Hey, this concept is on a roll.
So, the Flyers finally put the Pens out of their misery last night in one of the most excruciatingly boring games I think I've ever watched. A completely deserved 0-0 in regulation turned into a hero turn for Cam York, a man who knows a thing or two about disappointing people. Still, I felt like the better team won. Philly was faster, more assertive and moved the puck with more of a purpose. They also seemed to find a playoff goalie in Vladar (backstop butt bounces aside), who isn’t standing on his head so much as he’s just making the stops you expect your keeper to make.
No clue as I’m writing this of when this series will actually start, but we may as well start chopping it up. Andy already covered the season series, which doesn’t tell us much other than that the Canes are really good at the NHL overtime thing. And we already knew that. Also, the one game Carolina dropped to the Flyers was one of those late season split roster things with only one intact forward line (Stanky’s) and a couple of depth D mixed into pairings that may as well have been a morning smoothie. The Flyers haven’t seen Freddie in net since October, having played against Bussi and Kooch for the rest of their games with Carolina.
So, the matchup stuff …
Carolina: The Canes just pretty much kept on keeping on in Round 1, making very few changes to their general systems. They always adjust to opponents a bit though, and against Ottawa’s soft forecheck they were able to exit the D zone with possession a bit more than usual. That’s been a season long trend though, as Carolina has not only added puck-luggers over the years, they’ve also spread them out through the lines. There’s been a lot of speculation about Jarvis’ health, and I do agree that something is hampering his puck handling and shooting. So he might well be dealing with a wrist/shoulder/hand sort of thing. Either way, he has shifted to more of a defender and a distributer while leaving the play driving to Svech and Aho. Aho actually had a decent series against Ottawa, but Svech was kind of all over the place, perhaps letting his emotions get the better of him at times. Philly will look to exploit that if they can, as they like to strategically stir the pot. Look for Svech to get much the same treatment that Crosby got in Round 1. Against the Flyers, who run a pretty basic trap with three quarters pressure most of the time, Carolina will likely go with their basic systems and adjust as needed. Philly has some speed and are probably a bit better on the stretch passes than the Sens, so the Canes D will need to be disciplined on the pinches and neutral zone pressing. You’d expect them to keep riding Freddie in net, as the rest between rounds will help him a lot. Likewise, the general health of the roster seems to be trending in the right direction with the extended time off. I expect Nikishin back, and the small army of dinged up guys had a chance to get their various issues sorted out.
Philadelphia: Tocchet did WAY more playoff tweaking in Round 1 than Brind’Amour. He dialed back the forecheck and looked to muck up the middle of the ice to turn the puck over and counter attack to take advantage of the Flyers’s speed advantage over the Pens. They also did a lot of quick hit passes on retrievals in the D zone, to defang the Pens forecheck. That worked REALLY well, but Carolina is a whole other ball of wax when it comes to the forecheck. They dial it up through all four lines and press with all five guys most of the time, so the Flyers will need a different counter. I’m interested to see how dedicated they are to the 90s style trap in this series. That HAS bothered Canes teams over the years, but as noted this version of the Canes is MUCH better at exiting their zone with possession. If you notice Carolina making a lot of those high flips out of the zone, then take note of what Philly is doing to cause that … because that’s where the adjustments will come in this matchup.
Outlook: Carolina is much more of a been there, done that kind of unit than the Flyers, who lean on their youth pretty hard. Look for the Canes to leverage that experience and put the pressure on the Flyers … literally. If the Canes can get the possession game going, then this is set up to be a relatively simple series. If Philly can figure out how to make them defend in their zone and harass the zone exits, then we’re looking at more of a trench fight. I like the Canes in 5 or 6 so long as there’s no goaltending drama. Knock wood.
So, the Flyers finally put the Pens out of their misery last night in one of the most excruciatingly boring games I think I've ever watched. A completely deserved 0-0 in regulation turned into a hero turn for Cam York, a man who knows a thing or two about disappointing people. Still, I felt like the better team won. Philly was faster, more assertive and moved the puck with more of a purpose. They also seemed to find a playoff goalie in Vladar (backstop butt bounces aside), who isn’t standing on his head so much as he’s just making the stops you expect your keeper to make.
No clue as I’m writing this of when this series will actually start, but we may as well start chopping it up. Andy already covered the season series, which doesn’t tell us much other than that the Canes are really good at the NHL overtime thing. And we already knew that. Also, the one game Carolina dropped to the Flyers was one of those late season split roster things with only one intact forward line (Stanky’s) and a couple of depth D mixed into pairings that may as well have been a morning smoothie. The Flyers haven’t seen Freddie in net since October, having played against Bussi and Kooch for the rest of their games with Carolina.
So, the matchup stuff …
Carolina: The Canes just pretty much kept on keeping on in Round 1, making very few changes to their general systems. They always adjust to opponents a bit though, and against Ottawa’s soft forecheck they were able to exit the D zone with possession a bit more than usual. That’s been a season long trend though, as Carolina has not only added puck-luggers over the years, they’ve also spread them out through the lines. There’s been a lot of speculation about Jarvis’ health, and I do agree that something is hampering his puck handling and shooting. So he might well be dealing with a wrist/shoulder/hand sort of thing. Either way, he has shifted to more of a defender and a distributer while leaving the play driving to Svech and Aho. Aho actually had a decent series against Ottawa, but Svech was kind of all over the place, perhaps letting his emotions get the better of him at times. Philly will look to exploit that if they can, as they like to strategically stir the pot. Look for Svech to get much the same treatment that Crosby got in Round 1. Against the Flyers, who run a pretty basic trap with three quarters pressure most of the time, Carolina will likely go with their basic systems and adjust as needed. Philly has some speed and are probably a bit better on the stretch passes than the Sens, so the Canes D will need to be disciplined on the pinches and neutral zone pressing. You’d expect them to keep riding Freddie in net, as the rest between rounds will help him a lot. Likewise, the general health of the roster seems to be trending in the right direction with the extended time off. I expect Nikishin back, and the small army of dinged up guys had a chance to get their various issues sorted out.
Philadelphia: Tocchet did WAY more playoff tweaking in Round 1 than Brind’Amour. He dialed back the forecheck and looked to muck up the middle of the ice to turn the puck over and counter attack to take advantage of the Flyers’s speed advantage over the Pens. They also did a lot of quick hit passes on retrievals in the D zone, to defang the Pens forecheck. That worked REALLY well, but Carolina is a whole other ball of wax when it comes to the forecheck. They dial it up through all four lines and press with all five guys most of the time, so the Flyers will need a different counter. I’m interested to see how dedicated they are to the 90s style trap in this series. That HAS bothered Canes teams over the years, but as noted this version of the Canes is MUCH better at exiting their zone with possession. If you notice Carolina making a lot of those high flips out of the zone, then take note of what Philly is doing to cause that … because that’s where the adjustments will come in this matchup.
Outlook: Carolina is much more of a been there, done that kind of unit than the Flyers, who lean on their youth pretty hard. Look for the Canes to leverage that experience and put the pressure on the Flyers … literally. If the Canes can get the possession game going, then this is set up to be a relatively simple series. If Philly can figure out how to make them defend in their zone and harass the zone exits, then we’re looking at more of a trench fight. I like the Canes in 5 or 6 so long as there’s no goaltending drama. Knock wood.
Last edited:
