Howie58

We are heavy underdogs in this Keystone State-Metro Matchup:

https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/nhl/10-29-2019/philadelphia-flyers-vs-pittsburgh-penguins-prediction-6849

We won't many games with sub .900 goaltending, which puts Elliott between the pipes.  That said, AV may want to see if Hart can climb out of the funk.  It should be interesting.  

I guess the bookies nailed this. What is up with our Savior Goaltender?

51 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Can't watch out with friends....just checked the boxscore...yikes....

Going for groceries. Less depressing!

Greetings:

https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/nhl/10-27-2019/philadelphia-flyers-vs-ny-islanders-islanders-prediction-6139/

We are fairly serious underdogs.  Hart has not played well against the Isles; Varlamov has played well against us.  The Isles are rested; we're in the second half of the back-to-back.  I suspect Tyler Pitlick is in the lineup to replace Scott Laughton.  AV versus Trotz is a good matchup.  It should be interesting.

I agree with post-game assessment:  This team would have folded last year. AV and youngins, plus Hayes make a difference. 

Gotcha!. Yeah, I wonder what we have in Patrick. Apparently he can be sent down to Lehigh with no waiver issues. A rehab stint with some experience would help. Question might be if it gets that far.

Well, I hope Moose holds up. I guess we see Hart tomorrow.  It would be nice to see Laughton and Jake wake up on scoring.

This lineup make me wonder about Patrick's future. Who does he replace? Yes, G can return to wong. But what about the other centers? I wonder if they even see a future for Patrick? Or do they see him being converted to wing?

The Flyers are favored against a Columbus team that has been hot and cold (a little like us):

https://statsalt.com/games/nhl/10-26-2019/columbus-blue-jackets-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-2112/

Historically, we don't play well against this team, particularly in Columbus:

https://www.flyershistory.com/cgi-bin/opponent.cgi?Columbus_Blue_Jackets

We are on a five-game losing streak against CBJ.  Cam Atkinson is a Flyer Killer.  It will be Korpisalo versus Hart in goal.  Hopefully the AV era means better performances against a Metro rival.  

Seabrook looked dazed and confused. The Hawks turned over the puck a heckuva lot. But a win is a win. Our youngins are growing up under AV.

Greetings:

We appear to be mild favorites.  Statistically, our shots against is among the best in the league and it shows against the Hawks.  Our PP% is a lot better:

https://www.sportsbettingdime.com/nhl/odds/2019102512-nhl-phi-chi/

The goalie matchup should be interesting.  Crawford is sub .900; Lehner is .943 and sub 2.0 GAA.  I read that the Moose may be rewarded with a start after his performance against the Knights.  We shall see.  

I thought having Stewart on board would spare the youngins of healthy scratches/limited playtime and allow for farm development.  That may still happen.  Under a worst case. the guy is waived and claimed.  Meanwhile, I suspect coming weeks will bring further line juggling.  

Starting Elliott signals Hart and holds him accountable....I can't argue with that.  Stewart...don't get.  I am wondering if management sees a Patrick return in the next few weeks?  His return would bring more shuffling. I will be at work tonight; look forward to the board's take post-game.

13 minutes ago, RonJeremy said:

I know we are outshooting the opposition by a wide margin so far this season but to be honest i didnt notice many quality shots in the last game or any second chances either . The game was a borefest. 

The heat maps confirm your assessment.  This is the same crap we've had the last two years.  That it's happening with a new coach may tell us a lot about the human capital.  

Greetings:

We are underdogs against a hot Vegas club that balances good scoring and sound defense:

https://winnersandwhiners.com/games/nhl/10-21-2019/vegas-golden-knights-vs-philadelphia-flyers-prediction-8062/

The "outshoot but underscore" phenomenon is disturbing and I have to wonder if our first line is truly a first line by NHL standards.  

Farabee and Vorobyev join the parent club.  Maybe an infusion of youth/skill makes a difference. Either way, the O and B Brain Trust must realize the current roster needs rejuvenation:

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/flyers/joel-farabee-flyers-roster-mikhail-vorobyev-carsen-twarysnki

LGF

I didn't want to make big picture assessments of the team until Black Friday given coaching and roster changes. But early performance is disturbing. Agreed with others that some kind of roster shakeup may be in the cards. Agreed with RJ that Jake is probably here for the duration given salary.

Well, my fears were confirmed. We laid a turd. We change coaches but same crap as last two years.  We win faceoffs and outshoot our opponents by wide margins, but lose by a wide margin. How do you spell Talent Deficit?  Making matters worse: Carter is human.

Here is a take on the bottom six.  It isn't pretty:

https://sports.yahoo.com/m/80c3f432-71bc-3649-a975-0a7c1c63744c/let%26%2339%3Bs-talk-about-the.html

11 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Flyers practice lines

 

Giroux-Couturier-Konecny

Lindblom-Hayes-Voracek

JVR-Laughton-Pitlick

Twarynski-Raffl-Stewart

Boy...the bottom six seems a tad strange.  JVR will start hitting the net but the other five....yikes.  

I fear this Patrick thing.  I hope this isn't Forsberg II. Don't misunderstand me--I wish him well.  But I wonder if a visiting locker room soap will concuss him? OK...maybe a poorly fit jockstrap?

4 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

Greetings:

Under a best case, we rock these folks.  But I don't have much faith in the O and B these days.  If we do lose 9-1, the board will banish you for casting an evil spell.  

4 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

So we lose 9-1? 

 

Greetings:

We are mild favorites against a very weak Dallas team that's giving up 1.5 goals more on average than it's scoring.  

https://sportschatplace.com/picks/nhl/philadelphia-flyers-vs-dallas-stars-10-19-19-nhl-pick-odds-and-prediction

You'd hope the Flyers are happy to be home and have licked their wounds from the Western trek.  On the other hand, Dallas is due for a bounce.  Maybe the Flyers open fast and score first to avoid reversion to last year's MO. 

Connor Bunnaman is heading to Lehigh.  Whether that leads to Nolan's reappearance or another call up remains to be seen.

https://broadstreetbuzz.com/2019/10/18/philadelphia-flyers-loan-connor-bunnaman-lehigh-valley-phantoms/

Best,

Howie

5 hours ago, brelic said:

I watched until they chased Hart. No sense losing any more sleep to watch the rest.

 

A few positives...

 

- Ghost actually looked like old Ghost and made a few picks and offensive plays that he would have done in years past to change the tone of the game. They didn't work out, but the fact that he tried is something I haven't seen from him in at least a season.

 

- The PP scored a few times again last night, and more importantly, it got Jake going. 3 point night and he was quite noticeable. 

 

- It was, for the most part, a good response to the Calgary game the night before. The Flyers dominated for long stretches, and severely outshot the Oilers. After each of the first three Oilers goals, I thought the Flyers responded with strong shifts and stretches. 

 

Outside of that, the big difference tonight was top end talent and goaltending. They buried their few chances when they got them, and they had smart puck movement in the offensive zone that forced lateral movement and confusion. The Flyers just didn't bury their chances, and really looked like a peewee perimeter grinding team when compared to the offensively gifted Oilers players in transition.

 

Hart was also not sharp and didn't give his team the timely saves it needed. All the goals were well placed shots from talented players, but they were all stoppable (except maybe McDavid). It was just a weak effort from Hart overall. I've noticed thru preseason (Lausanne) and the four regular season games that Hart's weakness seems to be shots from 10-15 feet out. Those are the ones that beat him, and they usually beat him clean with minimal or no screen. A lot like Carey Price early on, actually. Anyway, that's a part of his game he'll need to work on over time.

 

The 2-2-1 record is fine considering the circumstances. Still, when watching the game last night, I couldn't help feeling that the Flyers are still just muckers and grinders and that top end "modern" NHL talent eludes us.

 

 

Greetings:

This is a great post. I think the last paragraph is critical.  You could argue the Oilers have had their "Process."  Persistent losing has led to drafting of "generational" talent.  We may have snagged a few good people over the past few years.  But they aren't game changers, with the possible exception of Hart or TBD.  It's sad but true. Shoot...our "miracle draft ball" may have chronic health issues. 

1 minute ago, radoran said:

 

Fltecher: "Hi, yeah - I've got a disinterested winger who has been pretty disappointing and a bit of a malcontent who doesn't want to be here any more and is signed for four more seasons at $8.25M per - I'm looking for a good return on this. Whaddya got?"

 

LOL...maybe we send Giroux out as well.  He can be marketed as a new father and "Ginger," which seems to be hot.

13 minutes ago, intheslot said:

Strip  ...G of the ...C..

 

From a symbolic standpoint, making one of the youngsters Captain might send a signal...even Hayes.  But the troubles are a lot deeper than G's variety of leadership.  

13 minutes ago, mojo1917 said:

 

I am thinking Ghost might be a scratch after last night. 

He wasn't just bad he was add an adjective-ly bad. 

I believe his reliance on his ability to make finesse plays really hurt him last night, some nights you need to make the simple strong play  because you don't have "it", he never changed his game to accept the reality that everyone was fighting the puck.

 

Now would not be the time to stop sending messages via ice time. 

 

Bundy and others on the post-gamer were extremely critical of his play...almost amazed me from the Comcast crew.  Their bottom line was simple--he needs to figure out the daily style that will build his career.  You nailed it.  Something has really snapped over the last two years...or the league is learning how to play him.  Regardless; it ain't pretty and the coaching staff needs to intervene quickly.