Zegras needs to find another gear...and fast

by Bob Herpen 

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Since Old Time Hockey returned to South Philadelphia on Jan. 6 in a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks, the Flyers have gone a dismal 3-8-4. 

In that span, the club dropped out of the top eight clubs in the Eastern Conference who are locked into playoff position, but are still within striking distance as play resumes tonight in Washington. 

In that same span, former Duck and current top-line amoeba Trevor Zegras has cooled off noticeably. While skating in all 15 contests, he's gone for just 3 goals and 5 assists. Even if you subscribe to the old chestnut "correlation doesn't equal causation" there's something amiss here with the 24-year-old expected to be a galvanizer up front.

He's also been blanked three times in the previous 14 games, after only being zonked four previous times all year, three of those in October alone. A 27-game shot-on-goal streak was snapped on Jan. 10 vs. Tampa Bay. His apex during this time of team-wide struggle was a 7-SOG performance in a loss at Buffalo on Jan. 14 and then 6 more on net in a 5-3 setback in Columbus exactly 2 weeks later.  

One of the troubling aspects of Zegras' slide is that his shot totals are low. Consistent, but low. Even before the post-Ducks-afterglow, the fifth-year pro put together a streak of 12 straight games from Dec. 11 to Jan. 3 where he posted at least 1 SOG but no more than 2 each time. Then, there was that lone credited shot on goal in that score-a-palooza rout in Denver where virtually every other teammate on the top 6 made better contributions.

What snapped him out of an early-season funk that resulted in zero goals and 5 assists over the first seven games, whether he wants to cop to it or not, was almost having his wrist sliced by the skate of Sens forward Tim Stutzle. As playoff pressure mounts, let's hope it doesn't take another near-career-altering experience to jolt him back to reality. 

Zegras' season high for most consecutive games with at least a point is nine -- which all took place before Christmas (Dec. 9-23) and none better than 2 points in any contest. 

That, obviously has to change: the number of games as well as the number of points. Again, consistent but low. His season best for points in a game is 3, and both occurred waaaaay back in the season's first month, Oct. 25 and 30.  

One way head coach Rick Tocchet can start Zegras' engine is to test him right away -- or on an extended jag -- with more ice time per night. After 56 games, Zegras is averaging 18:43 per contest, a hair below his career best of 18:50 set in Anaheim 3 years ago. Not coincidentally, it was the last fully healthy season he skated for the Ducks, posting 23 goals and 65 points. 

Zegras has only broken the 20-minute mark 16 times in 56 games. His season high was a 23:24 stint at Montreal on Nov. 4. In November alone, Zegras was allowed to roam the ice for 20-or-more minutes 6 times, far and away the most for any other month. His 23:07 in a loss at Buffalo was matched only by 21:20 on Jan. 28 at Columbus, with a 21:17 in a beyond-regulation game vs. Ottawa on Feb. 5 before the Olympic break. 

I know, I know. Deep waters here with the "Michkov situation" that's always bubbling under the surface. 

But there's no load management in the NHL like there is in the NBA. And since your top players have to be top players on a consistent workload, it's safe to assume that means they will be given the maximum chance to produce. And it is safe to assume, for now anyway, that Tocchet doesn't plan to rein Zegras in unless there's a blowout -- in which case that's for protective purposes -- or evidence the youngster went on a Krispy Kreme bender over the last 2 1/2 weeks. 

From there, it's on Zegras and Zegras alone to do with the ice time he's given. Twenty minutes a night has a nice ring to it. No complaints about deployment, puck possession, high-or-low-danger chances. Pure fundamental instinct and hockey IQ has to guide him with each stride. 

Heading into the schedule resumption tonight, we don't know where Zegras' head's at. His lone availability to the media occurred following Sunday's practice and if you believe the message was whole coming out of Flyers PR, the only apparent subject of interest in-house was his role in cheering Team USA at the Winter Olympics.

There was also no apparent concern or issue or questions relating to Zegras' play from the beats who have all access during yesterday's media session after practice at Voorhees. That includes an 11-minute open forum with Flyers assistant Todd Reirden.

That's not good, either.

The only insight into Zegras' situation prior to puck drop was broached with a question related to his placement at either center or wing after yesterday's practice. Reirden offered minimal information there.

"We've looked at a couple different things in that regard," he said. "I don't want to commit to something on that. It's trying to find the best 12 guys up front that can help us win games."

At least for tonight, Zegras is listed as a winger, paired with Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny according to several reports.

"I think he's played better lately," Tocchet was quoted as saying in the pregame, as reported by multiple sources. "He said to me he wanted to play more inside, he felt he was getting a little farther from the net. 

"When he's comfortable, he's a good hockey player," Tocchet added.

No matter where he's placed, he's gotta be on. Every night. Around the puck, moving the puck, moving his feet to get into open shooting and passing position. Tracking all rebounds within shooting or passing range. Can't afford to be a passenger even on nights when he is targeted. Even a skate keeping a loose puck alive can lead to a crucial scoring chance. Points are a must, win or lose, excepting shutouts -- which shouldn't be an issue as the club, for all its struggles, has only been blanked twice in 56 games.

Alongside the practical concerns, there's also the matter of Zegras' emotional reserve. In short, there's no time for getting too high or too low against any opponent. A scramble of 26 games in 48 days dictates he call upon any lessons learned about (cliche warning) keeping an even keel and focusing one game at a time.

There's one more game against his old club, on Mar. 18 in Southern California. He absolutely, positively cannot treat his first trip back to Anaheim as some kind of emotional high point -- even if he wants to stick it to that percentage of home fans who will make their displeasure known. I don't know if he knows it, but he can still be the dagger in their hearts without whooping it up like he did and performing for the cameras 49 days ago.

Objectively and subjectively, it was a mistake for Zegras to become so emotionally invested back on Jan. 6. Once the high wore off, he AND his teammates felt the sting of a string of lifeless performances whose fallout was only interrupted by the Olympic break. Switching it on to fuel his play against the likes of Carolina, Boston, the Red Wings, Rangers, Islanders and Devils should be where his head's at. 

I don't want to put a number on Zegras' production, but 25 points, minimum, in 26 games would sound like he's trying to rise to the occasion, with 30-or-more being indicative of latent drive and leadership quality. Throw in a couple game-tying or game-winning goals, that's a recipe for success. 

Regardless of deployment, he won't be able to dodge media scrutiny for much longer if the results don't arrive.

Vladar to be tested like never before in Flyers postseason push

Courtesy of YardBarker

by Bob Herpen 

Phanatic Magazine 

I don't think it's a stretch to say that Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar has been the most consistent performer on the team through the first two-thirds of the schedule.  

I also don't think it's a stretch to say that he's the front runner for the Bobby Clarke Trophy as team MVP as well as one of maybe two players who have distinguished themselves enough to be considered for the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy as the club's most improved player. 

At 17-8-6 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .905 save percentage, the sixth-year pro out of Czechia is firmly on pace for career highs across the board. As of the Olympic break, the only stat he hasn't set a personal record on is save pct., with his 90.6% rate standing as the best from 4 years ago with the Calgary Flames. 

He's apparently raring to go for a bigger challenge, as he told in-house Flyers media personality Jason Myrtetus earlier in the season.

"I didn't want to go to any ... what usually reporters like to say a 'rebuild' team, I wanted to go to a team that's hungry and that's trying or willing (to do) everything to make it to the playoffs," he admitted. "When I spoke to our head coach, that's what he told me, too, our goal is to make the playoffs."

Man, meet moment.

Vladar, as multiple outlets have already reported and multiple personages have repeatedly mentioned, was shielded in Calgary the last couple seasons due to the emergence of Dustin Wolf as the starter. However, there are indications he could carry a significant load as the games become more important.

Four years ago, under Darryl Sutter in Calgary, Vladar stepped up and helped the Flames not only secure a playoff berth, but a Pacific Division title with a 50-win record. Between Feb. 24 and Apr. 29 that crazy high-scoring expansion season, he was called upon 10 times to start and made appearances in 12 contests. Vladar went 6-3-1 overall including 4-1-1 in the season's final month.

Three years ago, he suited up only 3 times in March and April. Two years back, it was 4 appearances and 3 starts from the middle of February onward. Last season among his 30 games and 29 starts, the workload increased late: 8 games and 7 starts from Feb. 25 through the season's final 7 weeks. The record, 5-1-1. Most importantly, he did not give up more than 3 goals any time he stepped into the crease.

Arguably, the best of the bunch was a 3-0 shutout loss to the two-time defending Cup champion Florida Panthers on March 1, where he stopped 39 of 42 shots. Strangely enough, other great nights when the pressure's on for Vladar also arrived in losses, such as a 40-save effort in a 3-1 loss at Winnipeg in the curtain-dropper to 2022.

Vladar in fact, was also broken in gently during his first season of NHL play, with the Boston Bruins, 5 years ago as the club shuffled the crease between Tuukka Rask, Jaroslav Halak, Jeremy Swayman and the then-23-year-old. Over 5 starts for the third-place club in the Northeast Division, Vladar went 2-2-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .886 SvPct. for a B's club which could outscore any defensive lapses.

For all the complaining about a defense which has as much trouble picking up an open man as a one-armed man has tying his shoes, the Flyers backline hasn't done Vladar dirty. He's only faced as many as 30 shots *nine times* and no more than 35 in any start -- a 6-3 win over the Devils at home on Nov. 22.

For comparison, let's look at the stretch runs of Mr. 500-Yard-Stare himself, former starting goaltender Steve Mason. 

During the Flyers' playoff push in 2014, Mason appeared in 17 games from Feb. 27 through the end of the regular season on Apr. 12 as the top choice over Ray Emery. 

He finished that stretch run with a 10-4-2 record and 1 no-decision, delivering points in 12 of his starts and a total of 22 out of a possible 32 points in Craig Berube's lone excursion to the postseason as head coach here. 

Down the stretch in 2016, Mason was even better. From March 5 to the end of the regular season on Apr. 9, Money Mase carried even more of the load in place of Michal Neuvirth, finishing with a 10-4-3 mark in 17 starts.

In the process, he played a large hand in helping the Flyers wrest 23 of a possible 34 points out of his late-year slate and providing Dave Hakstol his first taste of playoff hockey as an NHL bench boss.

The major difference between Mason and Vladar, is the former was used to shouldering the burden of a starter's role for multiple years, while the latter is setting personal highs for appearances every time he steps into the crease. His 33 games so far is 3 more than he worked all of last season. 

There are 26 games remaining once the NHL returns from Milano Cortina and the Flyers resume play between Feb. 25 through Apr. 14. If we're going to play the crease roulette version of "Dat's a Win, Dat's a Loss" for Vladar's work level as the season concludes, it's reasonable to think head coach Rick Tocchet would be smart enough to put Vladar in net for the following:

Feb. 25 at Washington 

Feb. 28  BOSTON

Mar. 2    TORONTO

Mar. 7    at Pittsburgh

Mar. 9    NY RANGERS

Mar. 11  WASHINGTON

Mar. 14  COLUMBUS

Either one of Mar. 18  at Anaheim/Mar. 19 at Los Angeles

Mar. 21  at San Jose

Mar. 24  COLUMBUS

Mar. 28  at Detroit

Mar. 31  at Washington

Apr. 3    at NY Islanders

Apr. 5    BOSTON

Apr. 7    at New Jersey

Apr. 9    at Detroit

Apr. 13  CAROLINA

That's 18 out of 26 games, restarting the schedule 8 points out of a playoff spot. Sam Ersson or whoever else is well enough to play and can be propped up will likely start the others including out-of-conference contests against Utah, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Chicago and Winnipeg; some of the remainder during which Vladar will rest are certainly going to be planned losses and some of those he may be called upon for mop-up duty. 

"Oh yeah, we've had those discussions," said Flyers assistant coach Todd Reirden at media availability from the club's practice facility on Feb. 21. It'll depend a little bit on when we see Dan and how he looks and when we get a true feeling for the amount of work that he gets."

Reirden didn't have a definitive answer but stated Vladar would resume his post-Olympic duties in net for either Washington next Wednesday or the Rangers the following day. In a predictable reversal, Reirden was optimistic about Ersson's readiness.

"I think he's one of a number of guys that's looking to use that 12 days ... to reset and get himself back to where he was at," Reirden noted. "He's sporadically shown us some really good games and I think that consistency will be really important if we wanna end up where we wanna be."

Reminder of where Ersson is at: 8-10-5, 3.51 GAA and ,856 save pct. He's saving pucks at a 90.5% rate in his 8 victories but somewhere in the 83% range in his 10 regulation and 5 beyond-regulation losses. No home wins since Dec. 3 vs. Buffalo.

It could be a blessing or a curse for Vladar to take the reins; don't ask me to predict. It does bode well he rested for 2 weeks due to injury in January and then will play only sporadically for his country at the Olympics ahead of the intense downhill run to spring. Then again, after a 5-3 loss in Columbus on Jan. 28, Vladar indicated how tough a restart is. 

"Even if you skate with 3 or 4 guys, you're never going to see bodies in front of you, crashing (into) your view or tipping pucks, stuff like that," he noted. "I think right now our trained did an awesome job getting me back as soon as possible. So was Dilly (goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh), just trying to work on those little details that I still need to work on."

Another restart is coming soon with 3 games in 4 days right off the bat. If Vladar shows up like Mason, or even shows up like the Vladar who made two spectacular sprawling saves at the right post to thwart two Blue Jacket shooters 21 days ago, there is a good shot the Flyers can at least compete for a spot. 

At worst, he'll need to wring points out of at least 13 or maybe 14 of those 17 potential starts, the more two-pointers the better. but as many single points beyond regulation as possible beyond that. There may be a light at the end of the tunnel being so bad in 3-on-3s. Eight losses already, with the possibility of more to come, means valuable points. Something is *always* better than nothing.

Writing this, it is nothing short of a tall order. If all indications from his teammates are accurate, they may rise to his level when it's needed most. 

"When he says something, it carries weight," Flyers winger Noah Cates told Wayne Fish on Feb. 4 at the club's practice facility. "He's pulling his weight so when he says something, you want to play hard for him because he's battling his ass off every night and giving us a chance to win."

Anything less, and Flyers twitter will want to burn it all down in the face of another failure. The franchise record for playoff futility is 5 consecutive seasons, from 1990 through 1994. Back then, there was a shifting roster year to year that brought the club progressively higher-end talent that sparked a revival. 

This would be the sixth in a row, without a solid plan in place to improve. Win or lose, Vladar absolutely deserves better for his professionalism and leadership under fire.

Spectrum Memories: Claude Lemieux Still Sucks

Courtesy of Le Journal de Montreal

by Bob Herpen 

Phanatic Hockey Editor 

On this mid-winter evening at the Spectrum, Public Enemy No. 1 Claude Lemieux – like PootieTang – done did it again.

In a crucial Sunday night nationally-televised game between two teams expected to be championship contenders, the two-time Stanley Cup winner and Avalanche winger stole the show from a dynamic teammate and sunk the Philadelphia Flyers with the go-ahead goal in the final minute of regulation of a 5-3 road victory.

To recap: almost eight months earlier to the day, Lemieux took the starch out of a hostile crowd at the Spectrum on a steamy June afternoon and put the New Jersey Devils ahead in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals by a 3-2 score. The winning score, seen below as one of the most infamous whiffs in Ron Hextall's storied goaltending career, also staked his club to a 3-2 series advantage.

Once called "The Bill Laimbeer of Hockey" by the Hartford Courant, Lemieux was also called "clutch" long before Justin Williams stamped his indelible mark on multiple playoff Game 7s.

The timing of the goal deflated the host Flyers, who had fought through the frustrating neutral zone trap to erase a 2-0 deficit and tie the game with the sellout throng firmly in their corner. A win could have ensured a chance to close things out in a home-bound Game 7 even in the event of a Game 6 loss on the road.

"I was tied up with (Eric) Lindros and when Marty (Brodeur) made the save and it went into the corner, I just saw a lot of open ice on the right side," Lemieux said of his series-turning score.

"I wasn't sure if I should make a play or shoot. (Petr) Svoboda backed up a little and I fired it. It was lucky."

Instead, two nights later, despite scoring the first and last goals in that Game 6 at the Meadowlands, the Devils rifled home the middle four scores and ensured their first-ever trip to the championship round.

Lemieux, of course, had a hand in that crushing defeat, too.

Flash forward to the calendar year 19-naughty-six. Lemieux landed in Colorado thanks to a series of trades just prior to the start of the regular season that saw fellow contract refugees Steve Thomas (from New Jersey to NY Islanders) and Wendel Clark (from Colorado to NY Islanders) also change locations. deflated the Philly crowd once again.

The stakes weren’t nearly as high, and the goal wasn’t nearly as clean, but it did the job nonetheless. With two Stanley Cup rings plugging his ears, there was no way Lemieux heard the Philly faithful turn on him again.

It's what he does best. Remember all that...unpleasantness...in Montreal?

The dribbler -- another one Hextall should have snagged -- gave the visitors a 4-3 edge and took the starch out of a speed-for-speed, talent-for-talent matchup which featured second-year center and former Flyers first-round draftee Peter Forsberg record a hat trick – including the empty netter which accounted for the 5-3 final in the Avs’ favor.

The player for which he was packaged, Flyers captain Eric Lindros, chipped in with two goals and one assist including the tying score earlier in a frantic, six-goal third stanza.

Drafted No. 6 overall by then-Flyers GM Russ Farwell in 1991, Forsberg made his NHL debut in the Spectrum a little more than a year prior, on Jan. 21, 1995 when the Nordiques helped open the lockout-shortened season. Also there that Saturday afternoon but absent on Sunday night, Avs center Mike Ricci -- one of the other active Flyers also shipped to Quebec in the 1992 Lindros mega deal -- sidelined due to a bad back.

This time, Forsberg made his re-debut in a new uniform for the same franchise and posted the first of his eight career trifectas – accounting for exactly half of his career goal total vs. the Flyers in one evening. The often-injured super Swede went on to record 15 points (6G, 9A) over 15 appearances until signing here to a metric ton of anticipation before the 2005-06 campaign.

If you’re in contention for a division title and a top-two conference seed, it’s better to lose to a non-conference club that’s also competing for first overall and a shot at the President’s Trophy for home-ice throughout the playoffs. The Flyers split that part of the job: beating the eventual 62-win Red Wings but falling to the 47-win Avalanche. 

Colorado *really* needed this one. Coming off a homestand which ended in a tie with Tampa Bay and loss to Hartford, the Avs dropped to 12 points behind Detroit for first place in the West and first place overall.

It’s also best to shore up the home side down the stretch, and the Orange and Black passed muster there, as well. They lost only two more home games from Feb. 11 through the end of the regular season, to the Devils and Bruins, going 10-2-1 in the Spectrum ahead of the playoffs. This loss ended a bad stretch of 2-4-3 on home ice since a rousing win over the Penguins just before Christmas.

Just about the only star-caliber player not involved with the contest was future Hall-of-Famer Patrick Roy. Roy, traded from the Canadiens to the Avalanche two months prior, had a horrendous overall record vs. the Flyers to this point in his career. That dismal mark included surrendering all 7 goals against Philly in both clubs’ season opener at the Forum back in October when he still toiled for the Montreal Canadiens.

Instead, Stephane "I deserve to be a starter in the NHL" Fiset got the nod in net for the visitors and nabbed the win with a 26-save effort. Although a potential Finals matchup between the Avalanche and Flyers never materialized for that season and during the remainder of the era, Lemieux continued his career-long torture game four years later. 

Traded once again due to impending unrestricted free-agent status late in the 1999-2000 season from the Avs back to the Devils, Lemieux was part of the sinister squad which rallied from a 3-1 series deficit in the Eastern finals to beat the Flyers in 7 games and eventually went onto win the second of three Cups in 9 seasons.