February 16, 2015
Jen Fuller/AP
Flyers' Michael Raffl celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres with teammates
Well, that was a lot more difficult than it needed to be.
The Flyers, currently riding a nine-game point streak, snuck past the Sabres, 2-1, on Sunday night thanks to a late goal from forward Michael Raffl. Ray Emery -- getting his third-straight start in relief of injured goalie Steve Mason -- was solid in net, stopping 21 of 22 shots, with the lone goal coming on a five-on-three Sabres' power play in the second period.
With the win the Flyers (24-22-10) are now just five points behind* the Boston Bruins for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 26 games remaining.
Here are some observations on the game:
After missing nearly a month with pneumonia and a lung infection, Michael Raffl made his presence known in the Flyers' 2-1 victory. After being thoroughly outplayed in the second period and allowing the Sabres to tie the game, Raffl scored on a wraparound with just over seven minutes left to play to save the Flyers from what was shaping up to be another overtime game.
The Flyers had gone to OT in three of their previous four games and lost all three. Those lost points could come back to bite the them later and leaving another in Buffalo -- against the NHL's worst team -- would have been crushing.
Raffl replaced Scott Laughton, who was sent down to the Phantoms Saturday to make room on the roster. Laughton's recent struggles, especially offensively, likely also contributed to his demotion. The move paid off for the Flyers on Sunday, as scoring -- and timely scoring at that -- came from a roster spot that had been previously unproductive.
For the Flyers, it was just their fourth win of the season when scoring less than three goals.
Their other goal, scored only a few minutes into the first period, came off the stick of Matt Read, who tipped a Wayne Simmonds shot past Michal Neuvirth. The goal was Read's second in three games after going two months (25 games) without finding the back of the net. He now has a point in four straight games.
Sure, but there was plenty about tonight's win that won't sit well with Flyers fans.
First, there was the lack of offense. The Flyers tallied 30 shots, but scored just twice on Neuvirth. Luckily that proved to be enough* for Emery. However, Neuvirth (3-15-1 in 20 games with a 3.29 GAA) hasn't won a game since mid-November, so it would have been nice to see the Flyers light the lamp a few more times.
*Prior to Sunday's win, Emery was 0-4-2 this season in games the Flyers scored less than three goals.
Then there was the second period, in which the Flyers, and not the Sabres, looked like the worst team in the NHL.
All things considered - you could make the argument that was the #Flyers' worst period of the season.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) February 16, 2015
Their sloppy didn't hurt them much on the scoreboard -- it looked a lot worse than just a 1-0 disadvantage -- but that's probably because the Sabres struggle -- I mean they really struggle -- to score.
Sabres on pace to score the fewest goals in NHL since expansion in 1967-68.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) February 16, 2015
And finally, they were playing the Sabres, a team that is dead last in the NHL in goals, goals against, power play, and penalty kill and has won just three out of its last 24 games.
Read that last sentence again...
But they won -- despite not playing their best -- and picked up two crucial points in the process. The Flyers are riding their longest point streak in almost four years. The last time they got at least a point in nine consecutive games was March 8-26, 2011 (5-0-4). Unfortunately, the fact that they sit just five points behind the Bruins is more due to Boston's struggles than the Flyers' great play.
The Bruins have lost three in a row, but will have a chance to increase their lead over the Flyers tomorrow night when they face the Flames. The Flyers (58 points currently) will likely need 35 to 40 more points over their final 26 games to catch the Bruins. They'd also have to pass the Florida Panthers, who currently have 60 points and -- like the Bruins -- have a game in hand on the Flyers.
Jake Voracek still sits in second in the NHL with 60 points, but has just two in his last six games. He's now three behind Patrick Kane, who also failed to score Sunday, but combined for four points in his previous two games.
More alarming, perhaps, is this:
The last time Jake Voracek scored an even-strength goal ... the Eagles were still alive for a playoff berth (Dec. 18).
— Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats) February 16, 2015
On Sunday in Buffalo, Voracek registered just one shot in over 19 minutes of ice time, but did have nearly have a pair of assists to Giroux, one of which caught iron. Still, he needs to get back to scoring down the stretch. The team won't be able to rely on Emery like this every night.
And now here's a look at what some of the other writers are saying about the Flyers:
Via Nicholas Mendola of CSNPhilly.com:
Emery's performance is made more remarkable by the shocking news that Steve Montador, Emery's friend and teammate in Chicago from 2011-12, was found dead in his home early Sunday.
Montador was honored before the game with a moment of silence. The defenseman played for the Sabres from 2009-2011.
"It was a real sad day, an emotional day," Emery said. "He was an awesome guy. I don't know what happened but talking to guys that know him, guys appreciate him. It's like a family in hockey, and he's a close friend. It's just sad." [CSN Philly]
Via Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The Flyers went 2-0-2 on the road trip, including games in which they lost third-period leads and lost to Montreal and Columbus in overtime.
"We let a couple of points slide away in overtime in the last few games," said goalie Ray Emery after making 21 saves in another solid effort, "and with a win tonight, it's a pretty good road trip for us. We got it done when we needed to in the third. We need points in almost every game coming up here." [Philly.com]
Via Randy Miller of NJ.com, who was discussing reasons why Laughton was the guy to go when Raffl returned:
The plan for Laughton going into the season was for him to spend his first pro season in the minors. GM Ron Hextall changed his mind on Nov. 19 with Laughton getting off to a great start in the AHL and Claude Giroux battling a minor injury and expected to sit out two games. Giroux wound up not missing any games, but Laughton played, too ... and he showed enough centering the fourth line in the early going that he was moved up to the second line rather than be sent back to the minors right away. [NJ.com]
Via Frank Seravalli of the Daily News:
An optimist would note that the Flyers are now just five points back of a Stanley Cup playoff spot, the closest they’ve been since early November. The Bruins, idle on Sunday, plays Monday night in Calgary.
A pessimist would say despite the fact the Flyers have picked up at least a point in nine consecutive games, the Flyers have been outmatched for large stretches, particularly in their last three games coming home.
A realist would figure out that while the Flyers have gained points, the biggest reason for the tightening of their gap is that the Bruins have dropped the ball. Boston’s point-pace has slowed from 99 points earlier last week to the historical Eastern Conference playoff requirement of 94 points. [Philly.com]
Via Kurt R. of SBNation:
Braydon Coburn played for the first time in about a month. He only took one shift in the third period, and that's because that shift ended with him making a terrible turnover that sprung the Sabres on a 2-on-1. Emery bailed him out, and that was the last he'd see of the ice. He also had to trip Chris Stewart to prevent a possible breakaway in the second period, which led to that 5-on-3 goal for Buffalo. Before that, he had also stood up a number of Sabres forwards at the blue line, and put together a good possession night despite largely playing alongside Nicklas Grossmann. Basically, whatever your feelings about Braydon Coburn already were, tonight's game probably confirmed them. [broadstreethockey.com]
