I would sit Braun and play Hagg and Ghost.

LET'S GO FLYERS!!!! WHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
- Lawless18

based upon play I would agree but when considering all of it, the only choice is to sit HAGG

My HockeyGuy™ senses were firing. It brought me here
- Giroux_Is_God

Well, welcome back. How's life dispensing medication in the age of the pandemic?

My HockeyGuy™ senses were firing. It brought me here
- Giroux_Is_God

well look who survived the 'rona catastrophe!

I hope all is well with you and family.

AV will have to coach a bit better this series. Try to get my top line out in favorable matchups vs. their 4th line.

Sit Braun, play Ghost. Hagg can struggle quite a bit but Braun was flat out awful against the Habs. Plus Hagg/Ghost is a more effective pair than Ghost/Braun. Finally this gives you the option of also using Ghost on the pp, spotting him in with Provy on OZ starts and when trailing late in a game and during 4 on 4 situations.

The way Ghost played in game 6 against Montreal should guarantee his playing tonight.

well look who survived the 'rona catastrophe!

I hope all is well with you and family.
- Doc_Sarcasm

Thanks Doc, good to see you. Hope everyone in here is healthy along with their families. We've been good so far, no scares. My uncle needed to get tested only because of his neighbor who had it but he came back (-), no symptoms either.

Well, welcome back. How's life dispensing medication in the age of the pandemic?
- PT21

It's exhausting. The mental anguish of constantly being aware of what you touch, when you touched it, and when the last time you washed your hands was is taxing. I'll clock out, handwash, put a glove on, open all the hospital doors, then hand sanitizer in the car, then right into the shower at home. Ugh

But all in all it's been fine. The department has seen a few scares but no (+) yet. Couple RNs got it. One of our trauma docs got it badly. 40 yr old, no risk factors. Tubed for a week and a half. But he's ok. He has residual fatigue though; thinking lasting lung effects. Brutal

Just an impossibly hard decision, let me tell ya

Imagine ballwashing Hagg, especially in the playoffs. Imagine it.
- Giroux_Is_God

GIG, hello

GIG, hello
- funmaster18

Funmaster18, hello. Surviving I see; excellent

Funmaster18, hello. Surviving I see; excellent
- Giroux_Is_God

Yessir, surviving. I wonder if this unprecedented-more than just first round-playoff run will seduce others from self-imposed exile.

Yessir, surviving. I wonder if this unprecedented-more than just first round-playoff run will seduce others from self-imposed exile.
- funmaster18

You have such a way with words

NYI will be tough, got the better of us in the regular season. Playoffs are different though

Puck support will be key...last 2 games of the series the Flyers got away from that. Puck support > quick easy passes > speed through the NZ > controlled entries. No Price to stop dump ins should help too

We'll see

I don't think it will take that long.

Bill, what are your thoughts on Ghost vs. Hagg? It seems like a lot is being made of the Islanders playing too physical of a game for Ghost to handle, painting him as some sort of frail dainty child. While he's not going to get the better of a collision with some of their bigger forwards, I don't think it should be the primary factor in deciding who plays. Just would like to get your take.
- jmatchett383

It comes down to this for me: not just in the Montreal series but, in general, Braun seemed to click better with Hagg for whatever reason. Since the top 4 is pretty much set, I start the series with Hagg. If it's Ghost, that's fine, but the pairings may need to the committee thing again.

You have such a way with words

NYI will be tough, got the better of us in the regular season. Playoffs are different though

Puck support will be key...last 2 games of the series the Flyers got away from that. Puck support > quick easy passes > speed through the NZ > controlled entries. No Price to stop dump ins should help too

We'll see
- Giroux_Is_God

Yeah. They have some quickness but not like Montreal. Some of our guys will be able to carry better. I e. Hayes and grant hopefully.

We also won’t see the incredible battle that coots dealt with in Weber. I don’t think he got enough credit for closing down the front of the net.

Sparky the dragon? I can’t even make fun of this mascot. He was an arena football team mascot the Isles got after said arena football team’s demise.

Isles remind me of the Flyers: 4 lines that can all play in all zones, and some D who are better than their reputation

gonna be a tough matchup for Philly, I hope Hart gives us an edge in net

Yeah. They have some quickness but not like Montreal. Some of our guys will be able to carry better. I e. Hayes and grant hopefully.

We also won’t see the incredible battle that coots dealt with in Weber. I don’t think he got enough credit for closing down the front of the net.
- Peter Richards

Thanks Richard Richard

Grant stinks. Fire him into the sun with Thompson. Both are are specialists at getting caved

Thanks Richard Richard

Grant stinks. Fire him into the sun with Thompson. Both are are specialists at getting caved
- Giroux_Is_God

Grant hasn’t been nearly as effective in his board battles. I thought Nate had a better series than grant. Not h will be gone next year, hoping patty is back.

I think the Flyers need to be patient, they will need an effort like their 2 shutouts against the Habs. Better effort from the tops players but same patient effort

Have we entered a playoff series with so much uncertainty in the lineup? Other than Hart...

1. Line up: Is Ghost playing? Is Hagg playing? Is Braun playing? Is JVR playing? Is NAK playing? Is Bee playing? Is Thompson playing?

OMG is Lindblom gonna play this series?!!

2. Linemates: Is Giroux forst line or 3rd? Center or Winger? Ditto Laughton. Raffl first or 4rth? JVR, TK, blah blah.

Ghost where? And if he comes in, whats the new mad scramble with Niskanen also in?

3. Injuries. Is TK injured? Is Couts?

Whereas not a bit of uncertainty about the Isles. Their lines are pretty much set.
- PT21

Majority of this uncertainty has been invented by the fans. I doubt that there is that much uncertainty with the coaching staff.

Sit Braun, play Ghost. Hagg can struggle quite a bit but Braun was flat out awful against the Habs. Plus Hagg/Ghost is a more effective pair than Ghost/Braun. Finally this gives you the option of also using Ghost on the pp, spotting him in with Provy on OZ starts and when trailing late in a game and during 4 on 4 situations.

The way Ghost played in game 6 against Montreal should guarantee his playing tonight.
- BiggE

Braun was not good. However he has earned the right to get back in the lineup. He struggles then you reevaluate.

Braun was not good. However he has earned the right to get back in the lineup. He struggles then you reevaluate.
- login

Yes, Braun has a lot of money in the bank. Start Gostisbehere with Braun.

But all in all it's been fine. The department has seen a few scares but no (+) yet. Couple RNs got it. One of our trauma docs got it badly. 40 yr old, no risk factors. Tubed for a week and a half. But he's ok. He has residual fatigue though; thinking lasting lung effects. Brutal
- Giroux_Is_God

It must be stressful indeed. At least in your age group, your own chances of falling very sick is quite low, though of course not negligible.

I hope you guys will not mind a utterly apolitical digression on this topic which I am posting purely to adjust expectations about Covid. This is one and done. (I am a health economist, but what I say below does not depend on expertise outside the common domain, and I provide links)

In talking with many friends in real life and the Internet, I find that a lot seem to believe that we just need to hold out till next year for the vaccines. Vaccines should certainly help, but by now there is a lot of scientific evidence that expecting it to be a miracle may set you up for disappointment.

There are 4 solid reasons why.

1. Of the 7 Coronaviruses known, Covid 19 is the only one that seems to be able to get a strong hold in both lungs and nose/throat. Why is this relevant? Because the ability of the virus to get a foothold in your lungs is correlated with the severity of the disease for you. The ability of it to get a foothold in your nose/throat is correlated with your infectious potential.
(www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01315-7)

2. The immunity attained by getting ill from any of the Coronaviruses seems to be fleeting. People get colds within weeks of getting it earlier, for example. Researchers are increasingly finding that the antibodies generated by a Covid-19 infection are fading very quickly after the infection, especially with mild cases.
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2025179
And indeed today, the first confirmed case of someone getting Covid 19 twice within 4 months was confirmed in Hong Kong.

3. Vaccine effectiveness is much lower than people think. The Flu vaccine has about 50% vaccine efficacy. The swine flu vaccine has about 65%. We have never had a large scale rollout of a vaccine for the Coronavirus virus family, so its somewhat uncertain how effective it will be, but even if it is very high, point 2 above means people will repeatedly need to get booster shots, and they will have to stay on track with that schedule. In our country, with its emphasis on personal freedom, I don't see this happening.

4. The current vaccines undergoing trials are all targeting the potency of the virus for the already infected, in other words, they are trying to reduce the malacious effectiveness of the virus in the lungs. They are not targeting the virus in the nose/throat and therefore not its infectiousness potential. (https://www.nytimes.com/2...s-vaccine-prevention.html)

Based on the above points, it is likely that we will be able to tamp down, but far from eliminate, the rolling waves of infection from Covid. If we get live sports back, there may be repeated stoppages again, and/or people over 50 may be discouraged from attending.

I expect industries that depend on workers being close to each other, like meat packing, to continue to take a hit. The economy will continue to be at best weak, and likely worse. Covid 19 seems to cause a lot of lasting damages, especially in lungs and kidneys, so long term health care will start becoming even more important.

Good article, but too much was made of the rest factor in the regular season games. The Oct game saw the Flyers and Isles both playing their 3rd game in 4 nights, albeit the Isles were not playing back to back days. The Feb game the 2 teams were identically situated: back to back games and 3rd game in 4 nights for both.

BTW, there are 2 back to back games in this series potentially, so the ability to deal with that could play into things.

It must be stressful indeed. At least in your age group, your own chances of falling very sick is quite low, though of course not negligible.

I hope you guys will not mind a utterly apolitical digression on this topic which I am posting purely to adjust expectations about Covid. This is one and done. (I am a health economist, but what I say below does not depend on expertise outside the common domain, and I provide links)

In talking with many friends in real life and the Internet, I find that a lot seem to believe that we just need to hold out till next year for the vaccines. Vaccines should certainly help, but by now there is a lot of scientific evidence that expecting it to be a miracle may set you up for disappointment.

There are 4 solid reasons why.

1. Of the 7 Coronaviruses known, Covid 19 is the only one that seems to be able to get a strong hold in both lungs and nose/throat. Why is this relevant? Because the ability of the virus to get a foothold in your lungs is correlated with the severity of the disease for you. The ability of it to get a foothold in your nose/throat is correlated with your infectious potential.
(www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01315-7)

2. The immunity attained by getting ill from any of the Coronaviruses seems to be fleeting. People get colds within weeks of getting it earlier, for example. Researchers are increasingly finding that the antibodies generated by a Covid-19 infection are fading very quickly after the infection, especially with mild cases.
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2025179
And indeed today, the first confirmed case of someone getting Covid 19 twice within 4 months was confirmed in Hong Kong.

3. Vaccine effectiveness is much lower than people think. The Flu vaccine has about 50% vaccine efficacy. The swine flu vaccine has about 65%. We have never had a large scale rollout of a vaccine for the Coronavirus virus family, so its somewhat uncertain how effective it will be, but even if it is very high, point 2 above means people will repeatedly need to get booster shots, and they will have to stay on track with that schedule. In our country, with its emphasis on personal freedom, I don't see this happening.

4. The current vaccines undergoing trials are all targeting the potency of the virus for the already infected, in other words, they are trying to reduce the malacious effectiveness of the virus in the lungs. They are not targeting the virus in the nose/throat and therefore not its infectiousness potential. (https://www.nytimes.com/2...s-vaccine-prevention.html)

Based on the above points, it is likely that we will be able to tamp down, but far from eliminate, the rolling waves of infection from Covid. If we get live sports back, there may be repeated stoppages again, and/or people over 50 may be discouraged from attending.

I expect industries that depend on workers being close to each other, like meat packing, to continue to take a hit. The economy will continue to be at best weak, and likely worse. Covid 19 seems to cause a lot of lasting damages, especially in lungs and kidneys, so long term health care will start becoming even more important.
- PT21

Please stop posting stuff like this on Hockeybuzz. It is not appropriate. Your comments are repeatedly mixed with political undertones, nor are you an expert on the subject. Even though you repeatedly try and pass yourself off as one. There is a playoff game tonight.

Majority of this uncertainty has been invented by the fans. I doubt that there is that much uncertainty with the coaching staff.
- MJL

I agree. AV has made changes when necessary. They have not lost back to back games in four months of game play. So he has to be doing something right.

My gut is he wants to play Ghost but Ghost has a short leash in regards to mistakes in the defensive zone.

I trust AV.

4-2 philly tonight