Phigment

"Flyers and NHL follow me at http://twitter.com/BobHaynesJr"

United States, VA • United States •

Flyers vs Rangers - GAME DAY 3-21-08

Nice to hear that in mid-March the team finally practices 6 on 5 at the end of the game. With all the new players on this team and young players you would think a coach would practice every situation. I was at a practice early in the season where they spent 40+ working on the new powerplay setup. We can all see the results of this attention to details. With all the late minute goals, you think there would have least been a chalk board session or two since December.

This is the time of the season for the true leaders of this team to lead this team to the playoffs. I am looking for Richards, Timmonen, Carter, Coburn, and Briere to really step up the pace of their games tonight. Against the Rangers (like the Devils) you have you fight hard to get pucks into scoring areas. You must be willing to take hits to generate scoring plays. Secondly, they must shoot smartly against Valiquette. He is tall and covers low, but is vulnerable high and using deeks in front of the net. On the defensive side, the forwards must be back deep enough to support the defense and the defensemen must make smart plays with the puck. Finally Biron must stop the shots he can see cleanly. No soft goals.

Since the Rangers announced that they are using their backup goalie again this shows a few issues. One the Rangers are not worried about the Flyers, two they think this career backup is in the Flyers heads, and three would they really start Valiquette in a playoff series against the Flyers? Since the standings are so tight, a few wins versus the Rangers could put the Rangers in the 8th spot staring at the Caps and Sabres. This is a pretty risky move!