Behind the hockey scenes: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators and The Road Ahead
Introductions
Well, it wasn't the goaltending this season...
The last game of the regular season, held in late April, due to the stretched schedule.
Philadelphia (25-45-11, 61 points) verses Ottawa (32-42-7, 71 points) in both teams final contest of the 2021-22 season.
The coming off-season starts immediately after the horn sounds. Buzz regarding the fates of numerous players, head coach, coaching staff, along with various other staff members exists. General Manager Chuck Fletcher created what appeared to be an improved team heading into the start of this season. However, thinness in various areas and questions about goaltending abounded.
The in-season dismissal of head coach Alain Vigneault was followed by one of Fletcher's past go-to guys, assistant coach Mike Yeo, being given the helm. Yeo's task was immensely steep. Any fair assessment, considering the volume of man-games lost due to injuries, lesser than expected performances, trades, including that of Claude Giroux, would have to give Yeo a pass.
Yeo is not expected to be elevated to head coach but seems worthy of another spot in the organization. His honest and accurate assessments of players was and can remain valuable. Yeo is the proverbial, good hockey guy.
As for Fletcher – His status is tied to whatever level of patience Chairman and CEO Dave Scott may have. A presser featuring both men projected a contrast between Scott believing that the team would be back as of next season, implying a playoff contender. Fletcher's highlight of building best through the draft implied that 2022-23 would not be one to count on as a certain playoff return.
If what Scott saw after that presser though the season's end meets Fletcher's expectations, he should be allowed to continue. Danny Briere was firmly positioned as Fletcher's protege and potential successor this season as well, which is intriguing on various levels.
Season-ending team awards were announced prior to the start of the game.
Cam Atkinson - Bobby Clarke Trophy (team MVP. voted by a local media panel)
Travis Sandheim - Barry Ashbee Trophy (best defenseman, voted by a local media panel)
Travis Sandheim - Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (most improved player over the current season, voted by the Flyers players)
Zack MacEwen - Gene Hart Memorial Award (Player with the most "heart", strongest work ethic and unwavering dedication. voted by the Flyers Fan Club)
Cam Atkinson - Yanick Dupre Memorial Award (formerly the "Class Guy" award, the honor goes to a Flyers player who exhibits consistent professionalism and rapport with the media, voted by the members of the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association)
Carter Hart - Toyota Cup (player with the most three-star selection points; 5 per each first-star selection, 3 for each second-star honor and one point each time he's selected as the third star).
Lauren Hart – then, now, forever – no one better.
Lou Nolan – on the call at his rightful center ice position.
First period
Martin Jones got the final start, as expected. He paired well with Carter Hart this season, reestablishing himself as a solid veteran. Depending on the interest of the team and Jones, if the money is right, he could return next season.
A solid team effort to prevent a goal inside the crease, with multiple Flyers helping to keep the puck out of the net during a Sandheim penalty toward the half-way point of the period.
Flyers get the first score at 18:31 into the frame on the powerplay. James van Riemsdyk with a nifty between his legs shot. He overtook Atkinson to become the team goal-leader with that play.
Assists Owen Tippett and Ivan Provorov.
Shots: Philadelphia 11 - Ottawa 11
Score: Ottawa 0 - Philadelphia 1
Intermission – Yes, the Mites On Ice. Another evergreen crowd-pleaser.
Second period
MacEwen penalty resulted in a Kevin Hayes chance at the Sens net during the early part of Ottawa's powerplay. No goals were scored during this disadvantage.
Egor Zamula roughing penalty with approximately 12 minutes to go in the period gave the Sens another man advantage. Another clean penalty kill.
The flow of this game feels like a season-ender so far. But the players are giving a decent effort that they know is their last game for many months.
Ottawa scored at 11:51 to tie the game. A turnover by Provorov behind Jones' left shoulder led to a takeaway by Brady Tkachuk and a tap in by Josh Norris. Those productive offensive players can not be allowed that type of chance on a high-scoring percentage situation.
Shots: Philadelphia 6 - Ottawa 13
Score: Ottawa 1- Philadelphia 1
Third period
Travis Hamonic scores at 1:56 into the third. Ottawa assists to Alex Formenton and Thomas Chabot.
Watching Keith Yandle, who is the National Hockey League's reigning Iron Man. The guy gives all he has left to give. It is easy to see why he is respected across the League. (His plus/minus number this season is also understood, based on all factors, which includes the wear and tear and this team's overall defensive challenges.)
A power play with just under 10 minutes to go gave the home team a chance to tie the game. And then another aggression penalty, spurned by Travis Konecny channeling Ken Linesman gave the Flyers a five on three advantage.
Tippet blasted a laser over Anton Forsberg's left shoulder to tie the game at 12:33. Assists to Provorov and Morgan Frost.
Flyers hooking penalty (Linus Hogberg) with at 15:13 to go gave the Sens an unwanted, late advantage.
Tkachuck scored on a wrister over Jones' left shoulder at 16:38. A hard goal to give up after the comeback, which was a rare bird during this season for Philadelphia.
Austin Watson's empty-netter at 18:15 iced the game.
Shots: Philadelphia 17 - Ottawa 12
Final shot totals: Philadelphia 34 - Ottawa 36
Score: Ottawa 4 - Philadelphia 2
After the horn sounded
Some players took off the orange jersey for the final time today. Such is the business of hockey.
The Flyers last won the Stanley Cup in the spring of 1975. They beat the Buffalo Sabres to claim back-to-back titles and won the hearts of fans for generations. This franchise last appeared in the Cup Final in 2010, lost its founder and one of the great forces in National Hockey League history in 2016, and has been attempting to meet his standard of excellence since.
The road ahead is not easy and could take a handful of years. What this franchise needs to achieve is steady progress. Fletcher arguably deserves more time to do so.
On a personal note, as consistently stated in the past, the media staff is first-class, always providing me with access and anything that I need when covering games. Treating a freelancer like me with respect, dating back to when I first started covering the team in 2011, is appreciated.
Yandle took the last puck of the game, shook hands with the Sens coaches and players, and was hugged by his teammates, leaving the ice last. That, along with him leading the pregame stretch and announcing the starting lineup in the locker room implies that today was his last game of his career.
Full transcripts per the Flyers media department at the postgame presser I attended:
Philadelphia Flyers Interim Head Coach Mike Yeo
Does the loss capture how the year has gone this year?
It’s amazing. Yeah, it just sort of sums it up doesn’t it? How many times have we had games similar to that. You battle and you scratch and claw, power play gets on the board, scores a big goal for us, and then find a way to let it slip away at the end. Yeah it’s disappointing.
We talked about late game situations, we talked about habits this morning, why do you think this team throughout the year could never really figure it out?
It’s obviously something that’s got to be corrected. Winning hockey games and understanding that every play can make a difference in the hockey game. Two of the goals that they scored tonight came from an offensive zone situation that we have to learn and recognize how important, how critical those areas are. You look at a number of the goals we’ve given up this year, a lot of them we have the puck on our stick at that particular time so a sense of awareness, game management, clock management, also taking what the other team’s giving you, but just sort of the idea that you have to really have the urgency in those situations to not lose the puck. Taking care of the puck is everything in this game. You can defend all you want but if you turn pucks over you’re going to give the other team momentum. I think we saw that in that second period with us tonight. The things we were doing well in the first period we stopped doing in the second and because of that we lose offense, because of that the other team gets momentum. The other team gets scoring opportunities.
Something that you did figure out was you had two power play goals, you had a 5-on-3 which is a first, what was looking different tonight?
The power play’s hot. Those guys went out and did a good job. Frosty was a big faceoff for us on the 5-on-3. It’s amazing how many opportunities Tippett’s had lately that haven’t been going in so I’m glad that he got rewarded with that and I like the mindset of it to be honest with you, it’s one pass and it’s just a one-timer, we’re hard at the net and obviously that first goal was a real nice play as well.
What do you try to convey to the team?
I think first we’ve got to learn. Motivation is not going to be an issue heading into next year, but tonight is not the time for that big message. Had a couple days here to make sure we really have an opportunity to really sit down with the group and sort of make it very clear as far as what the expectations are going forward. Big picture of what we have to become.
Mike you mentioned that the good things you were doing in the first period did not carry over to the second period, why has consistency from period to period been such an issue?
A big part of it is execution. You’re talking about the second period, you’ve got the long change, a great deal of it you see at certain points through the game that there’s plays that are made that are bouncing off our stick and situations where you have to bear down and those opportunities. I also think that it’s again, one area that this group can grow is a willingness to grind more offensively. Quite often I feel like we just want to get the puck and skate though everybody. So the awareness to recognize what the other team is giving you and what they’re taking away in those situations and too many times in that second period we were trying to skate through when we had no speed and turning pucks over. So we’ve got to be willing in those situations to have better speed support, better skating barriers that use a little more indirect plays with the puck to set up our offensive zone play, and we didn’t get enough of that in the second.
Philadelphia Flyers G Martin Jones
What happened on that scramble play in the first period? Looked like it hit you twice? Can you walk us through that sequence?
One-timer off the flank. It just hit my stick and kind of kicked to the middle. Just scramble mode at that point. Hoggy made a big block, bought me some time, I was able to get back and get the next one.
How much did you guys want to go out with a solid performance for the fans who have been through a very tough year with you guys?
Yep. Would liked to have win that one.
Where do you feel like you fell short there?
I thought we played alright tonight. PK was good. Tough to give up that power play goal late. It’s the way it’s gone for us this year. It’s been tough. But I thought we played alright tonight, we battled hard.
Philadelphia Flyers RW Owen Tippett
How did it feel to break through and score?
Obviously the last couple of games I’ve feel like I’ve gotten the chances, so like you said, it’s nice to get one and to break through.
When we spoke to Mike Yeo he said he liked the mentality of the goal, not just the goal itself, how much of that do you bring, that one-timer get the puck on the net mentality to your game?
I think it was just right off the faceoff we knew we didn’t have much time left on the 5-on-3 and we wanted to get something to the net as quick as possible and Provy made a nice pass over and I think it bounced off one of their guys and found the way.
At the end of the day how do you evaluate it with your time in Florida?
I think I started to find my game. With opportunity, comes confidence, and when you play with confidence you start holding on to the puck more and making those plays and I feel like I was getting solid chances each and every game. I like where my game finished.
Philadelphia Flyers LW James van Riemsdyk
The power play’s been such an issue for you guys this season, to get two on tonight I know it's the end of the season but that’s gotta at least give you guys a pretty decent feeling coming out of the night that you at least get something out of it.
Overall it's never a good thing to finish last in a category like that, especially an important one like that. It’s a big difference if your power play’s in the top 10 vs. dead last and who knows how that can affect our season. I don’t know how to fully analyze it. I guess I need to collect my thoughts about that. I don’t know, obviously tonight we executed things and kinda took what they gave us and were able to get two.
James, why do you think that it has been a problem all year closing out games and avoiding those back breaking goals late in the third periods?
I don’t know. That’s obviously the million dollar question, there were times like you said I don’t know what the stats are (inaudible) felt like just down the stretch a lot of times we were right there and taking games into the third period in a decent spot. Kind of got away from us but I don’t know if that comes from recognizing situations in games a little bit better and knowing the time and the score and things like that and kind of really reacting to those situations or what. Certainly not how you are successful.
James, you were the only guy on the team who was able to dress in all 82 games this year, is that something you take some personal pride in?
Yeah definitely I take a lot of pride in how I prepare myself to play. Especially now as you get a bit older you figure out what works and what doesn’t work. You certainly take pride in being the guy that’s reliable and playing in all the games and being there for practice and setting an example that way. Obviously production wise I did better this year and definitely some things I can take into the summer and try to work on and improve upon, but as far as just being able to show up and be out there for all 82 and not missing practice and stuff like that. Obviously, that’s always a good quality.
