Behind Enemy Lines: The Philadelphia Flyers
U&B: Who do you see as the biggest threat to the Flyers from the Blue Jackets?
"James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports David: The Columbus starting goaltender. I know that McElhinney and Bobrovsky have been injured lately so I’m not sure who will start. But if it is Bobrovsky, he will have plenty of motivation starting against the Flyers. If it is McElhinney or McKenna, that does not bode as well as it sounds for Philadelphia. They seem to have a penchant for making back-up goalies look good. Being towards the bottom of the Conference early in the season meant that the Flyers saw a lot of back up goaltending. Unfortunately they lost quite a few of those games. Tom: The Flyers are fortunate to not have to face “The Number One Cop on the Force,” Sergei BOBROVKSY. (Sorry I couldn’t help but say that.) This does not mean the Flyers are getting off easy though. Like David said, they have made several backups look like Vezina Trophy winners. Us Flyers fans are hoping that is not the case Thursday night. The Flyers should watch out for Nick Foligno, who has scored eight goals in 16 career games against Philadelphia. Former Flyer, RJ Umberger also has three points in four games against his former team."
Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports
U&B: What is one area in which the Flyers have struggled this season?
"David: Transition/Breakouts. The Flyers lack a top-notch puck-moving defenseman. They have a lot of the big, slow, “stay-at-home” type of defenseman. Their defense has a hard time getting free of speedy fore-checkers and making solid passes out of the zone. This leads to a lot of the Flyers offensive woes. Their lack of scoring (especially early in the season) has less to do with the skill of the forwards than it does with the skill of the defensemen. Tom: David hit the nail on the head, but the Flyers have taken a step in the right direction, adding Erik Gustafsson to the lineup and scratching Andrej Meszaros. Gustafsson is young and has had some growing pains, but his offensive game has been a nice addition to the blue line. Each defensive line now has a puck mover (Kimmo Timonen, Streit and Gustafsson), but while Timonen has put up points in his last five games, he will not win any races to the red line. Streit does bring some offense to the table, but he does have some issues turning over the puck, but that comes with the territory of being a puck-moving defenseman."
U&B: What are your expectations for the upcoming game?
"Dec 15, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Claude Giroux (28) tosses a puck into the stands prior to the Flyers David: I see the Flyers coming out of the gate fast and physical. They have their fourth opportunity of the season to go over .500 and they have failed the previous three times. They have also won their last seven home games and on Thursday the game is in Philadelphia. A problem that has plagued Philadelphia is their inability to play for a full 60 minutes. The Flyers may play an amazing first period or first 40 minutes, but they have a tendency to let off the gas at the end of games. Tom: Flyers have had several good starts, so I expect them to come out strong once again. What has been the biggest challenge for this team is sustaining that pressure throughout the game. The Flyers have done that, for the most part, during the past few games. What has impressed me the most is this team’s ability to respond to adversity. The Capitals scored first during the Flyers’ last game, but Jakub Voracek tied the game soon after. The Flyers fell behind again, 2-1, but then came roaring back for four unanswered goals. Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports This team is built to grind out wins. Look up and down this roster and you’ll see players like Scott Hartnell, Wayne Simmonds, Steve Downie, Sean Couturier and Matt Read. All of those guys, with the exception of Read who has a short list of moves, will wear the other team down with their physical play. They have very few guys who will get themselves on the highlight reel. The second, third and fourth lines all have players who will go into the trenches to fight for the puck. The second line could have some issues, depending on the status of Brayden Schenn."