Trainwrecked

I didn't need to see last night's game to know the Flyers got bulldozed.  All of their flaws were on full display; terrible defensive zone coverage, soft goaltending, lack of hitting, not generating shots from the slot...  The Bruins have comprehensively demolished the Flyers this series.  Of all those factors though the defensive zone coverage and constantly yielding the slot and crease to attackers is the most disappointing to me because you'd think that would be easy to identify and fix.

Ending this series is just a formality at this point.

Other notes:
-Carter played a lot more minutes than expected.

-Goalie pulled for the 6th time in 11 games.  Amazing--not that last night was about goalies anyway.  I think every Flyers fan wanted so badly to see Boucher succeed, but he's just not that good of a goalie.  Does Bob start game 4, just to get the experience?

It's hard to make heads or tails of this Flyers team.  Are they the team that barely qualified for the playoffs last and got bulldozed by the Bruins, or are they the team of last year's cup run and phenomenal first half of this season?  There's many directions Holmgren could go in the offseason, but I guess I'll wait until their season is at least officially over before laying out options.

Bruins Series Game 2 Review

My standing prediction for the game tonight was 3-2, but I wasn't sure who would be on right side of that scoreline. Apparently it was the Bruins.

Total gutpunch of a loss.  Great start, thrown away by flat-footed defense and soft second goal in the span of a minute and a half.  Bruins were good in the second period, but the Flyers onslaught was relentless in the third, setting franchise playoff records for most shots in a period and most shots in a game.  The longer the 3rd period carried on without a goal to show for it however, you knew the chances that the game would slip away from the Flyers would increase.

I'd like to say "wow, the Flyers played great, obviously they can come back on the Bruins."  More likely though, is that the Flyers were facing a must-win game, gave the Bruins their best shot, and still lost.

It's pretty indisputable that at least tonight, the chasm in goaltending between the teams cost the Flyers.  The Bruins put out one of the league's best, the Flyers a streaky career backup.  Good goaltending isn't often going to win or lose a series on its own, but when you have two good teams playing each other, which is essentially always the case in advanced round of the playoffs, it will decide series.

Even if goaltending incompetence does not directly cause a Flyers loss (like tonight), the simple fact is that the Flyers are have been vastly overmatched at the position and it makes the job that much harder for the rest of the team to win. You can't expect the Flyers to score 4 goals every night against good teams.

Still clinging to some hope, but things look pretty bleak from where I sit.

Notes and other deep thoughts:
-Great game for Thomas (52 saves!!  22 in the 3rd period!), but you can't ignore how much more effective the Bruins defense was at preventing rebound chances---something the Flyers have done pitifully this series.

-Was there any doubt the JVR was the best player on the ice?  The guy was everywhere.  They flashed a stat on the broadcast, that after 9 playoff game JVR has the 2nd most all-time shots, only trailing Alex Ovechkin in 2009.  Oh yeah, he has 7 goals too, though at some points it looked like he might get 7 tonight alone.  He's doing the same power move over and over, but with his combination of size and skating, no defensemen seems to be able to do damn thing to stop him in one-on-one situations.

-No Pronger.  Bad back?  Bad hamstring?  Who knows.  Neither of those injuries are ones that tend to get better overnight.

-Carter is nowhere to be found at practices.  Do the Flyers try to rush him back now?

-The Flyers continue to have trouble rounding out the 4th line.  Shelley only played a few minutes and took a foolish penalty.  Who knows who we'll see in the lineup for game 3 in that slot.

-Do the Flyers change goalies again?  Not that Boucher was remarkably bad, but do you give the team another kick in the butt?  Probably not, but who knows with this squad.

Buffalo Series Game 7 Review

Last night showed, that when you strip away all the nonsense about Pronger injuries and shocking goaltending, the Flyers are a much better team than the Sabres.  The Flyers jumped all over the Sabres, who almost survived until Miller let in an awful goal.  I guess that would make terrible goals allowed ~9-1 this series?

Outside of Game 1, in which I thought the Sabres did very well to keep the Flyers out of dangerous scoring areas, the Sabres haven't been able to slow down the Flyers attack.  This series went seven games based another shutout win on the back of Miller, and the worst goaltending you will see this time of year.

The one other big difference last night was blocked shots.  I don't have the statistics, but through the first 25 minutes of the game the Flyers blocked a ton of shots, protecting Boucher.  That is the kind of effort they will have to replicate against stronger competition.

Observations and other deep thoughts:

-I've ragged on Coburn a bit, but when push comes to shove he's a trusted defensemen.  He covered a lot of ground in game 6, and has one of the best all-around games among the flyers defensemen.

-Good first period from Richards, driving the net.  Skated less as the game went on.  I still say something is up with him physically, but he will battle and hopefully get healthier.

-Encouraging to see Pronger play meaningful minutes, though the fact the Flyers still dressed Syrvet (only to play 19 seconds) means they're keeping an eye on his still-mending health.  And did I see a note that Pronger went up the tunnel with <1 minute left in the game, and thus missed the handshake?  Not sure on that one, but would be kind of bush league if that's what happened.

-One more goal each for JVR and Briere.  

-Zherdev is trying, but you can tell the way he kind of haphazardly throws himself he has no idea how to throw a check.  Either way, earning his keep in the lineup and at this rate he'll bag a goal or two.

-No, I did not think the Flyers were going to get their first SO last night, even when it was 4-0 in the 3rd.

-I thought the Flyers power play hit a turning point in game 5, and last night took another step, as the Flyers power play looked like a real threat.  Pronger helps, but I also like moving Richards back and JVR to the front.

-Felt like "old' times with the Leino-Briere-Hartnell line, pinning the Sabres in their own end on many shifts.

-Leighton has fallen off the face of the earth apparently, and there was even a rumor (which Holmgren denied--big surprise) that Leighton had gone AWOL from the team after being pulled from game 6.  Not much makes sense to me.  Leighton has been a good a soldier, so I don't see why he would bolt after being rightfully pulled from game 6.  On the other hand, the Flyers handling on Leighton has been strange, sending to the minors for all those months, recalling him but not playing him in the regular season, then giving him a playoff start, then being the number 4 goalie the next day?  It's all hard to make sense of.  Either way, his chances of returning to the net these playoffs are basically zero, and we'll leave it at that.

Buffalo Series Game 6 Review

For the 3rd time in 6 playoff games (and 4th in 7 overall), the Flyers' starting goalie turned in an embarrassing performance.  Miraculously, the Flyers are 3-1 in those games, and 1-2 in games where they get decent goaltending.  Go figure.  This team's ability to come back from any score is nothing short of remarkable.

Either way, the Flyers skaters are beginning to resemble the team that was tops of the NHL in January.  Clearly they aren't playing their best, but they look somewhat recognizable to that January team, and their quality over the Sabres is beginning to show.  It's kind of unfair to judge when the Flyers are always chasing the game after an early deficit, but if you put an average goaltender in net for each team last night and didn't change anything else, that game would've been 5-0 Flyers by the midway point.

To their credit however, after being gifted goals, the Sabres usually can put together 5 or 10 minutes of solid play once the Flyers have arduously climbed back to tie the score.  With the Flyers goaltending this series, 10 minutes of solid play often equals 2 goals.

For all the crap the Flyers have been through, the series in their hands.  Game 7, at home, and no arguments about who should be in net.  I am under no delusions about Boucher---he is a career backup NHL goalie who runs very hot and very cold.  Still, I think it is pretty well settled that this is best the Flyers can do in net this year, and this is their team, for better or worse.

I'll be there tomorrow, and I am very optimistic of Flyers victory.

Comments and other deep thoughts:
-Pronger only played 4:33, all on the PP.  It's an awkward arrangement, considering all anyone has been talking about how his bad hand would limit his ability to shoot, yet there he was on the point on the power play.  Clearly the team was more concerned about his hand holding up in all the physical battles of actually defending in 5-on-5 play, yet they put him in front of the net to jostle of the 5-on-3 PP.  I'll have to keep an eye on twitter today to see how Pronger practices today.  (Bear in mind that, reportedly, Pronger was very angry the day before game 6, and wouldn't even talk to his teammates, which they took as a sign he wouldn't play at all)

-So I slightly jumped the gun on Richards, saying it was time to stop hoping he would miraculously look like the Richards of previous years.  He played his best game of the series last night, being in the thick of things where he is most effective.  His skills aren't high-end enough to drift around the outside and have a big impact (few guys' are).

-The Sabres are saying Richards got away with "mass murder" by boarding Connolly, and Ruff says he should be suspended.  Let me translate that for you: "Please suspend the Flyers captain for game 7, or at least give us a borderline call or two."  I don't know, I seem to recall Ruff saying something about the Flyers whining the other day?  And generally, it's not "getting away" with anything if you are penalized on the play.  It was a clear penalty on Richards, but suspension?  Give me a break.

-Briere, 5 goals in 6 games.  Enough said.  Briere's and JVR's performances this series are beyond reproach.

Buffalo Series Game 5

Okay, I think I am sufficiently recovered to talk about the traumatic game last night.

My initial thought is that the Flyers spotted them two goals, and then Buffalo nicked a third after some questionable calls and a 4-on-3 (I thought we were done with the Flyers getting coincidental penalties when a Sabre punches them in the face and they literally turn around and don't even try to defend themselves--apparently not).  In my opinion, Buffalo did very little to earn that lead.   There's dirty goals, and there's lucky goals.  Scoring from the corner and behind the net when there's no traffic or other threat for the goalie to worry about is simply luck.

It was big gut check from the Flyers though, coming out in the 2nd and scoring 2 goals while outshooting Buffalo 11-0.  Nobody question the Flyers are capable of that kind of performance, but they regularly find ways to make that irrelevant.

The Flyers will have a tough game 6 in Buffalo, but I think they are likely to win.  Buffalo hasn't exactly staked a very strong claim to this series, winning 2 1-0 games and barely eeking out a win yesterday despite essentially being gifted a 2 goal lead.  The series is there for the taking, but the margin of error for the Flyers to leak backbreaking goals is officially zero now.  These untimely goal against have been a repeated theme for them this year, whether it be goaltending or something else, but hopefully they can go 2 straight games without one.

Comments and other deep thoughts:
-Another big effort from JVR.  I don't think there's any question that he and Giroux have been the Flyers' best forwards this series.  Really encouraging stuff for JVR for this year and beyond.

-I still think Coburn is playing lousy.  Only noticeable for a few terrible turnovers a game, not doing much else.

-That was the best the Flyers PP has played in a while.  No goals, but it actually looked like a power play.  I also liked getting JVR down low on it towards the end of the game.  Putting him at the point just because he won the hardest shot contest was kind of insane, and he's ready to compete physically in there with the big boys.  I also wouldn't be surprised to see Pronger on the PP Sunday, bad hand and all.

-I'll call it Zherdev's best game as a Flyer overall, and unquestionably his best defensive effort.  If he played like that every night he'd be $4 million/year guy in the NHL, not an unclaimed waivers player.  I thought he was gonna score in OT honestly.

-Might be time to give up on Richards looking like the Richards of past years this season.  I don't know what the problem is, but he's not skating, mucking and hitting the way he has done in past playoffs, and the odds of it materializing in game 6 are slim to none.

-And of course, goaltending.  I have been harping (obsessing?) about this topic all year, but at least now I know I wasn't crazy and wasting my breath.  It would've been somewhat crazy to think that after 82 games of groping for a goalie the Flyers would sort it out in a few playoff games.

Simply put, the Flyers goalies are not giving them a chance to win.  It's fine to say you don't need a standout goalie to win in the playoffs, but you're not winning jack with Bob's game 2 performance and Boosh's last night.

Boosh had to be pulled last night, but Leighton was not confidence inspiring in relief.  I don't know who starts in game 6, but does it really matter?  None of the Flyers' goalies are good enough, though I think Leighton is the best fit stylistically for this team (mainly just being a big body in there who can block the puck).  Laviolette can play pretty much whoever he feels like in game 6 because no goalie has made a case that he deserves the start.

Buffalo Series Game 4

Buffalo came out strong, but offered little in the 2nd half of the game.  The only reason the got a shutout was Ryan Miller's big performance (this was much more a Miller-earned shutout than game 1).  All tied up, series could go either way but Flyers have to happy overall with their performances these last 3 games.  If Boucher performs like last night and everything else holds steady, the Flyers will very likely win the series.

Notes:
-Buffalo is getting away with a ton of crap after the whistle.  Nearly every time Miller freezes the puck, if a Flyers is around he gets punched or dropped, and the refs haven't called them for any of it.  The Sabres are walking a fine line, but it certainly looks to me like that is part of their intentional plan.  Pronger probably can't wait to get back in the middle of such shenanigans, as he is the king of it all.

-Speaking of Pronger, the natural assumption is the Pronger will play game 5 with the series tied, whereas he probably would've sat again if it was 3-1 Flyers.  Might not play on the PP though with his bad hand rendering him unable to shoot.

-Didn't look like much, but the fact that Carter didn't return is very bad news.  He hasn't done all that much, but he was the teams leading goal scorer and his size, speed and shot always gives the other team something to think about.

-Does anything really need to be said about Richards' 5-minute elbowing penalty?  Simply ridiculous to give a 5 minute major for that.  Compare it to Kunitz's brutal elbow the other night which was only worth 2 minutes.

I'm glad the officials feel the need to protect poor Kaleta, who is a real saint out there and would never do anything to intentionally hurt another player;

Game 3 Review

Good win for the Flyers, which gives them (a little) breathing room in the series.  Last night was unquestionably the Sabres strongest challenge to the Flyers thus far, but Boosh was there when the team needed him and the team finished the game confidently in the 3rd period.

Comments and Observations:
-Better stuff from Richards and Carter, though I would stop short of saying breakout performances.  Carter got a lucky bounce leading the first goal, but it was nice to see him rifle a shot into the corner.  He was also around the puck a lot more.  As for Richards, a less dramatic improvement.  I previously said he's not getting around the ice very well and looks to have slow feet, and I don't think it's a coincidence that on his nice assist last night he never had to move his feet.  His mobility/endurance is still something I will be keeping an eye on.

-Another great game from JVR.  Looks so much more confident and stronger on the puck.

-Pretty good effort from Zherdev.  His goal was a tap-in, but he played a good game.

-Power play still has some work to do.  1-3 looks all well-and-good, but the one goal came on a lucky bounce, not exactly reproduce-able power play execution.  So far the Flyers have been the better 5-on-5 club, with the Sabres owning special teams.  Last night the Flyers killed a big 5-on-3, and breaking even on special teams was good enough to win the game for the Flyers.

-Very good game from Boucher.  He was 'quiet' in the crease, which is a key for him in my opinion.  He misplayed the Sabres second goal, but was strong overall in a game where the Sabres actually generated some consistent pressure for the first time this series.  Also, throwing off his loose mask on the 5-on-3 was a sneaky play.

-Coburn is making some bad turnovers in his own end.  He can play better.

Game 2 Review

A wild game yesterday, with the Flyers coming out on the right side in the end. Hard to read too much into a game like yesterday with the first period being all over the place, and the rest of the game being a never ending stream of powerplays. Still, I thought it was a better effort from the Flyers. In my opinion, Miller did not play appreciably worse than game 1, where so many wanted to say he stole the game with 35 saves, yet the Flyers hit 5 goals and it wasn't just a lucky afternoon.

Comments;

Goaltending

The obvious question, though I don't think it's really a question anymore; Bobrovsky cannot start game 3.

Okay, I admit I'm a little biased. About a month ago I decided I would go with Boucher for the playoffs. Recent events have made Boucher the obvious choice for game 3, and I just can't see how starting Bobrovsky for game 3 is a defensible position.

Subjectively, Bobrovsky still has some obvious flaws in his game that he hasn't been able to meaningfully address this season. Foremost among them is discomfort with the puck around the net and goalline, and getting small on long shots (I've been beating these horses for a while). Those traits were on full display on the goals 2 and 3 yesterday respectively. Goal 2 in particular was badly misplayed by Bobrovsky, flailing in the crease instead of simply holding the post. Now the Flyers weren't exactly on lockdown for any of the three goals, but Bobrovsky looked completely out of sorts on all of them, and flopping around like a fish on the first goal which is something new for him. Right now, Bobrovsky has lost his way.

Objectively, the numbers are stunning. Bobrovsky has started 7 consecutive games, and has won zero with a .889 save percentage. Let me say that again--DURING THE MOST IMPORTANT STRETCH OF THE SEASON, BOBROVSKY HAS STARTED 7 CONSECUTIVE GAMES AND WON NONE. Even more distressing, in each of the two virtual must-win games for the Flyers (finale versus Islanders and game 2 against Sabres) Bobrovsky was pulled 12 minutes into the game after giving up 3 goals and looking lost. It is somewhat miraculous that Boucher has come into both of those and gotten the win.

I can't blame Laviolette for picking his guy and giving him the keys to the team. However Bobrovsky is not winning and is losing his way. In picking the Sabres to win the series in 7, I stated that I did not think Bob was capable of carrying the load, and worried that by the time Laviolette was ready to take him out, it would be too late.

Well, here is the moment of truth. Bobrovsky may have proven to be level-headed and resilient this season, but this is not just a matter of Bobrovsky bouncing back after a bad game. Bobrovsky is struggling badly and has been disastrous in 2 of his last 3 outings, yet the series is still 1-1. What will Laviolette do? For me the choice is easy. Granted, other writers are making the argument he should stay in, so who knows what will happen. I do have to say though, I find many those arguments completely misguided and unconvincing.

Richards

I'm beginning to think Richards is either sick, injured, or out-of-shape. He can't keep up with the pace of his teammates right now, and is constantly a step slow. He's not been much of a factor thus far.

Carter

Not much better than Richards, though showing less obvious signs of ailing. Just been a nonfactor, plain and simple.

JVR

Arguably the Flyers best forward thus far. He's made real nice strides this season, though maybe not the giant leap Giroux made last year in the playoffs.

Giroux

Speaking of Giroux, he has undoubtedly established himself as the offensive leader of this team. He even had the two biggest hits of the game for the Flyers last night. During the broadcast, the announcers said that, when asked who was the most competitive guy on the team, Briere answered Giroux. It's showing.

Versteeg

I haven't been impressed with Versteeg overall, but he was better last night.

Power play

Still awful. Thankfully the Flyers got one powerplay goal, but they were still 1-10 overall, including two embarrassing lengthy 5-on-3s. I think if the Flyers blew all those second period PPs and didn't score on any of them, they probably would've lost the game yesterday. Maybe getting Pronger back would help?

Pronger

Looks like Pronger won't be back for game 3, and who knows beyond? Even when he does come back, will he be as dangerous on the PP with his bad hand affecting his shot? Tomorrow will be 2.5 weeks since his "setback". Was his setbreak re-breaking his hand? Considering that he's still not shooting on it, yet was shooting on it 9 days after surgery last month, I think that's a real possibility.

GO TIME

The time has come. Will the Flyers "wake up" or "flip the switch"?

I have my doubts. It's not just a matte of desire. Your powerplay doesn't get more organized overnight. Bobrovsky's not going to make strides in his overall game this week that he hasn't been able to make in the last 7 months.

On paper, there is no doubt in my mind the Flyers are clearly superior. But Pronger looks to miss at least one game, Richards is sick, and who knows what else is going on. I think for me it's going to come down to 2 things; 1) the Flyers goaltending, 2) and the Flyers skating.

The Flyers quality of play is no longer superior enough such that they can withstand a bad goal or two and win. There won't be much margin of error for Bobrovsky, and I suspect if Bob struggles, by the time Laviolette gives up on him and brings in Boucher or Leighton it will be too late.

As for skaters, I want to see the Flyers drive their legs with the puck. The Flyers have become masters of the pull-up and stop play, looking for the pass. It's one thing for a guy like Leino who's game is based on that, but most players on the Flyers roster are far more effective when the legs are churning and they're going to the net. Hesitation and coasting will kill the Flyers in this series.

This could go either way, but right now I have to say the Sabres in 7.

Let's go Flyers, prove me wrong!!

Division Clinched

It was by the skin of their teeth, but the Flyers clinched the division for the first time in 6 years last night.

A playoff atmosphere at the arena last night and a perfect start before the Flyers found themselves down 4-3. I guess the Flyers should just take the win and move on. Very fitting however, that the line of Leino-Briere-Hartnell plus 4 points from Andrei Meszaros carried the day. Those are the guys that have been there doing it all regular season, and it wasn't Richards or Carter or came through with the big plays when the team needed them today.

So now that the Flyers are in the playoffs, the Flyers have about 4 days to answer some questions.

The issues;

-Zherdev. This one's pretty easy--he stays in the lineup. As long as he's not hurting the team with turnovers or bad penalties or the like, the team could use his stick skills and shooting.

-Briere. Seems to be healthy. Thank god.

-Richards & Carter. No injuries this year, time for Carter to be a go-to scorer in the playoffs. It hasn't been a terribly impressive regular season for Richards, but he should turn it up in the playoffs.

-Pronger. No way to really know what's going on with his injury, but I'd very surprised if he doesn't play in game 1 of the playoffs (with significant minutes).

-Power play. Still looking pretty scattershot.

-Goalies. Alas, the million dollar question, as it has been all season.

So, Goalies

All the indications the past few weeks were that Bobrovsky was Laviolette's guy, and he confirmed as much this week. A while back I decided that my preference was Boucher.

I see Bobrovsky and I see a goalie who hasn't figured it out yet. Regardless of what he is capable of long term, right now I see 3 major holes; 1) gets small and scrunchy on long shots, 2) has developed a disturbing tendency to have a gaping five hole when moving laterally on breakaways, and most importantly, 3) still loses track of the puck often and is caught unaware with traffic and when the puck is jammed in around the crease. The way he was pulled yesterday was very ugly for a goalie who is supposed to carry the load in the playoffs. Honestly, it reminds me of 1997, when in the final game of the season, Hextall was pulled after giving up 4 goals, and the team rallied behind Snow paving the way for Snow in the playoffs.

Given my lack of faith in Bobrovsky, is Boucher any better? Maybe, maybe not. I think if Boucher can stay 'quiet' in the crease, he's the better option. He's not really much more than a mediocre NHL goalie, but he should be mostly reliable.

Honestly I kind of wish Leighton had gotten a game, but I suppose Laviolette was trying to give the keys to his guy, and the Flyers had no breathing room to give Leighton a trial game anyway. Truthfully Leighton is just another not-quite-good-enough goalie on the Flyers payroll, but I do think his play the last few months of last season was better than what Boucher and Bobrovsky are providing right now.

Also, for anyone keeping score, Ray Emery was called up by the Ducks last month and finished the season 7-2 with a 926 save percentage. So much for the Emery as a low-risk high-reward signing, but it's hard to blame the Flyers for not carrying 4 NHL goalies in their ranks.

No matter who's in net, the Flyers inability to lock it down (read, the only NHL team without a shutout this year), is likely going to be their doom this year.

Leighton!!

Actual news! The Flyers called up Michael Leighton today.

Leighton will have to clear re-entry waivers to re-join the team. The basic facts regarding the Leighton situation:

-He is due to earn $1.6 million next year, and under the terms of re-entry waivers, any team that claims him is only on the hook for half his salary ($800k).

-Any team that claims Leighton cannot play him this season or playoffs however.

-If Leighton is claimed, the Flyers will carry half of his salary on their cap next year ($800k).

So will he be claimed? Leighton cleared waivers a few months ago to get down to the minors, but things have changed since then;

-Leighton's health was still a little unclear at the time

-Any team claiming Leighton would have been claiming him at a salary of $1.6 million, not $800k.

-Leighton has been playing pretty well in the AHL (2 straight shutouts, 8-2 in last 10 games for a terrible team).

-Teams have no need to add a third goalie midseason, but might be looking for a bargain backup for next season.

So what's the end result? Darren Dreger says:

The Flyers have lived without Leighton all season, at half price, based on feedback around the NHL, he's likely getting claimed on re-entry.

I'll just say it's a 50/50 shot he gets claimed. If he is not claimed, Holmgren says he will play this weekend.

The last question is, why now? One game from Leighton is not going to change Bobrovsky's hold on the starting job for the playoffs. Maybe if they had called up Leighton 6 weeks ago he could've stolen the job, but Bobrovsky has been pretty good recently. I guess if I were Brian Boucher I would not be feeling the love right now--it doesn't make sense for the Flyers to expose Leighton to waivers and an empty cap-hit for next season for him to be a third goalie who doesn't dress for games.

Of course the other issue is that the Flyers are in freefall, so it may not matter who's in net. Last night's 5-2 loss to one of the worst teams in the league with crucial points on the line was pathetic. The Flyers look like they've forgotten how to play hockey. I wouldn't simply say it's just plain lack of effort, but they seem to lack purpose and clarity in their play.

It's always been the case with guys like Richards and Pronger that their season is basically going to be judged on their playoff performance, but it's looking like it will be too much to ask to expect a meaningful sudden turnaround for this team before the playoffs start next week.

Be Afraid

I've been pretty busy recently, and there's no reason to beat a dead horse. This team is stumbling badly and are in imminent danger of dropping several spots for playoff standings.

A bad finish is by no means a guarantee of playoff failure (and vice versa), but the Flyers' play recently is very worrying. A month ago the Flyers looked like the class of the east, with the only real concerns for the playoffs being a disappointing power play and question marks in net.

Now the power play is downright awful and the team can't get a result, even when the goalies play well. Briere also has a sore groin, and those types of problems tend to linger for a while. This team is ripe for a first round exit at this rate.

Shootouts

The Flyers have also played a bunch of shootouts recently, losing all but one. Every Flyers fan knows they are bad at these, but just how bad?

3/17 v Atlanta - Boucher, 1-3

3/19 v Dallas - Bobrovsky, 5-6

3/22 v Washington - Boucher, 0-3 (perhaps the worst SO performance I've ever seen)

3/24 v Pittsburgh - Bobrovsky, 2-4

4/3 v New York - Bobrovsky, 0-2

That's a cumulative save percentage of 44.4% (8-18). Take away the Dallas game, and that percentage drops to 25%. Bear in mind that, since the shootout started, goalies make the save 67.5% of the time league-wide. The fact that the Flyers entered the playoffs last season by winning a shootout with Boucher over Henrik Lundquist is simply miraculous.

Stumbling to the Finish

A little while ago, Matt Carle made a comment about how every season has its ups and downs, and those momentum swings don't change in a day. The good news is that the Flyers seem to be crawling out of their lull, picking up 11 out of 14 possible points and notably playing with more passion the last two games.

The bad news is the goaltending. Surprise!! Who would've ever guessed entering the season with two career backups and a 22-year old rookie who went 9-22 in Russia last year might cause some problems??

I said in the past that I was looking for shutouts this season as a sign when a goalie is putting in extraordinary performances. Well, as of now, the Flyers are the only team in the league without a shutout this season. Because everyone is thinking it, only twice have teams won the cup without earning a shutout, both coming during the high-scoring 80s.

I keep wanting to support Bobrovsky, seeing his abilities, but too often he looks a little overwhelmed in there, reacts slowly and has bad stretches during games. My initial thoughts on him, that he gets 'small' on long shots and is uncomfortable with the puck in close and around the net, haven't changed since October.

Then there's Boucher. A vet who is capable of playing great for stretches of a few weeks, he still tends to get overactive in net and is prone to the bad goal. If I had to choose a goalie for the playoffs right now, Boucher would still be my guy, though it appears Laviolette has been leaning towards Bobrovsky. I also have to admit that Boucher's performance in the shootout last night was maybe the worst I have ever seen (it's miraculous that the Flyers entered the playoffs last year based on a shootout victory with Boucher in net on the last day of the season).

While the Flyers goalies flail, two other names have to be mentioned.

-Ray Emery just was just named one of the 3 stars of the week, winning two games and giving up one goal in each. I previously wrote he could have been a low-risk, high-reward gamble for the Flyers.

-Michael Leighton's stats seem to indicate that he is playing well in the AHL. He is 9-11 with a .921 save percentage (his teammate, Johan Backlund, is 8-15 with a .886 save percentage).

So should the Flyers recall Leighton now? I wouldn't rule it out, but it's not going to happen yet. Calling up Leighton would be an act of desperation and giving up on either Bobrovsky or Boucher. The Flyers will give them at least a few more starts, but then the question has to be asked, will it be too late to get Leighton into the team for the playoffs? Maybe.

I am under no delusions about Leighton being more than a journeyman goalie, but that doesn't mean he's not the best of the 3 poor options. What is certain right now, is that neither Boucher's nor Bobrovsky's current level of play is good enough to sustain a deep playoff run.

GMs Lay Down the Law

Right on the heels of Bettman's 5 points, the NHL GMs remind everyone of who are the real gatekeepers for change in the league. Bettman is no Woodrow Wilson I suppose.

The three main points are 1) there will be no ban on all contact to the head, 2) stricter enforcement will be applied to charging and boarding, and 3) longer suspensions for headshots, with much longer suspensions for repeat offenders.

I think as a whole this shows the GMs clinging to an old school attitude of "keep your head up" and that the puck carrier still carries a lot of responsibility if he gets clobbered. Particularly if you look at point 3--it's almost as if the NHL is saying headshots are still hockey plays for which we can only half-heartedly go after offenders, and it's only when someone does it over and over that we are going to take a stand.

Apparently, boarding penalties are up this year statistically. I couldn't pinpoint why that is happening, and I hope this increased vigilance on boarding is more in response to that statistic rather than appeasement to the furor over the Chara hit. I say that because I think it would be very narrow-minded to focus rule changes on a rare circumstance because of public outcry in Montreal, while ignoring the all-too common plays that repeatedly cause injury. Total cop-out.

The only thing that could prove to be interesting from this is the expanded use of a charging penalty. The existing rule;

42.1 Charging - A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner. Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A 'charge' may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.

Could expanded use of the charging penalty ultimately include unnecessarily predatory hits to the head? There's probably too much grey area there in the end, though Bettman's blue-ribbon committee is supposed to look into it and maybe they'll come up with something worthwhile.

It is somewhat curious to me however that the GMs are relatively open to cracking down on boardings because of the threat to injury and vulnerability of the puck carrier even when a lot of boards are a "hockey play" gone wrong at the last moment, yet the GMs staunchly defend a shoulder to the head as a valid "hockey play". I'm sure they would say a shove from behind to the boards was always dishonorable, while a open-ice hit is just hard play, and if it results in a headshot so be it. I'm not convinced.

We won't get a substantial change on this issue until a strong leader emerges on the issue, and it's certainly won't be Bettman. FWIW, Jim Rutherford, Hurricanes GM, on a ban on all headshots; "We may get to that point, but I'm satisfied with what we've done here this week."

Also of note, the GMs voted 24-6 that the Chara hit on Pacioretty didn't call for supplementary discipline.

Back to the Flyers

A win is a win yesterday for the Flyers. Not the prettiest performance but the Flyers yielded very few scoring chances against, which will get you points more often that not. Probably not a bad idea for Laviolette to shake up the lines too.

Other thoughts;

-I'm really leaning towards Boucher for the playoffs at this point. He has been pretty good, and more in control than he was last year. Also, with Bob I feel there will inevitably be one 10 minute stretch where he lets in some bad goals.

-There was some talk after the game about Pronger's absence meaning the dressing room will be much quieter. Maybe that's not a bad thing right now. Laviolette has definitely been quieter too recently too after losses. Honestly Pronger hasn't been very good this year. If his name wasn't Pronger and he didn't have such a history of playoff success, a lot more questions would be asked of him. As it is, just wait until the playoffs to see what he does then.

-The Flyers have 7 out of a possible 8 points in their last 4 games. Would be nice to blowing out bad teams, but dominance over bad teams in the regular season isn't too great an indicator of success against good teams and in the playoffs (ask the Caps).

Emery?

Building off reports by Dreger about the Flyers being in the running for signing Emery, you really didn't think I'd entirely refrain from comment, did you?

First, the latest:

Our daily update on Ray Emery's future presents a challenge for the veteran goalie.

Emery, admittedly, needs conditioning time in the American Hockey League. The problem is, if he negotiates and accepts a one-way contract, his conditioning stint can't be longer than two weeks without having to go through waivers.

If Emery agrees to a two-way contract, because of his age and experience, he would also have to clear waivers to remain with the team he originally signed with.

Emery needs to decide whether he can pull his game together in the AHL with a 2 week stint, or face the risk of being claimed by another NHL team.

The possibility of Emery signing with the Flyers is a tough one to measure up.

First of all, no, I would not have predicted the Flyers would make much of a play for him. Second, I think the Flyers are willing to go with Bobby Boucher into the playoffs, but are nervous about it.

The risk of signing Emery depends on your perspective. On one hand, he is high risk because questions about his volatile personality were never entirely put to rest, and he hasn't played in a year because of a career threatening injury. On the other hand, he is low risk for the Flyers because he will sign for a low amount that can be fit under the cap without making other moves, and can be stashed in the AHL.

Dreger provides good info about Emery's waiver wire exposure. If the Flyers could've signed Emery on a two-way contract, and kept him in the AHL indefinitely with no waivers complications, the signing would have been very low risk. Even as it is, if I were the Flyers, I wouldn't let the chances of him being claimed on waivers prevent you from even trying to make a move that would help the team. I guess you could make the point that it hurts the confidence of Bobby Boucher if the Flyers publicly try to get another goalie but then are 'stuck' with the guys they have, but I don't buy that (Boucher's had plenty of ups and downs in his career, and Bob seems level-headed).

I'd peg the chances of Emery signing with the Flyers low, but realistic. If they can sign him as an insurance policy with no guarantees of him seeing NHL time, there may not be much harm in signing him. In the somewhat unlikely case that he is 100% physically and mentally, I think he offers the Flyers more in net than either Boucher or Bob. If he doesn't perform in the AHL, the Flyers just never call him up the NHL. Given that Emery is still in "comeback" mode, I think he is prepared for that possibility to be in the mix for a Stanley Cup contender.

Of course Michael Leighton is also somewhat of an insurance policy. He is currently 2-7 on a dreadful Phantoms team with a .912 save percentage (for point of comparison, Johan Backlund is 6-12 with an .883 save percentage).

I think we'll see one way or the other by Monday.

Report Card Day

Little did I realize, but the Flyers play their 42nd game tonight. Therefore it is very important to give out midseason grades immediately, lest they lose their eminence.

As a team, things have gone pretty much as well as anyone could've expected. ESPN seems to think highly of them.

Summary: The Flyers are without question the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference. Even without veteran defenseman Chris Pronger, who should return from injury in the near future, the Flyers haven't missed a beat. They have great balance up front and steady netminding from Renaissance man Brian Boucher. Fewest road losses in the NHL also illustrate the team's maturity. Grade: A-plus. Trending: Up.

So there's that, and not much else to say.

As for players, without doing the tiresome grade for each one;

Thumbs Up

-Leino, killing it

-JVR, coming on and the team will be thrilled if he keeps it up

-Boucher, (see JVR)

-Briere, looking like the player everybody hoped for when signing the big contract

-Hartnell, doing his job well

-Giroux, breakthrough first third, needs to rev it back up.

-Meszaros, outperforming Carle and Coburn

-Nodl, ~20 goal pace for no-goal Nodl!

-Bobs, great start, will need to re-find that form to help Boucher

Holding steady, check back at playoff time

Pronger, Timonen, Richards, Carter, Carle, Coburn, O'Donnell, Betts

*shrugs*

Shelley, Carcillo, Bartulis, Zherdev

Random thought:

The Flyers will have a two-headed monster in net for the foreseeable future, would it be incredibly corny to nickname said beast Bobby Boucher/Waterboy?

Leighton Clears

As most expected, Leighton cleared waivers today. There was some reasonable speculation that the Isles would take him after trading Roloson and with DiPietro picking up an injury last night, but I guess when you've already folded the tents on the season, why pick up more journeymen.

Upon additional reflection of the Flyers goalie situation, I'm not sure I fully appreciated Leighton's health status.

"Upon his return, Leighton acknowledged that he is still not 100 percent while experiencing foot numbness stemming from the nerve in his back. He also conceded that he did not expect to be 100 percent at any point this season but thought he could work around that."

That's a little eye-opening. Leighton had a hard enough time getting by at 100%. Nagging injuries are enough to push a borderline player over the edge.

Holmgren can't be happy either. There's been some question about how much Leighton knew and didn't tell the Flyers about his injuries when he signed this summer, and Holmgren would be understandably bitter right now about the subject. I wouldn't say Holmgren's acting out of spite, but that history's not doing Leighton any favors right now.

Leighton can still re-emerge to the big team, but three things have to happen:

1) Boucher's play must fall off.

This is likely. As good as he's playing, Boucher is absurdly streaky. Look back to 03-04--Boucher is unprotected in the waiver draft, barely plays the first two months of the season because the team deems that he needs to work out things with the goalie coach, then in January he sets the NHL record with 5 consecutive shutouts. Anyway, he's been in the league for 11 years and with 6 teams, I think what he is (and isn't) is pretty well established by now.

2) Bobrovsky doesn't regain his early season form.

This could go either way. Bobrovsky's attitude and abilities are definitely encouraging. However, going into the playoffs you'd prefer adjectives like "confidence-inspiring" or "solid". I'd be very nervous if he is the guy--he just doesn't seem ready yet and is too prone to yielding the deflating goal.

3) Leighton has to show his stuff in the AHL

This might be the most unlikely step giving his injury concerns. He needs to be a standout on a bad team. Just not sure he's ready to do that.

The door is still open for Leighton to be back, but he's gonna have to earn it. Either way, I am pretty wary of the Flyers goalie situation this season. Not that there's much they can do about it at this point.

Leighton Waived

This caught me by surprise. The breaking news of the day is that Michael Leighton has been waived.

I thought the Flyers would roll with 3 goalies for another week or two, but not so fast.

Leighton got the win in his first game back, though he was not good. Of course letting in a no-angle shot 2.5 minutes in didn't ease Flyers fans' memories of the Stanley Cup winning goal.

It is tempting to see this and have an initial reaction that the Flyers are dumping him and going with Boucher and Bobrovsky. After taking a deep breath, the following is more likely;

1) Leighton will be unclaimed and try to find his stride in the AHL as part of the Flyers organization.

2) The Flyers are going to ride Boucher (aka Mr. Streaky) as long as he's playing well. Personally I don't think that's going to be much longer, but you never know.

3) The Flyers don't want to send Bobrovsky down.

The Flyers overall goalie situation is not much clearer now. Don't be surprised to see Leighton called back up if Boucher and Bobrovsky struggle and Leighton plays well down on the farm. This definitely isn't good news for Mr. Leighton, but I don't think his days with the Flyers are over just yet.

As another aside, let me also say that I don't see Boucher or Leighton having any trade value at any point this season. If the Flyers don't want three goalies, it means someone is going to the minors and nothing is coming back to the Flyers.

Other searing insights:

-JVR is getting scoring chances more consistently, and is scoring some garbage goals. I didn't necessarily see him as that type of player giving his skating and stickhandling, but maybe that's where his NHL future lies? His career could still go either way, but I couldn't help but notice he was on the ice in the final minute as the Flyers clung to their one goal lead against the Wings. That may be a better sign than the goals (and all the posts he's been hitting).

-The lines are back to status quo. I wouldn't have minded seeing them mixed up a little longer, but the Hartnell-Briere-Leino line is maximizing the output of each of those three. Not sure what is best for Richards, Giroux and Carter though.

-Meszaros trade sure is looking good right now. I've said it before, but Carle's days as a Flyer may be numbered (beyond this season that is).

Back to Work

Like most Americans, it's time for the Flyers to get back to work. They haven't played a game since December 20, and even then, they only "played" the Panthers in the most liberal sense of the word.

Pronger will be out a few more weeks, but what is really going to be interesting in that time is the goalies. Word is Boosh for tonight. Boucher is 4-0 with a .953 save percentage in December, can he keep it up? Will Bobrovsky continue to slip?

And surely we'll see Leighton sooner rather than later. He deserves at least a look.

Return of Leighton is Like Awkward Dinner Guest

Michael Leighton is back playing, and the Flyers successfully appealed to extend his conditioning stint in the AHL. As long as he is stashed in the AHL, his salary does not count against the cap. This arrangement can only last a few games however.

How the Flyers arrive here is kind of strange. I think the Flyers jumped the gun on signing Leighton this offseason, the day before free agency. In many ways Leighton saved the season, but he was not good in the Stanley Cup Finals, and I can't imagine many teams were hoping to pounce on him in free agency. I think the Flyers would've been better off bidding for other goalies, and if that didn't work out, Leighton would likely have still been available. Either way, the Flyers signed him 2 years at $1.55m/year.

Given the free agent goalie market this offseason, that proved to be an overpayment, as more desired goalies went for basically the same price. The Flyers either believed in Leighton, or they misread the market. Given what's happening to Leighton now, I suspect it's the latter. Of course Leighton showing up to camp injured surely must've rubbed management the wrong way.

The Flyers aren't too anxious to have him back on the roster. They can absorb his salary by doing something with Walker, who has yet to dress for any games, or putting Laperriere on LTIR. Still, that leaves the Flyers with 3 goalies, which is never a desirable arrangement.

I suspect one way or another, Leighton will get in a few games, but his leash will be short. Everyone is Bobrovsky crazy right now, even if it's still very early for him. I don't think much of Leighton personally (he's been released or traded for a bag of pucks 6 times, including being waived by the Flyers in 2007--all those teams can't have been wrong), but I think the Flyers owe him at least at look after last season, and Bobrovsky and Boucher are hardly a bulletproof tandem.