Inside Hockey/ Kris Mendoza

Less than 48 hours after being bounced from the Stanley Cup Playoffs four games to one to the New Jersey Devils, the Philadelphia Flyers cleared out their lockers Thursday and reflected on the season.

Paul Holmgren and Peter Laviolette also met with the media and had some interesting things to say.

Here are some of the highlights:

Paul Holmgren

• The biggest quote of the day came when Homer told reporters Ilya Bryzgalov is responsible for stopping the puck, not entertaining the media and fans, saying it isn’t “Comedy Central.” Homer said it in a jokingly manner, well, as jovial as Homer can possibly be. He expects Bryz to perform much better in 2012-13 after having a season in Philly under his belt.
• Holmgren wouldn’t commit to naming a new captain for next season, stating that Chris Pronger is still the Flyers’ captain, even though he is still experiencing concussion symptoms. Homer said he would like to stay optimistic and believe that Pronger could return.
• With several players potentially filing for free agency, Homer said he expects to re-sign Matt Carle at a discount and that while they would love to bring Jaromir Jagr back, he knows that there are many teams that would want him, meaning his salary is likely on the rise.
• After shipping them out of town last summer, Holmgren said that he hopes Mike Richards and Jeff Carter win the Stanley Cup with the LA Kings, who are facing the Phoenix Coyotes in the Western Conference Finals. He did make sure to add that he is happy with the trades and he doesn’t regret it.

» Continue reading “Flyers Clean Out Lockers, Reflect on Season”

Losing SUCKS!

The Flyers were down 3-1 heading into Game 5 and to make matters worse they would be without their best player, Claude Giroux. However, Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros who hasn’t played since the beginning of March due to back surgery, returned to the line up.

But Mez being back wouldn’t be enough.

The Flyers just looked tired and all out tapped.  The team that convincingly beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, was nowhere to be found in the New Jersey series.

I wanted and tried real hard to stay optimistic.  All day I kept thinking, even without Giroux there was still a chance.  But I was delusional.

Even when Max Talbot scored about 7 minutes into the first period, I cringed.  Because all I kept hearing was how the team that scores first usually loses.  So I was thinking before Talbot scored, LET the Devils score the first goal then go after them.  Yeah well that obviously didn’t happen that way and though nice for Max to get the goal, two minutes later, New Jersey’s Bryce Salvador quickly answered back with a goal, tying it 1-1.

Then Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov attempted to play the puck and ended up giving it right to David Clarkson which put Jersey up 2-1.

At that point, though it was still only the first period, I couldn’t help but feel defeated.  The Flyers did manage to keep the score at 2-1 in the second, but mental mistakes and penalties ended up biting them in the ass.

So as the Devils went up 3-1 in the third, thanks to a James van Riemsdyk penalty, the final nail was pounded into the Flyers coffin.

Another year of making it to the playoffs and making it to the next round, only to end with the same result…no Stanley Cup!

Sad Face courtesy of iconarchive.com

Heather Carnassale is Contributing Phillies Writer for Aerys Sports. You can email her at viewfromsection116@gmail.com, or follow her on twitter @heatherc531 and @viewfromsec116.

Credit: Insidehockey

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Flyers, the NHL has suspended Claude Giroux for one game after his questionable hit late in the second period of Sunday’s Game 4 loss.

Giroux had a high shoulder hit to the head of Dainius Zubrus that resulted in a minor penalty in the final seconds of the second period. Zubrus headed to the locker room to get checked out but returned to the game in the third period.

Many fans are outraged that Giroux was hit with a suspension when players like Shea Weber and Evgeni Malkin weren’t penalized as harshly or at all for their actions. That may be a valid point but it still doesn’t justify Giroux’s actions.

Seconds before the hit, Giroux expressed anger towards the referee for not calling a legal hit on him by Devils’ defenseman Mark Fayne. He even abandoned the play in order to yell at the ref. Giroux then noticed there was a turnover and that is when the illegal hit occurred.  The fact that Giroux was visibly upset at the ref and then proceeded to target Zubrux was no doubt the deciding factor for Brendan Shanahan.

Peter Laviolette has dubbed Giroux as the best player in the world and a leader on this team. Now because of a stupid and selfish move, Giroux’s team will have to face elimination without their best player.

Inside Hockey/ Bob Fina

After Game 2, the Flyers said the Devils just want to win more. After Game 3, the Flyers said that the Devils just want to win more.

One would think that after two straight losses where the Devils proved that they weren’t just going to roll over and let the Flyers walk all over them like the Pittsburgh Penguins did in round one, that the Flyers would finally wake up and play the game hard.

But after the 4-2 loss in Game 4 that now has them on the brink of elimination, the Flyers again said that the Devils just want to win more.

The Devils were just one point behind the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Standings in the regular season.  Why would the Flyers think for even a second that they would not play hard?

The final score may have been 4-2 but that doesn’t even tell half the story. The Flyers were outplayed from the minute the puck dropped until Dainius Zubrus sealed the game with the empty netter.
» Continue reading “Flyers on the Brink of Elimination”

Inside Hockey/ Rob Marks

After losing back-to-back games, the Flyers now find themselves down in a series for the first time this postseason. They take on the New Jersey Devils in Newark for Game 4.

• Sean Couturier will be a game-time decision after leaving during the first period in Game 3 with a lower-body injury (cut, knee?). Andrej Meszaros is a no-go for Game 3 but could be an option in Game 4.
• While mostly the entire team has been a no-show through the first three games, compared to round one, Claude Giroux has been non-existent. He still leads the league in scoring this postseason but has only one goal and has been held off the score sheet twice against the Devils.
• The Flyers’ dominant power-play that we saw against the Penguins is dead. They have scored only twice on 16 attempts, including the two in overtime in Game 3 where they failed to convert.
• Ilya Kovalchuk proved why he is still a superstar in the league after he notched a goal and two assists in Game 3. He missed Game 2 with a lower-body injury.
•  Ilya Bryzgalov may have been the best Flyer in Games 2 and 3, he still has to play better. In his last 14 playoff games, he has let up three goals or more in 13 of them. That just cannot happen for much longer.

The Flyers haven’t won a series in which they trailed 2-1 since 2003 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m, let’s see if the Flyers decide to show up.

Inside Hockey/ Rob Marks

You can blame the goalie. You can blame the defense. You can blame the referees. You can blame the rookies and injuries. But when a team wants to win more than you do, chances are you are going to lose the game.

The New Jersey Devils simply wanted to win more than the Flyers do and they now find themselves up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after the 4-3 overtime win.

After giving up after the first 20 minutes in Game 2, the Flyers expressed how they simply weren’t “into” it and that they had to come out with more determination in Game 3.

Well, it appears they weren’t “into” it Thursday night either.

Alexei Ponikarovsky scored the game-winner for the Devils on his own rebound after the Flyers were caught on a bad change and left Andreas Lilja out there all alone.
» Continue reading “Flyers Aren’t ‘Into’ It, Devils Win in OT”

Inside Hockey/Rob Marks

After their pathetic effort in Game 2, the Flyers head to Newark for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Here are a few things to look out for.

• Ilya Bryzgalov was nothing less than outstanding for the first 40 minutes of Game 2 but thanks to his lethargic teammates in front of him, he let up three goals in a span of 11 minutes in the third. It will be interesting to see how Bryz bounces back.
• The biggest reason the Flyers pounced all over the Pittsburgh Penguins in round 1 was because of their dominant play on the man advantage. The same can’t be said after the first two games against the Devils. They are just 1 for 11 on the power-play so far this season and couldn’t convert on five opportunities in Game 2.
• Ilya Kovalchuk told reporters today that he is ready to go for Game 3 after missing Game 2 with a lower-body injury. Coach Peter DeBoer said that Kovalchuk will be a “game-time” decision. The Devils can use Kovalchuk to boost their power-play.
• Claude Giroux still leads the league in playoff points but he was held pointless in Game 2 and finished the game without registering a hit. Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk were also a minus-3. The Flyers’ big guns have to step up if they want a different result.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. in Newark.

Inside Hockey/ Bob Fina

The Philadelphia Flyers were embarrassed out of their own building after the Devils completely owned them to take Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals 4-1.

The two biggest questions this postseason have been whether Ilya Bryzgalov is capable of stealing games and if the Flyers can get out to a good start and play a full 60 minutes.

Both of these questions were answered.

The Flyers came out guns blazing completely outworking the Devils from puck drop. Matt Read gave them the early lead with an angle shot just 2:53 minutes into the first period.

It looked as if the Flyers would finally play a full 60 minutes like they have been talking about for so long.

Then the second period happened.
» Continue reading “Flyers Fail to Show Up, Devils Take Game 2″

Inside Hockey/ Bob Fina

The Flyers look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead tonight against the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 2 of the of the Eastern Conference Semifinals after their exciting 4-3 overtime win on Sunday. Here are a few things you need to keep your eye on.

• Ilya Kovalchuk will not play tonight due to a lower-body injury that he suffered during the middle of the first round against the Florida Panthers. Losing a 37 goal scorer is a huge blow for the Devils but it was apparent in Game 1 that he wasn’t helping the team by playing through the injury. The Flyers aren’t changing their game plan with Kovalchuk out, which is a good thing.
• Despite their resiliency, the Flyers need to come out better in the first period. If they keep on giving teams the chance to get in the game early, it’s eventually going to come back and bite them.
• Ilya Bryzgalov kept the Flyers in the game during the first period of Game 1 when they were still recovering from the long layoff, but he let in two weak goals that forced the game to overtime. The Flyers have yet to win a game where they scored less than four goals. Bryz needs to be able to steal games for them to go far this postseason.
• The Devils need to regain their shut down penalty kill from the regular season in order to go back to New Jersey tied, especially now that their power-play is going to suffer with Kovalchuk out. The Flyers have scored at least one power-play goal in each playoff game so far.

Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. in South Philadelphia.

Inside Hockey/ Bob Fina

It was déjà vu for the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Just like Game 1 of the quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers overcame an early deficit to win it 4-3 in overtime. Jakub Voracek got the tally in round one but Danny Briere showed why he is “Mr. Playoffs” when he put the puck in the net not once twice in overtime.

That’s right, twice.

Briere kicked the puck past Marty Brodeur but even the Flyers on the bench knew that it wouldn’t count as he tried to sell it to the crowd and referees. The guys in Toronto got it right and overruled the call on the ice on account that it was a distinct kicking motion.

There aren’t many second chances in the game of hockey but it takes a lot to stop Briere once the calendar turns past April. He scored the game-winning goal on a slap shot from the point with a little help from James van Riemsdyk who screened Brodeur in front. This time it counted.
» Continue reading “Briere Scores Twice in OT, Flyers Win Game 1″