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Meltzer's Musings: 1/16/12

January 16, 2012, 7:53 AM ET [1020 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
There is no doubt that Claude Giroux and Jaromir Jagr have been struggling of late, but there is no reason to be overly concerned about either player. It's just a midseason slump.

In particular, I don't think Giroux is still suffering any ill-effects from his concussion in December. He's simply not playing very well lately and has been pressing the last few games.

Giroux went through something similar at the exact same point of last season. In the Flyers' six games between Dec. 31, 2010 and Jan. 13, 2001, he had just one point (an assist) to show for about 18 minutes of ice time per game.

Go back one season further to the 2009-10 campaign, and what do you find? You find that January was Giroux's worst month of season that year, too. He had pointless droughts of four games (which included a game in Ottawa where he ended up minus-six) and one point in six games before getting back on track again.

While every player and every season is different, there is a tendency for players to develop certain patterns and rhythms. If Giroux is going to hit a slump, early to mid January is the time to do it. He should be just fine.

As for Jagr, it's really just a matter of battling through the lower body ailments that started to affect him around the time of the Winter Classic and kept him out of the lineup for a few games. In the first few games of his return, he was skating at a pace reminiscent of the Alumni Game, and he looked off balance and unable to protect or corral the puck.

In Saturday's game in Nashville, Jagr's skating and puck possession looked considerably better, although his timing was still off with his passing and shooting. Now that the Flyers are about to settle into a pattern this week of one practice day followed by a home game night, Jagr should be able to get back in a rhythm as well.

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Teams' records can be deceptive when you analyze a matchup. It's often better to look at what a club has been doing lately than what it's done over the full season.

At least on paper, the Flyers are catching the Minnesota Wild at the best possible time for Philly to put two points in the bank to start the final week before the All-Star break. Back on Dec. 14, Minnesota was leading the Western Conference. Since then, they've gone just 2-9-4.

To further the adversity the Wild are going through, the team just learned it will be without its best all-around player and team leader, Mikko Koivu, after he suffered a separated shoulder on Saturday. He'll be out at least a month.

While the Flyers lost to Nashville on Saturday, I thought Philly's effort was superior to the team's wins in Carolina and Long Island. There is still a lot to clean up -- both defensively and offensively -- but at least the work ethic is in place heading into the last four games before the break.

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