Philadelphia Flyers: Impressions From Game 1

With the season opener in the books and the Flyers getting (very slight) revenge on the Boston Bruins by defeating them 2-1, the overall first impression is that the team is good. Very good. Here are some impressions from the Flyers’ opening game of the 2011-12 NHL season:

• Unfortunately for the Flyers, rookie Sean Couturier may not be here for more than eight games. If the team decides to return him to his junior team, which they very well may to protect his contract, they will be missing out on a potentially great piece of this year’s roster. With Over four-and-a-half minutes of shorthanded time on ice and 14 minutes total, Couturier showed that although he might be a bit small, he still has the talent to play in this league. He was defensively sound, showed great hockey sense, and an ability to get to the net.
• JVR-Giroux-Jagr just might be the best line in the NHL this season. True, Claude Giroux’s first period goal was solely a result of him dipsy-doodling around the Boston defense. But JVR looked like he was picking up where he left off in last year’s postseason, and Jaromir Jagr looked like he hasn’t missed a beat. He was just as fast, powerful, and talented as he was when he bolted the New York Rangers for the Kontinental League. And don’t forget, with that one assist tonight, he now has 1,600 for his career. Impressive, to say the least.
• It is still early, but Max Talbot could be the dark horse pickup of the summer. A fourth-liner on the Penguins (and Game 7 Stanley Cup hero, many forget), Talbot’s place is on the defensive side of the puck. He’ll be lucky to score 10 goals this season. But if he plays the way he did tonight, he will have a positive plus/minus rating and a hell of a lot more games with 16-plus minutes of ice time by the end of the season.
• Ilya Bryzgalov looked as good as Flyers fans expected him to look, but also remember how much help he had from his teammates. The offense was good, but the defense was incredible. Forwards were Backchecking, there were very few odd-man rushes, and numerous defensemen helped prevent goals (including Timonen’s personal save of the game). But, of course, Bryzgalov still managed some impressive saves that reminded GM Paul Holmgren why he pays the ridiculous Russian the big bucks.
• Not to go too much onto the other side of the ice, but Bruins forward Brad Marchand looked like the best Bruins player. In addition to Boston’s lone goal, the first for this NHL season, he was all over the ice, just as he was in the Stanley Cup final last year. He may not put pucks in the net all the time, but he is going to have a huge influence on the ice for the Bruins, who may very well find themselves back in the playoffs in late May.

 

Game one is in the books – the Flyers are 1-0, Jagr and Giroux showed great chemistry, the defense looks great, and the goaltending fire looks momentarily extinguished. Next up: a trip to Newark to face the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night.

 

Alan Bass, a former writer for The Hockey News and THN.com, is the author of The Great Expansion: The Ultimate Risk That Changed The NHL Forever. He has worked for the Philadelphia Flyers’ Fan Development department, going to schools throughout the tri-state area to teach about fitness and the importance of teamwork. He is the General Manager of the Muhlenberg College Division II hockey team as well. You can contact him atAlanbasswriting@aol.com.mailto:BergHockey24@gmail.com

NHL: Why Tim Thomas is the Only Choice For the Conn Smythe Trophy

So it’s down to Game 6 now. Before the series, I predicted the Canucks in six games. And although I second-guessed myself after Game 4, and still seriously doubt whether or not Vancouver can put this series away, I will stick with that prediction and hope to be right.

But no matter who wins Game 6, or a tentative Game 7, for that matter, there is only one Conn Smythe candidate that can even be considered: Bruins goalie Tim Thomas. Just look at these stats: 2.07 goals against average, .937 save percentage, three shutouts, 774 saves, and over 1,400 minutes played — without being pulled once. Those are the best stats since J.S. Giguere posted a 1.62 goals against average and a .945 save percentage when he brought his Mighty Ducks within one goal of a Stanley Cup championship.

Just to be fair, though, let’s look at the other candidates, since all media members must put five people on their ballot before the Stanley Cup is won. Many of the voting body are going to put Roberto Luongo on the ballot, most likely somewhere in the top three. His stats are fairly impressive, with a .919 save percentage and a 2.43 goals against average. However, you have to realize that he was pulled twice in these playoffs, and was even sitting on the bench at the start of a game in the quarterfinals against Chicago. That, along with the 12 goals he let up in Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup final, show me that he was nothing close to the most valuable player — even if he happens to shut Boston out in Game 6.

Moving outside the crease, there are only a few skaters that are even slightly deserving of the famous trophy. If Boston wins the Cup, only David Krejci and Brad Marchand stand out to me. Krejci has scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 23 games, and is a plus-7 throughout the playoffs. He’s deserved plenty of ice time, and has received it from coach Claude Julien. Marchand has only posted 15 points in 23 games thus far, but has been a force in every game this postseason. Basically, whenever you see a small player flying around the ice, throwing bodies into the boards, stealing pucks in the blink of an eye, or sniping pucks on net, it is most likely Marchand, doing what he does best. When he has been on the ice, he is always a threat to score, and seems to give the Bruins even more energy when he is out there.

On the Canucks’ side, Henrik Sedin is the team’s leading scorer, with 2 goals and 19 assists in these playoffs. However, in the Stanley Cup final, he has been neutralized by the Bruins’ defense, and has been on the ice for numerous Bruins goals in this series. He is also a minus-8 these playoffs. The only other possible option for the Canucks is Ryan Kesler. Through the first three rounds of the playoffs, Kesler was dominant, scoring whenever the Canucks needed him. But in the Stanley Cup final, most likely because of the injury he suffered in the third round, he has been nowhere to be found. Although he still has 19 points this postseason, his play in the fourth and final round is nothing worthy of awarding him the league’s MVP.

In my opinion, the best way to determine the Conn Smythe winner is to look at every player at the end of the final. Knowing how everyone would perform, who would you take on your team first? I think there isn’t even a debate that Thomas would be the first and only choice. Even if the Bruins lose in Game 6 and watch as the Canucks parade Lord Stanley around TD Garden, there is no one more deserving of the playoff MVP than the former 31-year-old rookie.