Post Lockout Thoughts

Today the NHLPA ratified the new CBA and the lockout is now officially over.  At the press conference today, comissioner Gary Bettman apologized to the fans for the lockout:

"I'm sorry, I know an apology or explanation isn't enough, but I owe you an apology. I read the letters, I followed the tweets. I read the blogs. We have a lot of work to do. ... That effort begins today."

While there is a lot of speculation that the NHL will offer discounted tickets or discounted merchandise as an act of good will after the lockout, I think the NHL should take a different approach that wouldn't cost them a dime.  Each NHL team, at some point during the upcoming season, should have a carnival day.  Basically fans come to the stadium and get the chance to meet the players and coaches, take pictures, and get autographs free of charge.  I think this would be a great opportunity for the players, coaches, and owners to truly say they are sorry to the fans.

Personally, while I certainly wasn't happy with the lockout and the fact that owners and players were bickering over millions of dollars in the midst of an economic recession, I will still watch and go to games this year.

While the NHL certainly has my support, overall I think they are going to struggle to regain some of their fans.  The NHL will always have the support of the die hard hockey fans, but they will definitely struggle to regain the support of casual fans.

For the Flyers, I think a shortened fast paced season strongly favors them.  The Flyers are young, fast, and have a ton of energy.  Back to back games, and four games in a week really won't slow down this high powered offense.

The big question for the Flyers will be the defense.  With the new buy out clause included in the CBA, the Flyers could potentially look to buy out goalie Ilya Bryzgalov's contract if he doesn't perform this season.  Bryz is going to have to show that he deserves to be here long term.

Overall there is a lot of excitement as the Flyers get set to open the season, Saturday January 19th against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Quiet Off Season For Flyers

So far, this off season has been extremely disappointing for the Philadelphia Flyers.  They lost out on Ryan Suter, Zach Parise, and Shea Webber.  They also traded away backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and forward JVR.

It seems like Paul Holmgren and the Flyers front office are simply content with this young nucleus. Heading into next season, the Flyers will be relying on young guys like Sean Couterier, Brayden Schenn, and Matt Read to have strong sophomore campaigns.

I really like the young core of players that the Flyers have, but the Flyers didn't win the Stanley Cup last year, and it just seems like they haven't taken the necessary steps to get better.  I realize that they have definitely tried.  The offer sheet they put together for Shea Weber was impressive, and I thought it was a done deal.  But still I think the Flyers are lacking in the defensive department and they have a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season.

All though I'm overall not too happy with the Flyers off season, I am happy with some of the moves they made.

First off, signing Jake Voracek to a new contract was a great move.  Voracek is a great young player with a ton of speed and is a big part of the future of this team.  The Flyers agreed upon a 4 year 17 million dollar contract with the young forward.

I also liked the contract extension given to head coach Peter Laviolette.  The extension will keep Laviolette as head coach through the 2014-2015 season.  Lavy is an amazing coach and I'm glad he will be around to lead this young team into the future.

Overall I think the Flyers are still one or two moves away from being completely ready for the upcoming season.  Tim Panaccio of csnphilly.com seems to believe that Holmgren possibly has a few moves left up his sleeve:

"Given Holmgren was willing to trade with Nashville to secure Weber, there’s nothing to prevent him from contacting, say, San Jose and inquiring about either Dan Boyle, who would have to waive his no-trade or Douglas Murray, who will be the top unrestricted free agent defenseman next season.  Holmgren could also call Montreal about restricted free agent P.K. Subban. The Habs made a two-year offer to Subban this week, but he hasn't yet accepted it."

With a possible lockout looming, the Flyers certainly have time on their side as they gear up for the 2012-2013 season.

Claude Giroux NHL 13 Cover

Claude Giroux beat out Nashville Predators' goalie Pekka Rinne for the cover of the NHL 13 video game.

Giroux is very deserving of the honor coming off a season in which he recorded 28 goals and 65 assists good for 93 total points.  Giroux was a big leader for the Flyers all season long but even more so in the playoffs.  Giroux really stepped up in the post season, and in the clinching game against Pittsburgh, G set the tone hitting by Sidney Crosby just seconds into the game.

Giroux is the young face of both the Flyers and the NHL.  At just 24 years of age, Giroux has a long and promising career ahead of him.

While I'm certainly excited for Giroux, I'm unfortunately not as excited for the rest of this Flyers team.  After making big splashes in the 2011 off season, the Flyers really haven't done too much to get better this off season.  I will give them credit for going after Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but ultimately the Flyers haven't gotten a whole lot better defensively.

Right now I think the Flyers are hoping that their young stars have another big year.  I want to get excited for this upcoming season, but I think the Flyers are still one or two moves away from being serious contenders.  

Flyers Devils Game 5 Preview

Game 2 was painful.  Game 3 was even more painful.  And Game 4 on Sunday was perhaps the most painful game of the entire series.  After an unbelievable round 1 victory over the Penguins, the Flyers were flying high.  They had confidence and swagger and everyone was predicting them to absolutely steam roll the Devils.

But now the Flyers find themselves down 3-1 and on the brink of elimination.  To make matters worse, tonight the Flyers will be without the services of Claude Giroux who will be serving a 1 game suspension for his hit in game 4.

So can the Flyers win tonight?  Can they force a game 6?  Can they claw their way back into this series? Here is what they absolutely have to do tonight in order to prolong this series.

Play With More Energy
All series long the main theme has been to play with more energy and intensity.  Tonight the Flyers have to walk the walk and not just talk a good game.  With Giroux out, the Flyers now have even more motivation to come out with fire and intensity.  Somebody needs to step up and get the boys pumped up and ready to win.

Play With Desperation
The Flyers have to pull out all the stops tonight against the Devils.  They can't just sit back and play a conservative game and still expect to win.

Play With Confidence
Tonight the Flyers have to play with confidence.  They have to play with swagger, and play like the team that beat the Penguins.  The Flyers are the better team and they can't play scared tonight in game 5.

Know How To Play With A Lead
When the Flyers get a lead, they don't know what to do.  They sit back and wait for bad things to happen until eventually they find themselves in a hole they can't dig out of.  If the Flyers get an early lead tonight, they have to keep their foot on the gas.

Give Bryz Motivation
Bryz has had very little motivation during this series.  He's faced a ton of shots and on the other end, the Flyers aren't generating enough shots.  It's tough for a goalie to stop a lot of shots and it's even tougher when he has very little motivation and very little offensive production in front of him.

Win It For G
There is no defending Giroux's game 4 hit.  It was wrong, plain and simple.  But was it warranting of a suspension in an elimination game?  G has been the leader for the Flyers all year long and tonight the Flyers need to win the game for him and give him another shot at this series in game 6.    

With all our will, we will.  Let's go Flyers.

Philly Sports Trifecta Preview

Today, the Phillies, Sixers, and Flyers will all play on the same day once again.  The Sixers will host the Bulls at 1, the Flyers will take to the ice against the Devils at 7:30, and the Phillies will wrap up the day as they take on the Nationals in an 8 PM prime time game.  Here is a quick little preview of what to expect today from each game.

Sixers Bulls
The Sixers hold a 2 games to 1 lead over the Bulls and will look to win game 4 and send the series back to Chicago up 3-1.  The Bulls played with a lot of heart in game 3, but ultimately they ran out of gas at the end and the Sixers were just too much for them to handle.  Today the Sixers have to continue to play defense.  The defense was the main reason the Sixers were able to win games 2 and 3.  Also, Joakim Noah hurt his ankle in game 3 and it looks like he will be out for game 4 as well.  The Sixers now have a clear advantage in the paint both offensively and defensively and they need to capitalize.

Flyers Devils
Aside from the second period of game 3, the Flyers really didn't show up.  They got out hustled, out worked, and overall they didn't deserve to win.  Tonight the Flyers have to pick up the intensity.  Right now they are getting completely out played.  They can't get offensive possessions, they can't set up on the power play, they can't clear the puck out of their own zone, etc.  Although games 2 and 3 were very disappointing, I do expect a big turn around from the Flyers today. But the Flyers can't just play well in one period; they have to play a full 60 minutes of consistent hockey.

Phillies Nationals
The Nationals took the first two games of this series and tonight the Phils will look to salvage a game as they send Cole Hamels to the mound against Jordan Zimmerman.  The offense looked OK on Friday night, but they took the day off yesterday as their only run came off a Hunter Pence sacrifice fly.  Tonight the Phils need to give Hamels a lot of run support.

Overall it should be a very interesting day of sports.  I think the Sixers will win another close game, I think the Flyers will win a close game as well, and I don't know what to expect from the Phillies down in the nation's capital.  Ultimately it should be another exciting Philly Sports Trifecta.

Flyers Devils Game 2 Preview

Tonight the Flyers will take on the Devils in game 2.  The Flyers are riding high off of their emotional overtime victory and will look to keep the momentum going.  Here are the keys to another Flyers victory.


No First Period Lull
Luckily the Flyers were able to survive a terrible first period on Sunday in which they were out shot 15-6.  Tonight the Flyers need to pick up the intensity in the opening period and come out swinging.

Reemer
JVR was the hero of the 2011 playoffs.  Although the Flyers eventually lost to the Bruins, JVR took over games and showed flashes of absolute brilliance.  In game 2 and in the rest of this series, JVR needs to step up and start playing with more confidence.

Better Power Play
I'm not expecting the Flyers to maintain a 50% power play through out this series, but they were just 1 for 6 in game 1 and that needs to improve.

Bryz
Bryzgalov has to continue to play well.  As long as he doesn't give up any soft goals the Flyers should be fine.

Extended Possessions
Tonight the Flyers need to focus on getting and maintaining better offensive possessions.  Even when they had the man advantage on Sunday they still struggled to get good long possessions in the Devils' zone.

Establish Forecheck
Marty Brodeur is a very aggressive goalie.  He likes to come out of the net and play the puck out of the zone which can be extremely disruptive to the Flyers' forecheck.  They dump the puck in and Marty quickly fires it out.  Tonight the Flyers need to be more aggressive in establishing the forecheck.  Maybe float the puck in to buy more time to get to it, or just skate a little harder to get to the puck before Marty does.

Wild Card
Somebody else has to step up tonight besides G or Briere.  I would really like to see Jagr or a young guy have a big game.

The Flyers have a great opportunity to take a 2-0 series lead.  I really like their chances to win tonight and I think the Flyers will be victorious winning by a final of 5-2.

Flyers Devils Game 1 Review

Today the Flyers took game 1 against the Devils winning in OT by a final of 4-3.  While I'm certainly happy with the victory I did notice a lot of things that the Flyers need to work on for game 2.  Here are my pros and cons from game 1.

What They Did Wrong

• The Flyers were extremely sloppy early on.  I wouldn't go so far as to say that they were rusty, but they definitely lacked intensity.  They simply weren't as amped up for the game as the Devils were.  
• The Flyers also gave up way too many shots in the early going.  In total the Flyers allowed 15 shots in the first period.
• Offensively, the Flyers got little to no pressure on Marty.  In fact they didn't get their first shot on goal until mid way through the first period.  The Flyers picked up the offensive intensity toward the end of the period but only managed a total of 6 shots to open the game.  
• The Flyers were just 1 of 6 on the power play.  What's worse is that on a few of their power plays they struggled just to get an extended possession.  
• Overall the Flyers were also very sloppy at times and gave up costly turnovers.  

What They Did Right

• Although the Flyers gave up a lot of early shots, Bryzgalov looked great and stopped most of the shots directed his way in the opening period.  The solid play early on gave Bryz a ton of confidence the rest of the game.  
• The Flyers had just 3 penalties in the game and did an excellent job of staying out of the box. 
• After being out shot in the first period 15-6, the Flyers out shot the Devils 30-11 in the remainder of the game.  
• JVR was a huge bright spot for the Flyers.  In the few games that he played in the Pittsburgh series, JVR was basically a non-factor.  But today JVR had multiple breakaways and even cashed in on a play where Marty got caught being too aggressive. 
• G.  One letter says so much.  G (aka Claude Giroux) was awesome today.  He cashed in on a one-timer power play goal, and overall he really stepped up as a leader today.  
• Danny Briere was the MVP of the game.  Briere had two goals; a breakaway goal and a slap shot in over time that won the game for the Flyers.  Briere was outstanding as he continues to put together an unbelievable post season track record.

Overall the Flyers did a great job of rebounding from an awful first period.  They fought off the rust and were able to outplay the Devils in the remainder of the game.  The Flyers now have an excellent opportunity to take a stranglehold on this series and go up 2-0 on Tuesday night.  

Make sure to heckle my buddy @czm26 on twitter.  He's a Devils fan.

Flyers Devils Game 1 Preview

Today the Flyers will take on the Devils in game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.  The Devils are coming off a game 7 victory against the Florida Panthers and will look to keep the momentum going today.  The Flyers on the other hand wrapped up their round 1 series against the Penguins last Sunday, and have been sitting around for about a week awaiting their next opponent. The Flyers will definitely have to get amped up for today's game and shake off the rust.  Here are the keys to a Flyers victory.

Shake Off The Rust
Some experts are under the impression that the lay off could be a factor in today's game.  Although the Flyers have been practicing all week in preparation, it's extremely hard to simulate the intensity and speed of a playoff game.  The Flyers will ultimately have to use the juice and excitement of the home crowd to get them motivated for the game.

Bryz's Confidence
Bryz is 3-0 with a 0.29 GAA,  and a 987 save % against Devils this year.  The Flyers defense needs to help him out and help him get confidence against the Devils early.  Bryz needs to find a rhythm and rebound after a somewhat difficult series against the Penguins.

Offensive Firepower
The Flyers scored 30 goals against the Penguins in round 1.  They need to continue to get a ton of shots on goal and try to rattle Marty early and often.  Marty struggled against the Flyers in the regular season going 1-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .905 save%.  The Flyers have to look for continued success against him today and in the rest of the series.

Special Teams
The Flyers led the NHL in round 1 of the playoffs with a 52.2% power play.  The Flyers power play line will have their hands full as they go up against the Devils who statistically have the best penalty kill in the league.  In terms of the penalty kill the Flyers need to just continue to do what they are doing.

Defense
The Flyers did an excellent job of making Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby non-factors in round 1.  Today the Flyers need to do the same thing against Devils' stars Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and Peter Sykora.

Overall I think the first period of today's game is going to be extremely rough.  But if the Flyers can keep it to a 2-0 game after the first or better, they should be in good shape to win.

Flyers Devils Preview

Coming into the playoffs, all of the experts picked the Penguins to beat the Flyers in the first round.  Some experts even went and picked the Penguins and their high powered offense to win the Stanley Cup.  But the Flyers were ultimately too much for the Penguins to handle, and the Flyers were able to advance in 6 games.  Now the Flyers are a young and dangerous team with a ton of swagger and confidence heading into their round 2 match up against the Devils.

I personally think the Flyers should have no problem taking down Marty and the Devils.  While the season series was an even split, the play of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov against the Devils during the season is an extremely encouraging sign for Flyers fans.  Bryzgalov was 3-0 against the Devils during the regular season with a .987 save percentage and a dazzling 0.29 GAA.  In total Bryz faced 76 shots from the Devils this year and stopped 75 of them.  Those are very impressive and encouraging stats especially when you consider how much scoring took place in the series against Pittsburgh.  If Bryzgalov can have similar success against the Devils in the playoffs the Flyers should be in very good shape.


Marty Brodeur's regular season stats against the Flyers are not as encouraging.  Marty was 1-3 with a 2.26 GAA and a .905 save percentage.  But don't forget that while he may be turning 40 soon, Marty still has that playoff switch that he can flick and has the ability to get extremely hot at any time.  

Another encouraging sign for the Flyers going into this series is that they are now the number one offensive team in the playoffs.  The Flyers scored 260 regular season goals and 30 goals against the Penguins good for a total of 290 goals on the season.  The closest team to the Flyers still alive in the playoffs are the Nashville Predators who had 232 regular season goals and 16 against Detroit in the first round for a total of 248 goals.

New Jersey has a total of 234 goals on the year, and their main scoring threats are Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, David Clarkson, Patrick Elias, and Peter Sykora.  Kovalchuk, Parise, and Clarkson all had 30 goals or more during the regular season, while Elias and Sykora were both 20 goal scorers.

While the Flyers don't have as many 30 goal scorers as the Devils they feature a much more balanced scoring attack.  11 guys on the Flyers had 10 goals or more while only 7 guys on the Devils had 10 or more.    And the Flyers had a lot more production than the Devils offensively in round 1.  

The special teams stats for both teams are as follows: the Flyers had a 81.8% penalty kill during the regular season, and a 69% kill against the Penguins.  The Devils led the NHL with an 89.6% penalty kill during the year but posted just a 66.7% kill against the Panthers in round 1.  The power play percentages definitely favor the Flyers.  The Flyers were 19.7% during the regular season and a dazzling NHL best 52.2% against the Pens.  The Devils were 17.2% during the season and 20% against the Panthers.  Overall the Flyers definitely have the special teams advantage.  Their power play line is extremely efficient and they had a pretty solid penalty kill against a very dangerous Penguins team.

Lastly the Flyers have a ton of confidence and rest while the Devils just barely scraped their way past the Panthers.  The Flyers have been practicing and resting all week in preparation for round 2 while the Devils are probably still scrambling after their game 7 victory.  Simply put the Flyers beat a very good Penguins team in 6 games while the Devils needed all 7 games to beat a sub par Panthers team.

Overall I think the Flyers will win this series in 5.  I think they will split at home to open the series, and then win 3 straight to close out this series in a hurry.  If the Flyers can put the Devils away early it will be huge considering the fact that I think the series between the Capitals and Rangers will probably turn out to be a long 7 game series.  I was right about the Flyers beating Pittsburgh in 6, and hopefully I'm right about the Flyers in 5 as they attempt to return to the Eastern Conference finals.  

Flyers Devils Season Series Recap

     

In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the Flyers will take on the New Jersey Devils.  The Devils beat the Florida Panthers in 7 games in the first round, and will meet up against the Flyers in Game 1 Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center.  To get you ready for this series, in this article we will go through the regular season series.

The Flyers were fairly successful against the Devils during the regular season and will look to continue that success in the playoffs.  Here is a quick game by game breakdown.

October 8, Flyers 3 Devils 0 
The Flyers won this game mainly because of the outstanding play of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.  In just his second game with the Flyers, the Bryz had a shutout as the Flyers cruised to an easy 3-0 victory.  Giroux scored an early first period goal, and Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds both had 3rd period goals for the Flyers.

November 3, Devils 4 Flyers 3 (SO)
Backup Sergei Bobrovsky got the start in this game as the Flyers fell to the Devils 4-3 in a shootout.  Max Talbot scored a late penalty shot goal to tie the game at 3, but ultimately the Devils were able to come away victorious to knot the season series at one game a piece.

January 21, Flyers 4 Devils 1
The Flyers were able to win the game thanks to Scott Hartnell who had 2 goals that were both assisted by Claude Giroux.  Bryzgalov also had a very strong game stopping 30 of the 31 shots that came his way.

February 4, Devils 6 Flyers 4
I think this game is one Flyers fans want to forget about.  The Flyers got burned at home as the Devils cashed in on 6 unanswered goals to start the game.  After allowing 6 goals, Sergei Bobrovsky was quickly replaced by Bryzgalov who kept the Devils off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.  The Flyers were able to battle back, but ultimately they couldn't climb their way out of the 6 goal deficit.

March 11, Devils 4 Flyers 1
Sergie Bobrovsky surrendered 3 3rd period goals as the Devils won 4-1.  Claude Giroux was the lone goal scorer for the Flyers.

March 13, Flyers 3 Devils 0
Ilya Bryzgalov got the start in the season finale between the two teams and he capped it off with another shutout.  Sean Couterier was able to solve Marty in the second and the Flyers added 2 3rd period goals to secure the victory.

So what does this all mean?  It's simple: in all three games that the Flyers lost, Sergei Bobrovsky was the goalie.  Bryzgalov was the goalie in the three victories, and posted a shutout in 2 of those games.

While I don't like to make too much of the regular season, the Flyers have proven that the Devils are not a scary team and they should be able to beat them.  Stay tuned to the blog over the next few days as I will be posting my complete breakdown and prediction for the series.

Flyers Keys To Game 4

Tonight the Flyers will go for the knock out punch as they attempt to 4 game sweep the Penguins.  Tonight is going to be crucial as the Flyers attempt to not let the Penguins have any sort of life whatsoever.  Here are the keys to yet another Flyers victory.

1. Early And Often  
The Flyers need to jump out to an early lead in tonight's game.  If they let the Penguins hang around for too long, the Penguins could slowly gain confidence and possibly win the game and force a game 5.  The Penguins are currently up against the ropes in terms of confidence, so the Flyers need to knock them out early.

2. Fluster Fleury 
Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has zero confidence right now.  He was pulled in the third period of Sunday's game in favor of back up Brent Johnson.  The Flyers need to pounce and get a lot of shots and traffic in front of him early on to really rattle his confidence.

3. Keep Composure 
The Penguins played with zero class in Game 3.  They let their emotions get the better of them, and ultimately went out trying to hurt people.  If the Penguins do the same thing tonight, the Flyers have to remain focused on trying to win the hockey game and not getting caught up in the fights and scrums.

4. Strong Play From Bryz 
Bryz certainly didn't have his best game on Sunday.  He allowed 4 goals and he just didn't look too comfortable in net.  I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Bryz is getting beat early in games.  If Bryz can have a strong first period, it could give him the confidence to finish the game strong.

5. Extra Time Off
Finishing off Crosby and the Penguins should be enough motivation for the Flyers to get it done tonight.  But if it's not then hopefully the extra time off will help the Flyers to end this series in 4 games.  A sweep ensures more confidence and of course more time to rest between now and the second round.  

Overall tonight is not the time for the Flyers to sit back and relax.  If they take the Penguins lightly, they could prolong this series and give the Penguins life.  The Flyers need to go for the knock out punch tonight and I think they will blow the Pens out by a final of 6-2.

Flyers Look To Sweep

Jags at practice today.

In 2010, the Flyers pulled off the improbable 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins.  By doing so they became just the fourth professional sports team ever to accomplish the incredible comeback.  The Flyers now hold a 3-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they will go for the sweep to ensure that they won't be on the other end of such a comeback this year.

On Wednesday night, the Flyers need to fully finish off the Penguins and not allow them to have any life in this series.  The Penguins led the NHL in scoring during the regular season and they are still a very dangerous team that can't be taken lightly.

After the Game 3 victory, Scott Hartnell remarked on the difficult task of winning Game 4:

"Our group is real solid right now," Hartnell said. "We’re playing together, we’re focused, but the hardest game to win is the fourth game of that series. If we think that’s going to be easy in Game 4 in Phialdelphia, we have another thing coming. They’ve got a lot of professionals over there who have faced elimination games in the (2009) Stanley Cup Finals against Detroit and have come back and won, so it’s not going to be easy.”

The Flyers definitely don't want to travel all the way back to Pittsburgh for Game 5.  The Flyers want to finish this thing off as soon as possible and get some well deserved rest before the second round.  The extra time off could also enable the Flyers to get some key guys back including JVR and Andrej Meszaros.

According to an April 14th article on csnphilly.com, JVR recently skated with the team and is very close to returning.

“I’m excited to get a little closer [to playing],” JVR said. “It’s pretty brutal when you’re sitting at home and missing all these exciting, big games.  You’d do anything to get out there with them. It’s a good step in the right direction to be on the ice with the guys.”

Andrej Meszaros is another guy that could be back in the lineup soon.  According to Flyers beat writer Sam Carchidi, Meszaros could be back in round 2.


Overall the Flyers need to finish things up tomorrow night because they can't let the Penguins have any sort of life, and extra time off would really serve the Flyers well come the second round.  I think that what we are going to see tomorrow night is a Penguins team that has basically given up.  A couple goals by the Flyers early on could be all that is needed to completely shake the Penguins confidence, and overall send them back to Pittsburgh and out of the playoffs.

Crosby Is An Absolute Joke

Susie Crosby in the box where he belongs.

Before this series, I never really understood the venom that was directed toward Sidney Crosby by Flyers fans.  I thought that Flyers fans disliked him mainly because he was one of the best players in the league.  But after Game 3 it has become obvious to me that Crosby is an extremely dirty player.  He started the scrum in the first period, the scrum in the third, and overall he forced his team mates to fight his battles for him.  

The first fight started by Crosby came in the first period.  The Penguins were down 3-1, when Bryzgalov covered up the puck.  From there Crosby proceeded to jab away at Bryzgalov's glove, and was eventually stopped by Claude Giroux who pulled him away from Bryz.  From there a whole series of scrums opened up all due to Crosby. The fighting eventually died down until Crosby kicked away Jake Voracek's glove as he was bending down to pick up. 

When asked after the game why he did that Crosby responded:

 "I do not like any guy on their team.  It [his glove] was near me and he went to pick it up and I pushed it."

Directly after, Crosby surprised Kimmo Timonen who eventually had to fight Kris Letang.  Giroux tried to take care of Crosby but the refs weren't willing to let Crosby and Giroux really go at it.  But Crosby wasn't done.

In the third period, Crosby grabbed Scot Hartnell from behind and dragged him into the boards.  Scott Hartnell retaliated, but was forced to fight Craig Adams who landed a bunch of cheap shots on Hartsy and eventually ended up pulling his hair.  Again another fight started by Susie, and another fight that he himself didn't actually fight. 

At this juncture of the game, Flyers color analyst Chris Therien was directly calling out Crosby for his dirty tactics.  While Crosby is almost always given a pass because he is the "golden boy" of the NHL, yesterday he was exposed as a dirty player.  

Scott Hartnell put it perfectly:

“It’s not fun to play with that kind of stuff.  You ask the best player in the world, Sidney Crosby, what they were thinking out there and he said ‘well, that’s playoff hockey,’ For me, that’s not playoff hockey. It’s dangerous hockey, it’s trying to hurt some people out there and it’s scary, you’ve got to keep your head up at all times. Crosby comes in and grabs me from behind and another guy [Craig Adams] comes and throws about eight bombs at the back of my head." 

Hockey is a violent game.  Players on both sides get frustrated, and fights do happen in hockey.  If you are frustrated that your team is losing both the game and the series, don't resort to childish games such as jabbing at the goalie's glove, kicking away someone's glove, or grabbing someone unexpectedly from behind.  

Crosby wasn't the only player who resorted to dirty tactics in the game.  After Brayden Schenn made a nice perfectly legal hit, Aaron Asham responded by cross checking him in the throat and punching him when he was down on the ice.  And when the puck wasn't even near Sean Couterier, James Neal came over and laid a ferocious blind side hit on the young star.  Both players will have disciplinary hearings tomorrow and I expect the league to come down extra hard on Neal who left the ice when making his hit on Couterier.  

Overall Crosby and the Penguins played with zero class in yesterday's game.  It was an absolute joke to watch as they used every dirty tactic they could think of to try and frustrate the Flyers.  But in reality the plan back fired and they ended up only frustrating themselves.  On Wednesday night, I hope the Flyers are able to land the knock out punch and send the Penguins packing for an early vacation.  

Flyers Go Up 3-0 Over Penguins

In this exciting series between the Flyers and Penguins, each game gets a little more entertaining.  Today was arguably the most entertaining, as it featured lots of scoring and fast action once again.

The first period was extremely exciting.  The Penguins again scored first, but the Flyers quickly responded with another short handed goal from Max Talbot.  Danny Briere then scored the next two goals of the game to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead.  The first period ended with the Flyers leading 4-2.

In addition to a lot of goals being scored in the first, both teams were extremely physical and there were a lot of extra curricular activities and scrums around the net.  The most prominent scrum between the two teams came when Bryz covered the puck up, and Susie Crosby proceeded to chop at the covered up puck.  From there a whole series of fights erupted and Kimmo Timonen and Kris Letang were both given game misconducts.

In the second period, the game seemed to calm down a little in terms of fights.  But in terms of goal scoring, the second period saw a lot of goals from both teams once again.  The Penguins scored mid way through the period to make it a 4-3 game.  With about 6 minutes left in the period, the Flyers were awarded a power play.  On the man advantage, Jagr sent a beautiful cross ice pass through the defense to Matt Read who one timed it home.  Roughly a minute later Jordan Staal scored to cut the lead back to 1.  Toward the end of the period with time running out on their power play, Braydon Coburn passed it ahead to Wayne Simmonds who put one past Fleury to make it a 6-4 game.

In the third, Marc-Adre Fleury was replaced by backup goalie Brent Johnson.  The Flyers made quick work against Johnson.  Jagr made another beautiful pass, this time to Giroux who scored to give the Flyers a 7-4 advantage. The game eventually ended in a 8-4 Flyers victory.  

Overall a huge win for the Flyers who now hold a commanding 3 games to none advantage in the series.  The Flyers again fell behind early but were able to fight back.  The goal scoring for the Flyers has been amazing so far in this series and it continued today.  Not only were the able to score, but they were able to score timely goals today as well.

Bryzgalov gave up 4 goals in the game but he didn't look as good as he did in prior games.  But credit is still due to Bryz who ultimately kept the Flyers in the game and didn't give up too many easy goals.

Briere once again had another big game.  He notched 2 goals and did a great job of properly setting up and getting in good position to score on offense.  Matt Read was the young star of the game.  Read was relatively quiet in the first two games of the series, but he came through with 2 goals today.  Simmonds, Giroux, scored and Talbot scored twice against his former team.

One thing is extremely obvious after today's game: the Flyers want it more.  They are skating faster, hitting harder, and ultimately out working the Penguins.  It always seems like just when the Penguins think that they are back in the game, the Flyers always quickly respond with a timely goal.

Through out the entire game, the Penguins let their frustrations and anger get the better of them and took it out with cheap shots on the Flyers.  Brayden Schenn and Sean Couterier were both victims to cheap shots.  Toward the end of the game, the Penguins also took some shots at Giroux which resulted in another big scrum in the middle of both benches.

Both teams will get two well deserved days off as Game 4 is set for Wednesday night.  The Flyers will go for the knock out punch on Wednesday as they attempt to end it in Philly instead of traveling back to Pittsburgh.  

Flyers Keys To Game 3

After an unbelievable Game 2 on Friday night, today the Flyers will have the opportunity to go up 3-0 in the series.  The Flyers can't sit back and be satisfied with what they have accomplished so far in this series.  The Flyers have to keep their foot on the gas and try and take a 3-0 lead today.  Here are the keys to a Flyers victory.

1. Timeout Before Game
I'm not kidding about this.  In the first two games of this series, it took a Peter Laviolette timeout to get the Flyers going.  So for today, the Flyers should go out for the opening puck drop and just before the game officially begins, Laviolette should call a timeout.  There is something magical about a Lavy timeout, and the Flyers would be better off using it before the game instead of when they find themselves behind 2 or 3 goals.

2. Young Gun
In my game 2 preview, one of my keys was for one of the young guys to step up.  Sean Couterier did just that, taking Evgeni Malkin out of the game and notching three goals himself.  Today, the Flyers need either Couterier or another young player to have similar success.

3. Special Teams
The Flyers were sent to the box on 5 separate occasions on Friday night, and the penalty kill allowed just two goals. What's even more impressive is the Flyers scored two short handed goals and were 1 for 3 on the power play.  The Flyers have to continue to be aggressive on special teams.

4. Bryzgalov
If someone who hadn't watched any games of this series took a quick look at the box scores, they would probably come to the conclusion that Bryzgalov is struggling.  But the box scores certainly don't tell the whole story, and in reality Bryzgalov is playing extremely well.  He is flashing leather and playing at the top of the crease which says to me that he has all the confidence in the world right now.  Bryz needs to continue to play well this afternoon.

5. Home Ice
The Flyers didn't have a dazzling home record during the regular season, but I think that playing at home today is going to really play to the Flyers advantage.  Returning home with a 2-0 lead against the hated Penguins is a recipe for an absolutely electric crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.  I expect the Flyers faithful to be completely Flyered up today.

The first two games of this series were two of the best hockey games I've ever seen.  In my mind, Game 1 ranks up there with Game 7 against the Bruins in 2010.  But the Flyers can't be satisfied with how they played out in Pittsburgh.  While they certainly did a lot of things right, they also have a lot of things they need to work on to be victorious today.  Ultimately I think the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center is going to propel the Flyers to another victory.  I think the Flyers will fall behind by 1 early on, and then respond with 4 unanswered goals to win the game 4-1.  

Flyers Take Commanding 2-0 Series Lead

Bryz robs Kris Letang.

2 hat-tricks, 2 short handed goals, another early deficit overcome, and a final score of 8-5.  If you told me these things before the start of Game 2, I probably wouldn't have believed you.  But after a crazy back and forth game, the Flyers again came away victorious winning by a final of 8-5, and some of the individual performances in Game 2 are still hard to believe.

The Penguins again got out to an early lead.  The Flyers attempted a 5 man change after the opening face off, but the Penguins were able to beat the Flyers in transition thanks to a Susie Crosby goal.  From there the Penguins added a power play goal to take a 2-0 lead.  Max Talbot scored a shorthanded goal halfway through the first to make it a 2-1 game.  The Penguins then added a late first period goal to go up 3-1.

The second period can be described in three words: back and forth.  The Flyers tied the game at 3, but the Penguins quickly reclaimed the lead mid way through the period.  Sean Couterier added a late second period goal to tie the game at 4 heading into the final period.

The Penguins scored early in the third period, but that would be it.  From there the Flyers scored 4 unanswered goals to close out the game.  Couterier tied the game at 5, Jagr gave the Flyers a 6-5 advantage, and Couterier and Giroux both scored to close out the game.

It was truly an unbelievable game.  While it's tough to pin point one main turning point, I would say Couterier's second goal which tied the game at 5 was a real tough goal for the Penguins to take.  The Penguins had just taken the lead and had to be feeling pretty good about their chances of winning the game.  But then Couterier came back just a few moments later and tied the game up, completely robbing any momentum the Penguins may have built.  The Penguins look depleted after the goal and were simply unable to respond.

Offensively Couterier and Giroux both had hat-tricks. Talbot and Jagr also scored against their former team.  Overall the Flyers never quit on offense and continued to work hard even when they were behind.  It was amazing to watch them continue to fight and continue to find ways to score.

And although Bryzgalov gave up 5 goals, he still had an amazing game.  Bryz had some fantastic saves throughout the game, and was able to really buckle down in the third and keep the puck out of net.  Bryz was flashing the leather all night and robbing people left and right.

The Flyers now have a commanding 2-0 lead as the series shifts to Philadelphia.  On Sunday, the Flyers will have a great opportunity to really put the Penguins away in front of what is sure to be an absolute electric crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.  The first two games of this series have been extremely entertaining and I can't wait to see what is in store for Game 3.

Flyers Keys To Game 2

Early and often boys, LET'S GO!

Game 1 was fun, exciting, and very memorable.  To come back from a 3 goal deficit in the opening game of the playoffs is something that very few teams can accomplish.  But Game 1 is now a thing of the past, and tonight the Flyers have to be entirely focused on taking a 2-0 lead in the series.  Here are tonight's keys to a Flyers victory.

1. Hot Start
The Flyers have fallen behind early in games all year but they can't continue to do so in the playoffs.  Everyone likes an exciting comeback, but the Flyers need to do a better job of coming out with a lot of intensity in the first period.  It shouldn't take a 2-0 deficit and a Peter Laviolette timeout to get these boys going.

2. G, Jags, Hartsy
Not to say that this line played bad in Game 1, but I would definitely like to see some more production from them tonight.  Danny Briere can't be relied upon to score all of the goals for the Flyers.  Other guys, namely Giroux and veterans Jagr and Hartnell need to get involved offensively.

3. Long Possessions
The Flyers dominated the Penguins in the second and third periods on Wednesday mainly because they were able to sustain long offensive possessions.  The Flyers were diving and making plays just to keep the puck in the zone and give the offense more opportunities to score.  Tonight the Flyers need to continue to keep the puck in Pittsburgh's zone.

4. Traffic In Front
This kind of goes without saying, but getting traffic out in front of Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is going to be key tonight.  Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek both scored on Wednesday by getting out in front of the net and trying to make things happen.

5. Bryzgalov
After allowing 3 goals in the first period of Game 1, Bryzgalov was perfect in the remainder of the game.  But giving up 3 goals in the first period of a playoff game puts a lot of pressure on the goalie, so Bryz needs to come out focused and ready to play strong early on.

6. Young Gun
Brayden Schenn was the outstanding rookie of the game on Wednesday night.  In Game 2, another rookie needs to step up and have a big game.  I think that either Matt Read or Sean Couterier could have a big game tonight.

7. Forget About Game 1
Game 1 is a thing of the past.  The Flyers need to build off of what they did well on Wednesday, but they can't get over confident and relaxed.  The Flyers have a great opportunity to take a 2-0 lead in this series.  If they are still celebrating Wednesday's victory, this series could very easily return to Philadelphia tied 1-1.

It should be a very entertaining game tonight.  I think the Flyers will jump out to an early 2-0 lead, but the Penguins will battle back and tie the game at 2.  Ultimately I think the Flyers will win by a final of 3-2 and bring a 2-0 series lead back to Philadelphia.

NHL Full Playoff Preview

Here is a complete breakdown of the 2012 NHL playoffs.  Scroll down to the bottom of the article for a link to my Penguins Flyers preview.


Western Conference Series 1: #1 Vancouver Canucks vs #8 Los Angeles Kings

Canucks

The Canucks finished first in the west with 111 points.  Roberto Luongo is going to have a lot of pressure on him.  Luongo had 31 wins with a 2.41 GAA and a .919 save percentage.  But backup goalie Cory Schneider had 20 wins and a 1.96 GAA and a .937 save percentage, so Luongo is going to be on a very short leash. Offensively Vancouver finished 5th in the league in scoring so they can definitely put up some goals.

Head coach  Alain Vigneault is going to have to do a good job of balancing the goalie situation.  Vigneault will also be under the pressure due to the fact that the Canucks have won their second straight President’s trophy and anything short of the Cup will be a major disappointment.

Kings

Goalie Jonathan Quick will literally have to carry the Kings if they want to make it out of the first round.  Quick had a monster year notching 35 wins and a 1.95 GGA to go along with .929 save % and a league best 10 shutouts.

But Los Angeles finished second to the last in the NHL in scoring.  Three top scorers were Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, and Dustin Brown who all had over 20 or more goals a piece.  Former Flyer Mike Richards was their fourth leading scorer with just 18 goals and 26 assists.  Kings lost 1-0 6 times during the regular season, and were shutout 10 times.  Overall failed to provide Quick with support. Kings should get offensive support with Jeff Carter’s return.  

Prediction: Canucks win in 5.

Western Conference Series 2: #2 St. Louis Blues vs #7 San Jose Sharks

Blues

Blues finished second in the west with 109 points.  Ken Hitchcock has done an amazing job with this young Blues team.  Hitchcock took over in early November and took a 6-7 team to a legit contender.  Brian Elliot and Jaraslov Halak were a solid goalie duo in the regular season and will have to continue to play well in the playoffs. Blues need to focus on keeping games close, high scoring games could get them into trouble.

Sharks 

Sharks are 29th in the league in penalty kills.  Joe Thornton is going to be key for the Sharks to be a leader and a spark.  San Jose is probably more of a threat offensively, but the Blues have the better goaltending and defense in front of them.

One thing to watch out for is the play of goalie Antti Niemi.  Niemi played in 22 playoff games for Chicago in 2010, and 18 last year as the Sharks went to the conference finals. Niemi is a very good playoff goalie.    Sharks need balanced scoring in order to win the series.

Prediction: Blues in 6.

Western Conference Series 3: #3 Phoenix Coyotes vs #6 Chicago Blackhawks

Coyotes

Goalie Mike Smith had an amazing year for the Coyotes 38 wins 2.21 GAA and .930 save % and 8 shutouts.  Great big goalie, players play with confidence in front of him.

Blackhawks

Chicago had 106 points, more than the Coyotes 97.  Goalie situation is shaky.  Crawford and Ray Emery failed to really get starting spot, but Crawford will get the nod in the series.  Chicago can put up some goals but will definitely have their hands full with Mike Smith in goal.

Prediction: Chicago in 7.

Western Conference Series 4: #4 Nashville Predators vs #5 Detroit Red Wings

Predators 

Very strong goaltending in Pekke Rinne.  Rinne had 43 wins this season. He also posted a 2.39 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.  They have two strong defenders in Shea Weber and Ryan Sutter, great powerplay as well.  

Red Wings

Have had a lot of injuries and struggles this year.  Great at home during regular season but will have to get it done on the road as they don’t have home ice advantage.  Red Wings can be described as a team searching for an identity right now.  Goalie Jimmy Howard also had a very strong season.

Prediction: Detroit in 7.

Eastern Conference Series 1: #1 New York Rangers vs #8 Ottawa Senators

Rangers

Finished first in the east with 109 points.  Goalie Henrik Lundqvist is an absolute stud.  He has the ability to steal games for the Rangers with his great play.  Coach John Tortorella was fined for his comments about the Penguins, but he should have no problem pumping his team up.  Rangers can’t get cocky and overlook Ottawa.  Rangers have to pounce early, not let Ottawa think that they have a chance in the series.  

Senators

Jason Spezza will have to play extremely well for Senators to have a shot at taking down the Rangers.  Ottawa came in fourth in the league in scoring and if they can keep games close, they can definitely win some games with their great offensive ability.

There will be a lot of pressure on goalie Craig Anderson.  2.84 GAA, 33 wins, and .914 save %.  If the Senators can get solid play from Anderson and lots of scoring from offense, they could make this an interesting series.

Prediction: Rangers in 6.

Eastern Conference Series 2: #2 Boston Bruins vs #7 Washington Capitals

Bruins

Tim Thomas literally carried the Bruins to a Stanley Cup title last year.  He will have to play extremely well again if the Bruins want to go deep into the playoffs.  Bruins feature 6 20 goal scorers.  Tied for second in the NHL for scoring.  Boston has great defense and deep and balanced scoring which will make them tough to beat.

Capitals

Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin and Green all have to play well at the same time. Nick Backstrom’s return is crucial for the Caps.  He compliments Ovechkin nicely and makes them a much more dangerous team.

Prediction: Boston in 5.

Eastern Conference Series 3: #3 Florida Panthers vs #6 New Jersey Devils

Panthers 

Finished with 94 points.  Very tough first round matchup in the New Jersey Devils.  Struggled down the end of the season.    Jose Theodore will have to come up big for the Panthers as they really aren’t that much of an offensive threat.  Finished 27th in the NHL in scoring.

Devils

Kovalchuck, Parise, and Clarkson 30 goal scorers, led the Devils to a 102 point season.  They have a veteran goalie in Marty Brodeur who will soon turn 40.  3 time Stanley Cup champ. He still has potential left to play amazing.  Defense can be good, but can also be inconsistent.  Overall, offense will have to carry the Devils to the second round. Kovalchuck has to stay hot, and Brodeur has to be better than he was during the regular season.

Prediction: Devils in 5.

Click here to read my prediction for the Penguins Flyers series.

Flyers Penguins Series Preview

The experts and analysts are drooling over Penguins stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal.  They aren’t even giving the Flyers a chance and it’s very frustrating for Flyers fans.

I will say this about the Penguins: they are healthy with the return of Crosby and other players.  Their goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a Stanley Cup champion and can be very difficult to beat, especially in the playoffs.  The Penguins depth also creates a lot of match-up problems for the Laviolette and the Flyers.

While the Penguins certainly have depth, the Flyers have a lot of depth as well.  Hartnell, Giroux, Simmonds, and Read all scored over 20 goals.  The Flyers also feature 8 players with 40 or more points and as a team the Flyers finished second in the NHL behind the Penguins.  And while the Penguins are healthy, the Flyers are also working their way back to full health.  Danny Briere and Nicklas Grossman both skated today and are expected to be in the Game 1 lineup for the Flyers.  Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov should be fully healthy and ready to go for the playoffs as well as he finished out the season nursing a foot injury.  

It’s safe to say that Bryzgalov is going to play a huge role in this series.  The Flyers are only going to go as far as Bryzgalov wants to take them.  If he can return to his form of March in which he went 10-2-1 with 4 shutouts and a 1.43 GAA, the Flyers can very easily go deep into the playoffs.

If Bryz struggles early in the series, his confidence, along with the confidence of his teammates, could be greatly shattered.  If he flourishes early, the Flyers can and will rally around him and play confidently in front of him.  If he lets in some cheap goals early in the series, it could have disastrous results for the Flyers.

This series is going to be an extremely physical and heated series.  I really like the Flyers chances because of their physical play and swagger.  I don’t like to get into regular season results when it comes to playoff predictions, but the Flyers definitely have confidence and some swagger against the Penguins.  The Flyers went 4-2 against the Pens during the season and won 2 out of 3 in Pittsburgh.  Again one can’t base too much off of the regular season, but winning 2 out of 3 in the other team's building is always good for confidence.  With former Penguins Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr seeking revenge, I really think the Flyers can rally and spark their way into the next round.

One thing the Flyers have to be extremely careful of is falling behind early in games and early in the series.  If they come back to Philadelphia down 0-2, obviously this doesn’t bode well for the men in orange and black.  They need to pounce early, and if possible, try and steal both games in Pittsburgh which could give them confidence, and help them set the tone for the entire series.

Last year the Flyers got swept out of the playoffs by the eventual champion Boston Bruins.  After 2010’s wild run to the Cup, it’s safe to say that last year was a big disappointment.  But the Flyers orchestrated a massive roster overhaul over this past offseason, and what they have been able to accomplish this year is simply amazing.  Even though this year has been pretty successful thus far, the Flyers still want more and they know that while they may be young, they have the talent to make another run at the cup.

While the Penguins are favorites to go deep into the playoffs with Malkin and Crosby leading the way, a lot of people are counting out the Flyers and not even giving them a chance.  Personally, I feel that the role of underdog is a great place for the Flyers to be in as they attempt to knock off the Penguins.  A bunch of young guys with a good mix of veterans who all have a lot to prove is a recipe for success if you ask me.

But this series isn’t going to come down to statistics, regular season match-ups, or even who has the better goalie.  This series is going to come down to the team that has more heart and whoever wants it more will be the victor in this series.  I know that sounds kind of corny, but when you consider the heated rivalry that has been brewing between these two teams in recent years, it's very true.  These two teams don't like each other, and whoever plays more physically and with more confidence will win this series.

Prediction: Flyers in 6.  Win first two in Pittsburgh, split at home, drop game 5, and win the series at home in game 6.

Tune into my radio program tomorrow as my co-host and I will be doing a special playoff preview show, and giving you our predictions for the entire NHL playoffs.  We will start the show at roughly 3 PM. 

Flyers Lose To Rangers, Again

If tonight's game were to be decided after the first two minutes of the game, the Flyers would have won.  The Flyers came out in the early going with a ton of energy and generated lots of shots and traffic in front of Lundquist.  Early on, Simmonds had an excellent shot out in front but Lundquist made a dazzling save to keep things scoreless.

Soon after the Rangers struck first thanks to a wrist shot goal by Ryan McDonagh in front.  The Rangers scored a few minutes after, this time thanks to Brian Boyle.  Bryzgalov made a nice save but the rebound scooted out in front of the net and Boyle was able to slap it home.  The Rangers then scored two more goals in the period but we really don't have to get into the details.

After a devastating first, the Flyers were finally able to solve Lundquist late in the second period.  The Flyers were able to score in front thanks to Jakub Voracek who finally put one past the veteran goaltender.  Ultimately the Flyers were never able to mount a comeback and lost by a final of 5-3.  With the loss the Flyers got swept in the season series by the Rangers losing all 6 games.

Ultimately the game halts any playoff excitement that the Flyers may have built as a result of Sunday's big victory over the Penguins.  Tonight's loss brings back the crushing reality that the Flyers simply can't beat the Rangers.

While I certainly like the Flyers' chances against the Penguins in the first round, anything beyond that seems extremely doubtful at this point.  For some reason the Rangers flat out intimidate the Flyers and as a result the Flyers typically get off to bad starts against them.

While the Flyers were clean swept in the regular season by the Rangers, the playoffs literally are completely different.  The Flyers could very easily sweep the Rangers in the postseason because NHL playoffs are just that peculiar where anything can happen.

To add insult to injury, tonight the Penguins are beating the Bruins and in all likelihood will hold a 3 point lead over the Flyers with just two games remaining for both teams.  The Flyers will host the Sabres on Thursday night as they continue to pursue the fourth seed and try to build momentum as the playoffs draw ever closer.