Inside Access: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins

Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia

December 2, 2017

Game Time – 1 p.m.

Pregame

The Philadelphia Flyers (8-10-7, 23 points) are in last place in the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division). The Boston Bruins (11-8-4, 26 points) are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division.

The Flyers enter the afternoon home contest on a nine game winless streak. Ron Hextall's team stands seven points out of the wild card qualifying spot with plenty of schedule left to play.

The squad head coach Dave Hakstol has been given this season is very young on defense, has been affected by early-season injuries and Radko Gudas' 10-game suspension. 'Hak' was recently put on the hot seat by vocal Philly fans. He's the easy mark in what is actually another year in a franchise rebuild that could reasonably project to a serious playoff contender in 2019-20.

Hextall's inking of veteran goalie Brian Elliot and holdover backup backstop Michal Neuvirth to two-year deals (through next season) indicates the general manager's feel for the future. The progress of perceived top net prospect contenders Carter Hart (who will turn 20 on August 13, 2018) and Felix Sandstrom (who will turn 21 on January 12, 2018) may link to Philadelphia's next push for the ever elusive third Stanley Cup title.

First Period

Early power play yielded no result for the Flyers.

Wayne Simmonds and Kevan Miller fought at 11:31 into the period. Both combatants got their hits in. Five-minute majors were accessed.

Goal by Bruins' Ryan Spooner with 5:30 left in the period. 1-0 Boston.

Ivan Provorov – penalty later in the period.

Flyers were outshot 15-8 in the frame.

Second Period

Miller holding penalty at 2:08.

David Pastrnak gave the Bruins a 2-0 on an even-strength goal at 6:38.

Brad Marchand picked up an easy rebound goal at 10:44 to give Boston what felt like a commanding lead. At the time the Flyers had 15 shots with only a few legitimate scoring opportunities.

Claude Giroux wristed in a power play goal at 19:01. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy challenged goaltender interference by Wayne Simmonds on the play. Interference was confirmed, no goal. The crowd erupted differently then when it thought Giroux had scored.

Third Period

The slumping Flyers skated out to start the last 20 minutes knowing that they might not win, but at least needed to demonstrate effort to try and build momentum for their upcoming three-game road trip.

Tuukka Rask was having a relatively easy time of it in goal for the Bruins as the 10-minute remaining mark neared. That was true despite the fact that the Flyers had nearly tied the Bruins in shots (22-25).

Meanwhile, Elliot continued his generally steady play in net, as he also has during this season. Number 37 seemingly surrendered the Bruins' fourth goal of the game on an odd ricocheted shot that bounced over the shoulder of the Flyers' crease-keeper, who was screened on the play and never saw the puck coming. The play was reviewed and yielded a no-goal call due to a high stick.

The Flyers looked tired and disjointed during this period. A lack of experience continued to be evident on both sides of the ice, as positioning and coverage issues abounded.

Michael Raffl shot a puck over the net during a scrum with 6:37 left. He slumped his head, as did the team and its fans while the shutout persisted. The Flyers had been shutout five times so far this season.

Boston's Charlie McAvoy caused a high-sticking penalty to create a Flyers power play with 6:14 remaining. Nothing resulted.

David Krejci was called for high-sticking with 3:07 remaining, creating another Philadelphia pp. Hakstol's squad couldn't claim it lacked opportunities prior to the final horn sounding. 

The head coach pulled Elliot to apply extra pressure. No goal was scored. Elliot never returned to the net.

Another troubling loss telegraphed predictable postgame angst among Flyers' players and their on-ice boss.

Final score: Bruins 3 Flyers 0

Per the Flyers media relations department: The Flyers are now without a win in their last 10 games (0-5-5), which ties for the third-longest such streak in franchise history. The last time the Flyers went 11 without a win was during their franchise-record 12-game winless streak (0-8-4) from Feb. 24 – March 16, 1999. 

Postgame Quotes

Responses to media questions after the game:

Flyers G Brian Elliott

Brian would you say the two goals that Boston scored in the second period were the result of effort and hustle on their part?

We knew they have been a good face off team for years. Both kind of came from icings that we had and when you’re tired out there and they know what plays they are making, that’s kinda the result.

Kinda running out of different questions here, this seems like groundhog day these past ten, what can you guys find to change this?

I wish I had the answer we would be turning it around I guess, right? It’s getting tiring coming out here trying to explain a game or two, it’s about playing the game the right way and playing smart. I think we’re working really hard, but sometimes I think when you’re spinning your tires a little bit, nothing gets accomplished. We played a good team that has very good structure and if you don’t make the smart play every time they are gonna turn around and bring it the other way. We saw a lot of odd-man rushes that kinda resulted from plays like that.

Brian, you’ve been on the other end on some of those goaltender interference calls, when you looked up at the screen and saw the replay of Simmer did you say oh yeah we will get this one?

Yeah, I saw the one angle and I didn’t see anything. He was well outside the crease and I think he just had a good screen on him, but I didn’t see any other angles or anything, so it’s not my call, but we definitely could have used that one.

Does that reaffirm your belief that it’s really hard to gage what is goaltender interference and what’s not anymore?

Yeah, like I said I will have to watch it from a different angle, but yeah its gray and we gotta keep working to get these bounces here for us.

How much does that take the wind out of your sails when that one gets reversed?

You have to let it not take the wind out of your sails, we still had a power play after that and everything so we gotta just accept it and move on. If you get hung up looking at those things, saying what could have been, the game is gonna answer back.

I don’t know if you’ve been on a team that has had a streak like this before…inaudible…

It’s just having belief and sticking together, it’s not a magical recipe, it’s playing the game the right way. We have the personnel in here to do it, you gotta keep going. There’s no give up in this, that’s what I know for sure.

Can going out west help the team at this point?

We’re gonna use whatever we can I guess, but there are tough buildings that we’re gonna go into, we have to play. No one is going to hand us games, no one is feeling sorry for us right now, so it’s all in this room right here.

Flyers RW Jake Voracek

A huge loss like this becomes harder to find the answers.

“One hundred percent. It’s tough. It’s tough. Ten games you never thought you would be part of anything like that but nobody feels sorry for us. So we go on a tough west road trip. You just gotta make sure we grind out some points there. Obviously everything we touch right now turns to ****.”

You guys are accountable to each other but how much does that become more difficult as this rolls on here?

“It’s raw but like I said it is obviously a tough stretch but it’s long season. You just gotta start believing in ourselves a little bit more and play a little more free. I think right now especially the last two games I think we worked really hard but no results. You know what I mean. Just simplify things a bit and play with a little bit more joy. Which is obviously tough when we lose eight nine games but it’s something you have to find a way.”

When guys are working hard and not smart does that mean that you are getting out of the system?

“No they scored three goals today. The first one, mistake turnover. The second one, faceoff. Third one out of the scrum. Great play by their D. It’s simple, we didn’t score. You can’t win games if you don’t score. We scored one goal in two games. It’s tough.”

When the game was still scoreless. Coots made a good play create a power play for you guys. Simmers fight. Provy with the big hit. These are things when things are going well you can build momentum off of. When things are going like this does it build frustration that doesn’t get followed up from shifts to follow?

“I wouldn’t say it’s built frustration. It’s just something we haven’t done but I think we did today but like I said everything we touch it’s just bad. You know what I mean. Every mistake we make it’s in our net. We cannot score. Like I said we are in this together. Players, coaches we just gotta make sure we find a way to win some games and get on a streak here because it’s slipping away.”

Another example of a penalty taking you guys out of a power play today. Is that built frustration as lack of success on the power play that led to that?

“Yeah, obviously you don’t want to take penalties when you are on the power play. Sometimes it is bad luck sometimes it is a bad play. I think that play was a frustration today but I think overall we are taking to many penalties. Not only on our power play I think overall in every game. We had three games in a row when we took five six penalties it’s hard to contain.”

Flyers Head Coach Dave Hakstol

I guess that’s another case of working hard and not smart.

I don’t know what that means actually, I thought our effort level was good, the compete level was good. What got us in terms of the execution of the goals against we made mistakes and they took advantage of those mistakes. I don’t think you can just roll it into one ball of wax and say we worked hard, but not smart. There were mistakes that led to the goals, but our team did work hard, continued to work hard through the 60 minutes and obviously that’s not what we came here for it’s about two points and we didn’t get those.

Looking at Gostisbehere’s penalty, he said he was just trying to play, how do you see that?

I don’t want to get into a debate on the penalty calls or anything like that, I don’t want to get in debate on all the individual calls, you know what I mean, trying to make a hard play obviously the refs thought that it was a penalty and that’s the call that he made.

I don’t think the question is so much about the validity of the penalty, but whether it was out of frustration as a opposed to one of those so called hard-working penalties, was he trying to even the score from the hit Marchand had on him earlier? 

Well there’s probably a little bit of that there at that time of game I would rather he make a different choice, I’ll leave it at that.

On Boston’s two second period goals, how much of that was effort, outworking you guys on those two goals, and how much of that was due to the fact that you iced the puck and you’re coming back and maybe had some tired guys out there?

Both stem from icings that we’d like to avoid and then they’re different plays from there, one’s a faceoff playoff that we get beat off the wall to a puck in the middle of the rink and then the second one is a coverage out of a scrum on the half wall in our zone. We have four guys in on that pile and we should have three on the pile and two on the outside of it.

On the disallowed goal, did you get an explanation right away on that?

Not right away, but I did get the explanation on it, yes.

Like after the period or something?

Yeah at the appropriate time, the refs aren’t supposed to come right over after a call like that so they followed the process the right way. If you’re asking about it from me it’s a good goal on the ice, it’s an awful close play when I look at it biased of our side, but I think it’s one of those it’s too close to overturn, they felt differently on it and that’s the call that they made.

  

You might’ve seen him [Wayne] clip him [Rask] but he was pretty close to out of the crease is that what you saw?

There’s a lot I don’t want to get into the details of it, that’s what I felt, I don’t want to get into the details of why I felt that way, again I don’t want to get into a referendum [on the officiating].

Is it difficult to get into the details cause the rules kind of floating around out there right now?

Yeah, I don’t want to get into it, I’m not trying to avoid it – that’s not the part of this game that we control so I’ll answer the questions on the things that we do control.

Dave when you’re going through a stretch like this do you have to balance between pulling the positives out of the game and accentuating some of the negatives without having the players feel the negativity, do you know what I mean?

I think you gotta do both, you gotta deal with things straight up as they are, you gotta deal with them directly and evenly and that’s the only approach.

What’s the thought process in the third behind benching TK?

Well he wasn’t benched, he did get on the ice. But that ice time is a little bit earned as well in terms of, we put together a unit that could allow us to switch up the matchup against Bergeron, obviously to free up Coots’s line a little bit more on that. The mix was put together after that with kind of a top nine in mind and a bottom three and TK was in the bottom three at that point in time.

Have you seen a difference between the play in the last two games versus the play in the first eight, a lot of those games were toss ups, these two obviously haven’t been.

I thought the other night was a tired hockey game for us, tonight we had opportunities in the second that change the complexion of this game and they scored on a couple of their good opportunities, to that point it’s a very close hockey game. Once we get into the third instead of having that injection of life that our bench needed at that point with a late power play goal, we gotta come in and try to climb out of a 3-nothing hole and we couldn’t do that tonight.

A couple players said that getting out on the road for a while might be a good change of pace, do you say that might be the case?

That’s the reality of the schedule, the Western Canadian swing is not an easy one, but it’s a good time for us to go out and challenge ourselves to push in the right direction. 

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Behind the NHL scenes: Philadelphia Flyers verses Ottawa Senators

(The Zamboni prepares the ice at the Wells Fargo Center approximately an hour before game time.)

Introductions

Most preseason predictions didn't have the Philadelphia Flyers making the playoffs this season. Rookie head coach Dave Hakstol was an unknown factor, having left the college ranks in North Dakota to work in a high-profile East Coast hockey town. His impressive collegiate career and demeanor convinced the Flyers' brass that he deserved a shot.

There's no way to know how a Craig Berube-coached team would have performed this year. Would the addition of Shayne Gostisbehere in the early part of the season and the increased masked differential that Michal Neuvirth offered, verses Ray Emery, have resulted in a similar playoff push reality this April? It's debatable. However, the very unusual move of removing 'Chief', while retaining his entire staff, to assist Hakstol's National Hockey League transition, can't be overlooked.

General manager Ron Hextall, who worked through his first year last season, evaluated everything and made a gutsy decision. An organization that has been known and harshly criticized for its loyalty, changed direction, replacing a Flyer with an outsider. Hextall's patient approach defies the on-ice demeanor that he exhibited when he embodied number 27 in and around the crease during a 13-year hockey career.

Philadelphia's short-term future may include a playoff appearance this spring, but even if it doesn't, depth within the lower levels is real. Similar to the 1980's teams, continued infusions of youth will repopulate the roster for cascading future seasons. And with that, it appears that the Flyers are building toward perpetual contention and therefore, a realistic chance at the ever-elusive third Stanley Cup ring.

First period

Steve Mason started in goal, again. Andrew Hammond led the Senators, who were recently eliminated from playoff contention, as were all of the Canadian teams. That rare seasonal distinction, among non-United States teams, was last realized during the 1969-70 campaign.

This period wasn't flat, but the teams basically took turns appearing in each other's end of the ice, with little sustained high-percentage opportunities. Each goalie made a few decent saves, but the shot total (Flyers 10 - Senators 9) reflected an even frame and produced a double goose egg on the scoreboard.

Second period

Wayne Simmonds tipped Jake Voracek's intentionally aimed blue line shot past Hammond at 1:30 into the period. It was his twenty-seventh of the season. The power play goal gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

Then, on a another man-advantage, Sean Couturier poked in a puck that Brayden Schenn initially attempted to push past Ottawa's goal line. Assists went to Schenn and Simmonds. It was Coot's eleventh of the season.

Chris Neil was assessed with a 10-minute misconduct penalty (17:35) just prior to Mike Zibanejad blowing a shot past Mason's left pad, at close range, with 2:12 left in frame. His nineteenth goal was assisted by Mike Hoffman and Cody Ceci.

The Flyers headed into the final period of their last game of this season against the Senators with the thinnest of leads. The two-period result wasn't surprising, as these Eastern Conference occupants split their first two games earlier in the hockey year, both of which were played at the Canadian Tire Centre north of the border.

Third period

Simmonds scored his second power play goal of the game (and twenty-eighth overall) at 7:15, with assists to Voracek and Schenn. This important tally gave the Flyers breathing room, putting them up by two over the Sens. Ceci's earlier penalty enabled his team to fall into this 3-1 hole. Will Simmer break the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career? With five games to go, it's surely possible that he reaches that impressive mark.

Radko Gudas earned two-minute minor penalties (11:34) for interference and slashing during a scrum that saw Neil tagged with two minutes of roughing time. Hoffman subsequently scored his twenty-eighth of the season 12:28 on the ensuing power play, with assists to Erik Karlsson and Bobby Ryan. However, it wasn't enough as the Flyers held on to win 3-2. Ottawa's 36-35 shot advantage underscored the evenness of the battled that ensued.

The win pushed the Flyers (91) to within two points of the New York Islanders (93), who were shutout by the Pittsburgh Penguins (98 points). Philadelphia, the eighth-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, and New York (seventh-ranked) have five games remaining on their schedules. These longtime rivals play each other at the Wells Fargo Center in the last game of the season on April 10, which is a makeup of an earlier snowed-out contest.

After the horn sounded

Hakstol was his normal disciplined self in the post-game presser. With his daughter and a member of the Flyers' PR staff, Joe Seville, standing off to the side, the first-year head coach reviewed the game with the preciseness of a grizzled bench boss. Hextall's man clearly has implemented a team-wide style that plays shift-by-shift, period-by-period and game-by-game. A playoff berth is in the offing with ten possible points to gain. Detroit, ninth in the Conference, sits just outside Wild Card position, with 89 points and four games showing on its 2015-16 docket, and Boston, who lags just behind the Red Wings as of today.

When asked by the media about defending a one-goal lead late in a game, Hakstol said, “Mentality and the ability to stay aggressive and stay on your toes. That’s exactly what that shift says. We kept it in the offensive zone, we kept the clock winding without a whole lot of whistles as we went down the stretch. Because of that we were able to stay on our toes and stay aggressive and that’s exactly what Belley’s line did on that shift.”

Mason's play has been key to the Flyers' surge. After the game he said, “A lot of what I’m doing has to do with the guys in front. I think overall we’re playing real solid hockey and in turns makes my job a lot easier. We’re scoring goals at probably our best clip of the year too, so that also helps. We’re still in tight games, but we’re having the confidence for guys that they’re going to find the back of the net and that’s a nice thing for a goaltender to have, knowing that the guys are going to come through for you and more than anything like I said earlier it’s fun coming to the rink and expecting to play.”

Speaking about the playoff push, Giroux said, “I think we’ve been doing a good job. We were maybe what eight points off maybe two months ago. We told ourselves to focus on our game, how we play, and we’ve been doing that so I’m not too sure what the game was with Pittsburgh and the Islanders, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter to us, so we just have to be ready for next game.”

Philadelphia's relentless push since February has earned the organization kudos across the League. Their opportunity to play post-season hockey isn't an accident. No, Hextall, Hakstol, his coaching staff and the orange iced boys have earned a chance to shine. Next up is tomorrow's game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

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Behind the hockey scenes: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Today's behind-the-scenes report will be different than past efforts. Instead of providing total game details, I want to blend the past, present and future together.

Introductions

After the standard security check-in, similar to what paying fans experience at the gate, early press arrivals head to the Balcony Level, where the media's workspace exists. After setting up, lunch down at the Event Floor level with Philadelphia Flyers' staff takes place. The TV and radio announcers along with former National Hockey League faces, scouts, etc., can also be seen eating a nice lunch before game time. Then, back up the elevator shaft to finish preparations for the early-afternoon game.

Peering down at the Wells Fargo Center arena (as the lead photo to this feature shows), ghosts of the Spectrum are evoked prior to the start of an unexpectedly crucial mid-March game. Playoff implications were in play for both Eastern Conference teams today. Ron Hextall, the hero of 1987, was watching aside of the press level location where I was stationed. He, more than any current player, appears to be demonstrating the ability to create extended shots at Stanley Cup III. If Philadelphia had defeated the greatest offensive team of all-time, the Edmonton Oilers, in the spring of 1987, would Hextall be the Flyers' general manager today? An unknowable answer that will be revisited later.

Organizational loyalty, faulted by many for the team's inability to hoist Lord Stanley's prize, is never noted when Gene Hart's daughter, Lauren, looks to the skies. And, with the National Anthem sung to perfection once more, the players, the officials, and the fans became the focus this Saturday afternoon on the last day of winter 2016.

The big pre-game news involved Jake Voracek's return to action, as he'd been missing since last month due to injury. Steve Mason, who started in place of expected starter Michal Neuvirth, looked from one crease across the Philly pond at Marc-Andre Fleury as the opening face-off ensued.

First period

The Pens outshot the Flyers 11-4. Some penalty kills proved to be the only 'highlight's' of the frame.

The enduring passion of the fans has underscored the true success of this franchise. Seven appearances in the Cup Final since the last moment of glory in 1975, and yet sellouts, or mostly filled buildings, have been seen ever since. This blueprint (correction, orange print) shows how every business should honor its customers.

Second period

Radko Gudas scored his fourth goal of the season to break the double shutout at 1:58 into the period. Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds assisted. But, the lead only lasted slightly over a minute, as Trevor Daley scored his fifth goal of the year (at 2:59), as assisted by Nick Bonino and Eric Fehr.

Carl Hagelin scored his ninth goal of the season at 16:56, assisted by Bonino, to give the Pens a 2-1 lead. Then, with 1:35 remaining in the frame, Chris Kunitz scored his fifteenth, with assists credited to Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh was thoroughly dominating, posting 25 shots, to Philadelphia’s eight, at that point in the game.

The 25-9 shot split, which showed on the scoreboard, belied a tough challenge heading into the third. To this point, it seemed that the Flyers' recent playoff push had an energy zapping effect. More importantly, the Pens were up to today's task.

Third period

An apparent late Pens' goal took place with 1:38 remaining and a Masonless net. However, the play was reviewed. Kris Letang received credit for the tally (his fourteenth of the season), with assists to Kunitz and Crosby. And, the game ended in a 4-1 victory for the Flyers' cross-state rival.

Pittsburgh stymied Philadelphia's offensive attempts, as the Flyers had minimal opportunity in the center zone from the defensive blue line through to the opposing net. Philadelphia's solid shot totals in recent weeks allowed their goal differential to be cut to -4 (185 goals allowed, 181 goals scored) before today's game. That mark probably must be pushed to double-digits (on the positive side) if even the eighth playoff space is able to be colored orange by April 10, which is the last scheduled game of the regular season.

The Penguins now have 86 points (11 games remaining) and currently hold a Metropolitan Divisional spot. The Flyers stay at the 80 point mark (12 games remaining) and are one point behind the Detroit Red Wings, who play the Florida Panthers tonight. 

Takeaways

Down the media-packed freight elevator after the final horn. We meander our way toward the locker room and then to the post-game presser with Hakstol. His workman like demeanor, seen in full view after games, is what this developing group needs. Hextall's choice of the former North Dakota coach is proving to be sound. Hakstol appears to maintain a balanced view of present circumstances and future goals.

He advised that Voracek's first game back was what he expected. His 9:46 TOI reflected the first reconditioning segment. Future games will allow him to regain skating legs and endurance after suffering an ankle injury in February. Neuvirth's situation wasn't defined as being connected to a recent team flu bug, or to injury. His status will be further defined by Monday, at the latest.

The head coach began his presser by saying, “Well, I think they played a good hockey game. It was a day where we couldn’t find any energy and we just couldn’t get ourselves going in the right direction. Obviously, it comes at a bad time and against the wrong team, but that’s what it is. We looked like we had spent a lot of energy, maybe a lot of emotional energy, on the back to backs with Detroit and Chicago. We just couldn’t find that same energy tonight, so we got to put it behind us real quick and get back at it.”

Claude Giroux, speaking about the Flyers' effort said, "...maybe it looked like the effort wasn’t there, but it was there. The last month and a half I think we have been playing some really good hockey. You are going to have games like tonight where it is not going your way. A lot of frustration on our part. You are going to have games like that. Like I have said before, we aren’t going to win every game for the rest of the season. It is going to be how we are going to respond to this. This year, well the last two months, we have been doing a good job when we get a tough loss we always bounce back."

Voracek, commenting on his return, said, “No. I don’t want to say the percentage wise, but I was still favoring a little bit of the left leg. It didn’t eliminate me as much as my hands did today. I think  I coughed up a couple of pucks, which I expected it was going to happen and we have to find a way to help the team to win a game the next time.”

Mason, commenting on his unexpected call to start said, "That’s just the nature of the position sometimes. Sometimes you get called on short notice. That’s kind of why you prepare everyday as if you were going to play."

The Flyers travel to play the New York Islanders on Monday. Like the Pens, the Isles are also ahead of the Flyers in the standings and are in playoff position as of this weekend. Philadelphia's strong push from February through St. Patrick's Day week merely made a post-season spot possible. This team's work will remain hard through its last 12 games.

My own experience as a modest freelancer is always ready to be offered as proof of how generous this NHL organization is. It doesn't have to allow me, and my fellow freelance colleagues, access. Yet, it does. An initial interview I conducted with Bernie Parent opened the doors for me. That connection developed through a friend (Dan Morroni) and then, as he told me, I took it from there. Chances do present themselves in life. When they arise, taking them doesn't always result in lasting success. However, not making the effort back then would almost certainly have led nowhere.

A final glance from the inside

Up the elevator once again with various scribes. Passed Dave Brown, Flyers' Director of Player Personnel, after arriving at Press Level. Brown's hockey player presence disappeared with the mild-mannered well-wish he offered me as we passed. A fitting send-off to today's experience, as nearly five seasons behind-the-hockey scenes have allowed me to increasingly learn what the hockey world is all about. From the beginning, through today, I've enjoyed sharing these experiences with readers who live in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and elsewhere across the globe.

And, as I prepare to leave, the arena isn't empty. A final glance over my packed bag shows two local teams cutting the ice below.

Let's connect on Twitter @SeanyOB, through Facebook, or on LinkedIn. 

Behind the hockey scenes: Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders

                                                                                                    (My pre-game, press level photo of the Wells Fargo Center.)

The Wells Fargo Center was silent upon arrival this Saturday, January 9, 2016. The Philadelphia Flyers were set to play the New York Islanders on another mild winter's day that has thankfully been snowless to-date this season. The historically high $900 million-plus national Powerball lottery pot amount was the only screaming voice this scribe heard pre-game.

The consistent professionalism of the staff in this building is always noteworthy. A hard-working collective unit, which includes many familiar faces, is always appreciated. Random chance doesn't enable this solid sports' business to retain its mojo. Instead it began with the leadership of Ed Snider and continues to flow through the earnest efforts of all team members, both on and off the ice, since the 1960's.

Driving past the site of the fabled Spectrum never grows old as one approaches the Flyers' second home in south Philadelphia. The exact physical location of that cultural icon was tastefully not supplanted by another structure. A reverent amount of open space allows the lasting image of all hockey, basketball, wrestling, concert and other events to live on in the mind's eye.

Introductions

Flyers' starters: Goaltender Steve Mason, First line: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. The defensive pairing was Mark Streit and Nick Schultz. (The lack of Shayne Gostisbehere, due to a recent leg injury, will remain challenging to overcome, considering this impactful rookie's presence since his fall arrival.)

Islanders' starters: Goaltender Jaroslav Halak. First line: Brock Nelson, Mikhail Grabovski and Ryan Strome. The defensive pairing was Thomas Hickey and Brian Strait.

First period

Little action, underscored by the lopsided 11-2 shot total in favor of Philadelphia. The lack of Flyers' goals, in an of itself, can't be defined within this one iced frame. However, until general manager Ron Hextall is able to inject at least three additional, effective, offensive players into this roster, it will continue to have limited playoff chase potential. Having typed that, it's also worth noting that the second-season front office boss is doing a fine job, as recognized across the National Hockey League, in incrementally upgrading the organization.

Evgeny Medvedev took advantage of minimal open iceway on the power play taking the puck in the faceoff circle and scoring his third goal of the season at 8:33 on the power play. Assists via Matt Read and Michael Del Zotto. Penalized Islander Mikhail Grabowski left the box with a chagrin on his face.

Second period

Michael Raffl (sixth goal) opened the scoring at 1:28 of the period by lifting a quick passed Halak. Matt Read carried the puck into the o-zone, passed it to Sean Couturier, who gave up his body into the back boards, while simultaneously shifting the disk to the approaching Raffl. Result: Full line team effort and goal scored.

The period ended in a 2-0 lead for the Flyers. New York mustered eight shots in the period, with minimal effective scoring chances.

Third period

Read scored his sixth goal of the season by flicking a wrist shot through Halak's five-hole at 10:58. He took the puck near the blue line and fired from above the faceoff circle. His tally was assisted by Mark Streit and Scott Laughton.

Radko Gudas ended the scoring with a spin-o-rama shot, that was tipped by Couturier, past Halak's right pad at 15:14. Couturier's ninth goal of the season capped a fine home performance that featured fine work by all four lines and 200 feet of hockey responsibility.

The raucous crowd serenaded the visiting hockey team prior to the horn sounding. The ode offered the gathered thong's philosophical take on New York's collective worth. A 4-0 shutout didn't elicit generosity from the hometown crowd.

Mason tied Neuvirth with three shutouts on the season.

Takeaways

                                                                                                    (My post-game presser photo of head coach Dave Hakstol.)

Head coach Dave Hakstol emphasized the sound work of his unit in the post-game presser. Part-way through his first year foray in the the NHL, this bench boss has had an effect upon a group of players that are somewhat similar to last year's contingent.

Speaking to the press, post-game, about his team's current track, Hakstol said, “Yeah, every two points, it sounds like a broken record right, but it’s true, every game is pretty important for us.  These games happen to be against eastern conference teams.  I said it the other day, our long term focus is between now and the four day all-star break.  That’s long term and short term is just what you saw today, one game, two points at a time.”

Hakstol also agreed, when asked, that tomorrow was an earned day off. Monday's practice will reflect the good feelings generated by the three-game win streak, that started with a 4-3 regulation win against the Montreal Canadiens last Tuesday. Next up is another home contest that features the Boston Bruins on January 13th.

Per the Flyers' media relations department: Matt Read recorded his eighth career game of three or more points and his first since Dec. 4, 2013.  Three of those eight games have come against the Islanders.  Read has had 11 shots on goal over the past two games. And, Steve Mason recorded his 29^th career shutout and his second career blanking of the Islanders. It’s his third shutout of the season.  

One last noteworthy points about Snider: He founded the Flyers at at time when professional hockey didn't exist in Philadelphia. The risk he took represented the spirit of capitalism in America at that time. Battling the reemergence of cancer this season, Mr. Flyer has been resting at this California home for much of this season. Released information indicates that his fight is going well, yet this disease always remains fully unpredictable. His team's Christmas' break visit brightened his spirits and also allowed the modern version of the orange and black to rightly offer its respect to the man behind it all.

Let's connect on Twitter @SeanyOB, through Facebook, or on LinkedIn. 

Behind the Scenes: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Nashville Predators

                                                                                        (My photo of post-game presser prior to head coach Dave Hakstol's arrival.)

The November 27, 2015, Black Friday contest featured a matchup of coaches Dave Hakstol and Peter Laviolette, who famously led the orange and black from early in the 2009-10 season through the third game of the 2013-14 campaign.

Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers entered the contest with a 7-10-5 record (19 points). Laviolette's Nashville Predators' mark was 12-6-3 (27 points).

Introductions

Flyers starters: Goaltender Michal Neuvirth. First line: Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn and Michael Raffl. Top defensive pairing was Radko Gudas, Michael Del Zotto

Predators starters: Goaltender Pekka Rinne. First line: Calle Jarnkrok, Eric Nystrom and Gabriel Bourque. Top defensive pairing was Shea Weber and Roman Josi.

First period

Flip Forsberg opened the scoring for the Preds with his third tally of the season at 1:44. His short side shot was assisted by Mike Ribeiro and James Neal.

Del Zotto countered with his first goal of the season at four minutes into the game. His cut to his left and sent a laser over Rinne's left shoulder. Schenn and Giroux earned assists.

TOI Leaders were Gudas, Del Zotto, Weber, and Roman Josi.

Second period

Back and forth action is the best definition of what took place in this frame. In keeping with what can mostly be described as varied, lackluster play during the month, the Flyers exited the first period in a 1-1 tie.

The Predators seasonal offensive advantage hadn't factored into the game as the second intermission began.

Voracek's continued presence on the third line with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Chris Vandevelde remains telling, of both the player and the team. His appearance on the second power play unit, with Matt Read and Michael Raffl, deepened that reality.

Third period

Colin McDonald scored his first NHL goal at 4:57, putting the Flyers ahead 2-1. Assists were offered by Evgeny Medvedev and Scott Laughton. The marker came on a short-side shot past Rinne off a rebound. Philadelphia had overtaken the Predators in shots (25-23) by this point in the game.

Laviolette pulled Rinne with just over a minute to go in the game. His forced strategy worked, as Mike Fisher lifted the puck over a fallen Neuvirth with 20 seconds showing on the clock until the final buzzer. Forsberg and Josi assisted on the game-tier.

Overtime

The openly embraced 3-on-3 overtime ensued with each team taking game-ending chances through the first few minutes of action. But, a too-many-men on the ice penalty was assessed to the Preds with 2:20 to go.

Shayne 'Ghost' Ghostisbehere's power play goal won the game with 52 seconds remaining in OT. It was his third goal of the season, with assists to the temporarily reunited tandem of Giroux and Voracek.

Ghostisbehere later said, “It’s a fun ride right now and I don’t have any plans of getting off it. I mean I’ve never scored that many OT winners in my life so I mean it’s a surreal moment but I’m going to keep going and I’m looking forward to New York.”

After the game, Hakstol commented on how he felt his team played with the lead today. "We did a much better job I thought then we did a few nights ago. We were playing tonight, you always know on the bench when guys are talking about the right things and trying to do the right things, that’s a good step.”

Laviolette's remarks about chance totals and his goalie were familiar, based upon his post-game demeanor during his Philadelphia years. “We probably had 25 chances tonight. Quality chances. So there’s 20-25 good chances so there was Peks.  He played a good game in net. He made a back door save on a nice turnover. A couple of point plays chances and he made a save on Wilson’s rebound in tight. We had a lot of looks.”

Takeaways

The win could be a nice confidence builder for the Flyers during the holiday weekend.

'Ghost' is a clear difference-maker, whose play could enable him to remain on the squad indefinitely.

Saturday's game at Madison Square Garden calls for a quick turnaround. The 1:30PM ET start not only means a shortened period of reflection until the next puck drop. The Flyers' opponent leads the Metropolitan Division with a 16-4-2 record (34 points), ranks first in the National Hockey League in goals against and fifth in the League in goals scored. The Blue Shirts entered play on Friday tied for second place with the Dallas Stars for most points in the NHL. The Montreal Canadians' performance (17-4-2, 36 points) led the pack through the day that honors commerce in the United States.

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