Flyers

The Ryan Miller Effect

By Kyle Scott

Published: Apr 15th, 2011 · 9:34 AM EDT

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Source: PhiladelphiaFlyers.com

Questions:

Will Chris Pronger play? We don't know.

How will Bob handle playoff hockey? Just fine.

Will the Flyers "flip the switch" (a phrase I love, but am getting tired of using)? Seems like it.

Can they slow down the Sabres? Yep.

Look at some of these stats, courtesy of the Flyers' release:

The Flyers directed 74 shots towards the Buffalo net (35 on net, 16 that were blocked, and 23 that missed) compared to 36 by Buffalo (25 on net, 4 that were blocked, 7 that missed).  On March 5, the Flyers directed 83 shots towards the Buffalo net (36 on goal, 29 blocked, 18 missed) in a 5-3 loss. 

The Flyers recorded 40 hits tonight.  That equals their regular season high set at Dallas on March 19.

 

They more than doubled Buffalo in the number of shots taken. They tied a season high for number of hits. But they still lost.

While a number of questions were answered in the affirmative last night – yes, Virginia, the Flyers can flip the switch (uhhhh) – one somewhat overlooked query will now be the refrain: What if Ryan Miller stands on his head?

It's the one variable in sports over which you have almost no control. A hockey team can play a perfect game and still lose. It's sort of like a summer's eve in Sea Isle. Carts (in theory) could play his perfect game: Luke warm keg on berber rug, shooters served by a sexy college student, meticulously scripted Taio Cruz playlist interspersed with selected pop ballads like The Climb (you go to a party and find me a bunch of drunk girls who won't break-out into harmonic ballad during a post midnight Miley play), and ripped jeans. Yet, if at the end of the night, – insert conquest here -'s friends want to take her home and not have her make an awkward and yet somewhat memorable mistake with a professional athlete, well, there's nothing Carts can do. Sort of like last night.

Ryan Miller is the clam-slam friends. Don't invite them to Game 2.