The Flyers Are Addicted To Playoff Overtime Hockey And Now It All Comes Down To 60 More Minutes
Final: Flyers 5 - Islanders 4 (2OT) // Series tied 3-3
Theodore Roosevelt once said "Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty". And that dude was about as hockey tough as they come. If Teddy Rose ever laced up a pair of skates, buddy would be an absolute fucking LEGEND out there. He'd be blocking shots with his face, putting people over the boards, and unleashing clappers from hell. Basically what I'm saying here is that Teddy Roosevelt would have been the epitome of Hard Dick Hockey, so it only makes sense that the Flyers are molding their game after him right now.
Because under no circumstances ever would the Flyers want an easy victory. That's just not how they roll. It wouldn't be enjoyable to them if they didn't have to fight and claw their way through a full 60+ minutes. Even when they come firing out of the gates with probably their most dominant period of this series so far in the 1st last night, they feel the need to shoot themselves in the dick a few times just to make sure this game comes down to the wire. And no matter how many times it seems like the Flyers should be dead, these sick puppies just keep getting back up and living to fight another day.
A 5-0 win makes you soft. It makes you feel invincible. It takes that hunger out of your belly because you start to feel comfortable. And that's the last thing the Flyers need right now. So do I think that Alain Vingneault has been acting like the dumbest jackass on the planet on purpose just to make sure his team doesn't get too comfortable? Well…I sure as shit hope so because if not, he's got a lot of explaining to do. But the Flyers live to fight another day and now they've pushed this series to a game 7. And that's really all that matters.
Now let's get into the game a little bit.
Asshole Kevin Hayes Is The Best Kevin Hayes
Kevin Hayes looked like the biggest prick in North America during the 1st period last night. And it was awesome. You could tell he had a chip on his shoulder. He was all over Barzal, he was playing fast, he was playing physical, he seemed like the type of player who you'd despise to play against but love to have on your team. And it's always one thing when those types of players get under a team's skin by being a pest with their physical play. But then when they end up on the scoresheet? It's so much more infuriating.
And that's the hockey that Kevin Hayes was playing last night. Big time "fuck you" hockey energy. A great give & go with TK, and then I'm pretty sure that's at least the 3rd time that Hayes has gone high blocker on Varlamov. Just proving that the only thing the Flyers need to do in order to stay alive here is put pucks on net. Take game 1 away and Varlamov has been the Isles' worst player in this series so far.
Don't Let JvR Get Hot
2 goals in the past 2 games for Jimmy van Reemer. And it wasn't even just the goal last night, but he's looked like a completely different player the past couple of games. It seems like most times whenever the Flyers are getting a bunch of quality scoring chances around the net, JvR has found his way into the mix. He's providing a ton of pressure and when Varlamov is already looking like he's starting to crack, that pressure goes a long way.
And the confidence to just step into that clapper shows that not only does JvR look like a new player, but he's feeling like one now. He wasn't holding up and seeing if anyone else was joining the rush to pass to. He wasn't shooting for a rebound here. He was shooting to blow an absolute piss missile right past Varlamov and into the back of the net. That's a goal scorer's mentality, and JvR finally has it again. You let him get hot, and now you have to deal with the consequences. But for as hot as vanRiemsdyk has been the past two games, someone else has been equally as cold…
Can We Figure Out A Way To Get AV To Leave The Bubble?
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Alain Vigneault is killing this team. KILLING them. He has easily been the worst member of the organization in the bubble so far. The decision to challenge this play for goaltender interference last night may go down as the single dumbest decision in coaching history. And yes, I know that there are video coaches who relay down to AV whether or not he should challenge. But he's the head coach of this hockey team. He's the one who gets to call the final shots. The video coaches should be fired immediately, I totally agree with that. But at some point, AV needs to grow a spine and tell them to shut up and make a decision for himself. If that was the decision he made, well then he's a total buffoon.
He's now 0-3 on challenges in this series and it would be one thing if he just kept getting the calls wrong. But you get the challenge wrong and now not only did you just give up a goal, but you're immediately on the penalty kill. And on the ensuing powerplay for NYI…
That goal is 100% on AV. And it easily could have cost the Flyers the season. Luckily this team battles their asses off and they were able to get the game back to level. But Alain Vigneault needs to realize that he's bringing this team down right now. He deserves plenty of credit for building them up and getting the Flyers to this point in the first place. But right now, he just needs to sit back and let the team do their thing. I don't want to see or hear anything from him during game 7. Just sit back and let the players do this shit on their own before you go around fucking everything up.
And while we're on a negative note….
Sanheim…buddy….c'mon….
Travis Sanheim has been getting exposed this series for being too soft on the puck. I love Sanheim, I think he's going to be an unreal player for this team for years and years to come, and his offensive upside is just as high as any defenseman's in the league. But this series has been brutal for him.
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It seems like every time Sanheim gets the puck below the goal line, the Isles' forecheck knows to pounce even more aggressively than they do in general. They can sense the blood in the water every time he has the puck in his own zone and that's at least the 7th or 8th time he's had a brutal turnover in that spot. One of them turned into a goal earlier in the series and then this one right here really should have been a dagger. It's tough to come back emotionally after giving up a goal like that in the final minute of a period. You go into the intermission questioning yourself while the other team heads into the locker room with all the momentum. Luckily--as is the theme of this blog--the Flyers were able to battle their asses off to tie the game up again. But between the AV blown challenge and this brutal turnover leading to a Barzal snipe, very few teams could come back from that.
But that's enough negativity for one blog. Positive Vibes Only from here on out. And what easier way to get the vibes going again than with a little Cahtah Haht.
Jesus Could Only Dream About Saving More Than Carter Hart
The shots last night were 53-31 and aside from the 2nd overtime period, the Flyers were outshot in every one. At the end of regulation the shots were 42-17. I would say that it was a miracle that the Flyers were able to stay in that one long enough to get it to overtime, but there's no such thing as a miracle when you have Carter Hart between the pipes. His ability to just shrug off tough moments and focus on making the next save is something that I don't think we've seen out of a Flyers goaltender in the majority of our lives. His composure is unbelievable and at such a young age. I feel for most of us, the best goalie we got to actually watch before Carter was Hexy. And he was a total fucking lunatic. Total head case. But Carter just shrugs everything off and continues to make monster saves when the team needs him the most. It was a long and dark few decades of goaltending hell here in Philly, but it was all worth it.
How In The Actual Heck Did This Not Go In?
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Honestly thought I was going to throw up at that point. Okay, I never want to see that image again.
Future Multiple Norris Trophy Winner Ivan Provorov Calls Game
Victor Hedman had the double OT winner for Tampa against the B's in game 4. Ivan Provorov had the overtime assist for the Flyers in game 5 and then followed it up by delivering the double OT dagger in game 6 last night. I know there are a ton of talented defensemen in the league right now but I'd put Hedman at the very top with Ivan Provorov just underneath of him. Provorov does everything out there. He eats minutes, he's as good as they come defensively, he can move the puck, he can score goals, and most importantly he's rarely ever making any mistakes. He may not have the flashiest numbers of all time but he is a top 5 defenseman in this league as long as you're talking about both ends of the ice. I don't know how the Norris has basically turned into a scoring race for defensemen but if we're talking about guys who consistently get it done on both ends of the ice, Provorov is elite and he'll be in the Norris conversation annually. Just a fact.
The Other Guys
- Obviously having Oskar back out there was a huge momentum boost for the boys in the 1st period. I think Oskar looked great for his first game back in 9 months. They needed to limit his ice time a little bit just so he could get his legs back under him. But if the Flyers are able to keep this thing going and get a few more games in? I feel like he'll be back to his normal self pretty early on in the next round. I know there is still a game 7 to be played but I'm just saying. 2 or 3 more tune up games and all of a sudden I think Oskar will be ready for a regular shift on the 2nd line. What a freak. What a story.
- I stand by everything in this tweet about Claude Giroux.
- Justin Braun stinks. Just had to get that out there.
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- It's only a matter of time before Konecny gets his first. Seems like game 7 is a perfect time for TK to get himself going.
Saturday night. 7:30pm. Game 7. Time to finish it, boys.