Howie58

1 hour ago, SCFlyguy said:

The Flyers' offseason moves were lateral at best.  This team is not talented.  The organization is rotten to the core.

SC's comments are strong but consistent with FC's comments above, it has been a long time since we were viewed as perennially elite or Cup contenders.  Writ large, I think the squad has never adopted to the post-2005-06, "New NHL."  That may be an overstatement but this organization's DNA, and its Hall of Famers, tend to reflect the "Sniderian" roots.  I don't know when that changes.

Black Friday is approaching, and this month may say a lot about this year's edition.  As I've said before, my preference would be "Other" as first-line center, with Coots and Hayes being two and three.  Our D--Ellis aside, maybe a bit better than last year's but not much.  

I watch FlyersFanMania 93 (Chris Maher)on Youtube, and his assessments are generally thoughtful.  At this stage, he wonders if this is a "systems" problem or a personnel problem? It's hard to tell for sure with frequent line changes.  But I agree with Maher that if our offense continues to stagnate, Fletcher may need to think about trades.  Morgan Frost may be playing well, but bringing him up may not be good for him or the squad. 

Meanwhile, I'll repeat this from a few days ago--I suspect the only way this team wins is with super goaltending and "structured" play.  We aren't generating enough shots with quality to win otherwise.  

3 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

Sorry about the repeat post.

My bad! Getting prematurely senile. Had Chianti instead of Merlot. See, even that gets me off track!

10 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

I can fault Jones, if only from this perspective. He didn't seem like he was ready for the shot. I mean, I blame Sanheim for not getting back and reading the play quickly enough, but I also blame Jones for not seeming all that ready for it. Good goal by Haula, but the Flyers could have been better there...no doubt.

10 minutes ago, FD19372 said:

I can fault Jones, if only from this perspective. He didn't seem like he was ready for the shot. I mean, I blame Sanheim for not getting back and reading the play quickly enough, but I also blame Jones for not seeming all that ready for it. Good goal by Haula, but the Flyers could have been better there...no doubt.

Well, even if two to three were unstoppable, two bad ones is not as as bad as the other issues. Our PP is atrocious.  The offense isn't distributed. What I said a few nights ago probably holds: I worry about winning of we five up more than two goals.

Jeepers...an $825K journeyman makes our 7-figure people look like minor league call-ups. I can't fault Jones for much. Our D either deflects the puck in, screens the goalie, or lets skaters into the red zone. We are going to have a very rough month at this rate.

Greetings:

The Bruins are a mild favorite:

https://freepicks.picksandparlays.net/more-free-picks/nhl-picks/boston-bruins-at-philadelphia-flyers-112021-nhl-picks-and-predictions

Willman is apparently in the lineup.  We will see Linus Ullmark; our starter isn't showing yet.  

Sad ending. We do not match up against this team. I wish we had PP ability. We can't give up more than 2 and win.

What if we could score on PP? This might not be needed!

Well, Carter redemption chance!

The Leighton Moment is overcome by a Giroux Surpise! 

I agree with TFG. You can't go to the well too often.

Greetings:

Despite similar records and playing on home ice, we are moderate underdogs:

https://sportsjaw.com/nhl/picks/1721414/tampa-bay-lightning-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-2021-11-18

It is our defense versus their offense.  

Historically, this is a tough team for us:  We are .500 against them and have lost our last few matchups:

http://flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/opponent.cgi?Tampa_Bay_Lightning

Well, it should be interesting.  LGF.  

This is probably the prototype for '21-'22. We need to be "structured" as Hakstol put it, and get great goaltending. Tonight had the feel of last week against Carolina.  

An occasional PP score would help. But that doesn't look promising.

It's a good win. Next-Tampa Bay, a real benchmark game.

Ou PP is deflating. We work hard to draw penalties but no payoff! Sad.

Well, even Coots can be a deflector. 

Agreed with Rad and others about the lines.  I'd like to think that Morin becomes 7th upon return in December, but our injuries seem to linger.  Maybe Cam comes up later this year.  

Sadly, I think we will need to be defensively-oriented with stellar goaltending to win.  This doesn't look like a squad made for shoot 'em ups.  

Greetings: 

Calgary is a mild favorite:

https://sportsjaw.com/nhl/picks/1721333/calgary-flames-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-2021-11-16

It looks like Markstrom versus Hart between the pipes.  This is a sound Calgary club and we cannot afford to take dumb penalties:

https://www.docsports.com/free-picks/nhl-hockey/2021/calgary-flames-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-11-16-2021-nhl-pick-tips-and-odds.html

Hopefully we have a bounce-back after resting a few days.  I haven't seen any line-ups.  

LGF

26 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Well, hell....let's make it a double, then renew the contract again in 2031!

As my late great mom would say, "from your lips to God's ears." 

2 hours ago, radoran said:

Still very early in the season and lots of hockey to be played.

Rad:

Thanks for your thoughtful post. I was unaware of the  Malkin-Crosby absence.  Also, I heard one of the Assistant GM's of the CBJ (not sure if McRae or Flynn) on NHL Network while driving to work last week.  They know the score and as you said, will stress teamwork and resilience during their rebuild. Meanwhile, Kekailinen seems to find great Finnish goalies.   BTW, their management staff, with Davidson at the helm, is a sharp group.  

I worry about our scoring.  I just don't see a terrific first line.  I love Coots but wish he was 2 and Hayes was three, with a newbie centering Farabee.  

It may be worthy of a separate thread, but a dozen our so games give us a glimpse of the Metro.  I am not surprised by the standings.  We've been talking about Brindy and the Hurricanes collecting talent for years.  It is blossoming.  Washington and Ovechkin are still a force.  The Rangers have also been quietly rebuilding.  On the downside--Trotz and Lou's over-achievers may have hit a wall.  Hexy has a declining Sid and Malkin without much of a supporting gang.  We appear to have fixed our D and goaltending, knock on ice, seem OK.  But our offense/PP may be lacking.  So, we are mediocre in a historically tough division.  Our win against Carolina may be a prototype for the season--low-scoring affairs with tight D and above-average goaltending.  BTW, as the Comcast crew noted in the lead-in, we were tied with Carolina for the best save percentage--.935.  I can't see lasting season long.  Our scoring needs to pick up. 

2 hours ago, CoachX said:

And at the risk of sympathetic backlash, Lindblom is invisible.

I was thinking the same earlier today.  He might need more time but so far, not much.  It is worrisome individually and collectively.  

I wouldn't fault Jones. We left him out to dry. Strage to watch after last night.

They don't have it tonight. Sluggish. The goal was with Dallas assists.

When will our PP work? There's good movement but no finish.