Friday, February 25, 2011
Posted: 2:45 p.m.
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
Apparently, Nikolay Zherdev wasnt the only Flyer who needed a wake-up call this week.
Barely 12 hours after coach Peter Laviolette said his team is missing the sense of desperation that defined them last season, general manager Paul Holmgren said the entire Flyers roster needs a wakeup.
The last few weeks, I wouldnt say weve been lucky, but we need to play with more oomph than what weve played with lately, Holmgren said. Last night, the Islanders are a good, young team now. They work. And skate.
I thought they won the majority of races to loose pucks. I thought they won the majority of battles for 50-50 pucks. Thats gotta change if we want to get where we want to be. I think our guys recognize that. We need a little bit of an attitude adjustment right now more than anything.
The Flyers have either blown a lead or a tie in the third period in three of their last four games over the past two weeks.
NHL
Has complacency set in?
Maybe, maybe, Holmgren said. Last year, at this time, we were in a fight for our lives. Now we have, I wont say a comfortable lead, but our position is different.
When you are heading into the home stretch with 21 games left, hopefully, were in the playoff mix, you gotta play desperate. You gotta win battles, you gotta win races. Those are the things we need to fine tune as a team.
Truth is, the Flyers have won games in the second half they deserved to lose. Some games, they seem to win on autopilot.
Absolutely, I would agree with that, Holmgren said. The coaches talk about it all the time. The players have been through it before. Theyll come around. I think they realize we have to play better.
Going into the weekend, the Flyers are the No. 2 overall seed in the NHL with 86 points. Only Vancouver, which they have been endlessly chasing and even jockeying back in forth with for the NHL lead, remains ahead with 87 points.
Laviolette went to great lengths at Thursdays morning skate jousting with CSNPhilly.com over statement games against good teams from the West and how the Flyers arent hitting the mark against teams in the Pacific Division.
I can guarantee you at no point this year will I go into the locker room and say, 50 percent might do it tonight, guys, Laviolette said. Just take your foot off the gas and try to ease through this one. Ill guarantee you that conversation doesnt take place.
His point? That he doesnt treat games against the NHLs lower echelonsay the Islandersany differently than teams at the very top and he also expects his players to perform at a high level, regardless of the opponent or what may be at stake.
We can play better, no question, he said. At times, I think we play OK. We played pretty good in New York for a couple of periods and then the third period, we were on our heels a little bit. It changes from game to game. We can play better.
Chris Pronger suggested after the Isles win that the Flyers need to change their focus toward winning the Presidents Trophy as the No. 1 overall seed and use that as motivation to get every Game 7 on home ice during the playoffs.
Thats what Lavy has preached from the start, Sean ODonnell said. We want to have four rounds of playoffs and have home ice in our building. If we have a Game 7 in any series, it would be in our building and we think thats an advantage for us.
Its weird. Even though we are right there with Vancouver and right there with Detroit, because theyre not in your division, because you dont see them much, its hard to visualize mentally, and kinda get up for them.
You see Pittsburgh two points behind you and realize youre going down to fourth place if they overtake you. Its OK, lets pick it back up again. You face a team like Vancouver, you dont really get to see their games, a far away coast, a three-hour time change. Its hard to build up a real kind of race or competition with them.
But thats what we have to do. Weve been fortunate. We do have a fairly nice cushion right now. But we want to get first overall. We have to switch our focus to teams out West. Dont forget about teams below us, but really kinda keep an eye on Vancouver and Detroit.
Saturdays game in Ottawa is a perfect test for the Flyers in refocusing. The Senators are dead last in the Eastern Conference. This is the kind of game the Flyers could just try to get by and nothing more.
Thats not going to cut it even with a nine-point lead over the Penguins in the Atlantic Division.
Just being in the scenario we were in last year, it was built in every game, Laviolette said of desperation. Now its more professionalism and a businesslike approach. We win because we expect to win. But we can play better.
Zherdev meeting
Holmgren and Laviolette both met with winger Nikolay Zherdev on Friday morning to discuss his situation. He cleared waivers on Thursday, but remains with the Flyers.
Zherdev said the meeting was good, while Holmgren said Zherdev seemed receptive to the constructive criticism they gave him regarding practice, work ethics and why he wasnt playing.
Laviolette told CSNPhilly.com that he met privately with Zherdev twice this week in his office at Skate Zone, but emphasized he often meets privately with players to discuss things.
Zherdev, who seemed receptive to talk, said he looks at his situationa healthy scratch in seven straight gamesand said, Sometimes this happens. Right now, I have to stay positive and keep working. The coach has told me what I need to do.
He also said if the Flyers send him to the Phantoms, he will report. Obviously, not being claimed on waivers seems to have changed Zherdevs attitude.
If I could stay here, it would be good, Zherdev said.
The Flyers obviously felt the awkwardness of the situation required a meeting.
When things like that being waived happen, and theres no move elsewhere available to you, you come to the realization that its important to just start over and start fresh, Laviolette said.
Today was a good day. He worked hard today. You kinda move past it. Hes a talented player who can help our team.
Zherdev worked separately with Joey Mullen on a second sheet of ice Friday prior to practice and eventually joined his teammates on the other side.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
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