MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 22: Montreal Canadians head coach Michel Therrien attends the State Funeral Service for Celine Dion's Husband Rene Angelil at Notre-Dame Basilica on January 22, 2016 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Why has Michel Therrien been so reluctant to go with what worked in the past with this Flyers team on the Power Play (PP)? This unit is struggling mightily, so predictability should go out the window. How many more games have to go by until Therrien finally sees the light? It’s bad when the Head Coach Alain Vigneault says he should have “Denied” the man advantage.
The PP was 0-4 against the NHL’s third worst team in hockey the New Jersey Devils, and the PP or power outage really could have changed the overall outcome of that game. When the Flyers were down 1-0 early in the second, if the PP potted a goal not only would that have tied the game at one goal a piece, but the Flyers could have changed the overall outcome of the game. What gives?
Well folks, the PP1 tonight against the Washington Capitals are:
Giroux (Left side), Konecny (Net front), Coots (Slot), Voracek (Right side), and Provy
The question became, how many more games did the Flyers have to lose before Therrien put the old successful unit back together of Giroux (Left Side), Coots (Slot), Voracek (Right Side), to include JVR or Kevin Hayes (Net Front), and Ghost. This new formulated PP1 unit is the closest the Flyers have been this season towards replicating the old unit that worked in the past.
Giroux should be a permanent fixture on the left side near the wall. That is where he has made a living on torching his opponents this past decade with the man advantage (289 PP points this past decade). Giroux should not fluctuate from the right side to the left, just keep him on the left side.
Voracek was frustrated after Thursday night’s loss. The Flyers have not replaced Wayne Simmonds on the PP. JVR has recently started to produce with the man advantage, but the Flyers need more from JVR. He has made a living with being successful on the PP throughout the course of his career, and I do realize he has been snake bit at times this season. However, the Flyers need him now more than ever to start producing with the man advantage (Currently just 3 goals, and 4 assist on the season). Coots is an elite Center. He does everything, and does it well. The Flyers are lacking the one-timer from the slot, so it’s good to see Coots in the slot.
I am not a coach, nor do I preach to be one, but the Flyers can ill afford to let their struggling power play dictate the fate of their season. They need to reactivate the power surge of the PP.
You watch the Flyers on PP, lots of meaningless passes which I recall seeing AV screaming at them no to do on Behind the Glass. If a Flyer player has the puck in a face off circle with less than 2 opposing players in front of the net, shoot. Passes are risky. Shots are not. And cut down on the one-timers from the blue line.