Read insisting the opportunities are there
PHILADELPHIA >> It was expected that the recent decision to keep eight defensemen on the Flyers’ roster when Mark Streit returned from the injured list would have an impact on playing time for the players on the crowded blue line.
That’s why Matt Read was probably a little surprised to find himself as a healthy scratch in the Flyers’ game in Los Angeles Saturday night.
“Matt’s a good player,” head coach Dave Hakstol said Tuesday. “He’s been a pretty good player for us throughout the year. I think he has another level that he can push his game to. We have that kind of confidence in him and sometimes sitting back and watching a game can help him do that.”
Rather than Read, Hakstol reacted with seven of the eight defensemen available to him. Brandon Manning was scratched that night, as Hakstol opted to go with seven defensemen, which perhaps was one reason why he wound up shuffling lines after the Flyers failed to threaten much offensively through the first two periods.
Not that there was anything stunning about that, since the Flyers haven’t scored much all season long.
In his latest effort to shake the cold-handed Flyers from their doldrums, Hakstol shifted Claude Giroux into the middle between Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds late in the Kings game, the move providing a spark and nearly a third-period comeback before the Kings completed a 2-1 victory ... the Flyers’ third loss of a threegame California road trip.
That line also started the homecoming game against the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday, while the latest second line pairing had Sean Couturier between Michael Raffl and Brayden Schenn.
As for Read, he was back in a third-line mix with the likes of rookie Scott Laughton and R.J. Umberger, who hadn’t scored a goal in 40 games. Hey, whatever works
... or doesn’t. Or hasn’t all year? “I feel like I’m getting my opportunities,” said Read, who had five goals and 12 points in 36 games. “Last year, I didn’t get my Grade A opportunities as I normally do. I feel like this year I’m getting them and I’m just not capitalizing or making plays out there. But it’s going to come if I keep on getting opportunities.
“I think if the opportunities weren’t there I’d be a little depressed or worried about things. It’s something you have to keep working on and bearing down around the net and hopefully get a lucky bounce. Then you get a lucky streak going and score more goals.” Well, there’s an idea. Hakstol’s team went into this game against the Canadiens having scored all of 76 goals this season, which put them at 29th out of the 30 NHL clubs. They’ve been at or near the bottom of the league in that category essentially all season long.
To say secondary is an issue would be a vast understatement.
But then,
Hakstol’s
good at that.
“Secondary scoring is one term ... but when we’re successful we’re going to play good, solid hockey throughout our lineup,” Hakstol said. “We had a pretty good run a few weeks ago where we were able to win games. We didn’t score a whole lot more but we played good, solid hockey every night. That’s the formula for success for us. It’s not all about scoring.”
For an example, Hakstol pointed to a 12-game stretch just prior to the lost West Coast trip, one in which the Flyers won eight game and averaged just shy of three goals per game. That more than a full goal per game over what they had been doing previous to those dozen games ... and a lot better than they did in California, too.
“We went on a streak of 8-2-2 and we were at the same spot (29th in goals scored),” Hakstol said. “So we’re going to try to improve what we’re doing offensively. Like I said, you have to score in order to win. But for our group I believe all the way along, we have to play a real strong, 60-minute, two-way game and be prepared to win close games.”
The most consistent line during that 8-2-2 stretch before Christmas was Couturier matched with Voracek and Simmonds. But Hakstol decided to step away from it after losses in Anaheim and San Jose and two dismal periods in L.A.
“Things were going well (with Voracek and Simmonds) and I was happy the way we were playing, our line,” Couturier said. “But we need better results for the team and if we can help the team we can try (switching).”
NOTES >> On the scratch list Tuesday night were defensemen Evgeny Medvedev and Manning. Oh, and Vinny Lecavalier ... Hakstol after going back to a six-man defensive rotation: “We may at some point in time go back to seven defensemen. That’s a day-to-day decision.”