Flyers Fan Reaction (FFR4) Gm 20: PHI 2, NJ 5 – Misery Loves Company
When you don’t know what to say, ask somebody to help you talk. The Philadelphia Flyers lose, 5-2, in humiliating fashion to the New Jersey Devils, dropping their sixth straight. After a long day of travel and with the Flyers season slowly but surely falling apart, the last thing I wanted to do was write 2,000 words dissecting their latest poor performance. Thankfully, Vendetta’s own Ryan Schwager, who’s been writing weekly Devils recaps since the start of the year, was kind enough to join me today. We chatted while watching New Jersey win just their second game in their last seven; our transcript from Slack is below. I’ve added bold sections to help you understand where the game was at certain points during our chat.
*Note: the conversation has been slightly edited for style and clarity.
We pick up near the end of the 1st period. New Jersey struck first on a Dougie Hamilton deflection, but Scott Laughton had just answered for the Flyers with a beautiful backhand on the breakaway.
Andrew: So we’re about 15 minutes in and the Devils look to be playing well so far, though they just surrendered a shortie. How have they been fairing so far this year? Losing Jack Hughes seemingly should’ve been a killer, but they’re right in the thick of the Metro hunt.
Ryan: I think they’ve held their own pretty well with Hughes out. He’s back on the practice ice – now without a non-contact jersey – so it looks like he’s going to be back in the lineup soon. He’s easily the best player on the team, and the offense has struggled to generate much in his absence.
The shorthanded goals are annoying, to say the least. The Devils already don’t have much of a powerplay (especially without Hughes). These are now back-to-back home games in which they’ve given up an SHG, something they can’t afford to do because they aren’t the most talented team.
Andrew: That’s actually back-to-back games where the Flyers have scored shorthanded; they have 2 shorties this month compared to just 3 PPGs. However, turnovers have been a major issue, and we just saw Andreas Johnsson capitalize on one there to make it 2-1. Also, fun fact, the last time Johnsson scored against the Flyers his team (then Toronto) beat them 6-0, and the Flyers fired the GM two days later.
Ryan: Johnsson has been great this year. The Bratt-Mercer-Johnsson line has produced way more than the top line. I know he’s not playing tonight, but like Johnsson, is it nice to see Carter Hart having a bounce-back year?
Andrew: Absolutely. The biggest by far the Flyers have a competitive record is their goaltending, and Hart is leading the way. Not only are his numbers much better, but he looks like a much more confident goaltender, even in the face of a still bad Flyers defense (at least to my eyes). Martin Jones, who’s in net tonight, has also been great, which is perhaps even more surprising given how poorly he faired the last three years in San Jose. It’s nice not to have to hear from the “MacKenzie Blackwood is better than Hart” truthers much these days *winks*
I haven’t gotten to watch him a ton, but from what I’ve seen Dawson Mercer looks like quite the talent. I know it’s early, but what are his Calder chances? Detroit’s kind of got that market cornered with Lucas Raymond and Mortiz Seider tearing it up, but Mercer seems to be on quite a run right now.
Ryan: Haha. I’m still on the Blackwood is better than Hart bus. But that’s my Devils bias coming in. I think the two playing against each other is only gonna make this rivalry better for years to come.
Early in the second period, Zack MacEwen and Mason Geersten drop the gloves for a pretty entertaining scrap.
Andrew: This is something that the Flyers have been missing lately; not necessarily fighting, but overall scrappiness. A huge part of the offseason was fixing a locker room then just seemed a little bit off; to make sure everybody was sticking up for each other. We saw a lot of that early in the year, but it has been absent a bit lately. That’s not the only (or even the biggest) reason for their struggles, but it also probably can’t hurt.
Ryan: I love Mercer so much. I wasn’t expecting him to make the earliest impact out of the three guys the Devils drafted in the jest round that year. Holtz was supposed to be the guy, but Mercer being a center escalates his value. The kids from Detroit are something special, though. I want to see Raymond keep up this pace because he’s so fun to watch.
The Rangers had the same mindset (as the Flyers) this off-season. And I think the Devils did too. Graves and Hamilton are big bodies that can protect the younger guys.
Andrew: We’re at the 20 game mark (or about there) for most teams, which means if you don’t have at least the makings of identity, you’re in big trouble. To be honest, I’m not really sure what the Flyers is. Would you say the Devils have one yet? And is it showing tonight?
Ryan: I’m right there with you. Still not sure what the Devils want to be. Clearly, with an old-fashioned coach like Lindy Ruff, he wants them to be a tough team to play against. They aren’t extremely skilled, but they do play well along the boards. I think the closest thing they are to is a team that turns board battles into quick chances.
It’s the first year without Jake Voracek in a decade. How are you liking Cam Atkinson so far? Are you missing Voracek?
Andrew: That’s former Flyers head coach Lindy Ruff to you. Quick seems to be the operative word there; the Devils look much faster than the Flyers so far.
I’m missing Voracek a little bit more than I’d hoped, to be honest. Atkinson couldn’t have started hotter; he became the first Flyer ever to score 6 goals in his first 5 games on the team. Since then? He’s scored just twice. Atkinson is more than just a sniper; he helps out in other areas, namely the PK, which is near the league’s top ten (although a LOT of that is on the goalies). I think the Flyers desperately miss Voracek on PP zone entries. It’s been a major issue for them, causing the man advantage to slip into the league’s bottom quarter with a pitiful November.
Of course, your big offseason acquisition was Dougie Hamilton. He obviously scored the first goal tonight; has he been as good as advertised? And perhaps even more importantly, how has Jonathan Bernier been? Not just in terms of how well he’s played, but giving Blackwood a strong partner to share the crease with.
Good thing I didn’t (initially) ask about Ryan Graves, who just took a delay of game penalty. Let’s see if that “pitiful” Flyers PP can make me eat my words.
Ryan: Hamilton has been better than advertised. Many, including me, were skeptical considering he came from a system that makes d-men and goalies look better than they are. He’s been so good, though. He should have even more goals, but he’s hit sooooo many posts and crossbars this season. Bernier has been good – pretty much what I’ve expected. He’s had to come in relief a few times and has shined. Graves is a classic defensive defenseman. NJ has missed a big body, shutdown guy since the days of Ken Daneyko and Scott Stevens.
Andrew: That’s some pretty lofty company (likely too lofty), but the Flyers didn’t score on that PP so I guess you don’t have to shame him. Meanwhile, Jones continues to be our best player, which isn’t optimal when you’re already trailing by one.
Ryan: Blackwood made a timely save there at the end of that PP. He did the same to start last season, but the defense in front of him fell apart as the season went on. I’m hoping he can continue to make timely stops as this year progresses because he can steal games.
Andrew: Travis Konecny can fire the puck there, too. I know that was a PP chance, but the Flyers’ top line of Giroux-Couturier-Konecny has been head and shoulders above the rest of the team over the last couple of games. Not good for a team that’s supposed to be built on depth, but then again, the Flyers’ second (Kevin Hayes), third (Derick Brassard), fourth (Nate Thompson), sixth (Patrick Brown), and seventh-best (Tanner Laczynski) centers are hurt (or something like that; feel free to quibble with the order.
One more Jones breakaway save and a late Flyers penalty later, and we’ve reached 2nd intermission. I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about the, um, bold new Devils alternate jerseys. Thoughts?
Ryan: HAHAHA. They’re bold, alright. I’ve been a part of the crowd that has been screaming for a black Devils jersey for years. I can’t help but picture those Chicago Blackhawks jerseys from the one Winter Classic. If you go into it, there’s a lot of detail in the design. As a whole, they are decent. The logo is whack. Maybe a “Garden State” or even just the normal NJ horned logo without the circle crest would have been better.
Andrew: Yeah the color scheme is nice; it’s the Jersey on the jersey thing that does it for me. Especially as someone from Jersey who doesn’t cheer for Jersey, especially in those jerseys. (That’s either the most confusing sentence I’ve ever written or the least creative MadLib ever, take your pick.)
Ryan: Haha. I think the Devils and Flyers are pretty evenly matched this year. Both teams struggle to score goals but aren’t bad at preventing them. I want to see them play at full strength in a couple of months. Interested to see how different/similar each of their seasons could look. I’m sure you know well that playing in the Metro is a death sentence. Even with the Isles playing as poorly as they are right now, you can’t even count them out because you know how good Barry Trotz is. What I’m trying to get at is where do you think these two teams will be throughout the year and when the regular season finishes?
Andrew: As I said earlier, I don’t know if it’s necessarily right to say the Flyers are good at preventing goals. Their goalies sure are, but the team ranks dead last in shots against per game (34.8), and as you’ve seen tonight, a lot of the looks they give up tend to be quality ones. Yes, the Flyers schedule has been daunting early and they’ve dealt with significant injuries. But Philly can’t wait for those issues to resolve themselves, or they’ll be staring down far too deep a hole (and I think their true talent level is a more of a solid playoff team than in the Cup conversation, so making up that gap would be incredibly challenging.)
As for the Devils, they’re off to a nice little start, but I ultimately don’t think it will last. They’re really thin on the wings, Ty Smith’s struggles have left a hole on the blue-line, and I don’t think Blackwood and Bernier are good enough to carry them to the playoffs. Could they play competitive games in early, maybe mid-April? Absolutely. It will take consistent progress from the kids to make that happen, though, something Flyers fans can tell you is easier said than done. If I’m right about New Jersey and they’re a competitive team deep into the year that ultimately misses the playoffs, would you still call that a successful season for them?
Ryan: Totally. According to Hockey-Reference, the Flyers and Devils have played the first and third hardest schedules so far. I’m hoping for both teams that means there are some more wins down the road. But that’s pretty much what I was hoping for since the end of last season. I don’t expect them to make the playoffs, but playing in meaningful games late into the year should do wonders for the young guys. And there are a million young guys. Pretty sure NJ has the youngest roster in the entire league.
Andrew: Yeah, the Flyers are extremely lucky to be hanging around with just a 25% Expected Goals rate through 2. They’ve got a 100% actual goals rate so far in the 3rd, as the Flyers capitalize off rare chaos in the Devils zone and Joel Farabee scores off the turnover.
Ryan: NJ can still be pretty sloppy in their own zone. Another unlucky bounce, as the puck hit the ref, which led to the chance.
Andrew: Oh wow, I didn’t even see that. This is where goaltending has been so huge for the Flyers. Philadelphia could easily be down two to three goals right now, but you let any team hang around long enough and there’s a decent chance they’ll find a bounce. Also, a friendly reminder you chose Pavel Zacha over Ivan Provorov.
Ryan: We chose Zacha over a lot of great players…Mikko Rantanen would look amazing wearing #96 in red and black but we can’t have nice things apparently.
Andrew: In fairness to Zacha it seemed like he would be a bust a few years ago but he scored at a 57.4 point pace last year and his eight goals this season lead the team. But after we lost the Nico-Nolan debate so badly that’s all we have left lol
Ryan: That’s why I’m hoping Blackwood-Hart can be the main debate for years to come. That’s an interesting stat. Feels like Giroux is automatic, but goaltending is probably more important when it comes to one-on-ones.
Andrew: Yeah I gave him crap earlier but the Metro has so many great young goalies (Hart, Blackwood, Sorokin, Shesterkin, even Jarry and Merzlikins, and maybe Samsonov) it’s insane.
G was so good in them early in his career but I mean when you’ve taken as many attempts as he has and doesn’t have a go-to thing (like Ovi’s shot, for example) there’s only so much you can do.
Also, I know it seems biased right now but I think it’s borderline insane that batting a puck out of the air over the glass (which Atkinson just did) should count as a delay of the game. There’s basically no way to plan that. For it to be ruled as some sort of unfair intentional strategy worthy of punishment drives me crazy.
Ryan: Oh absolutely. And this will probably be the time the Devs actually score on the PP because that’s just how sports seem to work haha.
Andrew: Don’t you dare speak that into existence.
The Flyers get a bit of a soft call right at the end of the New Jersey power-play after some good PK work.
Andrew: Thank you, referees.
Ryan: NJ is top-10 in 3rd-period goals, which has been nice to watch. They have battled back in a bunch of games early on. The Flyers on the other hand are ranked 28th. Any thoughts on why that is? Or does this go back to injuries and lack of identity?
Mercer makes a beautiful move with the Devils short-handed, though it doesn’t lead to anything.
Ryan: Also, Mercer is so slick wow.
Andrew: Mercer’s move was so sick it made me accidentally turn off my stream lol. To be honest, nothing specific about the 3rd-period scoring woes compared to the first 40 minutes. Maybe fatigue from chasing the game on several occasions? The Flyers have also played 3 of 17(!) back-to-backs thus far so those second-half games are generally where late offense goes to die.
Ryan: Back-to-backs are so dumb. No team should have any more than seven.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a disastrous turnover by Rasmus Ristolainen leads to a total breakdown and an easy goal for Jesper Bratt.
Andrew: Oh no.
Ryan: There’s that line again! It’s crazy how much better they have been than what is supposed to be the top line with Tatar-Hischier-Zacha.
Andrew: That’s the type of goal where if you miss the playoffs (and lose this game) you look back on as one that sinks your season. Brutal turnover by Ristolainen, and wow has Provorov lost all of the confidence from his strong start to the season.
Ryan: What are your thoughts on Risto? I think he stinks and always has.
Andrew: I was very skeptical of him coming in, but his advanced stats have been pleasantly good after a tough start. The decision-making isn’t perfect, but he’s faired much better in a 2nd pair role. The problem is with Ryan Ellis out long term, the Flyers are starting to ask him to do more, and that’s what can lead to turnovers like the one we just saw
I know there’s really no such thing as a must-win game in November, but this is about as close to one of those as possible for the Flyers. They’ve lost 5 straight, and this is the first time they aren’t playing a team who’s not at least a dark horse Cup contender. That turnover is a microcosm of this skid; everything is falling apart
Ryan: Yeah, I thought Ellis was a solid pickup, and it’s clear you are missing him.
This time it’s the Devils’ turn to get a fortunate bounce, with Hamilton feeding Nathan Bastian for a slam dunk after the puck caromed off a skate.
Welcome back, Bastian!
Andrew: Nathan Bastian always torched the Flyers last year and I didn’t say anything about him earlier because I was afraid of speaking trouble into existence. Turns out it didn’t matter.
Ryan: I understand that “must-win” type of feeling. Devils have lost 5 of their last 6, and Hughes is so close to coming back I just want them to have a bit of momentum heading into his return. That play by Hamilton (to set up the 4-2 goal) should tell you that, yes, he has been as good as advertised.
I love how much he activates from the blue line. And when NJ has the lead, he won’t shy away from that style. He’s wearing off on others, too. I’ve noticed Graves and Siegenthaler are jumping into plays more and more. It always helps spark the offense when more guys are in the rush.
After Atkinson can’t capitalize all alone at the side of the net, Johnsson puts it away with his second goal and fourth point of the night into an empty Flyers net.
Ryan: Oof. That’s one where you need Atkinson, a true goal scorer, needs to come through. Johnsson has had a hell of a game.
Andrew: Like the early goalie pull, but that’ll do it. This is getting really out of hand for the Flyers. Not just tonight, but the season. I hate to sound hyperbolic, but they’re on a collision course with change right now. The last time I wrote that was right after the aforementioned game with Johnsson and the Flyers firing Ron Hextall in November 2018. It’s the very first words I wrote at the start of the season: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” They were mostly tongue in cheek then. Not anymore.
Lindies
One thing Ryan and I both liked about this game? Seeing the Devils honor Hockey Fights Cancer with the traditional pink warm-up jerseys and special pre-game ceremonies.
More bad injury news for the Flyers: Nate Thompson suffered a dislocated shoulder on Saturday, and Alain Vigneault said he’ll be out a while. The Flyers recalled Max Willman and moved Patrick Brown to IR as a result.
Johnsson is quietly making an underrated case for comeback player of the year; he already has 17 points this season in 19 games after scoring just 11 in 50 last season, his first as a Devil.
I’m not sure whether to laugh or cry about this stat. Both? Probably both.
This is the first time the Flyers have scored consecutive short-handed goals since February 1-3, 2020, when they actually scored three shorties in two games vs. Colorado and at Detroit. One was an empty netter, but the feat is still impressive.
This is also the first time the Flyers have gone 15 straight without 4+ goals since the 2016-17 season. It’s just the fourth time ever in franchise history.
This is the longest losing streak the Flyers have had since they lost 8 straight from December 2018 to January 2019, when they dropped eight straight (0-6-2).
Not sure if this is good or bad for the Flyers, but Philadelphia’s next game on Tuesday night against the Islanders has been postponed due to the Islanders’ COVID situation.
3 Stars
3rd: Dougie Hamilton (NJ) – Goal (6), Assist (6), 10 Shots, 3 Blocks
2nd: Jesper Bratt (NJ) – Goal (5), 2 Assists (11, 12), 3 Shots
1st: Andreas Johnsson (NJ) – 2 Goals (8, 9), 2 Assists (7, 8), 4 Shots
Next
PHI: 12/1, 7 PM @ NYR (13-4-3, W3)
NJ: 11/30, 7 PM vs. SJ (10-9-1, L1)
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All Advanced Stats are 5-on-5 unless otherwise stated and via Natural Stat Trick
