GDT: ECQF 4 | FLYERS (A) vs. Canadiens (H) | Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020 | 3:00 pm ET | Flyers lead series 2-1

[Beef Invictus]

Hopefully we last long enough for them all to find their groove, because we are gonna need them at their best to overcome various roster choices and deployments. And MT.

 

[Din Djarin]

BWAHAHAHAHA!

 

[DancingPanther]

I bolieve

 

[Striiker]

Oh right, TK since this series started is another. Definitely. And cut the tantrums. Dude is supposed to be trolling the other team, not getting trolled or trolling himself.

I argued that Hayes and Niskanen would bring great utility in the playoffs so I'm not thrilled to have them proving me wrong as vigorously and unenthusiastically as they can.

In Niskanen's defense, he's been overused all year and this was a pretty predictable outcome.

Everyone went on about how he just had a bad year due to post-Cup fatigue and then he averages 16 min at 5v5 per game on the top pair, at age 33, and plays both special teams.

 

[Adtar02]

In Niskanen's defense, he's been overused all year and this was a pretty predictable outcome.

Everyone went on about how he just had a bad year due to post-Cup fatigue and then he averages 16 min at 5v5 per game on the top pair, at age 33, and plays both special teams.

Hagg braun and Niskanen should be duking it out for playing time

 

[Din Djarin]

Game 4. Hope to take a 3-1 series lead.

Looks like it is time for me to put my gameday gear on *puts on Mandalorian armor*

Let's Go Flyers...This is the way!

 

[Striiker]

Hagg braun and Niskanen should be duking it out for playing time

Provorov-Ghost
Sanheim-Myers
Friedman-Niskanen

 

[Beef Invictus]

In Niskanen's defense, he's been overused all year and this was a pretty predictable outcome.

Everyone went on about how he just had a bad year due to post-Cup fatigue and then he averages 16 min at 5v5 per game on the top pair, at age 33, and plays both special teams.

Quite possible.

 

[deadhead]

The established players not playing well to me is a far greater concern than which marginal player plays.
It's both the veterans like Niskanen and Hayes and JVR and TK, and inconsistency from Myers and Sanheim.

Laughton I'm not worried about, while he's always been prone to his share of mindfarts (like TK), he's been one of our best forwards so far. Now if he repeats his passing to the wrong uniform in the D-zone, that changes things.

G and Voracek would be fine on the 2nd or 3rd line, but for $8M and a first line role, I want more from them.

 

[tictactoe]

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Refs:

Wes McCauley (6-0 regular season)
Frederick L'Ecuyer (0-4 regular season).​

Same as the Tampa Bay round-robin game.

 

[DancingPanther]

In Niskanen's defense, he's been overused all year and this was a pretty predictable outcome.

Everyone went on about how he just had a bad year due to post-Cup fatigue and then he averages 16 min at 5v5 per game on the top pair, at age 33, and plays both special teams.

Then got a 4 month break

TK, Hayes, and Niskanen are big reasons why this team is squeaking by right now.

Could it be the Laughton effect for Hayes and TK? Maybe. Could it be fatigue for Niskanen? Maybe. Regardless, if and when they find their games again, this team will go back to smoking teams. Hopefully it's sooner rather than later

 

[BritainStix]

In Niskanen's defense, he's been overused all year and this was a pretty predictable outcome.

Everyone went on about how he just had a bad year due to post-Cup fatigue and then he averages 16 min at 5v5 per game on the top pair, at age 33, and plays both special teams.

He's just had how many months off?

 

[deadhead]

Quite possible.

He had 4 months off, how fatigued can he be?
Even the year after the SC, when he was overused in the playoffs, he bounced back in the second half.

Either there's a nagging injury or the end is nigh.
Though consider this:
Niskanen CF 37.62, xGF 41.56
Ghost CF 39.14, xGF 42.33

In fact, all the defensemen have pretty bad raw metrics except Hagg (50.07 xGF)

Top xGFrel:
Voracek +16.89
NAK +14.83
Laughton +14.34
Couts +12.51
Giroux +4.47
Braun +4.20
Ghost +3.31
Provorov +0.84

Then you have:
Raffl -26.3 [1 game and rust is an excuse]
Farabee -17.39
Thompson -11.49
JVR -6.74
Pitlick -6.09
Sanheim -4.98
Hayes -4.88
Grant -4.23
Myers -3.35
Niskanen -1.93

 

[Laveuglette]

JVR injured or scratched?

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

We have 17 players with playoff experience, let's not act like this is a mystery to these guys.

Edit: In particular as disappointments I've staring very hard at Niskanen and Hayes.

The only reason there is disappointment in Hayes is that expectations were completely out of whack. Every dog has his day, though, so I'm sure this game or next he will do something to bring his good performances up to 25%, and the Kool-Aid will flow, and I'll be over in my corner burning Milkbones in effigy.

 

[bennysflyers16]

Quite possible.

Fatigue after a 3 month stay at home vacations doesnt't seem reasonable tho.

 

[tictactoe]

The Hayes line has been awful... no reason to keep Laughton at LW.

28-14-11
25-13-93
49-21-62
12-38-18

We know JVR and TK can score. Goal should be getting them going.

lol Do we?

 

[dragonoffrost]

Last game had 18 minutes of special teams play that makes the ES ice time look like it did last game where coaches end up rolling all 4 lines when you are at ES to get the special teams guys their rest. That's how Nate Thompson ended up with the 2nd most time at C at ES. If you look at the overall time on ice it seems the line that got screwed in time was the Grant line not the top 2 lines.

 

[flyersnorth]

TK has been a big dissapointment to me. I guess he can't utilize his speed as much with how Montreal is playing, but I am more concerned about how he never shoots the f***ing puck. Last game he finally let one rip and blew it past Price off of the crossbar. He has passed up on far too many clean looks below the top of the circles.

I think TK and the team got the message after game 2. Everyone was standing still and looked a full step slower than the Habs.

In Game 3, it was much more even.

Maybe today is when we take over.

 

[orangey]

Seems like a lot of the vets are having trouble getting it going in peak form after the long layoff.

 

[dragonoffrost]

JVR injured or scratched?

BowwowHotel

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

 

[JojoTheWhale]

@DancingPanther I lost track of time watching the Nakamura-Carlsen match. Not sure I have time for this game now. Oops.

 

[CanadianFlyer88]

Win it for Hawerchuk, boys.

RIP