What happened to my Flyers?
Where is the team that we saw in LA? What happened to that injury-depleted-but-gritty bunch who forced mighty Washington to a shootout?
They certainly didn’t make an appearance at the Wachovia Center when Sidney Crosby brought the struggling Pens to town. And the change of climate in Tampa Bay didn’t draw any fight from the Flyers either.
Captain Mike Richards summed it up beautifully in his post-game comments. The Lightning came prepared to play; the Flyers didn’t. The Flyers actually looked remarkably like the team that dropped the first six games of the season. The Floundering Flyers.
Can Richards’ comments reignite this team, transforming them back into the Fiery Flyers? Or will this be a repeat of last year’s All-Star slump?
Tune in to tonight’s matchup in Miami for the answers . . .
| 
The Frozen Fan 
I’m just honored beyond words: The Avalanche-Oilers game is said to highlight the games tonight on NHL.com! Surpassing for the title even that most amazing of matchups, the Pittsburgh Crosby-Malkins versus the Anaheim F*cks.
Hate to burst your bubble here, but Crosby won’t be playing – which may have had a factor in their decision.
Man, the Crosby-Malkins have no chance now! And yeah, I guess that had some effect on the decision.. But hey, the Avs are still on there. 🙂
And did you get to read the Northwest Notes? Tony Granato was named as the top coach in the division for holding the team together through injury. We really only have two injuries. Sure we miss Sakic, but we weren’t exactly lighting up the win column with him in the lineup. Stastny we miss, but what are you going to do? Players get injured, even the key ones. It’s part of the game. The fact that he was injured in the final minute of a game sucks though.
The point here is that I fail to see how the coach of the cellar dwellers is anywhere close to the best in the division. Maybe I’m just biased against the guy..?
What is there to even say?
Hey FF, looks like that snow is finally getting around to hitting NJ. Just in time for the Eagles loss to Arizona.. Maybe the Avs will commemorate these events with a win over Calgary!
6-2 works. 🙂
First off: Holy crap, the Isles finally won one in ’09! And they were even nice enough to do it against Anaheim.
Second, the Flyers /really/ need to get in touch with the NHL about scheduling the Thrashers every other game. 🙂
Number 3, the Avs are down 4-1, at home, to the Kings. Budaj is in, but to be fair, the offense has done nothing. LA has scored on 2 out of their 3 Power Plays while the Avs are 1-for-5. 13 shots in the first, but a mere 2 in the second so far..
Great, so just as Hensick gives us hope, Budaj gives up another two goals. 6-2, and unless the offense suddenly gets ‘in the zone’ {Or the Kings pull Quick} and Budaj stops a shot occasionally, chalk this up as a loss.
Well, there’s two of the four needed. 6-4 with 14 minutes left in the third.
McCleod tacks on another! Now remember folks, this is why you NEVER give up on games. Now if we can just get another tally or two, and Budaj does his part, the Avs could still win this thing.
I guess six goals was just too much to overcome.. D*mn. 😦
Hey, I’m impressed that you’re staying positive in spite of everything. That’s a good attitude to hold onto.
Hey, there’s still plenty of time to make a run. The thing I’m worried about though is the fact that we’re hitting a slump during a homestand. You don’t get too many chances where you’re at home for 8 or 9 straight games and you have to do something with that advantage..
Would there be a trade Colorado could make that would make a run possible? Because if you finish in the middle, you’re not going to get a profitable draft choice anyway.
I don’t know what kind of player we would trade for.. The offense is fine, plus we’ll be getting Stastny back soon enough. The defense is okay for the most part, especially in the blocked shots department {Not only in my opinion either, as the last time I checked –just a few days ago– they were in the top 5-6 teams in terms of shots blocked}. Which leads me back to the position of goalie I guess.
I haven’t given up on Raycroft by any means, but still… Know of any great goalies on the market? 🙂
A quick list I wanted to put up about the recent article headlines I’ve seen on the front of major sports sites lately:
1. “Fleury records shutout as Pens heat up”
2. “Klotz out of hospital after seizure caused by bloody fight”
3. A few various All-Star Game headlines
Um, let’s see, you have a Crosby-Malkins article and what can only be described as a subtle dis on fighting in hockey {Right near a boxing article nonetheless!}, and then here and there you have some actual coverage of the All-Star Game.
Now I ask you, why the heck can’t they ever cover anything else?! The All-Star Game is all for show, it’s not actual hockey, the Pens get way too much press for where they stand currently, and fighting is a part of the game so shut the heck up. If people can be so enthralled by a sport that is entirely composed of two guys beating the living sh*t out of each other, why is it such a big deal when two NHLers go at it? And after they are done fighting each other, would they mind terribly roughing up Crosby?
So yeah, there’s my NHL-themed partially incoherent mini-rant for the day. 🙂
Hey, third out of 36 shooters in the Elimination Shootout isn’t too bad for Hejduk. Especially since Thomas gave Savard his ticket to #2.
Sure it’s only the All-Star Game, but a goal and 2 assists makes for a pretty decent outing for Milan. Especially since he finished +2 in a 12-11 shootout, tied for best in the West with Tkachuk. Now, back to the real fun!
It’s been 4 days since your last comment FF. The hockey world can’t handle the lack of your presence much longer. : -)
Uh, that smilie is supposed to be a smilie.. Like this. 🙂