Coming off their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in over a decade, the Flyers have made quite a statement in the 10/11 regular season that they have every intention of going back there and making that final step. Since mid January, they have sat on top of the Eastern Conference...but oddly enough there is a great deal of concern surrounding the orange and black going into their final 4 games of the season.
How can people possibly be upset with a 1st place team? It is not hard to understand if you have watched any game in the last few weeks. The Flyers are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games, which is not awful, but again it is the play that is the concern.
Through the first half of the season, the Flyers showed their individual talent, their depth, and their team commitment to Peter Laviolette's system on a game to game bases, helping them build such a strong team record. Over the last month or so, they have failed to have the same success...the question on everyone's mind though is, why?
The depth and the talent are still there. The Flyers have 7 forwards who have registered at least 20 goals so far this season (just one goal away from having 8) and have arguably the best top 5 defensemen in the league. With the exception of losing Chris Pronger for the stretch run, the talent and depth is still present every night. This team is that good, it has all the pieces, they are not an overachieving team being exposed. The real problem as of late has been the team effort of playing Lavy's system.
Now, some of you might be wondering what the hell I mean by a "system". Hockey is a team sport, and each team must adapt their own style of play and must all contribute to that style in order for the team to be successful. Mr. Laviolette's teams play a very aggressive and offensive style. It basically involves and aggressive pursuit of the offensive zone by dumping the puck, having two forwards peruse it, and having the 3rd forward go to the net (a 2-1-2). It also involves the defensemen being much more active in the offensive zone instead of being cautious. This is a simplification, but you get the idea. This system works well when the whole team buys into it because the pressure on the other team forces them to make mistakes and wears them down, which is ideal for a playoff series. The downside is that it makes your team vulnerable to a counter attack (the other team gaining control of the puck and rushing back the other way) because your players as so committed to the offensive zone. This is where the team being on the same page becomes so valuable because it prevents these problems, and this is where the Flyers have been failing.
For what ever reason, the Flyers have lacked 60 full minutes of this style that they did so well earlier in the year. Again, the question is why? It really could be anything from fatigue to a rift in the locker room, but my theory is they are saving themselves for the playoffs, at least some of them. Game 6 of the finals last year left a sour taste in their mouths, and getting back is priority one. The need to go full throttle right now just isn't there...yes wrapping up first place would be nice, but it isn't a necessity. To most of these guys I would imagine they just want to get to the playoffs and not risk an injury in these final games, so they might have started to back off a little. Like I said, you need the whole team to be on the same page, but it looks right now that they just aren't, and saving themselves could be the reason.
Is this a problem? Not necessarily, assuming they can turn on the switch for Game 1 of Round 1 in a couple of weeks. Can they just do that? Well, they did last year for the most part, as they did not go into the playoffs hot by any means (they made it on the last game last year).
Only time will tell, but for now, all we can do is wait and see and hope. Next week I will break down the team more and show their strengths/weaknesses going into the playoffs.
-Brian
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