February 24, 2012

Problems with the ‘Not So Fly’ Guys



After going into the final week of January at 29-14-4 and in second place in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers have slipped in the month of February.  Last night the Flyers fell to 33-20-7 with a 0-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, who currently hold the second least amount of points in the entire NHL.  With problems ranging from an inconsistent defensive line to terrible goaltending, the Flyers recently made some moves before the trade deadline to bolster their blue line that is lacking in size and strength.  The void left by Chris Pronger’s probable season-ending injury will now be up to Nicklas Grossman (acquired from Dallas) and Pavel Kubina (acquired from Tampa Bay).

Philadelphia Flyers GM Paul Holmgren hopes the new acquisitions can take the pressure off young blue-liners like Marc Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson.  These new additions are giant defensemen that will give the Flyers more “Prongerish” type of players.  The major problem with the Flyers, however, has yet to be fixed.  Even after dishing out $51 million to obtain an “elite” goaltender, the Flyers are still near the bottom of the league in goals against and save percentage.  Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky are right there at the bottom of the league in goalie production, hovering around the hockey Mendoza line of 0.900 in save percentage.

The one bright side of the Flyers and seemingly the only reason they can be competitors in the playoffs is the offense.  Averaging a league leading 3.28 points a game, the front line led by Claude Giroux have exceeded their expectations.  This can put trade talks about going after Rick Nash to rest.  Not only is the asking price for him too high but the need right now is at an all-time low.

Another cause for concern is the Flyers problems within their own division.  Right now they are 6-8-2 against teams in their own division.  Recently they have lost the last five of those contests by a combined score of 12-23. This has caused the Flyers to fall back to being tied for third in their own division.  If the Flyers can put it together they must be able to beat teams like the New York Rangers.  The Atlantic Division will likely contain 4 playoff teams.  This means the odds of the Flyers facing off against a division foe are very likely, which is very worrisome right now.

I hate to say it but I feel like right now the only shot the Flyers have of even making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals is if Bryzgalov learns how to deal with the pressures of playing in the Philadelphia atmosphere.  It also could help if the NY Rangers get upset early in the playoffs, since they seem to be Philadelphia’s kryptonite.

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