Monday, February 14, 2011
Posted: 3:26 p.m.
By Sarah BaickerCSNPhilly.com
It doesnt matter if the hockey club in question is full of 10-year-olds or professionals. When things arent going a teams way, the mantra often becomes: keep things simple.
For the Flyers, finding the back of the net has suddenly become a challenge. Theyve scored just eight goals in their last five games, and were shut out twicedespite having netted the most goals (182) in the Eastern Conference.
I think creating traffic in front of the goalie, creating screens, getting those rebounds, I think maybe thats something that weve gotten away from a little bit, Blair Betts admitted after Mondays practice.
On the eve of a big road trip that kicks off against the Tampa Bay Lightning (one of the two teams who kept the Flyers scoreless this month), the Flyers know they must get back on track offensively.
The best way to re-energize the goal-scoring?
Any time youre struggling a little bit offensively, thats just the key, to go back to basics and keep things simple, James van Riemsdyk said. Just going to the net and getting pucks there, too.
NHL
Coach Peter Laviolette agreed.
I think any time you put traffic in front of a goaltender, its more difficult, he said. The rebounds become more availablesecond opportunities, third opportunities. You get into playoff hockey, you constantly hear that both ways: are goaltenders getting pushed around? And when youre not generating, youve got to get to the net.
Laviolette had shuffled up the Flyers lines when his team hosted the Los Angeles Kings Sunday afternoon, searching, he said, for an offensive jump that has been missing lately.
Wed just been stale for a few games, Laviolette said. Maybe not stale, but offensively, not generating as much as Id like.It was more of a shakeup, just to get a different feel, and we generated it. We just didnt capitalize on it.
The Flyers directed 55 shots at Kings goalie Jonathan Quick on Sunday15 were blockedbut they just couldnt find the chemistry necessary to beat him.
On Monday, the new line experiment (which included an all-centers line of Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter), appeared to have been deemed a failure. Laviolette returned to the lines hes stuck with pretty consistently over the past few months.
And a big test awaits them in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday night.
The Lightning, as van Riemsdyk mentioned, have had the Flyers number all season. Theyve won each of the two teams three previous meetings, none more commanding than Feb. 1s 4-0 shutout. Theyre now a mere four points behind the Flyers in the standings.
They seem to capitalize on every turnover, every mistake you make, van Riemsdyk said. So weve got to limit our mistakes, and really just focus on keeping the game simple and getting pucks and bodies to the net.
Led by Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, Tampas dangerous offense has given the Flyers goaltending fits, too. Sergei Bobrovsky, given the start in two of the three games, was pulled twice, after allowing seven goals on just 17 starts. Brian Bouchers starting performance back in October, a 3-2 loss, was nothing to write home about either. (Laviolette, it should come as no surprise, has made no decision regarding a starting goaltender for Tuesday.)
But add all of that to a talented power-play unit thats top-five in the NHL, and youve got a very strong competitor at the start of a tough four-game roadtrip for the Flyers, which also includes stops in Carolina, Florida and New York.
Tough, yesjust dont call the game a measuring stick. At least, not in front of Laviolette.
Measuring sticks are when youre in 10th place in the West and youre going to play first place in the East, Laviolette said. Its a measuring stick to see how to stack up against a team thats done well.
But certainly its a game where were playing one of the top teams in the East. And the fact that we havent put a win in the column against them, that should motivate us.
The Flyers still sit atop the Eastern Conference with 77 points. But every missed opportunity to bring home two points is a chance for another teamespecially the Lightningto inch closer in the standings.
Tuesdays game is probably as close as youre going to get to a playoff game, Danny Briere said. Were in the position were at, we have to find challenges. And tomorrow is certainly one of the biggest weve had to face this year.
Related: Panaccios Flyers Week in Review: Feb. 7-13Buy Flyers gear E-mail Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com