SanFilippo: Consistency Continues to Elude Flyers

Sunday, November 30, 2008

By Anthony J. SanFilippo
CSNPhilly.com Contributor

TORONTO – There have been 23 Flyers games through the first two months of the season. Many have been good, some have been awful and others – like Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the lowly Maple Leafs – fall somewhere in between.

But of those 23 games, which make up more than a quarter of the season, 21 of them have been part of either a winning or losing streak.

Depending on how you view that, it can be either a positive or a negative.

You can look at it and say that 10 of the Flyers’ 11 wins have been strung together of the span of two lengthy winning streaks. A series of games where the Flyers were buoyed by sharp play, solid game plans and precise execution.

But just as easily, you can say that 11 of the Flyers’ 12 losses, whether they were in regulation, overtime or via shutout, have also been part of extended stretches, which may not be all that appetizing.

It is that inconsistency that has plagued the Flyers since last season, and it is the biggest hurdle they have left to clear if they plan on contending for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals out of the Eastern Conference this season.

Last season, it was a 10-game skid in February and March that almost cost the Flyers a playoff berth, but it was a similar hot streak that allowed them to sneak into the playoffs in the season’s final days.

This year, they opened with six straight losses before winning four in a row. Another three-game setback followed before a win in New York against the Islanders and a shootout loss in Pittsburgh – the only non-streaky results this season.

Then the Flyers won six in a row, their longest winning streak in three years, before dropping their last two against inferior opponents – Carolina and Toronto.

“We’re a streaky team, that’s for sure,” captain Mike Richards said. “But we’ve been playing really well of late – even in this game where I think we executed our game plan. We just had a few lulls and they capitalized on them.”

The Flyers better hope they can count on the recognition of that recent spate of good play. Otherwise, the self doubt may start to creep back into their minds.

Marty Biron, who has been so solid during the month of November, had two instances of being slightly over-aggressive that backfired on him against Toronto, which could mess with the confidence he has been building for the better part of the past four weeks.

On Toronto’s first goal, Biron decided to challenge Dominic Moore by coming out of his crease and cutting down the angle. It worked momentarily, but once Moore drifted behind the Flyers net, Biron slipped getting back into position and a fortunate bounce off of the skate of the hard-charging Lee Stempniak led to a Toronto goal.

Later, Biron attempted to clear a dump-in, only to have his lofted puck clip the tallest guy on either side right in the chops, leading to a strange, no-look goal.

Had it been any other player, it would have cleared the zone easily. Instead, it hit Nik Antropov and fell directly to the ice in the slot. Biron never had a chance at the rebound.

Flyers coach John Stevens felt that someone should have communicated to Biron that had he not touched the puck, an icing may have been called, but it happened so quickly that it’s hard to fault the goalie for reacting as he did.

Still, his clear wasn’t good enough, and the Leafs scored again.

It’s these little things that start to go awry when the tide starts to turn for these Flyers.

Like Jeff Carter not scoring on a shorthanded breakaway against Carolina, or Simon Gagne getting the double whammy – fanning on a clearing attempt that led to one Toronto goal, then not being able to deposit a loose puck into a wide-open net, instead shooting it directly into the goalie’s glove

It’s these little things that start to creep into the way the Flyers play that start to fester and lead to prolonged slumps.

The Flyers feel they are past such erratic play. They feel that is a thing of the past. This is a new season with a team that has found a new resolve to be as best as possible every game, no matter the opposition or the circumstances.

And they have played very well considering they are missing an elite player like Danny Briere, who should be back Tuesday.

Whether Briere returns or not, the Flyers have a golden opportunity to rack up some significant points in the coming weeks.

Their next five games are against teams behind them in the standings – Tampa Bay, New Jersey, Carolina twice and the New York Islanders – giving them an opportunity to start building on a new run of winning hockey.

But if they find themselves floundering against the beatable opposition, things get dicey in the latter half of December with games against Pittsburgh, Colorado, Montreal, Washington, Chicago and Vancouver looming before the calendar flips to 2009.

This means the Flyers are entering a very crucial portion of their schedule at a seemingly non-crucial time.

They are still mired in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference and need to emerge soon, or run the risk of being in a dogfight the entire second half of the season.

Which means they can’t afford to run hot and cold for extended periods. Consistency is the biggest key. Otherwise, finding themselves on the wrong side of a string of losses could prove to be too much to overcome when all is said and done next spring.

Anthony J. SanFilippo is the Philadelphia Flyers beat writer for the Delaware County Daily Times.

E-mail Anthony J. SanFilippo at AnthonySan37@gmail.com.

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