Last night’s victory over Atlanta brought the Flyers to within 5 points of 1st place New Jersey in the Atlantic division. The Flyers recent streakiness combined with the total bunching of most teams in the East has their respective playoff position changing daily. The presence of the shootout really hurts the Flyers in the standings, since they just aren’t very good at them. The Flyers will just have to win a couple of extra regular season games to make up the difference.
Some quick hits mid way through the season:
MVP – Mike Richards. His giant leap in production this season is reason number 1 for the Flyers turnaround. He has already set a career high for goals in a season, plays the point on a potent power play, is the best penalty killer, and will also drop the gloves if necessary. The fact that he is also the leading scorer is just an added bonus. If he stays healthy, his 12-year contract will end up being a bargain.
Best Defenseman – Kimmo Timmonen. Timmonen is the steadiest D-man the Flyers have had since Eric DesJardins. He logs the most minutes of all the Defensemen, is the best puck mover, and plays on the first PP unit.
Most Improved (non Richards division) – Jeff Carter and Randy Jones. Jones is noticeably more confident, and is a steady puck mover who plays mistake-free hockey. Carter has also set a career high for goals, and while streaky, provides solid secondary scoring. Also kills penalties.
Best trade Acquisition – Joffrey Lupul. Before being injured on Saturday, Lupul has been a revelation as a scoring threat, softening the blow of Simon Gagne’s long-term injury. Luckily, Gagne is due back Thursday night.
Ticking Time Bomb – Steve Downie. Downie is a dynamic young player reminiscent of a young Rick Tocchet. But his history of being unable to control his temper is something he is going to have to overcome to stay in the NHL. He narrowly avoided another suspension after a sucker punch Saturday in Toronto. The league is watching him closely, so he’d better find a way to play on the edge without crossing the line.
Withholding Judgement (for now) –
1.) Danny Briere. He is the second leading scorer, and has played well despite playing with many different linemates. Gagne’s return should send him on a hot streak.
2.) Scott Hartnell – is finally starting to score, let’s see if he keeps it up. Since he doesn’t really kill penalties, he needs to be more than a $5 million pest.
Goaile thoughts
Antero Nittymaki has obviously bounced back from last season’s nightmare. His performance on Saturday was record setting. It hasn’t been often in the last decade that A Flyers goalie has stolen 2 points for them, but he did it on Saturday night, saving the Flyers in one of the most one-sided officiated games I’ve ever watched. Martin Biron carried the team in the first month and has been solid, if unspectacular, ever since. For the first time in years, the Flyers appear to be set in goal.
What to look for in the second half
I’d like to see a tighter defensive approach. The Flyers still seem to give up too many quality scoring chances. Once the lineup stabilizes, hopefully so will the D.
The Flyers myriad of suspensions this season has given them the reputation of being dirty and really is starting to affect how their games are being called. The Flyers have earned this rep, and now will have to play their way through it.
Who will be the first line? When Gagne returns, it will be interesting to see his level of aggressiveness. The Flyers have plenty of offense, but seem to lack a go to line right now. They have the players, but it will be on Coach John Stevens to stop experimenting and get his lines set as the playoff approach.
Eagles need players
The 3 game winning streak to end the season could end up being a double-edged sword if Andy Reid and Company decides that they aren’t that far away from contention. In assessing needs in the off-season, most agree on the obvious needs (TE, DE, WR, DB). But what seems to have been lost is overall depth. Andy Reid pinned this year’s struggles on injuries several times. But in reality, they were healthy compared to other more successful seasons. The difference is that the overall depth of past seasons has been lacking. Suitable replacements were not available for players that were injured. In the past injuries were shrugged off and the next guy stepped in and was ready to play. That did not happen this season. The lack of depth also contributed to the lackluster special teams.
The solution to this problem can only be a change in approach to the draft. Reid rarely expects immediate impact from his draft picks, and depth in past years has been able to accommodate that philosophy. But no matter what the Eagles do in free agency, some of next year’s draft picks have to have immediate impact next season.