Photo Credit: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Flyers really did put in a solid effort tonight. They lost by a score of one to nothing against one of the better teams in the NHL. Carolina’s record coming into this game was 42-12-8, they are a force to be reckoned with. Contrast that to the Flyers 24-29-11 record and you already have quite an uphill battle.
M.I.A.
In addition the Flyers are still missing their top scorer in Travis Konecny. Also absent from the line-up tonight was Wade Allison and Brendan Lemieux both listed as upper body injuries. Tony DeAngelo is serving out a two game suspension for a spearing incident. This early Spring is very reminiscent of the Flyers line-ups from late Fall. They are already at a disadvantage to most teams and they are losing personnel again on a regular basis. They’re having to rely on younger players and call ups to fill roles. At this point you have to see the gained experience as a positive.
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The youth
This gave the Flyers a chance to take a look into the future a bit. Elliot Desnoyers rejoined the team and Tyson Foerster made his debut as a Flyer. Both young players looked very at home on the big team. Desnoyers fell right into place in his debut game last month and tonight was no different.
Foerster garnered praise from coach John Tortorella after his first NHL game. “Your first game against a top team like this, it’s encouraging”. He said Foerster was one of the better players with the puck tonight. Desnoyers was playing on a line with JVR and Kevin Hayes. These two call-ups did not look even remotely out of place. In fact they really added a spark.
Felix Sandström
Also quite impressive was Flyers goaltender Felix Sandström who stopped 28 of 29 shots. It has been said about Sandström that he has to make “that save” when the pressure is on. Tonight he made the big saves over and over again. He was called on to make some very challenging stops and he came through. He played a key role in keeping his underdog team in the hunt.
The Flyers took four minor penalties in the first period alone. Carolina capitalized on their very first power play and it looked like we might be in for a very long night. It was a beautiful passing play Burns, Necas, and Svechnikov. Tik, tak and toe, there was not much anyone could do about it. That was it for the scoring for both teams.
Defence and patience
The Flyers are in a position where defense is going to have to be their strong suit if they are going to keep games close. Offense for them is a problem right now and according to coach John Tortorella it probably will be for the rest of the season. Not a very positive statement, but a brutally honest one at least.
Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov needed to stop only 19 Flyers shots to earn the shutout. He was tested a couple times but made it look pretty easy. At one point he stoned Joel Farabee on a breakaway. He was showing plenty of five hole as Farabee approached, enough to make it inviting. He closed the pads as soon as Joel took the bait.
This was the second game in a row where the Flyers played a good game against a great team. They really put in a good effort and hung in there against a very talented opponent. Tortorella deserves credit for figuring out how to keep his team competitive in the face of such challenges.
Extra Credit: Former Flyer Shayne Gostisbehere is now a Carolina Hurricane. He was given a free upgrade from Arizona’s 5,000 seat arena to a spot on a team that has a decent shot at a long playoff run. Ghost had two goals and two assists in his first four games as a Cane so he’s off to a good start.
My goodness. You are so clueless. I am not sure how noob this article is.