NHL: Flyers Struggle To Find Identity
Barry F. Hess
April 17, 2006
With just one game remaining in the regular season the Philadelphia Flyers are preparing to enter the playoffs with more questions than they have answers for.
In fact, after 81 games the only certainty is the fact that Philadelphia has qualified for the post-season.
Who will they play in the first round?
Who will the starting goaltender be?
Will Peter Forsberg be healthy?
Will the team start to play with any consistency?
These are all questions teams preparing for a run at the Stanley Cup usually have answers for.
Just 24 hours after looking like the dominating group everyone expected to see at the start of the season the Flyers, as they have so many times this year, took another giant leap in the wrong direction and lost 5-1 to the hottest team in hockey over the last two weeks, the New Jersey Devils.
So which team is the real Flyers?
The group that dominated the current Atlantic Division leading New York Rangers in every aspect of the game in route to a 4-1 win on Saturday or the group that has lost their last two games to the Devils by a combined score of 9-2?
We had a good game against the Rangers. We were trying to follow it up with another good game, and we had a bad performance from a lot of players. If we're going to make it to the playoffs, we are not going to go far playing like that,? said Flyers? coach Ken Hitchcock afterwards. ?We didn't play with the energy we had [in Saturday's 4-1 win over the New York Rangers]. None of us did.?
While fans are holding out hope Forsberg returns healthy for the playoffs to carry the team in a Keith Primeau-like fashion players in the locker room can only shake their heads and wonder what is going on.
It's annoying as a group,? said Mike Knuble. ?Extremely annoying. The coaches wonder why, we wonder why, and everybody who watches us wonders why. That is what we have been trying to figure out all season. It's more of the same. You can say, 'When the playoffs get here, it's going to be different but it doesn't work like that. We have to get it going in here now.?
Perhaps the only thing more disheartening than the inconsistency between the red lines as of late is the newfound inconsistency between the pipes.
After both Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki played as solid as any two goalies in the league for six months both of them have begun to look vulnerable as the playoffs draw near.
After Niittymaki all but secured himself the starting job in the playoffs, at least that is what most believed, Esche came on strong in recent weeks to make the decision unclear.
But after Niittymaki came back down to earth recently and Esche can?t seem to get over the flu bug sweeping through the locker room no one knows who Hitchcock is leaning towards, not even the players.
I don't know, to be honest with you," Niittymaki said. "Maybe Esche knows, but I don't."
Friday night the post-season officially begins and whether or not any or all of the questions looming around the Wachovia Center as of late will be answered will be left up in the air.
Tuesday night the Flyers travel up to New York to face the Islanders in the regular season finale but even a win over the golf course bound Islanders may not solve all the problems.
Under the right circumstances a win Tuesday night could lift the Flyers to the Atlantic Division title and a first round match-up against those very same Devils that scored nine goals in six periods against the Flyers.
Forsberg will play in the post season but at what level of health is up for debate.
Is it possible one man can make that much difference on a team?
Is it possible the Flyers come out of the gate Tuesday night firing on all cylinders and just continue to go forward once the playoffs start?
I guess that?s why the play the games and soon enough we?ll all find out.
In fact, after 81 games the only certainty is the fact that Philadelphia has qualified for the post-season.
Who will they play in the first round?
Who will the starting goaltender be?
Will Peter Forsberg be healthy?
Will the team start to play with any consistency?
These are all questions teams preparing for a run at the Stanley Cup usually have answers for.
Just 24 hours after looking like the dominating group everyone expected to see at the start of the season the Flyers, as they have so many times this year, took another giant leap in the wrong direction and lost 5-1 to the hottest team in hockey over the last two weeks, the New Jersey Devils.
So which team is the real Flyers?
The group that dominated the current Atlantic Division leading New York Rangers in every aspect of the game in route to a 4-1 win on Saturday or the group that has lost their last two games to the Devils by a combined score of 9-2?
We had a good game against the Rangers. We were trying to follow it up with another good game, and we had a bad performance from a lot of players. If we're going to make it to the playoffs, we are not going to go far playing like that,? said Flyers? coach Ken Hitchcock afterwards. ?We didn't play with the energy we had [in Saturday's 4-1 win over the New York Rangers]. None of us did.?
While fans are holding out hope Forsberg returns healthy for the playoffs to carry the team in a Keith Primeau-like fashion players in the locker room can only shake their heads and wonder what is going on.
It's annoying as a group,? said Mike Knuble. ?Extremely annoying. The coaches wonder why, we wonder why, and everybody who watches us wonders why. That is what we have been trying to figure out all season. It's more of the same. You can say, 'When the playoffs get here, it's going to be different but it doesn't work like that. We have to get it going in here now.?
Perhaps the only thing more disheartening than the inconsistency between the red lines as of late is the newfound inconsistency between the pipes.
After both Robert Esche and Antero Niittymaki played as solid as any two goalies in the league for six months both of them have begun to look vulnerable as the playoffs draw near.
After Niittymaki all but secured himself the starting job in the playoffs, at least that is what most believed, Esche came on strong in recent weeks to make the decision unclear.
But after Niittymaki came back down to earth recently and Esche can?t seem to get over the flu bug sweeping through the locker room no one knows who Hitchcock is leaning towards, not even the players.
I don't know, to be honest with you," Niittymaki said. "Maybe Esche knows, but I don't."
Friday night the post-season officially begins and whether or not any or all of the questions looming around the Wachovia Center as of late will be answered will be left up in the air.
Tuesday night the Flyers travel up to New York to face the Islanders in the regular season finale but even a win over the golf course bound Islanders may not solve all the problems.
Under the right circumstances a win Tuesday night could lift the Flyers to the Atlantic Division title and a first round match-up against those very same Devils that scored nine goals in six periods against the Flyers.
Forsberg will play in the post season but at what level of health is up for debate.
Is it possible one man can make that much difference on a team?
Is it possible the Flyers come out of the gate Tuesday night firing on all cylinders and just continue to go forward once the playoffs start?
I guess that?s why the play the games and soon enough we?ll all find out.
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