Who do you want to face in the first round?
by Travis Hughes on Apr 6, 2010 3:20 PM EDT
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PrintSome may see it as bad luck to pick an opponent you'd like to face when the playoffs aren't guaranteed. With the uncertainty the Flyers have lovingly given us all season long, we could realistically finish anywhere from sixth place to tenth place at this point.
But, our team does hold their own destiny, so if they do wind up missing the postseason, it'll be because they blew it. And that means we can go ahead and blame them instead of blaming us for discussing potential playoff match ups.
Besides, we're not trying to breed a culture of mediocrity around here. Playoffs or bust, baby.
After the jump, we'll run down the possible opponents.
The Caps are obviously a reeeediculous team. There's no doubting that. But part of me wonders if perhaps R.J. Umberger had a point over the weekend, when he said the following to the Columbus Dispatch:
"I don’t think any team in the West would be overmatched by them. Because they play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float in their zone looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes. A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot."
The basic idea of what R.J. is saying here is that Caps just play the wrong brand of hockey to have playoff success. They don't pay much attention to defense, they leave opportunities for breaks in the other way, etc. These words angered a lot of Caps fans, including owner Ted Leonsis. We'll let you decide if the criticisms are valid or not.
It seems as though most Flyers fans hope that we draw the Devils in the first round. We've essentially them all season long, going 5-1 in the season series and looking mighty strong in each of the five wins. Plus, the Devils have been less than successful for most of the stretch run. Could Martin Brodeur be fatigued heading into the playoffs? Either way, he's looked terrible in just about every game against the Flyers this season.
The Sabres could certainly be a team that's built for the playoffs. They're very stingy defensively and they obviously have world-class goaltending. I think the Sabres are flying under the radar a bit, especially in the psyche of the Flyers fan, simply because we think about New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Washington so often.
What more is there to say here? The case for playing Pittsburgh is obvious: you want to beat the team that's beat you twice. The case for not facing Pittsburgh is just a obvious: they've beaten you twice in a row in the playoffs.
Theoretically, the Flyers could play Ottawa, but the chances of that happening are rather slim. It appears that the Sens are locked in the fifth seed regardless of what happens around them.
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Why aren’t the Islanders an option? I’d rather play them.
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
Well, if we don’t make the playoffs, the Islanders aren’t far away so maybe then can play a pick up game soon. It’s no further than some people are driving to come to ours! Haha, sorry I couldn’t resist.
by DragonGirl0583 on Apr 6, 2010 3:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Just to add some depth and context to the Umberger comment, the Caps are one of the best teams at Even Strength defense. The PK is where the Caps are really vulnerable, but it doesn’t fit the narrative so you don’t hear about that. Umberger is also basing his comment on a game that meant nothing to the Caps and that the Caps still won. The Caps haven’t even been playing great hockey and they’ve won 3 straight tight checking affairs. I understand the critique, but I’ll just warn you all that it’s seriously overblown.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
I want Pit. Maybe not our best match up, but if we dethrone the champs, we have no fear in anyone else. First up… TORONTO.
by orangeandblack20 on Apr 6, 2010 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions
My thoughts Exactly
If we can slay the penguins, we will have no fear regardless of who we face, This season or next.
If we lose, it might as well be early and not sugar coat our deficiencies.
Does having no fear help this team, though? In 07-08, we slaughtered the #1 seed and then rolled in to Pitt knowing we had beaten them during the regular season. We know how that turned out. Then this year, we give less effort when we play teams we ‘know we can beat’. We might play for revenge from last year against them in round 1, but then do we show up against whoever we play 2nd? I’m not sure getting them out of the way early would be the answer.
by DragonGirl0583 on Apr 6, 2010 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Its crazy they could still screw this up and miss the playoffs…..Or they could play solid hockey and compete with anyone.
You make a valid point. Unfortunately the Flyers inconsistency makes it impossible to formulate a logical explanation that stands the test of time.
Tonight’s results taste sweet, and for the moment I dare to have hope
by Prometheus74 on Apr 6, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Why – you play golf with some of the Flyers in the off-season and you’re anxious to start??? JK. I think the Flyers could get on a roll, if they win against the Pens as you say … but the odds are against that, especially with Malkin and Gonchar returning to the lineup.
’Course, if they play the way they have been the last few games, they can compete with anyone.
I think we are going to be 8th as I voted the other day, so sticking with that theme, bring on the Craps. Not that the Umberger theory doesn’t have some merit on the surface, it is way easier said then done. I just want this team to play tough, even mean, hockey. Not stupid undisciplined hockey, but the kind of hockey that any first round team they play is going to limp away from thinking man that was not how we wanted to start the playoffs. I would actually take some minimal solace away from a balls to the wall, no one leaves without an ice pack, first round. Because they really aren’t going anywhere and if they play a consistently inconsistent half hearted first round it will just add insult to this season.
Just Call Me "M"!
I would like to believe not, but even my cynical ass still has some competitive juice flowing through it and I know I am just going to crescendo my anger if these bums just wander in and out without some kind of fight. I am a sucker by nature, hence the 35 years I have spent giving a damn.
Just Call Me "M"!
was it 4 years ago now.
A full cargo pallets worth of whop ass was handed to us.
The post lockout NHL was fast and we were insistent on having the Broad street bullies mentality.
…..opps I forgot, we still do
We didnt have a chance in any of the games that year.
That’s not true. The first game went to OT, and the series was tied after 4 games. The last two games were a 3-0 shutout and an 8-1 blowout which predicted how things would go the following season.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Caps are by far the best matchup for the Flyers. Both teams have shitty goaltending but the Flyers’/Caps’ is a greater ratio than Caps’/Flyers’ offense.
The other three simply boil down to:
Broduer v Boucher
Miller v Boucher
Fleury v Boucher
And I need look no further in the analysis for any of them.
Your defense can be the best in the world but if you have swiss cheese for a goalie then no matter how good your defense is you can’t stop any offense.
The only player to ever score two OT series-clinching goals in the same Cup playoffs, for the Nordiques, against the Habs and the Flyers.
:P
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
I remember finishing up a early AM ice hockey game in a Squirt or Pee-Wee tournament down in DC.
The sun was just rising
I guy was coming out of the subway wearing a Capitals jersey.
I screamed Hunter is a fu$%ing Pu%&y!
My dad almost got in a fist fight protecting his son.
God I love ice hockey, but I always hated Dale Fu%*king Hunter!
That’s pretty hysterical. And how can you not hate Dale Hunter? Especially as a PHI fan. Sure, you’d have loved him if he was your guy but every other fan has to hate that guy to the core.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
absolutely
I even learned to respect the fact he was despicable, despite my hatred
Kind of like Domi
They are the players that helped make the NHL so great to grow up watching
I hated Barnaby with a passion. I remember when Dej took him face first into a post, and everyone cheered when he got up bleeding. A proud moment in my Flyers life haha.
"Sugah n' rainbows"
"We will steal the show, jolly Rogers go, we are wolves of the sea."
that’s why we have Carcillo, and NYR hav Avery, and Dal has Ott. How can the fans of thise teams not love those players. It seems stupid givin their little point production, but those type of players can be huge in th playoffs. ( see keith jones)
"Sugah n' rainbows"
"We will steal the show, jolly Rogers go, we are wolves of the sea."
And that’s where you are mistaken, Boucher is not a swiss cheese goalie. He’s certainly not a Vezina winner, but he can do the job enough where I feel comfortable with him in the playoffs if the Flyers defense can just do their job.
Proudly supporting a Flyers team with "no honor".
Well, while we are sticking up for maligned goalies, Theodore hasn’t lost in regulation since early January. If that’s shitty goaltending the Caps would be downright unbeatable with even average goaltending. I’m in no way a big Theo fan, but giving credit where it’s due, he’s been incredibly good since the new year. It could end at any minute but for now it’s not really a credible argument to say the Caps aren’t getting the goaltending they need.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
Most goalies in the league wouldn’t lose in regulation with the team the Caps have in front of them. Theodore is just a benefit of the situation, he’s not an overly good goaltender. If he had to carry a team he couldn’t do it. This is just a wave he’s riding and it’ll end soon.
I completely understand why people say that, but if you watched the Caps every game you would know that is simply not true. That 14 game win streak doesn’t happen without Theo stealing at least 3 games. Likewise since the Olympic break the team hasn’t played nearly as well as the record but Theo has been huge. For whatever reason he’s just hot right now. I hope it’ll last but I’m not convinced.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
True enough… but Jose Theodore is a Vezina winner…
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 7, 2010 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Your defense can be the best in the world but if you have swiss cheese for a goalie then no matter how good your defense is you can’t stop any offense.
And that’s why I like their chances against the Caps, since Washington has a shitty defense AND swiss cheese in net.
That’s just false. The Caps have the 6th best defense at even strength. Their weakness is the PK, which PHI would be able to exploit, but not enough to counteract the 5/5 and PP dominance the Caps would have. And Theo is playing better than any of PHI’s goalies, injured or healthy. It’s amazing what you can learn when you check out other sites.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
by Rob Parker on Apr 6, 2010 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
And they’ve rocked that up playing against the lowest scoring division in the NHL and the weakest schedule in the entire league. Big whoop.
The Caps have the worst defense corp amongst the playoff teams, if not the whole league.
Games vs SE: 4 * 6 = 24
Games vs ATL: 5 * 4 = 20.
That’s 4 games extra they have on the SE. Not a big difference there.
I won’t deny that they have the worse defense among playoff teams (even though I disagree), but their 5-on-5 GF/GA ratio shows that as long as it’s not a special teams battle, Washington is very very good.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Apr 6, 2010 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah. The whole league. Clearly your head is so far up your ass your not even capable of making a coherent argument anymore. This isn’t even a fair fight, Huck.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
by Rob Parker on Apr 6, 2010 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
And they’ve rocked that up playing against the lowest scoring division in the NHL and the weakest schedule in the entire league. Big whoop.
Caps are 35-12-10 outside the SE, which is a 115 point pace.
The Caps have the worst defense corp amongst the playoff teams, if not the whole league.
Nope, they’re in the top quarter of teams five-on-five; it’s their PK that stinks. Even then, they’re middle of the pack overall.
Well, at the very least the “defense corp” point is debatable, as it’s a reflection of personnel, not performance.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Apr 7, 2010 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions
How much of that is a result of the old “the best defense is a good offense”?
IE, the Caps defense is good because they don’t have to do much other than activate rushes etc. And Theodore makes the stops when he has to. The few (less than 10) Caps games I’ve watched this year, it often seems like the opposition gets tired of defending and as soon as they get the puck down the other end they just sling the puck at the goal.
Is a team that sets up on offense and makes the WSH D work to get the puck out and keep the forwards backchecking going to have success?
"NZFlyerfan"
It’s hard to say how much the offense helps the D. There is certainly an interplay but isn’t the salient point that the Caps keep the puck out of the net at ES? How is more of an academic exercise, no? I can’t answer the question, and I’m not sure how you can measure it, but if that question is used to dismiss the numbers then there’s not much point to the discussion.
Definitely the way to beat the Caps is to forecheck hard and pin them in their zone, but that’s a near universal formula for success. The problem (for the rest of the league) is that most teams can’t do that.
And you make a good point about Theo making stops when he has to. The most important qualities, to me, in a goalie are a) not letting in soft goals and b) making a big stop when your team needs it. I don’t think all saves are created equal. And since January Theo hasn’t let in many softies and has definitely been coming up with huge saves.
A pretty girl is like a violent crime.
I want them to make it to the second round...
…at least. So, an easier matchup in the first round to warm the guys up would be nice.
And, since the Flyers have played like absolute crap against Washington and Pittsburgh all season long, either other choice would be better.
My First-Round Choice...
… Tiger Woods. He cheats on his wife, we cheat with our half-assed efforts on the ice.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
by mikefive on Apr 6, 2010 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Jersey for sure, weve owned them all season and it would be an easier way to advance to the second round than Pens or Caps. Plus if we get past the first round Leighton might be ready to suit up and ill take him over boosh anyday
if we get past the first round Leighton might be ready to suit up and ill take him over boosh anyday
This is never going to happen. You don’t need to post it in every thread.
If we make it past the first round that will mean Boucher starts series two also, why would you take out a goalie who just won a series and play a guy who has been out so long. Not saying Leighton isn’t deserving but unfortunately he got hurt and it’s Boucher’s chance to learn.
see now i like u, u were good about it, ur not a jerk off like mario d, just because hes an active member of the board doesn’t mean he has the right to negatively comment on other ppls posts uncalled for
I like Boucher and Leighton, I think the major difference is that the team plays a lot worse in front of Boucher then Leighton which is not Bouchers fault, just my opinion but I still wanna see Leighton resigned this offseason. And don’t pay attention to him, I stopped reading his posts he doesn’t make any sense half the time and the other half he’s just trying to be smart by playing off other posts. Just let it breeze over your head man.
So you’ll stop now? Since your last two posts said the exact same thing, which had nothing to do with the topic you were commenting on.
Boucher can take his seat right back on the bench when Leights comes back as far as im concerned IMO though
Mario we have had to put up with a ton of your repetitive thoughts.
In fact there was a time for a while where all you did was repeat yourself over and over like grumpy smurf
ryanitus should not be calling you an asshole, and I know its not my place to keep the peace,
when/if i have kids, i want a boy.
but to be perfectly honest, i would really be happy with just a healthy kid.
and i believe that analogy carries over-i just want the flyers to make the playoffs at this point.
Eat what the monkey eats, then eat the monkey. -U.S. Navy survival guidance
by psudrozz on Apr 6, 2010 4:41 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Perfect.
And yeah, don’t make him play soccer. It would be a shame for him to get laid in high school.
HEY!!!
I played soccer in HS, and i did fairrly well for myself ;)
"Sugah n' rainbows"
"We will steal the show, jolly Rogers go, we are wolves of the sea."
Heh, at least farther south in Washington, hockey is sexier since it’s rarer and sort of mythical.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Apr 6, 2010 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions
I want a canadian team, what’s the chances ottowa can win the division.
"Sugah n' rainbows"
"We will steal the show, jolly Rogers go, we are wolves of the sea."
Slim to none.
We want Buffalo to win the division in regulation tonight, for they play the New York Rangers.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
None now, Buffalo clinched last night.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on Apr 7, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I voted Caps
Simply because if they make the playoffs they deserve the hardest damn route to the Finals they can get. If this team play with consistency and heart every game I would most certainly hope for something else, but let’s be honest here. Several members of this team acts like they deserve things more than they earn them and that don’t sit with me. They need a wake up call. The last thing I want to see is being wiped all over the ice by the Caps but like I said, sometimes people need a wake up call. Besides, I totally agree with Umberger the other day- Washington is beatable. Their D is so so and their goalie isn’t much better. He’s good but not great. We have a strong D, and when our forwards show up we can most certainly outscore the Caps. The question is which team will show up- the great one on paper or the team of pansies we’ve seen half this season. My second choice would have been the Pens because I know we can beat them too if we bring our game, but this team’s ego is very fragile and I can see it now- they’d be worrying about history repeating itself the entire time and oops here comes another first round exit. If we bring our game we can beat ANY team in this league in a 7 game series. Let’s just get TO the playoffs first because that’s still not a given. Go Flyers!
Playoffs
I would prefer to start against the Devils. This team has been streaky this year (I suspect due to the constant player turnover/injury/chemistry issue). They have done well against the devils this year and the further they advance the more likely the injured players can return and hopefully contribute.
I was not overly confident about the goalie situation going into the season. I was actually hoping they would sign Clemmensen and thinking that with a better defense resigning Niittymaki would have made a good tandem/competition.
That being said I don’t think Boucher has been all that bad, I didn’t double check this, but the guy on CBC was saying that in his 17 loss’s the Flyers had only scored 16 goals.
100 wins 17 shutouts too bad it had to be over so many years.
I have watched all of the games this year (with the exception of the Versus/Directv lost games) It just seems like the team played better in front of Leighton, not sure if it was the fact that they felt they had to with him joining via waiver or they like him more?
by McCrimmonMellanbyBrind'AmourUmburger on Apr 7, 2010 9:42 AM EDT reply actions
Yeah I agree with that. Boosh played pretty well during a period when the team was at its collective worst, and kept them in a whole string of games, which didn’t make loosing them any easier to swallow.
I think Leighton being bigger, looks more imposing, and just gives the team more confidence for whatever reason, but if Boosh hadn’t got hurt, Leighton wouldn’t have gotten the chance to backstop the team.
I don’t know if Laviolette got pressure from the front office or what, but reinserting Emery was a huge mistake that certainly didn’t go well for Emery, and was a disaster for the team. The goal tending decisions actually made a bad situation much worse, and the goalies shouldn’t be blamed for that.
If the team can finish out the season with the momentum they’ve gathered in the last few weeks, this could be one of those surprising years where a talented but underperforming team gets hot at the right time.
Great point, being forced to watch almost exclusively national feeds or the other teams broadcasts it gets easy to see who actually takes the time to analyze the games they are covering. I am so sick of hearing that Boosh is the 3rd stringer. Leighton was a great pickup, surprised everyone probably including himself with how much success he has had. I understand the riding the hot goalie concept. It was his to lose, I was surprised they rushed Emery back and then played him so much after coming off surgery.
It’s hard to make up for so many prior mistakes, but besides not having enough cap space to also pickup Christensen and Miller, I think Holmgren has done ok since the season started. I also have a thought that it might have been his plan to bring up Backland to start the young goalie transition he mentioned. Get some experience at this level this year and compete to be the starter next year.
by McCrimmonMellanbyBrind'AmourUmburger on Apr 9, 2010 8:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Not the same Devils
Yes the Flyers pretty much owned the Devils in the regular season, however, that was before the Devils got Kovalchuk, who is just starting to get comfortable with his new team. The Devils are mostly healthy, and coasting into the playoffs by resting people. The Flyers are going to have to play for their lives in these next 2 games.
I don’t think everyone should be so over confident, given Kovalchuk’s history of killing the Flyers.
Kovalchuk, he is a great sniper and has finally started to contribute for the Devils, but the Flyers owned the Thrashers for most of his time there (granted that was probably mostly pure Niittymaki) I think the defense is strong enough to take away their few scorers. If anything I am more concerned about the hibernating bear (Brodeur) he hasn’t been himself this year, but in the past has been the poster child for self motivation and history tells us that a hot goalie can carry a team in the playoffs.
It is a risk playing Carter now, but they really need to win the game tonight. It makes good drama winning Sunday, but they can only get up for so many big games a year, I would rather they save some of that emotion for the playoffs.
On another note, I can’t find it now, but there was an article about the Flyers facing tough offseason decisions. Why should Carcillo expect a raise? Personally I don’t even want him back. I understand the thought that with some work he is an unpolished gem, but honestly I hold my breath anytime he is on the ice. He needs to prove he plays under control for at least a full season to get the refs from watching this team so closely. Even the other teams announcers question many of the calls, they just don’t get the benefit of the doubt being under the microscope.
I would prefer Powe’s hard work, possibly given more opportunity he could develop the marginally better offensive numbers at a lower cost against the cap, with less negatives against the team.
Also losing Asham would be a mistake. He seems to be a standup team guy, with descent hands. He needs to spend the entire offseason watching Knuble game tapes and make himself that type of player, that is something the top lines are missing this year.
I think the defense is improved from last year, I think they could get by with the goal tending (especially when you consider what they have gotten from a minimal cap hit). The offense is what will decide how far they go. Losing Upshall, Knuble, Lupul and Umberger while none are superstars, effected the chemistry which is a big part of any teams performance. That also might have had a big part in the decline of the guys that are left Hartnell, Briere, Gagne, Richards, Carter, Giroux.
by McCrimmonMellanbyBrind'AmourUmburger on Apr 9, 2010 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions
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