Flyers Lost in a Holidaze

by Bob Herpen
The Phanatic Magazine

Viewed through the prism of where the Flyers were one year ago today, there are many encouraging signs that the club is on their way to bigger and better things.

On December 24, 2006, the team was 8-23-4, coming off a 6-3 setback to Ottawa at home which was the ninth of 10 consecutive losses. They were dead-last in the NHL with 20 points, six away from the next nearest worst club.

New head coach John Stevens was embroiled in a baptism by fire up to his neck in injuries, Phantoms call-ups, and a high-scoring conference eager to feast on the downtrodden.

December 24, 2007 finds the orange and black with a 16-14-4 mark and a positive goal differential, and only two points out of second place. After dropping all eight games to the Penguins last season, the Flyers have scored three emphatic victories over their Western neighbors.

True to this year’s slogan, they have been “back with a vengeance,” ranking second only to Anaheim in penalty minutes. Mike Richards has been, far and away, the team’s breakout star. If not for Danny Briere and his commercial, Richards may also be the official face of the franchise. Richards, Briere, Scottie Upshall and others comprise some of the most fearsome short-handed units in the league.

The club even pulled off a little history. Martin Biron became the first goaltender to record back-to-back shutouts in consecutive games since John Vanbiesbrouck threw three straight goose eggs early in the 1999-2000 season. Joffrey Lupul and R.J. Umberger became the first Flyers to post two hat tricks in one game for the first time in almost 21 years.

They even blitzed Vancouver and Pittsburgh with eight goals, and tallied at least four goals on 10 occasions, making them one of only a handful of teams to put on the red light on a regular basis as the NHL sees scoring down dramatically already this season.

All is far from calm and bright on South Broad Street, though.

The only thing which has stopped a season-worst six-game losing streak was the NHL’s traditional two-day holiday break. Despite a record officially above .500, they are in last place in the Atlantic Division.

Even though he is averaging over a point-per-game, Briere has put together one of the quietest 36-point performances of any Flyer in recent memory. Being a minus-10, and failing to score in any shootout this season including the one on Saturday night and looking very uninspired doing so -- may begin to sour some fans who have been living on the hopes of his game-breaking skills.

Without Simon Gagne, Mike Knuble has been unable to generate the room he needs to pass and score, relegated to picking up the trash on the second power-play unit. Scott Hartnell’s passion and enthusiasm has translated into more senseless penalties and one suspension than it has to his anticipated value.

Randy Jones’ edge has noticeably vanished, and the Patrice Bergeron hit is the most obvious culprit. Rory Fitzpatrick, ostensibly brought in for depth on the blue line, is a team-worst minus-12 with one assist in 18 games.

Biron hasn’t yet found a game-to-game consistency, but that has as much to do with his defense deserting him during key stretches of most games over the last six weeks as it does with his inexplicable inability to perform in shootouts. He is tied for 28^th in goals-against average at 2.78.

Gagne’s lingering concussion symptoms seem to defy any plan for his return, and he is sorely missed after being absent for 24 of the last 26 games. The power play, despite its standing as tops in the NHL at 23.4 percent, looks like it requires an engraved invitation before anyone shoots.

Whatever killer instinct the franchise preached in the days before defensive hockey took emotion from the game, still has not taken root with this year’s edition.

The suspensions and line drawn between hard play and illegality are one thing, but certain performances in December could spell future trouble.

In both the Carolina and Buffalo home games, the team fell asleep and found themselves down
3-1, only to fight back to tie, then fall apart at the end with missed opportunities. In the Dallas and Montreal home games, poor starts doomed the club and sucked the emotion right out of the building. After taking a one-goal lead at New Jersey two Sundays ago, the team played its worst 15 minutes of the year in letting the Devils take a 3-1 edge with wave after wave of odd-man rushes and uncontested chances.

The road ahead doesn’t get any easier. A home game Thursday against Toronto is a prelude to a six-game road swing into the New Year. Each of the next seven on the slate has consequences for the playoff picture, as the Flyers have played themselves from the five-seed to 13^th place in a matter of two weeks.

As the year winds down, we can’t really argue too hard that the team is doing so badly, though. Simplicity and positive thinking is key here.

While you hand out the gifts and raise a glass for holiday cheer, make sure to send a silent message to whatever higher authority you believe in for Kimmo Timmonen to shoot, instead of filling your house with profanity urging him to do so.

When Martin Biron gives up yet another shootout-deciding goal while looking like a backward-skating version of the Statue of Liberty, give thanks that there is no such thing as the shootout in the playoffs. Express hope that beneath his wooden exterior and bland demeanor, Stevens has the heart and brain of a real NHL-caliber coach.

As the ball drops in Times Square, keep reminding yourself that the organization’s plan is already set in motion for the best, and is designed for better results than even now come December 24, 2008.

If that fails, you can always fall back on the old chestnut that it’s never a bad game if our guys beat up and hurt their guys.