OH1FlyersFan

My vote is also no - we need defense...or a goalie. We have a great crop of young forwards who just need a little more experience - a season or two. Don't break those 11 forwards up yet. Keep that group, play them together, let them develop together and bring in some experienced D. I'm convinced our offense is going to be amazing, best in the league type of offense, if we just let this group mature together. This season isn't necessarily showing it, but we saw the potential, flashes of brilliance, last season.

A penalty shot? You're going to hold it against him that a penalty shot, by Kovalchuk no less, was scored? On a great backhand shot after some slick moves? Wow... you don't want a good goaltender... you want a miracle goaltender. You want to blame someone try the overrated Timonen who never saw Kovalchuk get behind him then was not up to the task of catching him.

Ha! Why, yes, yes I am. I know a lot of folks have made some really good arguments about why Bryz shouldn't have to stop penalty shots, breakaways, and whatever else is thrown at him, and who have suggested that it's not his fault that there is a breakdown in defense or in this case when another player takes a penalty. I respect those arguments and agree that it's not always his fault.

But when there IS a breakdown on defense or a penalty and it falls to the goalie to act as the last line of defense by making a play, stepping up and stopping the shot -- something that is clearly the goalie's responsibility -- then he needs to make the play and stop the shot. Otherwise, why even put a guy in goal?

If he's not even expected to make the save or its assumed he can't make the save because Kovy or whomever is so awesome, then why even bother. Like I said in a previous post - we're doomed if we ever go to a shootout because that really is just the goalie versus the shooter, one on one. We, I, expect him to make those saves. I expect him to make the save on a penalty shot too. I don't think that's unreasonable or unfair. That's his role, that's his job, on this team - to stop shots when all else fails and everything else has broken down.

I refuse to accept this idea that because Kovy's jukes are awesomely awesome that we should just assume our goalie isn't going to make the save. That's not ok. He needs to make the save. When he doesn't - that's on him.....regardless as to how or why we got there or whose fault it was on defense. Harry Truman said, "the buck stops here." The buck stops with Bryz as the last line of defense. Yes he needs support. Not always going to get it and when he doesn't, it's on him. I only wish it was the PUCK that stopped there.

Its unbelievable how many 'unlucky' goals go in on Bryz. You can't always fault him, but the quantity...... I've never seen anything like it?

Snakebit.

And now he misses a penalty shot. That's just a simple one-on-one. It's all on the goalie.....unless you argue he shouldn't have been put in the position to have to make the stop in the first place. Regardless, he was, and was found wanting. Reminds me of a Bible verse ---- Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

New Jersey scores two in the first - the second goal, a deflection off Fedetenko, not much Bryz could do. The first goal though is a little disappointing even though he was left hanging by the D. Hartnell is alone in front of Brodeur and Marty makes the save. Zajac is alone in front of Bryz and the Devils get the 1-0 lead in under a minute and a half. It's practically gauranteed. Come on, Bryz, stonewall these guys. Doesn't bode well for a shootout situation.

But why wait - if it's even close and that's the direction we want to go - because wouldn't we lose the cap hit sooner if he was bought out at the end of this season? And then we could start applying that savings to some other need more quickly - either a new goaltender or defense. If it's even questionable, then I say pull the trigger sooner rather than later.

well then maybe we should just suck it up this year and see what happens.

While I'm extremely hopefull and think we'll be awesome, that's what I've resigned myself to do too. It's going to be a season or two.

Hopefully this will coincide with the decline of some of the other powerhouses around us (due to age and attrition) and we can get a window to the big prize.

Totally agree. I hate when I read that the Penguins (no offense Polaris) have built a dynasty to challenge for the Cup for at least the next 10 years. We build up the defense, get steady goaltending at a better price, and in a few years it will be about the Flyers, not the Pens.

Hartnell/Giroux/Voracek

Simmonds/Schenn/McGinn

Read/Coots/Blushin' Russian

Talbot/Laughton/Wellwood

I know you guys know this, but here's what jumps out at me! Looking at players under age 25 - and I'll throw in Read for good measure:

Laughton - age 18, first season in NHL (2 games)

Couts - age 20, second season in NHL (79 games)

Schenn - age 21, fourth season in NHL (65 games - 9 w/ LA and 56 w/ Philly)

McGinn - age 22, first season in NHL (0 games - debut)

Wellwood - age 22, third season in NHL (29 games)

Rinaldo - age 22, second season in NHL (68 games)

Voracek - age 23, fifth season in NHL (321 games)

Simmonds - age 24, fifth season in NHL (324 games)

Giroux - age 25, sixth season in NHL (287 games)

Sestito - age 25, fourth season in NHL (27 games)

Read - age 26, second season in NHL (81 games)

Eleven forwards all under the age of 26. Read, in only his second full season, is the veteran in terms of age but has only almost one full season (81 games) under his belt. In terms of game experience Simmonds and Voracek, though much younger, are the veterans of this "corps" with 324 and 321 respectively. In looking at just the six who are in tonight's lineup, in my opinion, the experience simply isn't there. Not saying these guys don't have skills, because the do - and they're going to be crazy good - well, most of them --- Giroux already is. And this bodes well, very well, for the future. But for tonight's game and this season, not so much.

Totally agree Phillygrump - with each point you make. Two weeks of free NHL Center Ice in a 48 game season is almost insulting. Nah, it IS insulting. But maybe the joke's on me, because I'm gonna take it. I can take or leave every other sport, but when it comes to NHL hockey, I'm that sucker PT Barnum was talking about!

While we're evaluating our starting goalie, did anyone see that Bob got his first win in his first start in Columbus? It was a nice game. Beat Nashville in a shoot out, stopping 5 out of 6. He looked sharp. So far tonight against Detroit, he's looking pretty good too. Stopped his first 8 so far, most of which came on an early Detroit powerplay. I wish we would have held on to him longer. I can't even remember who we got for him.

Despite how bummed I am, that made me laugh, Touche! That's exactly where I am too. Time to reevaluate expectations for this season.

I like the idea of looking at this as a tryout season. We still have a lot of very young guys on the team. A short 48 game season is a good proving ground for them. Get a handle on the goalie situation, get a better feel for the defense and what we need to do there. The offense is fine, in my opinion, they just need time and experience - which they'll get this season. I'm lowering expectations dramatically, but I'm hopeful that this season can be useful for the development of the team and then next season --- raising the expectations exponentially.

I agree Mad Dog, but its hard enough for the Flyers to overcome their own problems as a team. They don't need the officials making it even more lopsided than they already are themselves. In other words, let us dig our own hole -- we obviously don't need any help from the officials. The refs just make it that much deeper and that's something we can do without.

Well my prediction of a Flyer win was a bust. I've giving up prognosticating!

Very well said. Couldn't agree more.

Anything to buy us some time.......

Laughton gets taken down in front of Miller and no call? Ok. And by ok, I mean that call blows too.

Hartnell pushed into Miller and Hartnell goes to the box? Really?

Steve Kosari calls goalie interference and disallows a goal? Weak.

I'm just glad they aren't playing the Rangers tomorrow afternoon. They'll rebound against Buffalo. They'll build on the momentum they had going in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Work off what's left of the rust and be just fine.

Short sheeted? Everyone watching the game at the bar in Lake Placid, Flyers fans included, thought the officials were trying to ensure a home opener win for your boys. Inconsistencies abound... But maybe they're just rusty too.

It pains me to do this, but I think I have to agree. Especially after we were given three power plays in a row in the first period. I think Penguins got the first power play on an interference call, and their first goal was right before it ended, or just after....memory is fuzzy. The next handful went in the Flyers favor. They didn't score on any of them. That's when I was like, oh crap. We shot ourselves in the foot by not capitalizing on those early opportunities. But they all came in today's infamous "First Period That Wasn't" for us.

My Cable company caught some grief, they blamed NBC, but I got the week free for center ice, I successfully argued they advertised it.....WOOHOOO!

I thought Center Ice was free for the first 15 days this season courtesy of the NHL.....so they gave you something free that was already free? Hehe.

too many passes on the power play....again.

I was thinking the same thing. Give Bryz the whole season. He says he needs to play a ton of games. Get him in a rhythm. Let him see if he can do what he says he can do --- his way. And then reevaluate his status at the end of the season.