Thus far today, most of the hate as been directed at Kris Versteeg, and with good reason. His play, specifically one lazy shift in the second period, typified the Flyers' Game 3 effort.
I've received two emails – from readers Anthony and Collin – showing the Flyers' record since they acquired Versteeg: [regular season]
|
|
W |
L |
OTL |
Points |
Available |
|
|
Pre Versteeg |
36 |
14 |
5 |
77 |
110 |
70.0% |
|
Post Versteeg |
11 |
9 |
7 |
29 |
54 |
53.7% |
|
|
47 |
23 |
12 |
106 |
164 |
|
Most of this isn't his fault, but his play during the below shift was just a microcosm of the way the Flyers played last night. I decided to narrate the shift, lowlighting the Flyers' total lack of effort which led to three shots on goal for the Bruins and a lot of helter-skelter play in the Flyers' defensive zone.
Give it a look after the jump.
33 Responses
So god damn depressing. This team was just a huge cock tease this year.
These stats are so frustrating. I think it’s time for Danny Briere to make his “I’m not ready for the season to be over” speech.
🙁
Flyers problems started a little bit before Versteeg’s arrival. They were a team all year that didn’t win tight game, and they were able to disguise that with their ability to score more goals. Teams like this get exposed in the playoffs, it happened to the Capitals last year, and it’s happening to the Flyers this year. It is what it is, their inability to compete in tight games is ultimately their downfall, it has NOTHING to do with Versteeg, sure he takes fault as a member of the team, but the beginning of this losing trend was born before his arrival.
Oh yeh, a timely save wouldn’t hurt either.
this dudes been nothing but bust
Joe- I agree, tried to make it clear that most of this wasn’t his fault. But that one shift from last night pretty much summed up the Flyers’ effort. imo.
series not over yet. i believe in these guys. they are the best team in the nhl without a doubt. just think back to game 7 of buffalo series. that was masterful. we can bring that for the next 4 games. we can. LETS DO THIS FLYERS BECAUSE I KNOW YOU ARE READING THIS BLOG. IF YOU DONT SHOW UP ON FRIDAY YOU WILL HAVE THE ENTIRE SUMMER TO THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH OF A BLOWN OPPORTUNITY THIS WAS. DO NOT LOSE TO BOSTON. GET OUT THERE AND BUST YOUR ASSES. WORK GODDAMNIT WORK!!!!!!!!! IM NOT ON HERE TO PERSONALLY CRITICIZE ANY OF YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ALL FUCKING AWESOME IN MY OPINION. YOU ARE ALL FLYERS. NOW GET OUT THERE AND FUCKING WIN GAME 4
Someone wanna do an analysis to see how the Maple Leafs performed after he left…you know and finish the analysis…. also stats on their PP and PK with and without him on both TOR and PHI would also help explain the impact better…….GET TO WORK BLOGGERS!!!
Spot-on, especially the dig at Richie at the end. I love the guy, but there have been more confirmed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster than #18 in this series.
Best quote
“Mike Richards is not featured in this video. He has not been seen since the middle of March.”
So sad it’s funny, because if I don’t laugh I’m crying.
Versteeg sucks. He let the man with a 105 mph slap shop wide open at the top of the circle and the vid above is another example. I was actually pleased when he got lit up by whoever that was. Dirty Dichards needs to trade in his girlie voice for an adult jock and start stepping up!
this team is a joke at this point. im fully aware of this now and just laughed at this entire video because they are that bad. im just gonna go watch the hbo documentary the broad street bullies and see what real hockey looked like. god how i wish i was alive back then.
Can’t wait to see what the draft picks the Flyers’ gave up for Versteeg turn into.
hey if you call yourself a real fan of this team you’ll wait until the bruins win a fourth game to turn on the HBO documentaries and call our team a joke. Its not over til its over, keep believing, this team has done it before. And honestly, if you know anything about hockey, you know that the Flyers are better than the Bruins. Whether they play that way is a different question. But if the Flyers show up and bring their best, they can and certainly should win the fucking series. Stop ripping individual players – respect the team. Yea Versteeg probably should have gotten a little more on the dump in, but this is one small issue in a game that was riddled with lapses and missed coverages and blown saves and lazy play. Its a team sport boys you win and lose together. Lets pour our energy into Friday now boys. Come on now
I could really do without the music in these videos.
Thanks, Henry. You know what? Contact my people and they will set you up with suite tickets to game 5.
All of my hate has been directed at Kris Versteeg ever since he got here. The rest of the Delaware Valley is just catching up.
The song was “Boston” from Augustanta.
No matter what happens, they’re still “Our” team. And for the whole matter of versteeg, He has been a pretty good player since we acquired him. The stats might not show it, but he has been creating opportunistic and hustling for the puck. Just because of a lapse in his game doesn’t mean its his fault or any other players fault. The team as a whole have been lacking, put they were last year, and they made it to the Cup. And the its not like the Boucher or Bobs are trying to let goals in, they’re playing to the best of their ability. In my opinion, the best players in our playoffs are JVR and Briere. Even if we lose this series, instead of moaning and bitching about how were a bad team, why don’t we try to build on the team and make them better. JVR, BOBS, Leino, Nodl, and Giroux are the future superstars of our team. So lets give it our all the rest of this series and get ready to play! LETS GO FLYERS. BRING HOME THE CUP
that song is really gay
You get the same results if you look at it as thus “pre Pronger injury” and “post Pronger injury”. I don’t lay blame on the offense it’s been about the “D”. Last night was the limpest Offensive show they’ve put on all season, and they were feeling defeated obviously. The rest of the losses in the playoffs were defensive breakdowns imo. They’ve been out shooting everybody.
song is appropriately hilarious but don’t try this narrating a hockey play thing again. i expected much worse of a shift, and the dig at richie at the end is dumb for two obvious reasons 1) only 1 line of forwards was featured in the sequence and 2) the guy (somehow quietly) threw just 3 less shots on goal than briere did in this year’s playoffs. JVR: 65 DannyB: 43 Richie: 40. i love richie, this team never gives up, and i hope an early exit from this year’s postseason finally persuades homer to find room in the budget for bryzgalov/vokoun
Correct me if I’m wrong but your logic is flawed on the Versteeg trade. Pronger has been out most of that time causing a lesser record to go along with poor (to put it bluntly) goaltending.
the reason we havent gone after any FA goalies or traded for thomas last year is because the chemistry on this team esp between the best forwards (richie carter giroux JVR briere hartnell leino etc) is really good. we lose carts or a good d-man to sign bryz or vokoun, at least. and frankly, Id prefer giving Bob another chance, and an off-season with coaching and english lessons, before we sign some touted FA goalie. Often times that fails horribly. I get the fact that we have had backups as starters for the past two seasons (aside from Emery) but the chemistry takes a big big hit if we sign an FA goalie. Thats my take. As Laviolette always says “I LIKE OUR TEAM”
versteeg did make a few bad plays by trying to skate around the d at the blue line when he should have just dumped it.. but, he was also the only flyer that was skating hard in the 2nd and 3rd. look back at the game, our team was so damn lazy. He was actually skating after pucks and putting on some pressure in the boston zone. all while the rest of the players coast to the bench or onto the ice with no emotion.
Embarrassing, just embarrassing.
What now oh wise and sage like Homer? We’ve switched the team up from being “outdated” by getting speed and youth. We upgraded the defense but passed on upgrading in goal. We have our “goalie of the future” in Bob. (Although he’s not being played.) So what do you do now since you’ve been so sure all these moves (or non-moves) were going to bring a Cup to Philly? NOW WHAT?!!!
I love Laviolette. He’s one of the best, if not the best coach the Flyers have ever had. However, I blame him for this collapse. Any confidence that Bob had was destroyed after Lavs had him on such a short leash. Boucher has never been good enough to get us there. Not now not ten years ago. Bringing in Leighton was a huge mistake. Bob should have been our number one throughout. We played amazing in game 2. The uninspired performance in game 3 is treatable. The team is good enough to rebound, but chronic goaltending deficiency is not.
The team is gassed out….nothing left….if they win 1 game in this series I will be surprised…
Its sad to see the Flyers turn into the Eagles (good but not great).
Ugh….never leaving my Philly roots, but these lackluster teams that have little desire to win it all when it matters (or simply turn off the effort whenver they want) is getting REALLLY OLD!
Totally agree Aaron.
This didn’t make me mad at all. Sure it was a sloppy, lazy play but aren’t we use to a shift like this (where one of the centres is asleep during their shift, someone forgets to make sure the puck gets out of the zone, and then someone else subsequently loses the puck as they try to advance). I don’t have cable and listened to the game on WIP (as I have done with a majority of the games this season) and I got mad when Bundy started to sound depressed. I knew then that the caliber of the Flyers performance was such that it dethroned the ever exuberant optimism of Chris Therien.
Anyone that thinks we should start next season with Bob as the starting goaltender must seriously have their head examined. Short of winning the next 12 games he starts — Bob is a backup. He should probably play in AHL for a while, but the Flyers need to acquire a goaltender. Vok, Brz or trade Versteeg to the islanders for the rights to what’s his name guy from SJ.
@Andrew Mc : there is no way Bob is a “back-up” – especially after a full off-season with the coaching staff and with english lessons. his play in game 3 was absolutely stellar, and I think this season has done him wonders as far as acclimating himself to the style of play in the NHL. His speed post to post is unreal and he is lightning quick with the pads and with his glove. I honestly think the kid is special. Unpolished, sure, but definitely special. He also seems to have a real mental toughness which a lot of goalies lack and which is a huge advantage in high pressure scenarios. His quotes are always really good, team-oriented and humble. He is a class act. He needs a fair amount of coaching and english lessons, but aside from that I think we have a great goalie in him. I think he starts tonight and outshines Thomas. Bold prediction, but lets hope its true
hey henry i know you wont see this, but man oh man the flyers sure played a great game tonight in elimanation. this team is a joke at this point. injuries killed us, lavy over skating the team in feb back fired, goaltending hurt us a lot, and theres just no heart. the physical play in this series was terrible, it was alllllllllllllllll boston. s my d henry this series was over after that heart breaking loss in game 2. just keep drinking that kool aide…dude i love being optimistic about the flyers, i love them, but im a realist and its time you realize that this team is no where near stanely cup caliber. this team was lucky to beat an ahl sabres team.
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