as Marchand held the puck and did not shoot right away. Hart bit on a fake and Marchand scored easily. It was poorly played by Gostisbehere and by Hart.
- MJL

No, Hart was fine, it was a good move

Injuries along with the lack of AHL game time due to Covid cancellations and schedule changes has prevented us from even seeing Allison and they haven’t tried Sandin. Allison has lots of potential to be a good fit with his shot and style.

Remember there was no preseason either.
- NC Flyers Fan

I think we may see sandin shortly and would hope Allison before the end of the year. I think the experience in the ahl may benefit some of them more this year especially how they are playing.

Essentially * he had to deal with a two on one and a great pass was made where he had to slide and adjust, the shooter faked a shot, got him moving and scored 5 hole. If you think he SHOULD have saved that you are a moron
- ClaudeFather

Really? You're going to insult me because I stated it was a savable shot. Piss off! I stated several times that Ghost should have cut off the pass coming across and give Hart the shooter, however that rat wiener did the same move he almost always does and made Hart look silly.

Listen, I have stated and will continue to state that if the Flyers could obtain a truly legitimate top 4 defenseman like Ekholm, they should do it regardless of where they are in the standings. This would be a step in the right direction for a team that desperately needs legitimate top 4 defenseman right now. You can keep walking the plank and defending Sanheim and Myers if you want, but you are going to have to eventually face the fact that they both SUCK with a capital 'S'!
- jd250

Contradicting yourself. If the team desperately needs a legitimate top 4 defenseman right now, then how would Niskanen have not helped?

The only one walking the plank with repeated hyperbole and absurd comments such as Sanheim and Myers both SUCK with a capital 'S' is you my friend.

I know, I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but there are some on this site, not going to mention what the 3 initials of that person are, that continually state I have never stated what I stated, and it just bothers me to a point where I feel like I have to post crap like this; though it is true, its not germane to the conversation at hand.
- jd250

I forgot what you said in this post seconds after I read it.

No, Hart was fine, it was a good move
- ClaudeFather

It was an okay move. Don't bite on the fake. Hart came up small on two goals in the game.

Really? You're going to insult me because I stated it was a savable shot. Piss off! I stated several times that Ghost should have cut off the pass coming across and give Hart the shooter, however that rat wiener did the same move he almost always does and made Hart look silly.
- aantny88

I’m sorry I offended you but that’s not a should save moment, not saying it was impossible but I am not blaming Hart for net getting that . The blame is on the rest of the group that caused this situation

What the average save % for goalies in the shootout? I'd venture to say somewhere around 70% (the best around around 80%). That means shooters only score on 3 out of every 10 break away opportunities, so goalies clearly have the advantage in that situation.
- aantny88

Shootouts/penalty shots and breakaways don't necessarily correlate. I posted the other day with the composites of some Hall of Fame offensive players -- including Wayne Gretzky, who was oddly pedestrian on penalty shots -- that were ordinary to below average on shootouts/PS vs. lesser offensive players who were really good in PS and shootouts, such as Chris Stewart and Jussi Jokinen.

Who would you take your chances against on a breakaway, Chris Stewart or Wayne Gretzky? Jussi Jokinen or Jaromir Jagr? But, statistically, in a shootout/penalty shot, the former were more likely to score. Weird thing.

Marchand, in particular, is devastatingly effective on breakaways.

Ok, we disagree. If I am the coach and I know Bergeron and Marchand are killing the penalty, I am not putting Jake on the point on the PP.
- jd250

So every time they're out there, you wouldn't be putting your best PP players out there. You wouldn't have the job for long.

Everything....

PT....your posts are Groundhog Day.
- NC Flyers Fan

Huh? It takes a large sample set, across a lot of players, and ranks them 5-0n-5 normalized over 60 mins.

It's a statistic. Not an opinion. In that statistic, 'cup winning' is not a criterion.

See post above
- ClaudeFather

The post above doesn't answer the questions or support your statement.

Really? You're going to insult me because I stated it was a savable shot. Piss off! I stated several times that Ghost should have cut off the pass coming across and give Hart the shooter, however that rat wiener did the same move he almost always does and made Hart look silly.
- aantny88

That's the thing about great offensive players -- and Marchand is one, You can know or suspect what's coming and they'll still score anyway. Also, Marchand's ability to shoot from the bottom of the circle and score has to be respected as much as his ability to cut in front. That's part of what makes him so dangerous.

Marchand is hard to like, much of the time. But his gifts can't be denied.

This veteran leadership stuff is nonsense. You don't sign a guy to what is going to be a 60m+ deal to provide veteran (frank)ing leadership.

Kooleus, over on Ek's thread, when we were talking about signing Ekholm to protect Hart's confidence, said it very well. He said you guys are not even a playoff team right now. Why the hell would you sign an expensive vet to a long term deal for that reason. Want to protect Hart's confidence? Play him less, and play Elliott and Lyon.

Here is your veteran leadership. Resign Giroux: 3 years, 18 mil.

People need to understand that you have to bite the bullet on a possible few bad to horrible seasons. See who develops among the prospects. Build a (frank)ing core out of something other than optimism. Build it on performance. THEN do those big money signings.
- PT21

I would like to cut the cord with Jake and G. They will likely be worse in the short term but I want new player leadership. Jake I think we can entice Seattle to take if we send draft/prospect compensation along with him. Make intentions known to G, maybe he would like to be sent somewhere, only one more year with him.

Go into summer 2022 with substantial cap room

The post above doesn't answer the questions or support your statement.
- MJL

I covered it, Bill covered it and shared a similar thought process , you can think what you want

That's the thing about great offensive players -- and Marchand is one, You can know or suspect what's coming and they'll still score anyway. Also, Marchand's ability to shoot from the bottom of the circle and score has to be respected as much as his ability to cut in front. That's part of what makes him so dangerous.

Marchand is hard to like, much of the time. But his gifts can't be denied.
- bmeltzer

I totally agree, Bill. I'm having trouble locating a website that actually provides any numbers for breakaway %s for goalies/shooters. I'd be interested to see those! If you could possibly direct me, I would be extremely appreciative. Thank you!

It was an okay move. Don't bite on the fake. Hart came up small on two goals in the game.
- MJL

How many goalies does Marchand get to bite on the fake, though? A lot.

A specific example: He got Bobrovsky with it at least 4-5 times, including 3 in one season. I remember NHL Network doing a breakdown segment on a Boston vs. Columbus game and they showed he beat Bob several times that season on the same move he beat Hart on last night.

That's the thing about great offensive players -- and Marchand is one, You can know or suspect what's coming and they'll still score anyway. Also, Marchand's ability to shoot from the bottom of the circle and score has to be respected as much as his ability to cut in front. That's part of what makes him so dangerous.

Marchand is hard to like, much of the time. But his gifts can't be denied.
- bmeltzer

I love Marchand, Bill. I really do.

I love how small he is, but how much swagger he has. He is not a guy who shies away from scrums and dirty areas. He sells out all the time: including PK. He is always clutch. I love how he always wants the puck on his stick when the chips are down.

That guy, ever since he came into this league, has never had a period I know where he has lacked confidence. He doesn't seem to know what self-doubt means.

Contradicting yourself. If the team desperately needs a legitimate top 4 defenseman right now, then how would Niskanen have not helped?

The only one walking the plank with repeated hyperbole and absurd comments such as Sanheim and Myers both SUCK with a capital 'S' is you my friend.
- MJL

Wow, you are thick sometimes! I never posted Niskanen would not have helped. Read my post again. I labeled Niskanen as a solid and steady partner that would cover for Provorov's myriad of mistakes. I also posted that he would help but not enough to make the Flyers this year a playoff team. I believe Ekholm would provide even better value to the Flyers if they were to obtain him, but I also previously posted more than once that Ekholm alone would not propel this team into the playoffs, but would be a nice step in the right direction. And BTW, the reason that Niskanen nor Ekholm would propel this team into the playoffs is frankly, Myers and Sanheim SUCK!

Two reasons:

1. His overvaluation is reflective of a rampant disease of overvaluation that afflicts many here. People like TK, Bee etc are less easy to critique because of smaller sample set, growing pains etc. D-men stats are more opaque.So, I choose Couturier to exemplify the disease.

2. Couts is coming into the last year of his contract. He will demand a huge payday. If the ultimate goal is contention, do you want to ride that boat on this team with Hayes (also an average 2C on a contending club) locked in by definition? And with a young group of guys who will likely not hit their prime before Couts starts to fade?

If he was the same player, and 26, I would say absolutely.

At 30, I would say, absolutely not.Go that route, and you have anchored yourself to the surety of mediocrity for the fear of the downside. Trade him, bite the bullet, and face what is obvious anyway. You are not even in the same timezone as the track of a contending club right now. You are an average to below average club, on a track to staying there. What he brings back could jolt that trajectory at the cost of a few years of hardship.
- PT21

I'd consider trading him depending on what the return is. I have zero faith in Fletcher being the architect in turning them into contenders. That is my biggest issue right now.

I’m sorry I offended you but that’s not a should save moment, not saying it was impossible but I am not blaming Hart for net getting that . The blame is on the rest of the group that caused this situation
- ClaudeFather

No worries, but I never said it was a should save/routine save, but that he could have saved it, needed to save it and it was a stoppable shot. The sequence leading up to the goal was a disaster, including Boston tying up the puck below the goalie for what seemed like an eternity. The Flyers never freed up the puck, even when they eventually outnumbered them.

I totally agree, Bill. I'm having trouble locating a website that actually provides any numbers for breakaway %s for goalies/shooters. I'd be interested to see those! If you could possibly direct me, I would be extremely appreciative. Thank you!
- aantny88

Some teams track it as a proprietary stat. I remember Berube mentioning it once while he was here and also saying they tracked which D-men were better than others at locating and clearing rebounds. He said, basically, there was Timonen (who was stellar at it) and then there was everyone else.

Huh? It takes a large sample set, across a lot of players, and ranks them 5-0n-5 normalized over 60 mins.

It's a statistic. Not an opinion. In that statistic, 'cup winning' is not a criterion.
- PT21

Stop being pretentious...

No one is ignorant of the WHY you are posting statistics on Coots and of your opinion that the Flyers won’t win a cup with him in the next three years so you want to trade him.

I haven’t heard anyone say that the current group without any acquisitions is a cup contender, just a lot of disagreements about when, who, and how to add them.