ECSF Game 1: Bad first period leads to Bruins OT victory
by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 4:31 PM EDT
in 2010 NHL Playoffs
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Annnd..... breathe. Before we get to the reasons why the Flyers lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, let's just take a minute or two to relish in the treat that was the overtime period. It was sloppy hockey, but for pure excitement value, you can't beat that.
Marc Savard ended it at the 13:52 mark, and the sound of the puck hitting the back of the net coincided with NBC taking a deep sigh of relief that they wouldn't have to leave the excitement of this game for meaningless pre-Kentucky Derby coverage.
But it wouldn't have been a problem at all if the Flyers didn't come out so flat in the first period. Boston took it to the Flyers immediately, and it was extremely evident that the orange and black just didn't have their legs. They weren't ready for the tempo of playoff hockey and the Bruins scored two goals because of it.
But from there, the Flyers fought back. Things weren't perfect, and mistakes by Danny Briere in particular led to a goal or two. Scott Hartnell looked rough too, which is becoming the norm. But the Flyers were able to get past their mistakes and find success. It came on the power play, mostly, where the Flyers were able to get bodies in front of Tuukka Rask and get pucks on net. They scored two PP goals in regulation, and a third came immediately after a man advantage.
All things considered, the Flyers have a lot to build on. They outplayed the Bruins in the latter two regulation periods, they had their chances in overtime, and Brian Boucher played out of his mind. We only need one win in Boston, and if they improve upon today's game and learn from the mistakes properly, there's no reason why they won't win on Monday night.
After the jump, questions with answers and the comment of the afternoon.
Questions with Answers
- Will the Flyers dictate the pace from the gate? Will it be apparent that they haven't played in over a week? It was very apparent.
- How do the young guys, Nodl and Ross, perform? They both looked solid. Ross was pretty invisible, which I'd chalk up as a good thing. Nodl was good as well.
- Can the Flyers stay out of the penalty box? For the most part. The officials let them play, so let's hope it stays that way the rest of the series.
- Who replaces Lappy's penalty kill time, and are they effective? Nodl had a lot of it and looked pretty good solid.
- Boston's defensemen will make mistakes (Chara isn't a defenseman, he's superhuman). Will the Flyers capitalize on the chances they inevitably will get? See: Wideman, Dennis and/or Briere's third period goal.
Comment of the Day
Mike Richards just made a nice play in front of Pierre McGuire.
That must have been the greatest moment in Pierre’s life.
>> JFein
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Comments
I was really impressed with Nodl this game. Strong board work, good PK effort, lots of energy. Keep it up.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 4:33 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
These Photogs have been slacking lately.
by Stanley Cup of Chowder on May 1, 2010 4:35 PM EDT reply actions
JVR’s 1st goal against
JVR’s 2nd goal against
The overtime goal
by MarioD on May 1, 2010 4:45 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Not for nothing but the third picture is pretty amazing. JVR had about 3-5 feet to go and still got there second to someone who was not even in the previous picture.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
He had been on the ice for like 1:30, the guy was gassed. But for real, Leino-Briere-JVR has to be the worst defensive line possible.
But you know what’s amazing about that picture? Kimmo Timonen isn’t pictured, neither is one Bruin. Assume Kimmo is covering the unseen Bruin. Also assume Leino is properly covering his man – the guy about 6 feet behind him.
You have Briere and Coburn touching each other in front of the net about 5 feet from the nearest Bruin. Neither one of them are covering anybody. JVR is outnumbered 2-1 from the faceoff dot to the wall, and HE’S the guy who’s out of position?
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 6:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Didn’t want to do this but as the proof is in the pic….1st set is at the beginning of the game when everyone was running out of place, not just one guy. Fourth pic, JVR is a wing and supposed to cover the Dman at the point, which he is in a position to do. That’s the goal where Briere stands in the circle and watches the play happen. OT, JVR is covering Dman again. Just proves he was basically doing what he was supposed to. Whole line has issues.
But I forgot, he’s suposed to skate in place at full speed so he can get anywhere on the ice in two seconds
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions
They just need to quit playing smiley-face defense.
by ohnickels on May 1, 2010 5:24 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
MarioD can count to potato
Cool story, bro!
by Boog609 on May 1, 2010 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Savard is the center. He should be covered by Briere, the other center.
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JVR
When looking at these it’s obvious the JVR is lacking jump and confidence….however, on a couple of these picks you have to understand his ultimate responsibility is the point man he get himself too deep so as to not be in position to contest the point shot. That was on only a couple but the rest were pretty spot on I actually saw the one were he didn’t go hard for the puck and got beat by the d-man I couldn’t believe it!!!
Good work JVR! and mario
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by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 3, 2010 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Whoohoo! Comment of the day!
I’d like to thank the academy……and Pierre McGuire our captain more than Geoff loves Boosh.
Proudly supporting a Flyers team with "no honor."
I’d like to take a minute to applaud the officials on what I thought was a well called game. Perfect? No. But they generally let the players play and still called the penalties that were being committed. More like that please.
+1 to the refs.
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Not so fast
The refs were solid, but when they did make mistakes (there were few), they made them BIG and it cost us every time.
1. I watched Blair get picked. I knew it was gonna happen and I was FREAKING out. I do not have a rule book, but this is how I would interpret the pick rule. Yes, an offender has his right to space, and if someone skates into his space, he should be able to keep it. However, when you stay in that space ONLY to interfere with the D-man then you are interfering. I dont care if you were there first. Blair Betts DID NOT see him. You could see his head following the puck and the guy just stood there and picked him. Should have been us on the PP down 2-1 instead it was 3-1 no PP.
2. How does Boosh get called for that penalty. Was it stupid of him? YES. Should there have been a penalty for his stick being knocked out of his hand. YES (as the announcers kept saying, they have seen a player called for knocking out a goalies stick before). With all of that said, Boosh still MISSED the guy! He attempted to knock him over, but he flat out missed him. Should not have been a penalty. It erased one full minute of PP for us and put us on the PK for that lost minute.
3. I forget if it was OT or the third, but there was one time when the Bruins were in the middle of a line change and it looked like all ten guys were on the ice. The guy going through the gate, i think it was Savard, stoped… took his foot that was on the bench back out… stoped the puck… and played it. That HAD to be too many men.
4. Early on in OT a Flyer had his stick broken. I remember thinking to myself: Don’t call it a penalty- let them play. If they call this cheepie, they get one later if we dont cash in. I rememberd when they called the penalty on Claude last year and how pissed I was, and thought the rule should be changed from manditory to disgresion. Then JVR slashes and breaks a stick, they score. The ref’s hand went up when he slashed him, and I saw it. I then missed the goal. I wonder if any players saw it and hesitated a split second like i did, because if they did, it could ahve been the difference.
5. Richards first penalty was a horrible call.
Other than that I liked how they let them play, but man when they messed up they messsed up hardddd.
by orangeandblack20 on May 1, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
TAKE THE CAPTAINCY FROM RICHARDS! HE’S A HORRIBLE LEADER AND ALWAYS CHOKES. GIVE IT TO SCOTTY HARTNELL, HE’S THE MAN!
Few things I noticed:
1. Mike Richards is taking some of Lappy with him into this round. He played out of his mind.
2. Pretty exagerated game for Danny B. Gives up two goals early basically by himself, but man did he make up for it.
3. Hartnell sucks. He just needs to get some confidence back.
4. Very physical game, if it keeps up this works in our favor.
by orangeandblack20 on May 1, 2010 5:32 PM EDT reply actions
flyers were outworked in this game. Teams look pretty evenly matched but the bruins played harder as a team.
I disagree, they got outplayed in the first, which seems to be from the layoff, but they were at least equal to Boston the rest of the game. Maybe not in OT completely, but I think they can be the better team overall through the series
Yeah, I say it was a tie. Boston got the 1st and the 4th periods, Flyers got the 2nd and the 3rd.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I didnt say they were outplayed. I said they were evenly matched, but they were out worked. I.E. the bruins won more battles in the corners, races to the puck etc. There were times for both teams where one was clearly dominating the other, but the game was pretty even the bruins got more bounces to go their way and out hustled the flyers.
bummed but...
this is far from over. this could really turn into a great series (and God willing) ending with a great Flyers victory sending us to the Conference Finals.
Boucher had moments of brillance and then some moments that were “expected” of Brian Boucher but that was going back to Game 1 against the Devils. It is too bad he had to lose after playing incredibly well in OT. I think Boucher can really do this and carry this team to the next round. (BOOOOSH!!!!!!) I had to do it.
Need more players to show up and at the right times. Hartnell and Coburn have been my deepest regrets of the play-offs and hope that next season we will only see their shadows. (no offense, just GET OFF MY TEAM!) Briere needs to stay on wing. Leino needs more ice time, as usual, he is underrated (this could work to our advantage, he did ring a post deflection) Just need our key players to turn it up at the right times (Pronger is proving to be a champion, love him more and more each time I watch him.)
I forget who said it (JpH? whoever, correct me if I’m wrong) but this series isn’t going to be a sweep. It is going to be a gruel match-up and exciting hockey to watch (just gets to be too much at times….) expect the Flyers to bounce back and win a few (hopefully 4!) and make this one of the better series of this Stanley Cup Play-Offs.
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Philadelphia Flyers / Columbus Blue Jackets, 'nuff said.
I’ve thought Coburn’s been fine. Not Pronger-level, but decent (which, given some of his regular season gaffes, is more than acceptable to me).
coburn always plays good in the playoffs, he’s been ok by me
by orangeandblack20 on May 1, 2010 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Nah, I don’t really like how either (Harts or Coburn) have been playing, just hoping they won’t be staying next season. They are more liabilities then assets.
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Philadelphia Flyers / Columbus Blue Jackets, 'nuff said.
If they let Coburn walk, I hope they go after Hamhuis.
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Very much agreed.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I would like to see him play here for realz. I hope Hamhuis does not become the new Tomas Kaberle (i.e. always rumored to be coming here but never actually coming here).
Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.
… because, if you recall, there was a Lupul-for-Hamhuis rumor last year, as well as the Coburn and Parent-for-Hamhuis rumor this year…
Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.
total agreement with Hamhuis, would be a solid edition to our D. I would also like to see another big body presence in front of the opposing teams net….not sure who is available but it would benefit our game immensely.
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Philadelphia Flyers / Columbus Blue Jackets, 'nuff said.
Yeah, Hartnell was supposed to be “that” guy, but it didn’t work out. JVR can bulk up and step into that role eventually, but I’d give him another year before we even think about that.
Hartnell is more of a “go hard to the net” player than a “get to the front of the net and stand there” type of player, anyway.
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Mario D shot this down before when I said it but....
I said, if we could somehow pry him away from Detroit, I think Holmstrom is a FA next season…I did read they are bringing Jiri Hudler back too, so I don’t know how that will play into their season next year.
I would say sign him short term, 2 years?…and have JvR develop and maybe get some exp under Holmstrom, if he was to be here. (That is just an idea I had, Homer is one of the best in front of the net) – the argument I get against Holmstrom is that, yes, he is old. That doesn’t seem to effect his game any (as I do believe he had a record season in goals this year). I don’t think it would be an easy trade to make, seeing as Holmstrom is popular in Detroit.
….thoughts? maybe someone else?
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Philadelphia Flyers / Columbus Blue Jackets, 'nuff said.
by PhillyPhan85 on May 2, 2010 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Other than the sluggish first period, I was happy with our performance apart from one exception. Danny Briere at center just does not work. Blame it on his size, his lack of awareness, or time away from the position. Something needs to be done before the next game or we have a huge weakness the Bruins are going to exploit time and again.
All that being said, I love him as a player and I’m glad had a chance to redeem himself with the tying goal.
Did Parent score his first goal ever?
Waking up to a Flyers loss is pretty damned annoying
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No, his second
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 1, 2010 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Remember when Carter and Gagne went down…our analysis was that Leino and company could adequately fill in offensively but that the real loss would be defensive.
Then Lappy went down. The result seems to be stuff like that 18-second one-on-one between Krejci and Boooosh.
I’ll admit I’m nervous that today’s game might be the upper end of how this team can play. Certainly hope is not lost, but I don’t think I can call myself an optimist any more. Of course, all I need is a game 2 victory to change my tune…
Good and bad
Bad
-They lost in OT, missing a huge opportunity
-Looked very rusty and confused in the first period
-Refs called some shitty penalties, and didn’t call others that they could have been called, all of which basically went against the Flyers
-Briere and defense laps were painful
-Boosh played a puck he should have frozen ending in the loss of the game. He also seemed a bit amped, overplayed a bit, and took a (silly if debatable) penalty and was not as even keeled as one would hope
-Hartnell and JVR continue to struggle
-Rash continues to play well for Boston, no sign of nerves
-Boston got the home matchups they wanted
Good
-Roll players and callups did Ok, Leino especially was effective
-Boosh was solid and elevated it in OT
-Team was able to score goals, while trailing the entire game
-Converted power play goals against Bruins showing that their PK isn’t all that great despite first round effectiveness against Buffalo
-If Flyers can bring the same jump they showed in the last 3rd of the game to the start of game 2, there’s a good chance to get game 2.
-Richards played well, for the most part the line adjustments look like they will work
This was a pretty fun game to watch DVRed, especially since based on a comment I had heard I thought the Flyers won. But then they didn’t, and that wasn’t ideal.
The Bruins outplayed the Flyers fairly thoroughly, which should serve as a wake-up call provided that they realize this as well.
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 11:15 AM EDT reply actions
Try not to troll too much.
That being said, I do like Savard so as painful as it was to see him end the game, I was glad it was him. He’s a good guy.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
Same here EREX, if Savard or Recchi beats us I’ll be pretty ok with it. Chara is a totally different story and don’t even get me started on Satan.
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by KreiderDesigns on May 2, 2010 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, Savard or Recchi I am good with, but that’s as far as it goes.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
Good, cause those are two of my favorite players. Bergeron too.
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Not trolling. I just ♥ Savvy.
Yeah, it was good to see him score there. He had a tough time with that concussion.
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t really have an opinion on Bergeron.
I am still hoping Cooke get’s whats coming to him for the hit on Savard.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
Bergy rules.
I hope he does too. Hopefully a Hab can take him out… hahahaha.. That wont happen.
Hopefully the Bruins advance and can get some payback.
If you guys do, get Pronger after him.
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
I am sure Alternate Captain Elbows will be glad to go after Cooke.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
I would be fine with it.
But I;d be much happier to see Chara do it ;)
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 12:09 PM EDT up reply actions
oh yeah
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by bestbostonsports on May 2, 2010 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Evander Kane put down a deposit on Cooke’s payback with the one-punch KO.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
by The Dark on May 3, 2010 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don’t think there’s any doubt in that. But hasn’t he earned another round of payback for the damage he did to Markov? Regardless of whether you believe the hit was clean or dirty, that hit should still have generated some negative karma.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 3, 2010 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Briere
I lay a large portion of that lose to Danny Briere!! Missing an assignment once and a while is pretty normal however, failing to stay with the opposing center after losing a draw is a disgrace!! Anyone that plays hockey knows that after losing a draw you lock up with other teams center! Danny didn’t do it not once but TWICE witch lead to Bruin goals…hell, on the one play he was almost on the half boards just staring at the play while the center was all alone in front!!! This along with the illegal pick play just gets under my skin!! Bottom line we eliminate these mistakes we can win this series!!!
failing to stay with the opposing center
after losing a drawin your own end of the ice is a disgrace!!
Fixed.
I just saw the game-winning goal again on NBC. The point-man for Boston had time and space along the boards and started skating toward the net. JVR went to check him off the puck. Meanwhile, Savard is open because Briere – i.e., the center on that line – was not on him like he should have been. And Danny was guilty of that three times. If he had done the right thing just once out of those three times, we may have had a different result.
If Briere is not back on the wing next game I will be disappointed. I had to laugh at this from the Danny Briere Daily News article on Friday:
“I don’t think Jeff [Carter] wanted to move to the wing. To me, it wasn’t a big deal.”
Gee, maybe Jeff didn’t want to move to the wing because he’s 10 x better at faceoffs than you and 100 x more responsible in his own end than you.
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So Briere is solely responsible for 3 goals against and 1 goal for? Sounds about right.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
This is why losing Gagne was so big. He is responsible on defense. But we all know Briere’s strong suit isn’t D, so he needs to be surrounded by guys who are. He should be moved back to wing; he hasn’t played enough center this year to perform there in the most important games of the year.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
Isn’t Briere’s inability to play defense more a reflection of how big Jeff Carter is? Briere isn’t nearly this problematic when he’s on the wing. I guess the argument could be – with Gagne, Giroux goes back to center, possibly second-line center with Briere and Hartnell – but I think Giroux replaces Gagne quite nicely. It’s Briere who can’t replace Carter, and that’s the problem.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, he can’t be as stong on the puck, I guess, but I was just saying that losing Gagne hurt more than losing Carter, because I believe Gags’ 2-way play is much better than Jeff’s (even if Jeff is fairly decent at FO’s).
But those calling to bench Briere are just being stupid, because he’s a sniper and you can’t afford to lose any more offense at this point.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
Ok, I see that. Benching Briere is dumb. Swapping him and Giroux, however, is an idea I’ve had in my head all day. Can’t decide if it’s good or not.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the biggest problem here is losing both of them… Geoff said he thinks Giroux replaces Gagne nicely, but that Briere can’t replace Carter. For me the problem is that I think Giroux can also replace Carter fairly well, certainly better than Briere can, but Giroux can only replace one of those two injured players at a time. Geoff somewhat alluded that he might think that way, but I’m not sure if that’s what he really meant to say. Of course Giroux is going to look great filling Gagne’s spot, because Giroux doesn’t have to handle everything all by himself because he’s with Richie. That’s not a knock against Gagne at all, nor is it a knock against Giroux, just a statement that Giroux doesn’t have to get the full spotlight there. But Giroux can play just as well in Carter’s spot, he’s just going to take more heat because he’s not next to somebody that can make him look good, he has the spotlight all by himself. So I think Giroux can play to the same level in both places, but that I feel he will always appear better if he’s playing on Richie’s line, and that skews it so he looks better in Gagne’s spot even though G himself is the same. I’m not saying that makes Carter or Gagne more important than the other, just that it’s very, very hard to fill both their spots.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions
So I read doubleh’s post before yours, and now I have to ask: Would you rather Giroux and Briere swap places?
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions
In theory, yes. I don’t recall seeing anything of the sort in the past, but I would like to see it attempted, even if it’s in practice. If it doesn’t work that’s fine, but I think it would be better on paper.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m been thinking about it all day, and I think my problem is that JVR-Giroux-Leino is too much stickhandling. It solves the defensive problems, but it creates others.
Like you said, I’d like to know Lavy at least tried it in practice.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 8:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess I’m not 100% sure what the lines were yesterday. I missed a lot of the game while fighting for reception with the radio, so I didn’t get a handle on exactly which lines were together. I can’t speculate to try to help you out there, as much as I want to.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Yesterday’s lines:
Carcillo – Richards – Giroux
JVR – Briere – Leino
Hartnell – Ross – Asham
Powe – Betts – Nodl
That’s how it ended. Hartnell and JVR started out swapped, and Ross didn’t get much ice time. Neither did Nodl. But those were the “lines”.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
/wrinkles her nose
I’m somewhat frightened by the fact that part of me is willing to make the JVR – Giroux – Asham line we had most of the season as the third line and bump them all together to the second line, but then I don’t know if I can live with Hartnell – Ross – Leino, because I didn’t see anything yesterday so it’s been a long time since I’ve even seen Ross play. Ross is actually causing me all the trouble, I don’t know what to trust him with.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions
He looked decent in what little ice time he got yesterday. And by decent I mean “the only time I saw him was when he was crashing into a Bruins defenseman on the forecheck”. Which, for what he’s here for, is good. But if you want him to step up, that’s not so good.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions
No, my memory is just too fuzzy about his actual skill set. It’s just been too long since I’ve seen him play. I can’t remember how he carries the puck, if he’s capable on the wing, etc.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah, yeah. I don’t think many people know anything about him. I know he’s short, a smooth skater, and an energy guy. My personal comparison is Darroll Powe, but not as defensively responsible. So: Powe-lite.
But yeah, I don’t think I have much more knowledge of him than you.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Been here and lurking for a while, but figure this is as good a place as any to start to chime in — Really from the 3rd on it was usually Richards getting double shifted for Ross when he put that line out there, so there really wasn’t much of Hartnell – Ross – Asham to judge.
Welcome. And you’re entirely correct.
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by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
As odd as it would be, particularly for position, I would be tempted to move both Giroux and Carcillo:
Briere-Richards-Leino
JVR-Giroux-Carcillo
I think Giroux and Carcillo work well together. Giroux draws defenders out of position with his puckhandling, and Chico feeds off the other team’s mistakes. It gives you a couple decent handlers and a true banger. I’m just not sure about having JVR and Carcillo on the same line from a position standpoint.
Honor is no substitute for victory.
THN shows they didn't watch the game
Good and bad for the Flyers from the first game
PHILADELPHIA
Good – Daniel Briere
Usually when a team loses two stars like Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne it’s a death knell, but with the Flyers’ tremendous depth up front it just opens the door for someone else to step through. While he wasn’t the best Flyer on the ice, his two timely points may have made him the most valuable.
Bad – Brian Boucher
Coming off a brilliant series in which he let in more than two goals only once, Boucher saw five go past in Game 1 against Boston and made a few questionable moves with the puck. In fact, the overtime marker was a result of an erroneous play on the disc. This was an area of concern coming into the post-season for the Flyers and when it comes to successful playoff goaltending, it’s all about consistency.
New Zealand's 4th best Philadelphia Flyers fan
Wow. I know I only got to listen to the game on the radio and watch highlights later, but that analysis is pretty appalling. If they wanted to (erroneously) put Briere in the “good” category, at least specifically mention his tying goal, not just that he had two points.
It probably would make more sense to read as : Good – Danny Briere on Offense; Bad – Danny Briere on Defense. But it would have been even better to talk about what actually happened.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Puck Daddy did give Briere one of the top 3 stars on Saturday, but I think it was mostly, if not all, for his spectacular game-tying goal.
Proudly supporting a Flyers team with "no honor."
I agree with you there. Tim Saunders is a great play by play guy and all, but his call still couldn’t quite do justice to that goal. Puck Daddy conveniently didn’t mention anything else Briere did in the game, good or bad.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
It seems like people only look at players offensive production to determine how well they did, and completely throw out defensive play. NHL.com gave Wideman the second star of the day because of his 3 assists even though he was piss poor defensively. He was the direct cause of at least two of Philly’s goals lol. It’s like people who are amazed with Mike Green because he can rack up 75+ points, even though he is brutal defensively. It makes absoluetly no sense to me
by Dangles-McDonnybrook on May 2, 2010 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
But the difference is that Briere is an offensive player and so therefore should be measured by offensive production. Should he be able to play some D—yeah, it sure would be nice/helpful—but it’s not like Lavy and the rest of the world doesn’t know that’s not his game. Mike Green is a defensive player who can’t play D. That’s a problem.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
I wouldn’t have a problem if Briere just gets beat in his own zone. Except he’s not even moving, and that I have a problem with. If we were sitting here saying Briere’s too small to cover Savard/Bergeron, he’s not strong enough to cancel them out in front of the net, that’s one thing. But he’s not covering his man, and that’s unacceptable.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, he was having Hartnell-like brain farts, but I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve seen those from him. They are unacceptable—he needs to elevate his level of play and I feel he is capable of doing that.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
It sort of feels like the NHL is light years behind most other sports in valuing defensive play, at least outwardly (national telecasts, etc.). Offense is still the most celebrated aspect of the game, even more so than in baseball, where many have come to appreciate good play up the middle and outfield assists, good pitching and the like. I think the main reason is that defense is harder to grasp in hockey. The game moves so quickly for the casual fan and they don’t know what to look for.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
I completely agree with your points, but I doubt the league ever will. I think it’s because they know what a disaster too much defensive play was for ratings. Nobody wanted to watch the Devils at the peak of the trap, for example. ‘Boring game’, ‘Rather watch paint dry’, etc. Watching hockey where nobody can get a rush going isn’t heart pounding like watching Victorino run down a long fly and make an impressive outfield assist to throw a guy out at home, if you know what I mean. Now I’m not saying that makes it right, but they know that over doing it with too much defense isn’t good for the bottom line, and the league is always going to be worried about that more than anything else.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, there are styles of defensive play that are much more exciting than the trap, but I know what you mean. I guess this is why it will always remain a niche sport.
"Tortorella’s got it all wrong ... Gaborik shouldn’t be messing with our skilled player." -Peter Luuko
I agree about those styles, I was just trying to take the obvious example and make an extreme comparison. Besides, in baseball and football there’s so much more time to explain things. I keep returning to the idea that hockey needs to make some sort of movement to help the casual fans understand the game. That way there can be some sort of dedicated thing the parent trying to help the kid understand the game or the husband trying to get his wife into hockey (or vice versa, of course) could watch on TV or an event/game they could take them to in an effort to try to help the casual fans learn. But while I had a billion ideas in my head for what I would do if I worked for the team, those things would never actual be done.
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions
It seems that the NHL has a real fetish for goalies. The best bet and most bang for your buck seems to be good d-men. I like d-men the most – they, the good ones, possess a combination of antcipatory intelligence and pattern recognition skills that is rare and unheralded. It’s improvisational thinking on par with great jazz..
In the game thread yesterday, somebody mentioned something about how Boosh save sequence in OT should be up on Youtube. I saw it today on the NHL’s website: Video
by DragonGirl0583 on May 2, 2010 5:30 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Just amazing. Great find.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on May 2, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Did Eddie Olczyk really say “tremendously tremendous” AGAIN at the end of that sequence? Wow. I was so caught up in my Boosh love before that I did not notice that before.
Regardless, great find DG. Boosh may be no Claude, but he is still amazing.
Proudly supporting a Flyers team with "no honor."
yes he did. His stupidity is why he was fired by the Pens. “Tremendously tremendous” is just further proof of said stupidity.
Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.
Office of Redundancy Office.
by You don't have to be sweet, to be good on May 3, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Your best shot.
Boston’s defensemen will make mistakes (Chara isn’t a defenseman, he’s superhuman). Will the Flyers capitalize on the chances they inevitably will get? See: Wideman, Dennis and/or Briere’s third period goal.
Your team’s best shot is to work Wideman’s side of the ice as much as possible. With Stuart and Siedenberg out, (one tough, one slick) I would expect your team to dump and chase more and more. Tuukka was just average. He’ll need to be for you to win the series.
Which B's team is this?
He did.
Man-crushin' on Boucher since 1999
Broad Street Hockey - Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Geoff Detweiler on May 3, 2010 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions
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