Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Flyers hoping offense catches up to defense
Their recent lack of scoring might be confounding for the Flyers, but it has come with a timely consolation prize. Sooner would be preferred, as the Flyers are soon to embark on a three-game road trip.
VOORHEES, N.J. >> Their recent lack of scoring might be confounding for the Flyers, but it has come with a timely consolation prize.
“We have to keep playing well defensively, the way we have the past few weeks,” Mark Streit said after a Skate Zone practice Monday. “And offensively, if we keep doing the same things, we’re going to get the bounces sooner or later.”
Sooner would be preferred, as the Flyers are soon to embark on a threegame road trip to Western Canada. They play at Calgary Wednesday, in Edmonton Thursday and wrap it at Vancouver Sunday night.
Safe to say they need as many goals as they can get out there. Especially since they’ve managed to score all of 24 goals over their last 15 games. That they’ve gone 6-7-2 in that time (since Jan. 8) is indicative of how well they’ve been going defensively.
“Tough to explain,” Streit explained. “In the beginning of the year we were scoring like crazy. We were scoring three, four or five goals every game. Then all of a sudden we had that stretch where we didn’t play well and our whole game was a bit off. Lately we’ve been playing well defensively but our offense was off.”
The Flyers haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since Jan. 12, when they registered four against the Canucks. That was 13 games ago. Contrast that with their first 13 games of the season, during which they scored four or more goals in a game eight times.
“The positive is that defensively, we’ve been playing really well and we’ve gotten great goaltending,” Streit said. “Offensively we can’t force it too much. Once we start forcing and we take chances, it’s going to bite us in the back. If you give up too many odd-man rushes it’s too dangerous, especially on the road. So it’s going to be dirty hockey. For us, more of a grinding game than playing pretty. That’s the way we have to play. Work hard, grind it out and just get pucks to the net and get some dirty goals and then eventually the other goals will follow.”
Theoretically, so will the victories.
The lack of scoring has made wins a bit hard to come by, however, leaving the Flyers (27-22-7) to tread water with fingers firmly crossed in the wild card race. At 61 points they’re tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the No. 8 spot in the East, though the Leafs had played two less games.
Right behind them are the Islanders with 60 points, but they also have a couple of games in hand over the Flyers.
This Western Canada trip will lead into one of the softest points of the Flyers’ schedule. After the Oilers game Thursday, the Flyers play just twice in the next eight days. They likely will be looking up at most playoff contenders from a nonplayoff standings position then.
That’s why back-to-back games against the Flames and Oilers are as important as ever.
“Tough teams to play against,” Jake Voracek said. “Edmonton is very, very skilled; especially at home, they’re playing good hockey. And at Calgary, you never know what to expect from them. A lot of talented players, and it’s always a tough building to play in (there). In Vancouver, same thing; it’s not easy to go out and get points there. But if we play a tight-checking game we have a chance to bring four or five points out of (the trip).”
As for the light schedule of games once the Flyers return home, Voracek added, “No matter how much of a distance there are between games, days wise, we have to play like it’s our last game of the season. That’s how bad it is right now.”
Presumably, bad in this case means urgent.
“Look at the standings and you realize all the teams are playing well around us, and getting points, and for us it has to be the same thing,” Streit said. “Last year was no different. We realized the position we were in. All the games are going to be hard. It doesn’t matter if you play the Blackhawks or the Sharks or the Kings or Edmonton or Calgary — all those teams are in the playoffs or they are fighting for playoff spots.
“So, especially on the road, you just want to play a tight defensive game and just wait for chances offensively. It’s going to be a great challenge for us and we’re up for that test.” NOTES >> Streit’s comment about good goaltending isn’t all about how Michal Neuvirth has been playing, but it’s mostly about that. Since returning from his usual spot on the injured list, Neuvirth has played strong in the crease. He’s also been in net for four of the past five games, and is expected to start against Wednesday in Calgary . ... Michael Del Zotto seems over his leg injury and has been practicing at full speed. But Flyers coach Dave Hakstol indicated he saw no reason to make any changes defensively. So Del Zotto will likely be a healthy scratch in Calgary, if not beyond.