I have no problem with anyone who feels this way but I think a lot of us knew was going count. I didn't see enough intentional contact and I'm sure the argument on the ice was that Provorov was the reason the Yokes player was allowed to be there and possibly pushed the Yokes player a tad. Was it Martin Hanzel? Hanzel shouldn't have been allowed to be there to begin with.
- SuperSchennBros

I've watched the replay at least a dozen times (yeah, I have way too much free time, LOL), while Provorov did in fact bump him, it was barely a tap. It's incumbent on the offensive player to at least make some effort to avoid hitting the goalie, but he made none whatsoever. The contact need not be intentional when the goalie is in the crease as Mason clearly was.

At the end of the day, you are 100% correct, the players must come out more prepared to play from the opening whistle and not take bad penalties, nor put themselves in a hole. However, FWIW, the officiating was simply brutal last night and the NHL should take notice of that.

One thing I'd like to see is Lyubimov come into the lineup for the game against Chicago. He brings a nice combo of size, speed and positional awareness that the team could use. I would put him in for VDV as I feel that Lyubimov can replace him on the PK (the only thing VDV does remotely well) while giving the Flyers an upgrade at ES. I'd also tweak the 3rd and 4th lines and try:

Read-Cousins-Weise
Lyubimov-Gordon-PEB

So far I like the overall make of this team. There are still some coaching decisions I don't agree with but most of it is small nitpicking that isn't worth getting into so early into the season. Clearly we miss Schenn on the top line. Clearly we miss Gudas' physical presence. Del Zotto will upgrade the D as well. I think we're only going to go up from here. Honestly, the bottom 6 and the PK looks better than I expected. I like Boyd Gordon more than I thought I would. I think Matt Read is here to stay for awhile and may even thrive on the fourth line. Chris Vandevelde and Nick Cousins though, what a couple of weak links.

At the end of the day, I can't complain too much. The speed is there, and the offense actually looks pretty good.

I said it last night but Jake was an idiot in OT. Stick stolen or not, he tried to force back footed shots/passes thrice on the preceding sequence in the offensive zone. Wtf was he doing.

Game reminded me of the Eagles game last week in that it was a game they should have won, but the did a lot of stupid and got some bad calls against them and ended up losing. Annoying, but I'll live, and 3/4 ain't bad.

Konecny getting no protection surprises me very little.
- Giroux_Is_God

Yup rookies are going to get tested. This is why I can't wait until Morin is on this team. Go ahead boys, test the big guy, I dare ya.

So far I like the overall make of this team. There are still some coaching decisions I don't agree with but most of it is small nitpicking that isn't worth getting into so early into the season. Clearly we miss Schenn on the top line. Clearly we miss Gudas' physical presence. Del Zotto will upgrade the D as well. I think we're only going to go up from here. Honestly, the bottom 6 and the PK looks better than I expected. I like Boyd Gordon more than I thought I would. I think Matt Read is here to stay for awhile and may even thrive on the fourth line. Chris Vandevelde and Nick Cousins though, what a couple of weak links.
- SuperSchennBros

Cousins, at least, can generate some offense and draw some penalties now and then, VDV, to me, is an AHL player.

I've watched the replay at least a dozen times (yeah, I have way too much free time, LOL), while Provorov did in fact bump him, it was barely a tap. It's incumbent on the offensive player to at least make some effort to avoid hitting the goalie, but he made none whatsoever. The contact need not be intentional when the goalie is in the crease as Mason clearly was.

At the end of the day, you are 100% correct, the players must come out more prepared to play from the opening whistle and not take bad penalties, nor put themselves in a hole. However, FWIW, the officiating was simply brutal last night and the NHL should take notice of that.

One thing I'd like to see is Lyubimov come into the lineup for the game against Chicago. He brings a nice combo of size, speed and positional awareness that the team could use. I would put him in for VDV as I feel that Lyubimov can replace him on the PK (the only thing VDV does remotely well) while giving the Flyers an upgrade at ES. I'd also tweak the 3rd and 4th lines and try:

Read-Cousins-Weise
Lyubimov-Gordon-PEB
- BiggE

No problem with any of this.

Yup rookies are going to get tested. This is why I can't wait until Morin is on this team. Go ahead boys, test the big guy, I dare ya.
- BiggE

Yes, but getting tested =/= dangerous late hits (3 seconds after the whistle) and hits from behind 4 feet from the boards on a player that didn't quickly turn his back to put himself in that position

Gordon got 4:35 on the PK.

In case anyone was still worried he wasn't going to be used much short handed.

Yup rookies are going to get tested. This is why I can't wait until Morin is on this team. Go ahead boys, test the big guy, I dare ya.
- BiggE

I almost wish there was a timeline for Morin and Sanheim to be ready. I want constant updates on these two.

Given that they're out west, playing a back to back against a fresh team with some serious speed less than 24 hours after beating the Kings, not too upset that the Flyers secured a point last night.

The officiation was horrible. The goalie interference ignored on Arizona's opening goal. Voracek's stick being ripped from his hands. It's an embarrassment to the NHL to have referees who performed at such an inept level.

Still, the Flyers managed to secure a point. To battle through that and earn a point, is very encouraging. Arizona's done, on to the next one.

I felt the non-goalie interference was the right call.
- SuperSchennBros

Kerry Fraser and Paul Stewart -- with a combined 3,000 games worth of NHL officiating experience and encyclopedic Rule Book knowledge -- both felt it was a missed call twice over.

I'm not as mad at the officiating as I am the inconsistent effort by our team for 60 minutes. For me this could set the stage for the rest of the season and has been the calling card of the Flyers for years, where we know this team is better than their opponent but isn't giving it they're all every shift.

The too many men calls, like it or not, sloppy line changes.

I felt the non-goalie interference was the right call.

Simmonds elbow could have been that or a charge, either way a notable player got the attention of the refs with a minor injury.

While their were bad breaks and the Flyers picked up their play, the game was sloppy at times. I agree 100% that Voracek having his stick stole by the eventual game's winning goal scorer is BS because the refs go ahead and call something really tricky tacky on Giroux but I just feel like it never should have reached this point. Guys are gonna have to get their heads into the game because children and 4th liners are out shining players we need to lead the charge.
- SuperSchennBros

Agree with a lot of this. Mason tried diving to sell the contact instead of focusing on the play and holding his position. Simmonds went hard into the boards with one of the Coyotes best players. It's hockey. Unfortunately, the referees call the reaction not the infraction. OEL sure was fine enough after the TV timeout to start the PP unit.

Still can't believe that linesman waited so long to call the icing and almost ruined that kid's career. Even the neanderthal Don Cherry did a little clip and chat about Evander Kane's tumble saying they need to fix hybrid icing.

Agree with a lot of this. Mason tried diving to sell the contact instead of focusing on the play and holding his position. Simmonds went hard into the boards with one of the Coyotes best players. It's hockey. Unfortunately, the referees call the reaction not the infraction. OEL sure was fine enough after the TV timeout to start the PP unit.

Still can't believe that linesman waited so long to call the icing and almost ruined that kid's career. Even the neanderthal Don Cherry did a little clip and chat about Evander Kane's tumble saying they need to fix hybrid icing.
- Pixote Andolini

I don't understand how anyone thinks that these flat-out races for the puck aren't every bit as dangerous as it was before in those instances when defenders were getting crushed on the forecheck prior to hybrid icing

Last night could've been really bad. And no, it doesn't happen every game, or even every night, or even every week

But I honestly thought, from one of those angles, that kid had snapped his leg in two. This game is faster than at any time I can recall, from start to finish. The players are bigger

I am not saying that you can ever make this game completely safe. But I don't think hybrid icing is the best way to do this. I like competition and races for pucks on a fundamental level, but in reality, the injuries these guys suffer periodically make it not worth it due to the severity of the injuries

Kerry Fraser and Paul Stewart -- with a combined 3,000 games worth of NHL officiating experience and encyclopedic Rule Book knowledge -- both felt it was a missed call twice over.
- bmeltzer

Well that's excellent

NHL officiating. Tenured position. Need not apply.

Agree with a lot of this. Mason tried diving to sell the contact instead of focusing on the play and holding his position. Simmonds went hard into the boards with one of the Coyotes best players. It's hockey. Unfortunately, the referees call the reaction not the infraction. OEL sure was fine enough after the TV timeout to start the PP unit.

Still can't believe that linesman waited so long to call the icing and almost ruined that kid's career. Even the neanderthal Don Cherry did a little clip and chat about Evander Kane's tumble saying they need to fix hybrid icing.
- Pixote Andolini

The play with Dale Weise and that Yokes kid, that was brutal. That should have been long called.

Honestly, I didn't like what I saw from Mason last night. I didn't think he was horrible but it feels like another slow start to his season.

I don't understand how anyone thinks that these flat-out races for the puck aren't every bit as dangerous as it was before in those instances when defenders were getting crushed on the forecheck prior to hybrid icing

Last night could've been really bad. And no, it doesn't happen every game, or even every night, or even every week

But I honestly thought, from one of those angles, that kid had snapped his leg in two. This game is faster than at any time I can recall, from start to finish. The players are bigger

I am not saying that you can ever make this game completely safe. But I don't think hybrid icing is the best way to do this. I like competition and races for pucks on a fundamental level, but in reality, the injuries these guys suffer periodically make it not worth it due to the severity of the injuries
- AllInForFlyers

The bit of excitement that is generated by racing to beat an icing is just not worth the risk of injury. They need to just go to no touch/automatic icing and take away the risk. Lord knows, there are enough other ways that players get hurt, lets at least get rid of the idiotic ones.

The play with Dale Weise and that Yokes kid, that was brutal. That should have been long called.

Honestly, I didn't like what I saw from Mason last night. I didn't think he was horrible but it feels like another slow start to his season.
- SuperSchennBros

Mason looked extremely sharp in preseason, he needs to get back to that level, asap!

The play with Dale Weise and that Yokes kid, that was brutal. That should have been long called.

Honestly, I didn't like what I saw from Mason last night. I didn't think he was horrible but it feels like another slow start to his season.
- SuperSchennBros

I feel differently -- it was one game, and it was the first game he had played in, what, 10 days?

I'm not saying he was the sharpest he could've been. But I said this last night: In watching various other games around the league, goalies are getting absolutely lit up right now, for the most part, in these first few days of games.

One game just isn't enough of a sample size to make the call that he will have a slow start, just like it wouldn't be enough to say he's going to have a good season if he had only let in one goal

The bit of excitement that is generated by racing to beat an icing is just not worth the risk of injury. They need to just go to no touch/automatic icing and take away the risk. Lord knows, there are enough other ways that players get hurt, lets at least get rid of the idiotic ones.
- BiggE

Absolutely agree. I feel the same about visors. I do believe, in theory, that a player should have the right to choose.

Then you think about Chris Pronger and watch Ghost take that skate to the face, and you realize that reality dictates that everyone should wear a visor

Absolutely agree. I feel the same about visors. I do believe, in theory, that a player should have the right to choose.

Then you think about Chris Pronger and watch Ghost take that skate to the face, and you realize that reality dictates that everyone should wear a visor
- AllInForFlyers

Agreed. A lot of players female doged and moaned when helmets were made mandatory, but they got used to it and I don't think any of today's players would consider playing without one. The same goes with visors, make em mandatory, grandfather existing players who don't wear them, but make it mandatory for everyone else. In a few more years every player will be wearing one and a few years after that the very thought of playing without one would disappear.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over this game or draw too many conclusions.

It was an OT loss in a game that they very easily could have won if the officials had a better game.

The only thing you can take away from a game like is to not be in a position where bad officiating decides things for you.

Cheating, no. But the officiating crew had a brutal night. I rarely talk much about officiating but it was hard to avoid in discussing last night's game. It was perhaps the worst-officiated game at the NHL level that I've seen in several years, on a start-to-finish basis.
- bmeltzer

That says a lot

Agree with a lot of this. Mason tried diving to sell the contact instead of focusing on the play and holding his position. Simmonds went hard into the boards with one of the Coyotes best players. It's hockey. Unfortunately, the referees call the reaction not the infraction. OEL sure was fine enough after the TV timeout to start the PP unit.

Still can't believe that linesman waited so long to call the icing and almost ruined that kid's career. Even the neanderthal Don Cherry did a little clip and chat about Evander Kane's tumble saying they need to fix hybrid icing.
- Pixote Andolini

After watching the replay a few times on the icing call I agree with you 100%.
What a late call.

I wouldn't lose too much sleep over this game or draw too many conclusions.

It was an OT loss in a game that they very easily could have won if the officials had a better game.

The only thing you can take away from a game like is to not be in a position where bad officiating decides things for you.
- johndewar

Bad officiating is in every sport. Sunday will prove this. NFL officials are part timers. People who I'm sure don't really care. They get paid, they go home, they do their other job or whatever it is they so on Monday.
- SuperSchennBros

The referees make between $110,000 to $255,000 each year. The linesmen earn between $70,000 to $162,000 per year. The average pay for a referee is between $115,000 to $255,000 each year. This is an average payment of $1,402 to $2,682 per game.

Pay cuts for them are in order at this point.