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Runnin’ (on empty) with the Devil: Thoughts after Devils 6, Flyers 4

Anthony SanFilippo

By Anthony SanFilippo

Published:

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Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

There was another hockey game Tuesday involving the team from Philadelphia.

They lost. I know you aren’t surprised. This time it was 6-4 to the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils came into this one on a 10-game winless streak. No problem; the Flyers are adept at helping teams end winless streaks. Just ask Buffalo.

Here’s the full story from this game. It sounds so damn repetitive I should be smart enough to just have a template saved on my computer and plug in the names. Hell, in some instances the names are the same because they seem to be the only guys who do anything for this team.

The Flyers got down 3-0. It was a combination of lethargic play and bad special teams. The Flyers power play was 0-for-2 in the first period and didn’t generate one shot on goal (Claude Giroux did hit the post, but shots that hit the post don’t count as a shot on goal because neither the goalie made a save nor did it go in… so it falls under the missed shot category).

Meanwhile the Devils power play, which entered the game scoring at a 12.4% clip, ranking 29th in the NHL. A power play that had only one goal in 25 attempts during their 10-game skid, was a perfect 2-for-2.

(You can’t make this stuff up about the Flyers this season.)

From there, the Flyers mounted a furious comeback. Oskar Lindblom scored (and Jackson Cates picked up his first NHL point with an assist) –

Then it was Phil Myers getting his first goal of the year (don’t celebrate Myers too much, he was dreadful in this game) –

…and with the team trailing in the third period, Claude Giroux (of course) tied it:

As they are wont to do, the Flyers gave up a goal not too long after, and then got another tying goal from Sean Couturier (also, of course):

But, as has been the Flyers modus operandi all season, they gave the lead right back on the next shift. This time, 11 seconds later –

 

“The fifth goal was a miscommunication between the ‘D’ and the goaltender,’’ coach Alain Vigneault said.

You don’t say?

If that isn’t a microcosm of the season, I don’t know what is.

There was one final push in the closing minute with the goalie pulled. Couturier had the tying goal on his stick and an empty net to shoot at, but somehow New Jersey defenseman Matt Tennyson got his stick on it and blocked it away.

Giroux also had a chance from in close in the final seconds on a quick snap shot, but New Jersey goalie MacKenzie Blackwood made a nice save. Off the next faceoff the Devils got an empty-netter for the final score.

The loss, coupled with a Boston win, put the Flyers’ tragic number at three points, meaning basically one more Bruins win and one more Flyers loss and the team is officially eliminated.

That could come as soon as Thursday, when, if the same thing happens as Tuesday, it’ll finally all be over.

(I keep telling myself, just seven games to go…)

Let’s see, What else to tell you….

  • Defenseman Yegor Zamula made his NHL debut. An undrafted free agent, Zamula has turned into one of the Flyers top prospects. That said, he still needs to bulk up. It was an issue at the beginning of the season, and still is now. “He wasn’t ready at that time and I don’t know if he’s ready (still),” Vigneault said prior the game. “We’re going to get an opportunity to see what he can do, we feel that he’s got potential, we feel he’s got upside. Is he going to be able to put it all together? We’re going to find out. We’re going to get a good look tonight against a team that has got a lot of speed, a good, hard forechecking team. We’ll see how he does.” Zamula played well for a first NHL game. No big mistakes. He didn’t look out of place. He played 19:19 and was a +1, for whatever that rating is worth these days.
  • Brian Elliott can not play this many games any more. He’s an excellent backup goalie. He can still give you a strong game or two in a row. But, with Carter Hart out with a knee injury, relying on the 36-year-old is not a thing you can do, even more so in a condensed season like this one. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to win every game,’’ Vigneault said. “When he’s been fresh, he’s been outstanding. His record is real good. This is his third game in seven nights. It makes it a little more difficult.” Elliott had two goals that he should have made saves on and then the miscommunication with Provorov on the fifth goal. It was a tough night for Moose.
  • Travis Sanheim got into a fight. That’s not a typo. He didn’t take kindly to a hit on Couturier and jumped Michael McLeod, earning both a roughing minor and a fighting major. These are the kinds of responses fans have wanted to see all season. Of course, it led to a power play goal for the Devils, but hey, at least you were entertained for a few seconds.
  • I’ve got an APB out for Kevin Hayes. Not sure where his game has gone, but it’s definitely been dust in the wind.  Hayes can’t score anymore. It’s not that he’s snake-bitten either. He can’t even get a sniff. He’s gone 15 games without a goal. He’s only scored twice in the last 26 games. And, maybe it’s me, but he looks exhausted when he’s on the ice and like he needs a blow. His $7.14 million cap hit was never something to sneeze at, but at least last season Hayes earned it both with his performance on the ice and the attitude he brought to the locker room. This season he’s been more of a flake – good here and there, but never consistent enough, and really off the rail for the better part of the past two months. And no matter who has been put on his line, the coaches were looking to give him a bump, and not the other way around. When the pandemic hit a little over a year ago, Chuck Fletcher’s logic of signing Hayes to that contract almost seemed like he found a pearl inside the clam. Now, one has to wonder if there is a crack in that logic.
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Anthony SanFilippo
Anthony SanFilippo

Anthony SanFilippo writes about the Phillies and Flyers for Crossing Broad and hosts a pair of related podcasts (Crossed Up and Snow the Goalie). A part of the Philadelphia sports media for a quarter century, Anthony also dabbles in acting, directing, teaching, and strategic marketing, which is why he has no time to do anything, but does it anyway. Follow him on Twitter @AntSanPhilly.

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