We have to contain Giroux. Not even stop him entirely, just holding him to a point or two would be an accomplishment the way he and Hartnell have killed us all season.
And the Flyers are missing some pieces as well. Grossman would've been nice for them to match up against whatever they deem our second scoring line is and Briere always puts up points against us. Although they might not be on the same level as Hoff and Myers, Philly is banged up and hopefully, they're more focused on nursing their wounds and making it to the postseason without any more casualties, than their outside shot at home-ice.
I have a hard time seeing a way we defeat Philadelphia with our defense the way it is. We're going to have to win another shootout and that's not exactly our game.
Maybe sheer adrenaline alone makes the difference. Here's hoping.
I have a hard time seeing a way we defeat Philadelphia with our defense the way it is. We're going to have to win another shootout and that's not exactly our game.
Maybe sheer adrenaline alone makes the difference. Here's hoping.
Philly's scoring depth is really bad without Briere right now though. We need one last big game out of Miller. If he's still giving up goals to the Ben Scrivens of the world, we're done, but if he can shut the door on Philly's bottom lines, we can win this on forward depth. The Flyers aren't currently set up to contain the Ennis line at all.
Philly's scoring depth is really bad without Briere right now though. We need one last big game out of Miller. If he's still giving up goals to the Ben Scrivens of the world, we're done, but if he can shut the door on Philly's bottom lines, we can win this on forward depth. The Flyers aren't currently set up to contain the Ennis line at all.
That's true, no Briere is good news for a Buffalo game. He always kills us.
You're pretty much right, we'll need Miller to help steal it. But the way he's looked without his security blankets (Hoff/Myers) in front of him necessarily has me on edge.
We have to contain Giroux. Not even stop him entirely, just holding him to a point or two would be an accomplishment the way he and Hartnell have killed us all season.
And the Flyers are missing some pieces as well. Grossman would've been nice for them to match up against whatever they deem our second scoring line is and Briere always puts up points against us. Although they might not be on the same level as Hoff and Myers, Philly is banged up and hopefully, they're more focused on nursing their wounds and making it to the postseason without any more casualties, than their outside shot at home-ice.
The HNIC broadcast of Saturday's Ottawa-Philly game noted how a couple Flyers said the game prior to playing the Pens is always a difficult one for them because they look ahead to Pittsburgh. I hope that's 8x as true given that the Flyers play their season finale in Pittsburgh, followed by what could be a grueling seven-game series with the Penguins.
I hope Pittsburgh jumps on the Rangers early on Thursday night, so that the Flyers can see the score and quickly let go of any hope of passing Pittsburgh for the 4-seed and getting home ice in Round 1.
I have a hard time seeing a way we defeat Philadelphia with our defense the way it is. We're going to have to win another shootout and that's not exactly our game.
Maybe sheer adrenaline alone makes the difference. Here's hoping.
They need Miller to be big and the defense to actually play defense. Get back to that.
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Scoring the first goal would also be helpful...they've fallen behind in the past three games, and by several goals the past 2.
One of the big reasons they're in the playoff hunt is because they were able to score first and get out in front of teams. In some cases they then drove a stake through the other team, in others it allowed them to really focus on defense and play more opportunistic. But getting the first marker was huge.
They need Miller to be big and the defense to actually play defense. Get back to that.
It's not that simple though. I pointed out a little while ago in the Ehrhoff thread that being down those two guys exponentially hurts our defense. Not only is the drop-off from Myers/Hoff to McNabb/Weber massive, but Sulzer and Leopold also get hurt because they lose their partners and have to change their game.
Being more responsible helps, but the simple fact is that our defense without our top two guys just isn't very good. Sekera can't be out there for 45 minutes.
It's not that simple though. I pointed out a little while ago in the Ehrhoff thread that being down those two guys exponentially hurts our defense. Not only is the drop-off from Myers/Hoff to McNabb/Weber massive, but Sulzer and Leopold also get hurt because they lose their partners and have to change their game.
Being more responsible helps, but the simple fact is that our defense without our top two guys just isn't very good. Sekera can't be out there for 45 minutes.
While the defense struggled, there was a distinct lack of quality backchecking at times in the last few games. They need the d-men to be closer to mistake free as well.
ALL of these various factors are going to have to play a role in the game if we are to win it.
Briere out, get the first goal, better D play, better D support from the forwards, Philly looking ahead to the Penguins, a stellar game by Miller...
I see it as being similar to Superbowl XXV. We were better than the Giants and they needed just the right game to go just the right way to beat us, and they got it done.
We're going to need all sorts of help.
Another factor to watch is converting on our good scoring chances. A whiff in front of a half-empty net, a goal post here, a poorly executed 2 on 1 there, and we're screwed.
Put the puck in the net when we have a good chance to do so .
Any chance we see Bobrovsky instead of Mr. Universe? I'd feel much better about our odds against Bob.
Edit: I feel like the Flyers will want to rest Bryz and allow his toe to fully heal, and I'd think he'd play the season finale. I don't think the Flyers would want Bob to possibly get lit up in their last game and give Pittsburgh confidence going into their playoff series.
I don't know if this has already been mentioned above but, I just realized something. In the Caps vs. the Rags game on Saturday, NY may be able to choose who they are going to play in the first round of the playoffs :-/
I don't know if this has already been mentioned above but, I just realized something. In the Caps vs. the Rags game on Saturday, NY may be able to choose who they are going to play in the first round of the playoffs :-/
Yeah, that's been mentioned, and the majority opinion is that they would rather play the Caps.
Rest assured, this magical run to 13th plus the absence of Myers and Ehrhoff for two games will assure us of neither a quality draft pick nor a substantial turnover next year. What's that, you say? This team was better than it's record? How many years of subpar finishes does it take to convince you that this team IS its record?
Rest assured, this magical run to 13th plus the absence of Myers and Ehrhoff for two games will assure us of neither a quality draft pick nor a substantial turnover next year. What's that, you say? This team was better than it's record? How many years of subpar finishes does it take to convince you that this team IS its record?
We could pick anywhere at or betwee 11th and 14th, depending on what happens Saturday and in the West.
