February 6, 2012, column examining the Philadelphia Flyers' struggles post-Pronger shutdown for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Flyers stumble into stretch run

Columns

Written by Denis Gorman

Monday, February 06, 2012 01:53

The Philadelphia Flyers stormed out of the gates this season, looking like it could be their year to win Lord Stanley's Chalice. With 30 games remaining in the season, though, the Flyers are looking less like contenders and more like also-rans. The thing about harsh truths is that it needs to be said because someone or something has earned the unsparing and unsympathetic words with their deeds. Take, for instance, what Scott Hartnell said about his Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon. “Those first two periods I was embarrassed to be a Philadelphia Flyer,” Hartnell said after the Flyers’ 6-4 loss to the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center. “We came out with no jam, no intensity.” Those statements were uttered after the Flyers trailed 6-0 after the first 40 minutes. For an organization whose DNA is encoded with passion and aggression, Hartnell’s sentence was a damning indictment. Philadelphia played a strong final period against its Turnpike rivals. But the final 20 minutes was not a panacea. “To their credit they went out and played really hard in the third period, trying to set it back straight. The ship went off course there for a couple periods,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “You can’t walk out of here and say you feel good.” The weekend of bad feelings concluded Sunday afternoon with a 5-2 loss in Madison Square Garden to the New York Rangers. Philadelphia has lost the season series with the Rangers, despite two games remaining—both at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia has been outscored 14-6 in the four games against the Rangers this season. “It’s just frustrating," Laviolette told reporters in the bowels of the Garden. "We were in a position to win a hockey game and we don’t. We walk away. We’re trying to chase down first in the division, first in the conference, and we’re on the short end. “Our team could play better than what we did. We had an opportunity to win a game and we didn’t.” Should the Flyers not win the Cup this spring, the franchise’s decision makers can trace the beginning of the end of their season the day of Dec. 15. The organization announced Chris Pronger’s season over due to post-concussion symptoms during the first period of that night’s 4-3 win over the Canadiens. Pronger had been sticked in the right eye by the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski in the Flyers’ 4-2 win on Oct. 24. Pronger missed six games. He returned to the lineup for the Nov. 9 2-1 overtime loss in Tampa Bay and played an additional four games before undergoing left knee surgery on Nov. 29. During the recuperative process, Pronger complained of the lingering symptoms. He finished the season with a goal and 11 assists for 12 points in 13 games, a plus-one rating and 10 penalty minutes. The Flyers were 8-3-2 with him in the lineup. There are long-term issues that the organization must address. Starting with its philosophy of dressing and playing athletes whose only functionality is to cause chaos and create violence. It is evident that the Flyers desperately miss Pronger’s presence on the back end. Since announcing that Pronger was shut down Philadelphia is 11-9-3 and has allowed four or more goals 10 times in the 23 games. Goaltending has been the Flyers’, to borrow from goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov, “humongous big” Achilles' heel since Bernie Parent retired during the 1978-79 season. The organization thought the nine-year, $51 million pact, complete with no movement clause, it signed Bryzgalov to would be the final piece to the championship puzzle it has been trying to complete since May 17, 1976. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. The quotable Bryzgalov is 19-11-5 this season after the loss to the Rangers. After allowing four goals, he has a 2.86 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage. After surrendering Michael Del Zotto’s game-winning goal, Bryzgalov repeatedly slammed his paddle against the Garden ice. There are long-term issues that the organization must address. Starting with its philosophy of dressing and playing athletes whose only functionality is to cause chaos and create violence. Tom Sestito came into Sunday’s matinee with 29 penalty minutes and one assist in eight games. Against the Rangers, he totaled 25 penalty minutes — three fighting majors and a game misconduct — in 3:48 of ice time spanning seven shifts. Zac Rinaldo, who was fined $5,000 for a late hit on Jacob Josefson and a dangerous trip of Zach Parise in Saturday’s loss, had a roughing penalty Sunday to increase his team lead in PIMS to 130 in 38 games. They have combined for one goal and seven assists for eight points and a minus-seven in 46 games. The duo has not skated one penalty kill shift while totaling a mammoth seven seconds on the power play. For the entirety of the season. Rinaldo averages 6:30 of ice time per game while Sestito skates 7:35. What incredibly useful players. Look, there is nothing wrong with physical hockey. But what made the Flyers successful in the 1970s is about as relevant to the game today as leeches are to modern medicine. Unless, of course, you think having a worm drain illnesses from the human body is far more appealing than antibiotics. Then, by all means, continue to live in the past. The rest of us will live in the present and look to the future. You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photo by Getty Images

Last Updated on Monday, February 06, 2012 03:29

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