Comparing "The Shifts": Coburn's Goal vs. Tuesday's Dominance
by Travis Hughes on Jan 26, 2011 10:54 AM EST
in Philadelphia Flyers Commentary
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PrintAbout two years ago, the Flyers had one of "those" shifts, where they absolutely dominated play for well over a minute, tiring out the Buffalo Sabres in a display that ultimately led to a goal. Mike Richards, Mike Knuble, Simon Gagne, Braydon Coburn and Matt Carle participated in that shift. Here's video:
Then, there was last night's vs. the Canadiens. Jump for video, please.
This time it was Claude Giroux, Nikolay Zherdev Jeff Carter, Kimmo Timonen and yes, Coburn, doing the honors for the Flyers. Video, with help from Crossing Broad.
These two shifts took place at almost the exact same part of the game and on the exact same place on the ice, and they were both against Northeast Division foes. Cool.
Last night's didn't end in a goal, but which one do you think is better overall? Does the goal make or break it?
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Despite last night’s shift having more control, more patience, and better movement, I thought the Buffalo one was better because they directed far more pucks towards the net. Possession is great, but I want pucks directed towards the net.
Geoff has Boosh, Mike's got Powe, Nodl is all mine!
Is this the right room for an argument?
I don’t care.
Geoff has Boosh, Mike's got Powe, Nodl is all mine!
Is this the right room for an argument?
Did I miss something….?
Laperriere is my hero
Carcillo's my lover
Bobrovsky's my savior
Hockeys my life
by Cillo stache on Jan 26, 2011 12:50 PM EST up reply actions
In a nutshell: jrphi2002 flipped out on DLJr in last night’s recap for posting some stats to show that Z isn’t terrible, and a few people pointed this out, so now jrphi2002 is on a personal crusade to try to mock and irritate him. It’s super.
Lightning strikes once, Hextall strikes twice!
Show up at the next pickup game. Handle your shit like a man. Both of you.
Fuckin a.
by BroadStreetBully on Jan 27, 2011 9:21 PM EST up reply actions
I just looked at it. We discussed Z and Nodl. I made a backhanded comment about them being the best players on the team, and DLR got bratty about it. I didn’t call anybody a name, I didn’t throw any insults around, and it was civil, except that DLR wants to put me in time out. How is this flipping out, or let’s see how else you phrased it
“You can criticize people, we all do. But what’s with going apeshit and getting all defensive when we disagree with you? Calm down, dude.”
Really? That because I made one snide remark? Get over yourself, internet policeman.
After last night’s shift was done, I told my friend that if the Flyers had scored on that play, the game would have been all but over.
Always good to get the other team running around in their own end for a while, but a goal would have been fantastic.
"Darroll can't see it, blind to the eyes;
He came up in your face OOPS POWE SURPRISE!"
Man-crushin' on #36 since he hit his "absolute ceiling" as a rookie in 2008.
God I forgot about that gorgeous take takeaway by Gagne in the middle of the first example.
I think they’re both amazing in different ways. Last night, it looked a little flashy and more choreographed, while against Buffalo the hard work and determination seems more front and center (I think both shifts had all of those traits, but just leaned toward one description or the other). I’m going to give it to the first one, mostly because the goal is one of the only tipping points I have, but also because of the way they almost lost it and yet managed to outright steal the puck back to keep it going.
by DragonGirl0583 on Jan 26, 2011 11:05 AM EST reply actions
I’ll have to say I’m a mix between this and Don’s assessment. I thought it was a lot pretier for last night, but they weren’t putting the puck on the net like they did two years ago. And all of the amazing hard work that was put in two years ago was impressive.
"Chris Pronger sneaked in the back door...banged it home."
Flyers Television Play-by-Play Man: Jim Jackson
What about this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEv0M1ohI_4
May have been my favorite shift ever. Begins to ice the game, and the most memorable comeback I’m sure I’ll ever see.
Definitely, it’s the same reason why we’re not discussing Richie running over Halak in Game 5, either.
by DragonGirl0583 on Jan 26, 2011 3:16 PM EST up reply actions
I was at the Buffalo game and I don’t think any one shift has ever had the excitement that “The Shift” had. Everyone around me knew it was resulting in a goal. Gagne was possessed on that shift and Knuble was beastly as well. I don’t think last night’s shift topped it at all because they didn’t score and like Don said there weren’t as many shots or chances.
The main difference, to me, is that “The Shift” was about working to get the puck back and taking it away from Buffalo no matter what. Ultimately resulting in a point o the board. Last night’s was more moving the puck around, passing into bad spots, regrouping and controlling the play. It was domination but it was a different sort. To me the hustle and relentlessness of “The Shift” is better. Despite how amazing G,Z and Carts were, I didn’t have that same, “They’re going to score here, without a doubt,” feeling.
Flyers Fans: We've survived Lock-outs, Lindros and Cooperalls. If you want to get rid of us, you'll have to split an atom or two.
by KreiderDesigns on Jan 26, 2011 11:42 AM EST reply actions
I had the feeling they were going to score on that shift (last night). unfortunately, G and Z are both ‘pass-first’ and Carter was rolling along the outside of the zone (along the boards) for most of the shift. The way they were moving the puck made me extremely happy about the way that line can play. Did they score? No, not on that shift, but they are a force of a line.
Also, was G playing center on that line against the ’Hawks? I thought Carter was in the middle on Sunday, but G was in the middle last night.
I don’t know last night it seemed like Montreal wasn’t good enough to handle that line, whereas the Buffalo game was more of a no matter how good the Sabres are right now, Gagne, Knuble and Richie are going to be better, and they’re going to score. Period.
Flyers Fans: We've survived Lock-outs, Lindros and Cooperalls. If you want to get rid of us, you'll have to split an atom or two.
by KreiderDesigns on Jan 26, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions
Good call. Maybe I shouldn’t have said pass-first, but rather ‘dangle first’…
Let’s be real, he does a lot of moving around with the puck before he decides its time to take a shot! :)
Flyers fan trapped in Arlington Virginia. Invading the Verizon Center twice a year, and road-tripping to Wells Fargo as many times as I can...
This sequence last night was amazing. That’s the kind of play I like to see. I’ll agree with DLJr that some more pucks on net would have been good, but so much control and absolutely stifling every attempt Montreal made just to clear the puck. We made them look completely helpless for nearly two minutes. This needs to happen more often.
Lightning strikes once, Hextall strikes twice!
You don't always have to score
Momentum is important as well as setting a tone and making a statement. Imagine how completely gassed, demoralized and embarassed the Habs were after that shift. You know they were thinking — we just got completely owned in our own end.
The flyers have had moments like this all season, and it goes a long way towards setting expectations. Granted, the Habs are hobbled by injuries right now, but you could see in the last few minutes of the game when they showed their bench, that there wasn’t a player on the team that expected they were going to get a goal, down 2. The faces just said: “man this game is over, let the clock expire and lets go back home.” Instead they had to go through the motions of pulling the goalie, and didn’t so much as generate a possession or shot on goal, before the inevitable empty net goal.
I think it’s also very good news for the team, that the Giroux – Carter – Zherdev combo works.
Momentum is important as well as setting a tone and making a statement. Imagine how completely gassed, demoralized and embarassed the Habs were after that shift. You know they were thinking — we just got completely owned in our own end.
Except that the Habs went on to dominate the next 10 minutes of play.
Geoff has Boosh, Mike's got Powe, Nodl is all mine!
Is this the right room for an argument?
That doesn’t prove they weren’t gassed, demoralized, embarrassed, and thinking how they got completely owned.
The power of unverifiable statements!
The Habs didn’t dominate anything during that game. They responded as best they could, but never really challenged much. If anything, that shift might have been the type of thing that propelled them to put in more effort so that it wasn’t a complete shellacking.
Geoff actually posted the play by play in another thread, showing how the controlled the play after the penalty for 4:35 out of 5 minutes roughly (I forget the exact number). They did actually dominate a stretch of the game. Did it effect the outcome of the game in the end, no, but to say Montreal didn’t control the play for an extended period of time after that shift is just factually incorrect.
As you saw by that shift domination of play doesn’t always result in goals.
Geoff has Boosh, Mike's got Powe, Nodl is all mine!
Is this the right room for an argument?
The Habs shift was a lot fancier with Giroux and Z walking through and dancing around guys left and right. The Buffalo was more effective and more meaningful to that game’s outcome. Would have rather forced MTL to ice it then let Price cover it up but hard to complain about that kind of effort.
by chrislanci on Jan 26, 2011 7:58 PM EST via mobile reply actions
The Shift wins, Hartnell’s Gloves down.
Remember that one time that one team tried really hard for a while and kept handling the puck and then they passed and had the puck and then they didnt have the puck anymore?
Cause I fucking don’t.
Unless it ends with a notation on the game summary, it’s relatively unimportant.
by BroadStreetBully on Jan 27, 2011 9:25 PM EST reply actions
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