Quote:
Originally Posted by 97FlyersKing18
I think it should also be noted that the Flyers also lost a lot of PK goals, which force PP units to second guess themselves when trying to hold a bad pass into the zone or make a dangerous pass through the box. The Flyers were really good at pouncing on the opponents' mistakes and creating odd-man rushes by crashing the net. Maybe now Malkin's infamously lazy passes across the blueline won't be intercepted for a breakaway goal, but will instead connect to Letang for a bar down one-timer.
A PK goal is a major momentum booster and can really change the flow of the game. Especially those backbreaking 3on5 goals that somebody currently holds an NHL record for at only 26 years old. Remember when fans would rather have the Flyers on the PK, because they were so inept at the PP and ES?
Giroux can and will put up his fair share of PK goals as a Flyer, but remember how dynamic the Flyers were, 16 PK goals in the 08-09 season. 12 of the 19 PK goals scored in the last 2 years were scored by players that are no longer on the Flyers' roster.
Honestly, why would a coach want only inferior (bottom 6) players on the ice, especially in the most critical time of the game? If a team has the Top 6 players that are significantly better in every facet of the game, I'd imagine the coach would want his go to guy out there 20min a night instead of 17 or 18 without consistent PK time. With the urgency of a PK, there is a lot to be said with a proven, elite commodity, rather than a player that may be an average PKer with the right amount of experience in a few years.
|
Sure scoring goals on the pk is nice, but so is keeping your top line guys fresh and healthy throughout games in the season. It is give and take.