Right now, the Flyers are going through one of those wonderful stretches where hard work gets rewarded and the puck bounces are going their way. Last night's 4-3 win in Montreal wasn't always artistic but the Flyers once again showed moxie and tremendous work ethic in running their December winning streak to seven games.
Chalk up the win to three big factors:
1) The Flyers' five-on-five dominance over the Habs. Philly kept the Canadiens pinned deep in their own for lengthy stretches, and hustled hard on the backcheck. There were prolonged periods -- when the teams were actually at even strength -- where Montreal was held without a shot. On a night in which Montreal's 2nd-ranked penalty kill held the fort against the Flyers' previously red-hot power play, the Flyers did their scoring damage at even strength.
2) Stellar penalty killing. The Flyers survived 8 of their 9 shorthanded predicaments last night, including extensive 5-on-3 time. The penalty killing units were outstanding, while Montreal's struggling power play couldn't generate many second-chance opportunities or deflections. Philly also got the benefit of a disallowed goal for crease interference. Some of the penalty calls last night were questionable to say the least (both ways), but the majority were deserved or automatic delay of game calls for putting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone. Referee Chris Lee in particular is known for calling lots of penalties. It's up to the players to adjust.
3) Strong goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky. Both Bobrovsky and Carey Price played very good games in goal last night, and had little chance on any of the goals. Bob stopped an early breakaway and was the Flyers' best penalty killer when they needed him to be. There were long stretches where Bob didn't a single shot, and then suddenly there'd be a prime chance that Bobrovsky would stop. Those are often the toughest games for a goaltender.
Once again, the Flyers showed their depth. They got one goal apiece with the first, second, third and fourth lines on the ice, with defenseman Andrej Meszaros providing the game winner and Matt Carle chipping in three helpers.
Matt Read and James van Riemsdyk have been quiet offensively of late, but now Wayne Simmonds (goals in four straight games) and Jakub Voracek (Jagr-esque first period, points in four of last five games) have gotten hot. Meanwhile, Max Talbot's goal last night (he's scored in back-to-back games and three of the last five) enabled him to already surpass his total from all of last season.
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It goes without saying that the news about Chris Pronger being shut down for the rest of the season (playoffs included) is devastating to the Flyers. Winning in the regular season and winning in the playoffs are two different animals, and sooner or later, the Flyers are going to feel Pronger's absence once again.
That said, I don't think the Flyers will or should rush out and try to make a major -- or even minor -- acquisition. With the way that the Flyers' top four have elevated their games, and given the surprisingly good play of Marc-Andre Bourdon plus a renewed commitment to team defense by the forwards and generally good goaltending late, there is no immediate need for a move.
I really think the play of Meszaros in particular has been a somewhat hidden key to the Flyers' success this month. After spotty play in October and November, he has begun to demonstrate the level of performance that won him the Barry Ashbee Trophy last year. Braydon Coburn and Carle have also picked up their games of late -- and consistently good play from Kimmo Timonen is virtually a given -- but Mez's reliability was the biggest X-factor among the top 4 without Pronger. He's been tremendous of late.
Bourdon has played so well during his callup that he's made a strong case to stay with the big club now that Pronger is gone for the season. When Erik Gustafsson returns, I am pretty sure that he will supplant fellow injured Swede, Andreas Lilja, in the top six while Kevin Marshall will go back down to the AHL once Lilja has recovered from his high ankle sprain.
The biggest thing that concerns me right now is the thought of any of the Flyers' remaining top four on defense sustaining a long-term injury. By the trade deadline, I think this club needs to bring in another proven veteran. If the D is still playing well, it can be a serviceable third-pairing type. It is going to be virtually impossible to attempt to replace Pronger this season, between the trading price and salary cap considerations.
Pronger's concussion issues are frightening and one can only hope his symptoms subside as much for his quality of life as his hockey future. From a hockey standpoint, however, the Flyers have to move onward. The guys who are already here need to keep leading the way, but they'll probably need some more help sooner or later.
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We can only hope that Claude Giroux's concussion is more like the one sustained recently by Brayden Schenn than one that lingers. Meanwhile, as long as Schenn can finally get fully healthy and stay that way, he will soon have a golden opportunity to turn around what has been an extremely frustrating rookie season for one of hockey's most highly touted prospects.
If someone told you before training camp that Giroux and Pronger would be shelved with concussions and Schenn would not have a single point at the NHL level on Dec.16, would you have thought this club would be sitting atop the Eastern Conference?
I sure wouldn't have believed it.
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Harry Zolnierczyk may be a fourth liner so far at the NHL level, but he has always had good hands. He was a fine collegiate offensive player and averaged nearly a point-per-game for the Phantoms at the AHL level early this season.
So it's not really a big surprise that, while he has only two goals for the Flyers in his relatively limited ice time, both were dandies that showed off a combination of hustle, speed and manual dexterity.
In the long-term of his career, I could easily see Zolnierczyk blossoming into a productive third liner for the Flyers. He's got speed and a bit of skill to go along with his willingness to throw his body around.
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Next up for the Flyers is a showdown tomorrow afternoon with the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins. Needless to say, this game figures to be the toughest test yet of the Flyers' ability to win without Pronger and Giroux.
The Bruins, whom the Flyers have not seen since their opening night victory in Boston, sport the best goal differential in the NHL. Philly knows all too well about the difficulties of trying to handle some of the big Boston forwards and the challenge of first getting through a stingy defense and then trying to get a puck past Tim Thomas (or Tuukka Rask).
Win or lose tomorrow, the Flyers have plenty of reason to feel good about themselves right now. But if the Flyers are to run into the Bruins in the postseason for the third straight year, they already know they'll need to do it without Pronger.
A measuring-stick game awaits.
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Congratulations to our Flyers road ticket contest winner, David Lehuquet, a Flyers fan originally from Langhorne, PA. David receives two tickets to see the Flyers take on the Stars at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 21.
In conjunction with Eklund and our contest sponsor, hockeytickets.ca, I am currently working on bringing you our next ticket giveaway.
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Please visit our sponsors,
Philly Phaithful and
HockeyTickets.ca.
On Philly Phaithful, use coupon code "hb10" between now and Dec 31 to receive a 10% discount on your order.
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