Last night the Flyers faced the Anaheim Ducks after having five days off. The list of injured players just keeps rotating, last night Pronger, Van Riemsdyk, and Lilja were all out of the lineup due to injuries. I can't keep track of the roster these days, between the rookies and the players getting called up from the AHL, there's just so many new faces out there.
Last night's game against the Ducks was typical for the way the Flyers have been playing lately. They haven't controlled the puck consistently, the neutral zone is their Achilles heel, and the lack of solid defense makes goalie Bryzgalov look awful. Don't even get me started on their power play. The only good thing I have to say about the way the Flyers played last night is that they never gave up, even when they faced a 3-0 deficit after the 2nd period.
Jagr continues to score goals, he scored the first two goals last night, both of which were power play goals. While I can't really complain about that, I did notice that he has a habit of trying to make plays all by himself. More than once last night he'd skate the puck over the blue line, into a herd of Ducks, and ultimately turn it over. They put five guys on the ice for a reason - use them!
Hartnell scored to tie the game late in the 3rd period. He's a player that I've been a fan of in the past, but lately I'm watching his behavior and he has a tendency of taking stupid penalties. Opposing teams hate him, and while I've always liked that about him, he needs to play smarter.
Girioux scored the game winner in overtime while the on the power play. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf was in the box for tripping, and then earned himself an additional penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after yelling at the ref and slamming his stick into the glass. Way to act like a teenage girl, Getzlaf...how'd that work out for you?
Tonight the Flyers face the Phoenix Coytoes. Maybe they'll be able to win a game in regulation...
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
The Gaustad Gerbe Show
Some people hold the opinion that opposites attract. Marx, Hegel, Paula Abdul. A proton and an electron make hydrogen. Gaustad and Gerbe make frozen chemistry when they're on the ice together.
Gaustad stands at 6'5" and is an obvious physical force on the ice. Gerbe is exactly one foot shorter at 5'5", and what he lacks in physical presence he makes up for in his aggressive play. I've been a huge fan of Gaustad for years. He's a hard worker on the ice and a team player. Gerbe definitely caught my eye a lot more last year with his pesky attitude on the ice. He's pretty fearless and definitely doesn't let anyone intimidate him. One of my favorite memories of last year is watching him check Zdeno Chara, the 6'9" defenseman of the Boston Bruins.
In the off-season, Gaustad and Gerbe spent most of their time in Buffalo with linemate Patrick Kaleta. The three of them worked out together, running, skating, and watching game videos. Their "relationship" has moved beyond being teammates, and I think it's safe to say that these two are having quite the bromance with a slice of Kaleta on the side. Yesterday I caught the majority of the Sabres game against Tampa Bay. The announcers were commenting on how Gaustad was talking to Gerbe on the bench after some shifts they played well but didn't score on. It was like watching a big bear give advice to a little bunny rabbit. And it worked. They kept at it and eventually Gerbe scored this goal off a feed from Gaustad:
The Sabres lost to the Lightning 4-3, but I'm excited about the sneak preview of the Gaustad Gerbe Show that I got.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
NKOTB
The air is cooler, the leaves are turning, and baseball is no longer of any significance. This can only mean one thing: HOCKEY.
The season kicked off a couple weeks ago, and I knew there would be some changes to my favorite rosters. For the Sabres, not much has changed. For the Flyers, there have been a boatload of changes. I think that there's no better way to start the season than by looking at these new kids on the block.
The Sabres have picked up a few new defensemen and one very familiar center: Ville Leino. Leino was one of my favorites when he played with the Flyers. He scored 21 points in 19 games during the 2010 playoffs, which ties the record for most points in the playoffs. When he's hot, he's hot. I'm curious to see how he'll blend in with the rest of the Sabres roster. He's not necessarily a new kid to the NHL, but he's new to Buffalo, and other teams need to keep their eye on him.
The Flyers have a crew of new kids ranging from 18 year old rookies to 39 year old veterans. I feel the need to make flash cards to learn the new roster. The young buck on the team is Sean Couturier, the 18 year old rookie who signed a 3 year deal with the Flyers. There is plenty of talk about whether or not this kid should remain on the roster for this season, or whether he should go back to the Juniors. He's going to have a long, impressive career in the NHL, and the question right now is whether the Flyers need his talents to fill a void on the team. Time will tell, the decision needs to be made before he plays 10 games.
Jaromir Jagr is the old head on the team. He has an extensive career in the NHL and KHL. He is an offensive machine, scoring goals and racking up assists for every team he's played for. I'm hoping that he turns it on for the Flyers, he's yet to score a goal this season.
Have the Flyers found a goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov? I'm not convinced yet. The season is still young and it's obvious that the team is trying to get to know each other and build chemistry. Bryzgalov looks inconsistent to me so far, and I hope he settles down soon.
Matt Walker and Andreas Lilja are new on defense. Walker seems fiesty and not afraid to drop the gloves, so I'm sure he'll be a favorite of mine as long as he doesn't do anything stupid with the puck. Matt Read, Wayne Simmonds, Maxime Talbot, and Jakob Voracek join what's left of the offense.
I'm not sure what this season holds for the Flyers. It may be too much of a transitional year to hope for anything. I'm putting my money on the Sabres and their established roster.
The season kicked off a couple weeks ago, and I knew there would be some changes to my favorite rosters. For the Sabres, not much has changed. For the Flyers, there have been a boatload of changes. I think that there's no better way to start the season than by looking at these new kids on the block.
The Sabres have picked up a few new defensemen and one very familiar center: Ville Leino. Leino was one of my favorites when he played with the Flyers. He scored 21 points in 19 games during the 2010 playoffs, which ties the record for most points in the playoffs. When he's hot, he's hot. I'm curious to see how he'll blend in with the rest of the Sabres roster. He's not necessarily a new kid to the NHL, but he's new to Buffalo, and other teams need to keep their eye on him.
The Flyers have a crew of new kids ranging from 18 year old rookies to 39 year old veterans. I feel the need to make flash cards to learn the new roster. The young buck on the team is Sean Couturier, the 18 year old rookie who signed a 3 year deal with the Flyers. There is plenty of talk about whether or not this kid should remain on the roster for this season, or whether he should go back to the Juniors. He's going to have a long, impressive career in the NHL, and the question right now is whether the Flyers need his talents to fill a void on the team. Time will tell, the decision needs to be made before he plays 10 games.
Jaromir Jagr is the old head on the team. He has an extensive career in the NHL and KHL. He is an offensive machine, scoring goals and racking up assists for every team he's played for. I'm hoping that he turns it on for the Flyers, he's yet to score a goal this season.
Have the Flyers found a goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov? I'm not convinced yet. The season is still young and it's obvious that the team is trying to get to know each other and build chemistry. Bryzgalov looks inconsistent to me so far, and I hope he settles down soon.
Matt Walker and Andreas Lilja are new on defense. Walker seems fiesty and not afraid to drop the gloves, so I'm sure he'll be a favorite of mine as long as he doesn't do anything stupid with the puck. Matt Read, Wayne Simmonds, Maxime Talbot, and Jakob Voracek join what's left of the offense.
I'm not sure what this season holds for the Flyers. It may be too much of a transitional year to hope for anything. I'm putting my money on the Sabres and their established roster.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Is Chris Pronger really that important?
I think it's no secret that I've been paying way more attention to the Flyers than the Sabres this year.
The last game that defenseman Chris Pronger played with the Flyers was on March 8th. He had surgery on his hand on March 17th to repair a fracture, and the Flyers have lost 8 of the 13 games they've played, with 5 games going to a shootout. Many people are chalking the losses up to Pronger's absence, but I'm not buying it.
Sure, Pronger is an important part of the team. Maybe the team is losing games because of the inconsistent goaltending. Sure Bobrovsky has some great moments, but he's still an inexperienced goaltender. In yesterday's game against the Rangers, it was obvious that the Rangers knew that Bob gets low - no wonder why they were trying to elevate their shots. Maybe the team can't get any chemistry going because coach Peter Laviolette keeps switching up the lines.
Pronger's only scored 4 goals and had 21 assists in the 50 games that he's played this season. Sure he's been dubbed the Nastiest Defenseman in the NHL. He's only blocked 114 shots this season. He's only shot the puck 112 times. The Flyers can't possibly blame their poor performance on him being out of the lineup, can they? He should be making his comeback somewhat soon, so we'll be able to stop speculating and see what kind of an impact he has on the rest of the team.
I've been impressed by Andrej Meszaros over the last couple weeks. He's stepped up in Pronger's absence, making plays defensively and stepping up to take some shots on the other end of the ice.
James Van Riemsdyk has also been stepping up as of late. He's made some nifty moves and scored some impressive goals. He's scored over 20 goals this season, including a recent hat trick against the Islanders.
Giroux, Carter, Richards, and Briere have continued to play solidly. The addition of Kris Versteeg to the roster is changing the offensive dynamic of the team as well.
Right now the Flyers are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Capitals. I think they need to get their act together, otherwise they'll have a very short playoff run. Heck, they might even see themselves get knocked out by the Sabres.
The last game that defenseman Chris Pronger played with the Flyers was on March 8th. He had surgery on his hand on March 17th to repair a fracture, and the Flyers have lost 8 of the 13 games they've played, with 5 games going to a shootout. Many people are chalking the losses up to Pronger's absence, but I'm not buying it.
Sure, Pronger is an important part of the team. Maybe the team is losing games because of the inconsistent goaltending. Sure Bobrovsky has some great moments, but he's still an inexperienced goaltender. In yesterday's game against the Rangers, it was obvious that the Rangers knew that Bob gets low - no wonder why they were trying to elevate their shots. Maybe the team can't get any chemistry going because coach Peter Laviolette keeps switching up the lines.
Pronger's only scored 4 goals and had 21 assists in the 50 games that he's played this season. Sure he's been dubbed the Nastiest Defenseman in the NHL. He's only blocked 114 shots this season. He's only shot the puck 112 times. The Flyers can't possibly blame their poor performance on him being out of the lineup, can they? He should be making his comeback somewhat soon, so we'll be able to stop speculating and see what kind of an impact he has on the rest of the team.
I've been impressed by Andrej Meszaros over the last couple weeks. He's stepped up in Pronger's absence, making plays defensively and stepping up to take some shots on the other end of the ice.
James Van Riemsdyk has also been stepping up as of late. He's made some nifty moves and scored some impressive goals. He's scored over 20 goals this season, including a recent hat trick against the Islanders.
Giroux, Carter, Richards, and Briere have continued to play solidly. The addition of Kris Versteeg to the roster is changing the offensive dynamic of the team as well.
Right now the Flyers are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Washington Capitals. I think they need to get their act together, otherwise they'll have a very short playoff run. Heck, they might even see themselves get knocked out by the Sabres.
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