Heard in the Cheap Seats

Last night’s game against the Bruins was a perfect example of why I do not want to see the Flyers make a move as the trade deadline approaches in the next 2 hours.  The only way a trade would make sense to me is if the Flyers did not have to give up more than one player from their current roster.  The Flyers went into Beantown last night and left with a huge 4-2 victory over the Eastern Conference leaders.  The line of Richards, Gagne, and Knuble contributed 3 of the 4 goals against the Bruins.  The best goal of the night came in the 3^rd period.  With the Flyers clinging to a 2-1 lead, Simon Gagne was able to make a backhanded pass to Knuble in front of the net and Knuble beat Manny Fernandez for the goal.  It was an amazing play by Gagne, who also had 2 goals of his own.  He had the proverbial “eyes in the back of his head”.  The Richards line is clicking on all cylinders and it’s impressive stuff to watch.

I would argue that the Flyers defense is just fine as long as Kimmo Timonen is in the lineup.  He has missed time with the flu recently, but with Timonen back along with Briere back and healthy, the Flyers are the healthiest they have been all year.  When this Flyers team is healthy, it can beat anybody in the NHL, as evidenced by the win over the Bruins.  As good as Richards and Carter are, you could make the argument that Timonen is more indispensable than any other Flyer.  Now, that the Flyers are completely healthy, I would love to see this team continue to gel.  Most likely, any big trade would involve giving up too many roster players.  I think one of the strongest parts of the Flyers team is their depth and balance.  All four lines can contribute.  I love the current makeup of this team!  If they head to the playoffs as they are currently constructed I would be very confident.  Either way, it was a great win for the Flyers last night, and they will need more of the same in the month of March, as this is the toughest part of their schedule.

The Flyers needed this win in the worst way.  They had lost three of the previous four games, and they were facing the NHL leading Boston Bruins on the road.  Not to mention Mike Richards and Scottie Upshall were scratched from the game once again with the flu.  On paper, this probably should have been the Flyers fourth loss in five games.  But, as we all know, the games are not played on paper.  While the Flyers have been struggling of late, the Eastern Conference has gotten much tighter.  Something I have been worried about for awhile.  If you’ve been watching this team, you know that they have not been playing good hockey.  But, one thing I have seen from the Flyers all year is the ability to bounce back.  It is that ability that has kept the Flyers from any prolonged slumps, save for the very beginning of the season. 

So, the Flyers were in a position where they needed to bounce back.  They needed to be resilient.  Their resilience allowed them to come away from Boston with a hard earned 4-3 overtime victory.  It was a hell of a hockey game, and a great effort from the Flyers, fighting back from a 3-1 deficit.  The goals were scored by Gagne, Metropolit, Hartnell, and the game winner by Jones.  The game winner was really a lucky bounce off a Bruin that caromed in, but a little luck never hurt anybody.  This is a Bruins yeam that doesn’t lose many games, so to come away from Boston with a victory is huge for the Flyers.  They can now ride some momentum from the win and welcome Richards and Upshall back to the lineup.  It would definitely be nice to rattle off a few wins in a row here to solidify their position within the conference.  With the next three games coming against the Thrashers, Senators, and Islanders, the Flyers have a great opportunity in front of them and they need to seize it.  But, let’s enjoy this big win first.  I just wanted to hit on a few points regarding the game.

1)       Power Play- The Flyers went 2 for 6 on the power play against the Bruins, which is a good sign.  The Flyers had gone 0 for their last 13 and something like 1 for their last 28.  Hopefully they can continue the strong play in the Bruins game.  The power play is best in the NHL at home and near the bottom of the league on the road.

2)       Penalties- The Flyers were called for only 3 penalties in the game.  One of those was a dumb penalty by Nittymaki for batting the puck over the glass with less than 2 minutes to go in the third period.  It’s a good thing that didn’t waste a great effort by the team!  The Flyers are at the bottom of the league in power play differential, and have grown increasingly frustrated with the calls that are going against them.  Either way, it was nice to not have to spend half the game killing penalties.

3)       Goaltending- I doubt I am the first to say it, but I think it’s time to make Nittymaki the #1 goaltender.  It’s not like we have a Brodeur in net, so I have no problem with the platoon, but at some point I think you need to reward performance. Hot goaltending is what carries most teams through the Stanley Cup playoffs, so why not use the same philosophy now?  Look, both goalies are going to play, but I think it’s time to reverse the roles of the two goaltenders.  This is not a knee jerk reaction from today’s game where Biron was shaky, allowing 3 goals in the first period, and then was pulled and Nittymaki was perfect the rest of the way.  Look at the numbers. Across the board, Nittymaki’s numbers are better.  Give him the shot he has earned.

What the Flyers need now is a nice little four game win streak.  All in all though, it was an excellent performance today against the best team in the NHL.