COLUMBUS, Ohio – Why is it that every time Craig Berube’s Flyers get on a winning streak — in this case a points streak — they get a couple days off between games which kills their momentum?
That’s the maddening dilemma the Flyers will again find themselves in on Thursday afternoon when they'll hit the ice at Nationwide Arena.
They’ll practice today with two full days off between picking up a point in their seventh straight game on Tuesday, when they lost 2-1 at Montreal in overtime.
They are 5-0-2 during this current streak.
On Friday, they’ll meet Scott Hartnell and the Blue Jackets and attempt to make it eight games earning at least a point.
Here are five reasons why the Flyers have been successful since Jan. 20, when the streak began with a 3-2 overtime victory against Pittsburgh at the Wells Fargo Center.
1. Their penalty kill
Berube and a number of his players have said all season the critical difference in team play has been a poor penalty kill that cost them double-digit points in the standings during the first half of the season on the road. Many of their road losses can be traced to one-goal differential in power-play goals against. Yet during this current streak, the Flyers’ PK units have killed off 21 of 23 opponent power plays — better than 93 percent.
NHL
2. Steve Mason
The Flyers' goalie will miss two to three weeks following arthroscopic surgery to his right knee on Tuesday, reportedly, the third such surgery on that knee in his career. Mason’s play picked up upon his return from his last knee injury. He had three wins during the streak before getting re-injured. Ray Emery has two wins, one — against Washington — in emergency relief of Mason.
3. Fourth line
The play of Frenchman Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s fourth line simply can’t be understated. This unit with Edmonton castaway Chris VandeVelde and veteran Vinny Lecavalier has been outstanding during the streak. They have three goals, four assists for seven points in seven games.
4. Balanced scoring
Much of this season, we’ve seen the Flyers suffer from secondary-scoring syndrome. Yet during the streak, the Flyers are getting contributions from every one of their lines for the first time. Twelve different Flyers have scored over the past seven games, which was significant given the Flyers’ top line of Claude Giroux, who has been centering Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek, has had some lean games lately.
5. Lineup juggling
Keith Jones said it best this week. Berube has done wonders with a Flyers lineup that on many nights this season was patchwork on the defensive end and lacking all-round scoring production up front, not to mention injuries in goal. When Luke Schenn went out of the lineup hours before the game in Montreal, Berube had to re-adjust all three defensive pairs. When Michael Raffl got pneumonia, Berube had to change two lines. When Zac Rinaldo got suspended, more changes. Matt Read’s 25-game goalless skid saw Berube put Wayne Simmonds back on the third line, and Simmonds' assist helped Read end the skid against Montreal. Injuries to Nicklas Grossmann and Braydon Coburn forced Berube to rotate people and rescue Carlo Colaiacovo from the press box. Michael Del Zotto has been an offensive dynamo, of late, while Nick Schultz has become a legit candidate for the Barry Ashbee Trophy as the club’s most consistent, day-in day-out defensemen. Berube hasn’t been given “new” parts, but is salvaging “used” parts on the blue line to make the Flyers more competitive.