There are 82 games in the regular season, HW will do a deeper dive into the matchups and storylines for the ones we all have circled on our calendars.
The Flyers (6-3-2) fell flat to a Tavares-less Toronto team on Wednesday night 3-0 – and it wasn’t pretty.
- Yes, the Flyers competed.
- Yes, there was an unlucky bounce to break a 0-0 tie.
- No, it didn’t resemble the 9-0 nightmare we all experienced at the hands of the Rangers last year.
- Yes, there is some reason to be concerned…
The Carolina Hurricanes (10-1-0) are no longer the southern “layup” they once were; as our prodigal son Rod Brind’amour has the Canes going full-Irene on the NHL during the early weeks of the season. They have allowed a scanty 21 goals against this year – least in the NHL – and 41 goals-for (6th in the NHL).
The one loss they have is against the top of the league Florida Panthers.
The Flyers are next up in the eye – here are your storylines for this Flyer vs Hurricanes Rivalry on the Radar:
THE AV SHUFFLE
The Flyers lines last season were in perpetual random-shuffle in an attempt to get something, ANYTHING, to start producing. Coach Alain Vigneault may have to dip into his bag of tricks to get an offensive spark out of this team again.
Being shut out twice in two weeks is not a recipe for success. The Flyers can score – Cam, Joel, G, Coots, Laughts, JVR, TK, maybe even Oskar someday – the ability is there but it dried up all on Wednesday night against the Leafs just as it did against the Flames two weeks ago.
The Flyers have only lost once in regulation (4-2 loss to Florida) when they score two goals. TWO GOALS… is that too much to ask from a team to almost guarantee A point?
Are we being selfish here??
AV has stuck with the same lines through the first 11 games – with the exception of substitutions on the 4th but look for some juggling against Carolina.
Potential Adjustments:
- Cam Atkinson jumps to 1st line with G & Coots
- TK moves to 2nd line with Brassard and Oskar jumping up
- Farabee, Laughts, and JVR reunite on the 3rd
- 4th stays in tact
Maybe not the best game to tinker, but we did the math:
Getting shut out isn’t a winning combo.
Juggle AV, Juggle.
PECO IS GETTING PISSSSSED
An extension of the goal draught can be placed on the lack of power play production in recent games. AV may have actually jumped-the-gun on the PP tinkering by taking Yandle and JVR – two players who THRIVE in a PP situation – off the top unit.
The marketing team at Peco must be ready throw the switch on that sponsorship.
It is understandable to try different combos, especially early in the season, but we didn’t bring Yandle to the Flyers for his defensive prowess; he is elite on the man-up and he needs to be on that top pairing.
The issue with the power play isn’t just the lack of goal production, it is also the lack of momentum building. The last few games the PP has been disjointed to a point that they can barely enter the zone, forget about getting set up to apply sustained pressure. That is your top skill-players on the ice for two minutes not being able to get into the offensive zone.
Therian and AV made a late game adjustment against Toronto to get Yandle and JVR back on that top unit, so they clearly see the same issues.
Look for revamped and hopefully more impactful PP unit on Friday night from the Flyers.
ONE MORE GAME
It looks as if reinforcements are on the way in the forms of 2C Kevin Hayes and 1B Defenseman Ryan Ellis who could both potentially return on Saturday against Dallas – or at the latest next week.
- Nick Seeler has been a warrior.
- 34-year-old Justin Braun has played like 28-year-old Justin Braun on the top pairing.
- Derrick Brassard is arguably the best-value 2C in the game with a vet-minimum contract.
Those roles will all change in the coming week if everyone gets healthy. One more game against the top team in the Metro – DO IT!
Cancel your fondu reservation… Flyers vs Hurricanes rivalry game Friday night, 7:00pm.
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