Who would have thought that the Islanders would have the Flyers number in Philly this year?
After one of the best goaltending performances in the NHL this year, the Islanders found a way to sneak out a shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday in Philly. Evgeni Nabokov made a season high 45 saves for the Islanders as they'd go on to beat the Flyers 1-0 in the shootout. Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored for the Islanders while Danny Briere and Wayne Simmonds were stopped by Nabokov.
This was a tough one for the Isles who were outplayed almost the entire game. Without their #1 defenseman Travis Hamonic and playing without the injured Dylan Reese for a period, Nabokov was peppered all game and didn't seem to have much help. Poor defense and a few giveaways by Mark Streit didn't help the cause either. By the end of overtime, the Islanders offense which seems to have stagnated once again, only managed 18 shots on Bryzgalov. Simply put, it was almost like a practice session for the Flyers. It's understandable that the defense was weak due to injuries, but there is absolutely no excuse for getting shut out for the 10th time this year.
There is simply not much to describe Nabokov right now. He's started 25 games and has a cool GAA of 2.23 and a save percentage of .923. Trading him would be a miserable, terrible mistake by Snow as the team just got back to .500.
One positive note that was released before the game was that Frans Nielsen has decided to remain with the Islanders for 4 more years, signing a 4 year, 11M contract with a cap hit of 2.75m. As with Okposo, Tavares and Grabner, the deal is backloaded.
It's still shocking to see the Islanders won this game, but you take it and run with it. The offense needs to be better against Montreal on Thursday at the Coliseum. Game time is 7 PM and will be on MSG+2.
Showing posts with label philadelphia flyers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label philadelphia flyers. Show all posts
Jan 12, 2012
Game Recap: Philadelphia Flyers 3, New York Islanders 2
While the Islanders continued their hot streak against Detroit the other night, tonight was about continuing an abysmal streak against Philadelphia.
The Islanders (15-20-6) lost a tight one against Philadelphia on Thursday night by a final score of 3-2 in front of a crowd of 11,751 at the Nassau Coliseum. Whilst early the Flyers had a pretty clear advantage, the Islanders absolutely peppered Bobrovsky for the rest of the night. The Flyers scored 2 flukey goals - the first coming in the first period off a deflection in front of the net by Hartnell's leg that Nabokov could have done nothing about, the 2nd coming when Wayne Simmonds fired a shot at Nabokov who happened to take his leg off the post for a split second which allowed it to careen in off of his pad. Things were looking bad for the Islanders until 22 seconds into the 3rd, Kyle Okposo stayed consistent and netted his 10th of the year in front of traffic. Unfortunately, as things were coming down to the wire, Sean Couturier wristed an absolute blazer of a shot over Nabokov's shoulder with 1:30 remaining. The Islanders still pulled Nabokov and were able to get a late one by newly named All Star John Tavares, but it came too late and the Islanders went on to fall.
The team, as a whole, is looking better again. This is an always tough Philadelphia team that they put 35 shots on, and only allowed 22 against. Much like the Islanders' overtime loss a month back against Philly, the Islanders really did look like the better team but were beaten by a lack of luck and some stellar saves in the right time for Philadelphia.
Michael Grabner specifically had a great game. He had an early breakaway denied by a hook which led to a penalty shot, and that was denied, but he looked like his old self once again. He tied for the team lead in shots with 4 and drew another penalty in the 2nd period on a half-breakaway. He had one noteable breakaway in which he was clear in on Bobrovsky and absolutely robbed. If he keeps this up, he may find his way back up to the 2nd line with Parenteau and Nielsen, and would fit right back in.
Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic and Steve Staios also had great games, with Staios laying a flat out punishing hit on Max Talbot in the 3rd that brought the crowd to their feet. Both AMac and Hamonic finished the game +2.
Obviously, always upsetting to lose a game like this, but the team worked extremely hard tonight and deserves credit for it. Against most goalies, work that was put in tonight would have resulted in a win, but Bobrovsky is a fantastic young goaltender and deserves credit for putting on a show tonight. The Islanders next face off against the Buffalo Sabres at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday the 14th. Game time is 7 PM and will be on MSG+ HD. The Islanders are continuing their 70s/80s/90s/00s induction ceremony by inducting famed 1990's captain Pat Flatley into the Islanders Hall of Fame.
The Islanders (15-20-6) lost a tight one against Philadelphia on Thursday night by a final score of 3-2 in front of a crowd of 11,751 at the Nassau Coliseum. Whilst early the Flyers had a pretty clear advantage, the Islanders absolutely peppered Bobrovsky for the rest of the night. The Flyers scored 2 flukey goals - the first coming in the first period off a deflection in front of the net by Hartnell's leg that Nabokov could have done nothing about, the 2nd coming when Wayne Simmonds fired a shot at Nabokov who happened to take his leg off the post for a split second which allowed it to careen in off of his pad. Things were looking bad for the Islanders until 22 seconds into the 3rd, Kyle Okposo stayed consistent and netted his 10th of the year in front of traffic. Unfortunately, as things were coming down to the wire, Sean Couturier wristed an absolute blazer of a shot over Nabokov's shoulder with 1:30 remaining. The Islanders still pulled Nabokov and were able to get a late one by newly named All Star John Tavares, but it came too late and the Islanders went on to fall.
The team, as a whole, is looking better again. This is an always tough Philadelphia team that they put 35 shots on, and only allowed 22 against. Much like the Islanders' overtime loss a month back against Philly, the Islanders really did look like the better team but were beaten by a lack of luck and some stellar saves in the right time for Philadelphia.
Michael Grabner specifically had a great game. He had an early breakaway denied by a hook which led to a penalty shot, and that was denied, but he looked like his old self once again. He tied for the team lead in shots with 4 and drew another penalty in the 2nd period on a half-breakaway. He had one noteable breakaway in which he was clear in on Bobrovsky and absolutely robbed. If he keeps this up, he may find his way back up to the 2nd line with Parenteau and Nielsen, and would fit right back in.
Andrew MacDonald, Travis Hamonic and Steve Staios also had great games, with Staios laying a flat out punishing hit on Max Talbot in the 3rd that brought the crowd to their feet. Both AMac and Hamonic finished the game +2.
Obviously, always upsetting to lose a game like this, but the team worked extremely hard tonight and deserves credit for it. Against most goalies, work that was put in tonight would have resulted in a win, but Bobrovsky is a fantastic young goaltender and deserves credit for putting on a show tonight. The Islanders next face off against the Buffalo Sabres at the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday the 14th. Game time is 7 PM and will be on MSG+ HD. The Islanders are continuing their 70s/80s/90s/00s induction ceremony by inducting famed 1990's captain Pat Flatley into the Islanders Hall of Fame.
Jun 23, 2011
Around The NHL: Flyers Trade Carter, Richards; Sign Bryzgalov
The Philadelphia Flyers have made two blockbuster deals today, trading forward Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings. After trading for Ilya Bryzgalov, they signed the goalie to a 9-year extension for $51 million, which will be a cap hit for $5.67 million per year. All of this news can be found on TSN. CH: Oh my. Let's start with the Jeff Carter trade, seeing as that news broke first. This was a move we all somewhat expected to happen, even right down to the team he was traded for. The actual trade itself favors both teams. Columbus undoubtedly gets the best player in the trade right now, and possibly for the foreseeable future. They get a center that can play next to Rick Nash for years to come. We talked on the podcast yesterday that Scott Howson needed to make a "homerun" type move as the Blue Jackets have largely been stagnant for the past few years. I mentioned they may take a player like Ryan Murphy to go for the homerun on potential. Instead, they did something even better. For the Flyers standpoint, Voracek, who is still a major project has great potential as a power forward in this league. They also get the 8th overall pick, which in my opinion, could be used on a player like Mika Zibanjead, which is exactly the type of player the Flyers love to have. They also get a third round pick in the trade.
AT: Great deal for both sides. The Flyers just couldn't afford Carter anymore with Bryzgalov wanting to come into the fold. They get Voracek, a budding winger with huge potential, the 8th pick who could end up being anyone from Ryan Murphy to Mika Zibanejad as well as a 3rd rounder. Voracek isn't carter, but he's also not signed to a huge, long term deal like Carter was. It was a bad decision and tying them down, and they made the right move. Both sides made out pretty equally here.
CH: The Mike Richards trade was a complete shocker. I can't think of a single person who honestly saw this coming, and it's a great trade for both sides again. Los Angeles gets a heart-and-soul center who they've wanted for a long time. If they can clear Ryan Smyth's salary by next Friday, they also could still be major players for Brad Richards. This is a team that is on the rise, and with a top-3 prospect pool in the league, could afford to trade Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds for him. From the Flyers standpoint, there's no going around it. Brayden Schenn is a top-10 prospect in the entire league, and Wayne Simmonds is a prototypical Flyer player. They also get a 2nd round pick in the deal, making this a great haul for a guy who has recently been wildly criticized by Philadelphia and national media.
AT: This makes the Ryan Smyth trade to Edmonton all the more likely, as you said. I know there were reports (Brad) Richards only wanted to go to an original 6 team, but to play with such a young team with legitimate opportunity could become very enticing. I know some in Flyer-land are against this, but I really believe it was an equal trade. There's always that "risk" with prospects, but I really believe Schenn will become a star in this league. You clear cap room to improve your team in required ways to get to the next level and you get a player who could become an 80+ point player. For right now with a Flyers team that was struggling to get under the cap, this makes sense.
CH: The Bryzgalov deal is long - VERY long. Nine years for a goalie is just not going to work. We see it here with Rick DiPietro. We see it in Vancouver with Roberto Luongo. There are just too many variables at play here with injuries and performance. The cap hit, however, is right in the wheelhouse it should be, but I'm sure the condition on that was to add the extra years on the contract. Very risky move here for the Flyers because while Bryzgalov is a good, top 10-12 goalie in the league, he is not elite. A lot of pressure is going to be placed on Bryzgalov after the Flyers shipped out Richards and Carter, even if it is not directly tied to him.AT: Bryz has been pretty durable the past few seasons. I don't know if the length was the best for the team - I personally would've gone for 5 or 6 years, but they also got him at 5.6m per, much less than the 7m+ that he was rumored to be asking for. There's going to be a lot of pressure on him in a huge hockey city like Philly as compared to Anaheim and Phoenix.
CH: The overall outlook for the Flyers is very interesting. Now, assuming they don't make a play for Brad Richards (who knows?), they realistically could finish anywhere from 1st to 10th in the conference next year. They are still a good team, but they aren't a great team at this current moment. However, the future looks extremely bright for this team as when players like Schenn, Voracek, and the 2011 8th overall pick pan out, the Flyers will be in a great position. What a crazy day in the NHL.
AT: They have about 7.5m in cap space now and they have to sign/trade Nodl, Carcillo, Voracek, Leino, Powe and Simmonds. I don't see them landing Brad Richards at this point. But man, what a great day to be a hockey blogger. I love stuff like this! Should be exciting tomorrow at the draft party!
Jun 7, 2011
Around the NHL: Flyers trade for Bryzgalov rights
According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Philadelphia Flyers have acquired the rights to Ilya Bryzgalov from the Phoenix Coyotes for a 3rd round pick in 2012, Matt Clackson and a conditional draft pick.
AT: That is absolutely stunning. I'm struggling to see how they'll fit him under the cap, though. They have only $430,000 in cap space and you have to imagine Ilya's going to be looking for a 4.5m per year contract, if not more. Not to mention there's still Carcillo and Nodl needing resigning. I can imagine a big trade coming from Philly quite soon. I forsee Hartnell and/or Versteeg departing Philadelphia in the near future.
This is going to be a Philadelphia team to be very, very afraid of if they manage to get Bryzgalov under the cap. Goaltending has always been their crux.
CH: Agreed with Alex. Certainly did not see this coming. Great deal for the Flyers, but now they have to go out and actually sign him. As Tim Panaccio says, it may be difficult. This does relate to the Islanders in a very indirect way. Evgeni Nabokov is one of the Islanders most likely to be traded this summer, and the Flyers were a potential suitor for him. Personally, I hated the idea of trading him to a division rival, especially if the Islanders goal is to make the playoffs this year. However, Paul Holmgren and Garth Snow do have a relationship based on past deals so it could have been an option. I'm glad to see that won't happen unless Holmgren figures out over the next few weeks that Bryzgalov will not sign a long-term deal with the Flyers.
Looking forward from a Flyers perspective, this could go in quite a few directions. They could go and trade Jeff Carter, which has been heavily rumored recently. There was a report the Flyers have been in discussions with Columbus for the 8th overall pick, and it could be assumed Carter was part of that. They could also opt to trade players like Kris Versteeg or Scott Hartnell, which Alex implied. Look for some deals draft weekend or soon after. Either way, it's hard to assume they will be major players on July 1, but you never know. Overall, this trade is a scary proposition for the Atlantic Division if they get Bryzgalov signed.
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| Photo credit: Brian Poulsen |
This is going to be a Philadelphia team to be very, very afraid of if they manage to get Bryzgalov under the cap. Goaltending has always been their crux.
CH: Agreed with Alex. Certainly did not see this coming. Great deal for the Flyers, but now they have to go out and actually sign him. As Tim Panaccio says, it may be difficult. This does relate to the Islanders in a very indirect way. Evgeni Nabokov is one of the Islanders most likely to be traded this summer, and the Flyers were a potential suitor for him. Personally, I hated the idea of trading him to a division rival, especially if the Islanders goal is to make the playoffs this year. However, Paul Holmgren and Garth Snow do have a relationship based on past deals so it could have been an option. I'm glad to see that won't happen unless Holmgren figures out over the next few weeks that Bryzgalov will not sign a long-term deal with the Flyers.
Looking forward from a Flyers perspective, this could go in quite a few directions. They could go and trade Jeff Carter, which has been heavily rumored recently. There was a report the Flyers have been in discussions with Columbus for the 8th overall pick, and it could be assumed Carter was part of that. They could also opt to trade players like Kris Versteeg or Scott Hartnell, which Alex implied. Look for some deals draft weekend or soon after. Either way, it's hard to assume they will be major players on July 1, but you never know. Overall, this trade is a scary proposition for the Atlantic Division if they get Bryzgalov signed.
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