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Meltzer's Musings: 1-20-10 |
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The Flyers got their lengthy homestand off on the right foot with their effort last night. The club did exactly what it needed to do against a struggling opponent. Philly grabbed a quick lead and forced Columbus into a slew of turnovers by pressuring the puck. They scored goals in both the first and last minute of different periods, and that usually means victory.
Apart from the two unassisted goals Jeff Carter scored -- the first off a turnover and the second by shooting directly off the drop of the puck in the right circle -- it was good to see the center turn in a complete effort. Carter was strong in all facets of the game last night, dominating in the faceoff circle and along the walls. The club needs more games like that from him in addition to putting up points.
The effort last night wasn't perfect by any means. Ray Emery looked shaky, and was very lucky to have emerged unscathed in the first period after leaving out several fat rebounds. His luck ran out in the second period. The Flyers gave back a two-goal lead on a pair of rebound put-ins by ex-Flyer R.J. Umberger.
In addition, Simon Gagne continues to have difficulty finishing scoring chances when he has a good look at the net. With his reduced speed, Gagne has been a shell of his former self in all but a couple of games since his return to the lineup.
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For all the criticism that Flyers fans get in the national media, the fans here can also show a degree of loyalty and passion that you don't find elsewhere. Popular players who have left a club often get a warm reception in their former cities before games, but I've never before seen fans throw hats on the ice to salute a former player during a game.
If only R.J. Umberger had actually scored a hat trick last night (Columbus' third goal was deflected in by Rick Nash, not Umberger), it would have been a touching moment, rather than a somewhat humorous one. But at least the sentiment was genuine.
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Here's a statistical oddity. All three Flyers goaltenders -- Emery, Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton -- entered last night's game with a season save percentage of .896.
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This season has been a tough one for Flyers prospects at just about every level. The brightest spot, arguably, has been the play of Swedish goaltending prospect Joacim Eriksson. While he's playing in the Swedish minor leagues, not Elitserien, he's a teenager succeeding in a men's league that features some high-end talent.
The youngsters on the Phantoms are coming along at their own pace. Kevin Marshall makes his share of mistakes but at least seems to have the makings of a future NHL defenseman. Marc-Andre Bourdon needs to improve his skating significantly, while Joonas Lehtivuori often gets manhandled at the AHL level. Meanwhile, second-year forward Patrick Maroon has been a bust this year for the Phantoms.
At the junior hockey level, goaltending prospect Adam Morrison has shown flashes of potential. His overall stats are average, but he has looked good at times.
The rest of it has pretty much been a washout. For the second time in as many seasons, defenseman Denis Bodrov has been kicked off a team in the KHL. There are no forwards in the system with above-average offensive potential, and the depth in general is about as low as it has been since the Flyers tore apart their farm system to be able to make the Eric Lindros trade in 1992.
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I had to leave last night's game early due to the sudden hospitalization of my 96-year-old grandmother. I will have a short game preview up for tomorrow night's game with the Rangers and hopefully be able to attend the game in the pressbox. The next Meltzer's Musings non game-day blog may have to be on hold until next week. I'll try my best to make sure there are weekend gameday blogs up, however.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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