I've taken to DVR'ing the games to fast forward through the largely unwatchable play...
- DSmooth

I now watch using a free stream, as I refuse to pay for either Center Ice or ESPN+ to support sub-par mediocrity. But I do miss the days of NHL.TV where I usually waited until the following day (usually in the early morning) and they'd post the "archive" stream with all the commercial and intermission breaks removed. It's surprising how fast it goes when those stoppages are instantly skipped (no surprise, just over an hour, and about 1.5 hours with an OT/SO). For those with ESPN+, are they continuing to do the same with past games? I'm almost tempted to pay if they do. But at this point, I'd rather just stop watching live and catch the ~10min highlight reels the NHL puts on YouTube.

What else is there to do? Teams can't buy players like they used to. The best you can do is what NJ and NYR did - with overpayment at UFA; Hamilton, Panarin, etc., but you've got to have heaps of cap space. The Flyers have mismanaged their space since it was implemented.

It's a shame Provorov has turned into a sort of not quite all-star defenseman when his potential was there to be a proper Norris trophy calibre player. It's a shame Nolan Patrick turned out to be what he is. It's a shame when the Flyers were hands down the worst team in the league and landed the 2nd overall pick - JvR as opposed to landing a quasi-generational player in Patty Kane. It's a shame the Flyers traded the barn, Forsberg, and millions for a generational player that never won the Flyers a cup.

It's a shame.
- Pixote Andolini

Does anyone know whether that generational player had anything to do with Brind'amour leaving Philly ? Because of all the things that have happened the last decade, nobody is talking about Brind'amour leaving to not only win a cup. but be a great coach - a lifetime franchise impact person.

I now watch using a free stream, as I refuse to pay for either Center Ice or ESPN+ to support sub-par mediocrity. But I do miss the days of NHL.TV where I usually waited until the following day (usually in the early morning) and they'd post the "archive" stream with all the commercial and intermission breaks removed. It's surprising how fast it goes when those stoppages are instantly skipped (no surprise, just over an hour, and about 1.5 hours with an OT/SO). For those with ESPN+, are they continuing to do the same with past games? I'm almost tempted to pay if they do. But at this point, I'd rather just stop watching live and catch the ~10min highlight reels the NHL puts on YouTube.
- Bendecko

Yep, even faster when using the 1x speed when tied, 2x speed down 1 and 3x speed down 2

Hitchcock seen at the airport.

Hitchcock seen at the airport.
- hello it's me 2050

Are Birds pecking Nate Thompson's eyes out?

He did skate into it. It was a piss poor pass. He had to lunge with his stick on one hand just to get a piece of it.
- MJL

People seem to have no idea just how much ground Provy had to cross to reach that pass. When Risto made the pass, Provy was still inside the faceoff circle, button-hooking.

Even if the pass had been perfect, it would have led Provy straight into the oncoming forechecker... could have resulted in the exact same thing.

Just a dumb pass to make.

Are Birds pecking Nate Thompson's eyes out?
- PLindbergh31

this is funny

He did skate into it. It was a piss poor pass. He had to lunge with his stick on one hand just to get a piece of it.
- MJL

It’s a give and go. Risto gave, but Provy forgot the puck.

If it’s as simple as a bad pass by Risto then how does the puck end up behind Provy?

Risto absolutely sucked last night, but that play is on Provy. He just over skated the puck. Don’t see how it’s relevant that he reached for the puck. All he had to do was keep is feet moving.

Even if it’s not a give and go and it sure as shyt looked like it was, it’s Provys job to decide if he can handle the pass and if not adapt. Chip it, back peddle, drag a guy down, do absolutely anything other than let it flutter through your legs.

This dude is supposed to be our best dman, signed a big pay day and his ineptitude is the biggest story the past year and a half and for some reason he gets a pass. If he is as good as everyone says then he should be making others better. Yet all we do is blame whatever dman is playing with him this week.

Our supposed best players are not our best players right now and he is a prime example of that.

No one in management should be safe. The Flyers are in the same spot in the standings they were in 2018 when Hextall got fired.
- Feanor




-MJL

This from the man who preached patience, actually begging Fletcher to not overreact and change anything this off season. Now after 20 games, no one is safe in management?? Thank goodness for BMeltzer providing a proper perspective of things right now. The last thing I want Fletcher to do is panic at this point. We need to see how this plays out into January, especially when hopefully the Flyers can get healthy again and then see where they are. As I posted earlier today, if come late January its clear this team is not making the playoffs, then Fletcher needs to make significant changes as I outlined.

It’s a give and go. Risto gave, but Provy forgot the puck.

If it’s as simple as a bad pass by Risto then how does the puck end up behind Provy?

Risto absolutely sucked last night, but that play is on Provy. He just over skated the puck. Don’t see how it’s relevant that he reached for the puck. All he had to do was keep is feet moving.

.
- Joe Nardone

It is absurd to put the play on Provorov. The puck ends up behind Provorov because he lunges to try and get and it deflects off his stick and off the wall into open ice. Overskated the puck? Ridiculous. His lunge for the puck and his momentum take him a few strides. No player can stop on a dime. Go to the replay and freeze it a :06 to see just how far Provorov had to lunge just to get a stick on the puck. He did keep his feet moving. What are you talking about?

It’s a give and go. Risto gave, but Provy forgot the puck.

If it’s as simple as a bad pass by Risto then how does the puck end up behind Provy?

Risto absolutely sucked last night, but that play is on Provy. He just over skated the puck. Don’t see how it’s relevant that he reached for the puck. All he had to do was keep is feet moving.

Even if it’s not a give and go and it sure as shyt looked like it was, it’s Provys job to decide if he can handle the pass and if not adapt. Chip it, back peddle, drag a guy down, do absolutely anything other than let it flutter through your legs.

This dude is supposed to be our best dman, signed a big pay day and his ineptitude is the biggest story the past year and a half and for some reason he gets a pass. If he is as good as everyone says then he should be making others better. Yet all we do is blame whatever dman is playing with him this week.

Our supposed best players are not our best players right now and he is a prime example of that.
- Joe Nardone

He totally gets a pass because all anyone wants to complain about is RR. Everyone is making mistakes, but you would think would be a site dedicated to RR. Sanheim makes a ton of mistakes but gets like 20% of the press as RR.

Everyone on this team is crap right now.

It is absurd to put the play on Provorov. The puck ends up behind Provorov because he lunges to try and get and it deflects off his stick and off the wall into open ice. Overskated the puck? Ridiculous. His lunge for the puck and his momentum take him a few strides. No player can stop on a dime. Go to the replay and freeze it a :06 to see just how far Provorov had to lunge just to get a stick on the puck. He did keep his feet moving. What are you talking about?
- MJL

That was Provey's mistake in the first place!! He didn't have to lunge, he could have easily took the puck off the boards and flipped it out, all the while keeping the play, and on coming Devil's forechecker in front of him. That is what a top-pairing defenseman would have done, but not on that play by Provey. To be so short-sighted and blame Risto for everything is just nonsense! Many people are telling you this, but you just don't want to listen!

yet, when I blasted Risto for a horrible play on the Devil's 2nd goal, you were more interested in blaming Couts and TK for not getting back. Amazing!

Are Birds pecking Nate Thompson's eyes out?
- PLindbergh31

This from the man who preached patience, actually begging Fletcher to not overreact and change anything this off season. Now after 20 games, no one is safe in management?? Thank goodness for BMeltzer providing a proper perspective of things right now. The last thing I want Fletcher to do is panic at this point. We need to see how this plays out into January, especially when hopefully the Flyers can get healthy again and then see where they are. As I posted earlier today, if come late January its clear this team is not making the playoffs, then Fletcher needs to make significant changes as I outlined.
- jd250

Weve had the last 80 games to see how this plays out, how much more do we need to see? January? Thats crazy, coaching staff needs to go asap

The team is capped out.
- MJL

No we need a socialist team

He totally gets a pass because all anyone wants to complain about is RR. Everyone is making mistakes, but you would think would be a site dedicated to RR. Sanheim makes a ton of mistakes but gets like 20% of the press as RR.

Everyone on this team is crap right now.
- bradster

Exactly! When MacEwen is your best forward you are in trouble! In the 1st period last night, TK single-handedly f***'d up the Flyers first PP. In the 3rd G had a wide open one-timer chance on the Flyers PP and net to shoot at, and instead tried a slap pass to a congested slot area. Here is the biggest difference between the Flyers and most teams right now, when the Flyers make mistakes the puck ends up in the back of their net. However when the other team makes mistakes, the Flyers don't convert! How many times does AV say "we had really good looks", that is his way of saying, help me, I have players on this team that could not put the puck in the ocean!!

It’s a give and go. Risto gave, but Provy forgot the puck.

If it’s as simple as a bad pass by Risto then how does the puck end up behind Provy?

Risto absolutely sucked last night, but that play is on Provy. He just over skated the puck. Don’t see how it’s relevant that he reached for the puck. All he had to do was keep is feet moving.

Even if it’s not a give and go and it sure as shyt looked like it was, it’s Provys job to decide if he can handle the pass and if not adapt. Chip it, back peddle, drag a guy down, do absolutely anything other than let it flutter through your legs.

This dude is supposed to be our best dman, signed a big pay day and his ineptitude is the biggest story the past year and a half and for some reason he gets a pass. If he is as good as everyone says then he should be making others better. Yet all we do is blame whatever dman is playing with him this week.

Our supposed best players are not our best players right now and he is a prime example of that.
- Joe Nardone

He overskated the puck while lunging forward for it?

You can see both puck and lunge here.



Puck ends up behind him because it hits stick, board and ricochets back. There was minimal pressure on Risto then.

Just a horrid pass imo.

He overskated the puck while lunging forward for it?

You can see both puck and lunge here.



Puck ends up behind him because it hits stick, board and ricochets back. There was minimal pressure on Risto then.

Just a horrid pass imo.
- PT21

How can you possibly look at this picture and state there was minimal pressure on Risto at the time?? The New Jersey forward is right next to him!! Look, I'm not saying it was an accurate pass, but that is still a very easy pass to handle for a player that is supposedly as good as Provey.

Weve had the last 80 games to see how this plays out, how much more do we need to see? January? Thats crazy, coaching staff needs to go asap
- bradster

You don't change the coaching staff mid season unless you think you have the horses and all that is needed is a different voice. In your opinion, do the Flyers have the players to be a legitimate contender right now? I hope your answer is no! So its fruitless to change coaches now. You wait until the off season when you can see who is available and you have more time to conduct interviews and such. IMO, it doesn't matter who is coaching this team or system they install, these players won't do it consistently enough to legitimately contend.

How can you possibly look at this picture and state there was minimal pressure on Risto at the time?? The New Jersey forward is right next to him!! Look, I'm not saying it was an accurate pass, but that is still a very easy pass to handle for a player that is supposedly as good as Provey.
- jd250

Even though firing AV would probably just leave us with Yeo for the remainder of the season why wouldn’t you do this immediately? It would force Yeo to change a few things and if you’re paying attention nothing is working. There is no reason for AV to be the bench boss for another day.

- MBFlyerfan

If you think otherwise, your as ignorant as the rest, just another person with an opinion that has never played the game in his life! And look how far the Devil's forward is from Provorov, he had oodles of time to take the puck off the boards and make play. Instead he completely screwed that up!

Which changed rule(s) ended this?
- Bendecko

Well, the fact that you could make a pass across red line and the increase in size of neutral ice made fast transition play a lot easier. The lessening of ice behind net gave less space to muck around there, and the Brodeur role (I am too lazy to look up if that was part of the same set of rules) led to less goalie adventurism behind net and less melees resulting from that. Most importantly, the stricter calling of obstruction and more vigilant enforcement of hits to upper body, combined with the things I wrote about earlier tended to favor the more 'Euro style" forward, which in turn led to the bigger, slower, net crashing forward's fairly rapid demise.

Of all the sports I follow reasoanably seriously: NFL, NHL and soccer, I have not seen a more sharp change in nature of play in my lifetime than the one I allude to above. Changes are usually much more gradual.

There are others far more qualified to talk about this stuff than me, and I am sre you will find lots of Youtube Vids about what happened. Or perhaps you know already, and are trying to get me into trouble.

So, there you have it.

Even though firing AV would probably just leave us with Yeo for the remainder of the season why wouldn’t you do this immediately? It would force Yeo to change a few things and if you’re paying attention nothing is working. There is no reason for AV to be the bench boss for another day.
- ClaudeFather

I think if you fire AV you have to fire all three.

He overskated the puck while lunging forward for it?

You can see both puck and lunge here.



Puck ends up behind him because it hits stick, board and ricochets back. There was minimal pressure on Risto then.

Just a horrid pass imo.
- PT21

This is the NHL man, get that pass, on Provy 100%