Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Reasons, Rationales and Excuses

Great season by the young players on this team. I believe we finally have a goalie. This run and gun team needs a tweak to be able to compete with the rest of the teams in the playoff field. They wouldn't be able to beat any of them. There needs to be more emphasis on defensive responsibilities. I don't think Lava engrains that in them

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Reasons, Rationales and Excuses
- bmeltzer

My opinion of Bryz is simply this. We didn't lose this series because of Bryz. This season wasn't pissed away because of Bryz. In my opinion 24/7 was the worst thing to happen to Ilya Bryzgalov. Not only did Bryz have the local media on him all season long for his universe comments but the entire league. The guy was just trying to explain that he's a simple and easy going guy. He likes to learn and he likes to read and yet this was all used against him. I'm sure those comments about the Tigers would have been said with or without the cameras in the room. All I know is, he has one season of being a Flyer under his belt and he has to come back stronger next season.

As for the Flyers as a whole, a lot of players including Giroux just mailed it in. I think Talbot and Briere are probably the only 2 players who didn't...

Great season by the young players on this team. I believe we finally have a goalie. This run and gun team needs a tweak to be able to compete with the rest of the teams in the playoff field. They wouldn't be able to beat any of them. There needs to be more emphasis on defensive responsibilities. I don't think Lava engrains that in them
- Just5

I think the moment Laviolette gave up on his line combos, we were sunk. It's happened in the past with Hitch in 04 when we went deep as he put Roenick, Primeau and Gagne together. It happened with John Stevens in his first deep run into the playoffs by putting Richards and Briere together. The top line would look good but the other lines looked out of gas.

Just one question.....How many time could the Flyers could have won the game with scoring less than 3 goals? There you go...you cant score 4 or more goals every game in playoff that s why your goalie has to be hot. Look at all the teams that are left in there......I ll name you the goalies.....Smith, Lunqvist, Brodeur, Quick and Holtby.............................What do they have in common? They can steal a game here and there even if the team in front of them are not playing great hockey. T hey give you a chance every night. Bryz well you saw it last night.....at least he got an assist i guess

Just one question.....How many time could the Flyers could have won the game with scoring less than 3 goals? There you go...you cant score 4 or more goals every game in playoff that s why your goalie has to be hot. Look at all the teams that are left in there......I ll name you the goalies.....Smith, Lunqvist, Brodeur, Quick and Holtby.............................What do they have in common? They can steal a game here and there even if the team in front of them are not playing great hockey. T hey give you a chance every night. Bryz well you saw it last night.....at least he got an assist i guess
- caredge

The only reason they beat Pittsburgh is cause Fleury was as bad as Bryz......

As for the Flyers as a whole, a lot of players including Giroux just mailed it in. I think Talbot and Briere are probably the only 2 players who didn't...
- roenick97

They played as individuals against a club playing like a team. Effort and desire had nothing to do with it, though.

People also said the Flyers mailed it in during the 1995 series after sweeping the Rangers in Round 2 and in 2000 when they collapsed after building a 3-1 lead in the series. Either the Flyers keep bringing in players who don't really care about winning in the playoffs or else Lou Lamoriello has built teams that were well-suited to beating the Flyers in three of five playoff series.

I tend to think it's the latter.

The only reason they beat Pittsburgh is cause Fleury was as bad as Bryz......
- caredge

8 MORE YEARS OF BRYZ....

Just one question.....How many time could the Flyers could have won the game with scoring less than 3 goals? There you go...you cant score 4 or more goals every game in playoff that s why your goalie has to be hot. Look at all the teams that are left in there......I ll name you the goalies.....Smith, Lunqvist, Brodeur, Quick and Holtby.............................What do they have in common? They can steal a game here and there even if the team in front of them are not playing great hockey. T hey give you a chance every night. Bryz well you saw it last night.....at least he got an assist i guess
- caredge

Did you watch this series? Bryz faces 4x the amount of good scoring chances than any of those goalies. Bryz was excellent late in the year and playoff run when he was healthy. The flyers have no question in the net this offseason for the first time in a long time

Just one question.....How many time could the Flyers could have won the game with scoring less than 3 goals? There you go...you cant score 4 or more goals every game in playoff that s why your goalie has to be hot. Look at all the teams that are left in there......I ll name you the goalies.....Smith, Lunqvist, Brodeur, Quick and Holtby.............................What do they have in common? They can steal a game here and there even if the team in front of them are not playing great hockey. T hey give you a chance every night. Bryz well you saw it last night.....at least he got an assist i guess
- caredge

Question for you: Did you watch Game 2, 4 and (backbreaking second goal aside) 5 of the series? Because Bryzgalov gave the Flyers a chance to win all of those games -- with some massive defensive breakdowns in front of him in Games 2 and 4 in particular -- if the play around him would have picked up. I don't care who the Flyers' goalie was in this series. They wouldn't have won.

The only reason they beat Pittsburgh is cause Fleury was as bad as Bryz......
- caredge

Well, that and containing Malkin and Crosby for much of the series, blocking 40 shots in Game 6 and exploiting the vulnerability of the Penguins' defense corps.

Bill Meltzer: Meltzer's Musings: Reasons, Rationales and Excuses
- bmeltzer

Bill,

thanks for all your work thoughout the season and post season.

Congrats to the Devils, they were the better team.

Thanks for another season of blogs, Bill. You are atop the heap around here.

* Ilya Bryzgalov actually played pretty well throughout the series when it came to stopping non-deflected shots and rebounds from in close. But his puck handling was a ticking time bomb. The bomb went off in the first period last night on New Jersey's backbreaking second goal. I still have no idea why Bryzgalov didn't cover the puck rather than trying to play through David Clarkson. For those who blame Kimmo Timonen for the mishap, it's not all that uncommon for a defenseman to play the puck back to his goalie. That one was on Bryzgalov alone for taking too long and then making the ill-advised flip of the puck right into Clarkson and the net.
- bmeltzer

Oh, no you di'n't. Were the Flyers changing the front three on that play? That would explain Timonen's pass back to Bryz, but I don't remember...

Everybody in the flyers organization talks about scoring goals. Lava always talks about scoring goals. The NHL has changed again. The refs have slowed it down with the stuff their letting go as compared to 3 years ago. Hawks, pens, and flyers could be behind the 8 ball if they don't recognize it

The team defense in front of the goalie was abysmal this series. NJ frequently had players left alone from circles to the front of the goal, which is totally unacceptable. Many of the goal in this series, I don't care who was in goal, the puck was still going into the net. You can't give skilled players open ice from the circles in and constantly expect your goalie to bail out the team.

Did you watch this series? Bryz faces 4x the amount of good scoring chances than any of those goalies. Bryz was excellent late in the year and playoff run when he was healthy. The flyers have no question in the net this offseason for the first time in a long time
- Just5

Oh yes i watched it and Luongo is good in the season too but is that what you want....just make the playoff or a run at the cup? The amount of what you call good scoring chances is not what is important...what is important is the capacity of making a save when it counts.....A great example this yr...Lunqvist last game on a break away. Now dont tell me you are satisfied with the way Bryz played against the Devils if that s the case....no pressure being a goaltender in Philly.

Question for you: Did you watch Game 2, 4 and (backbreaking second goal aside) 5 of the series? Because Bryzgalov gave the Flyers a chance to win all of those games -- with some massive defensive breakdowns in front of him in Games 2 and 4 in particular -- if the play around him would have picked up. I don't care who the Flyers' goalie was in this series. They wouldn't have won.
- bmeltzer

Maybe they wouldn t have won but at least maybe more than one game.....Dont you think? Like i said if Philly s fans are ok with the way he played well good for him no pressure there for sure ahhahahah Even if you score in you own net they still like you hahahah

said it last night, will say it again today, this team has 2 major issues moving forward; they need to find out why they are so inconsistent game to game. The rags are a very good team because, quite simply, they are relentless game in and game out and they play the same way every night. They work their asses off EVERY game. Those of us who remember the mid 80s teams know that this was their major trait as well. This team does not have that trait; unless that is fixed, they are no threat to win a cup. The other issue that has to get fixed; team defense...it is AWFUL. They are a bad defensive team as a whole. I don't know how you fix it, but if they are going to move forward with Bryz, they better learn to play better in their own end...just my $.02

Oh yes i watched it and Luongo is good in the season too but is that what you want....just make the playoff or a run at the cup? The amount of what you call good scoring chances is not what is important...what is important is the capacity of making a save when it counts.....A great example this yr...Lunqvist last game on a break away. Now dont tell me you are satisfied with the way Bryz played against the Devils if that s the case....no pressure being a goaltender in Philly.
- caredge

Bryz was the least of their worries in this series. Team defense was the major problem. I have no problem admitting that the skaters on this team were severely outplayed. Guys making plenty of money to perform in all area of the ice. Rather than blaming the goalie.

Maybe they wouldn t have won but at least maybe more than one game.....Dont you think? Like i said if Philly s fans are ok with the way he played well good for him no pressure there for sure ahhahahah Even if you score in you own net they still like you hahahah
- caredge

To answer your question I did watch every game of this year playoff..and last yr and the yr before and so on. So yes I did.

The only reason they beat Pittsburgh is cause Fleury was as bad as Bryz......
- caredge

Ah yes, this from the oilers fan employing the Penguins philosophy of sucking for a decade to acquire as many 1st as possible. What a joke..

Oh yes i watched it and Luongo is good in the season too but is that what you want....just make the playoff or a run at the cup? The amount of what you call good scoring chances is not what is important...what is important is the capacity of making a save when it counts.....A great example this yr...Lunqvist last game on a break away. Now dont tell me you are satisfied with the way Bryz played against the Devils if that s the case....no pressure being a goaltender in Philly.
- caredge

I'm not happy with a lot of things about Bryzgalov's game; namely his tendency to lose focus and create his own monster at times as well as his suspect puck handling.

But Bryzgalov in March and the New Jersey series did what he needed to do against the shooters for the most part.

said it last night, will say it again today, this team has 2 major issues moving forward; they need to find out why they are so inconsistent game to game. The rags are a very good team because, quite simply, they are relentless game in and game out and they play the same way every night. They work their asses off EVERY game. Those of us who remember the mid 80s teams know that this was their major trait as well. This team does not have that trait; unless that is fixed, they are no threat to win a cup. The other issue that has to get fixed; team defense...it is AWFUL. They are a bad defensive team as a whole. I don't know how you fix it, but if they are going to move forward with Bryz, they better learn to play better in their own end...just my $.02
- matman31

That says it all....I agree. You got to block lots of shots cause he can let a lot in

It's fun to rag on big names with big new contracts. Everyone did it with Kovalchuk last season. This year, not so much. This year Bryz is the target of ridicule, no matter how well he played in the series overall. He'll bounce back and have a good year next season... just like Kovalchuk did this year.

Ah yes, this from the oilers fan employing the Penguins philosophy of sucking for a decade to acquire as many 1st as possible. What a joke..
- Hextall271

Do you see me anywhere saying that our goalies are good? At least I am not blind I know they suck and i ll be the first to admit it. Can you admit that Bryz did not played to the expectations? That s the difference between you and me.