Seravalli's bold Predictions

Most of the hockey world’s attention this weekend is focused upon Ottawa, where festivities that culminate with the soporific NHL All Star game are taking place. The Daily News’ Frank Seravalli took the opportunity of a lull in the Flyers’ season to make 5 bold predictions about the team. Frankadamus states that

Sean Couturier will win the Calder Trophy.
Matt Carle will not sign an extension.
The Flyers will trade for a defenseman.
Jagr will be quiet.
Bryzgalov will find his groove.

Servalli has a different definition of bold than most. The idea that Flyers will trade for a defenseman is a forecast that rivals The Pope is Catholic in level of riskiness. Similarly milquetoast is the idea that Jagr will be quiet, what with Jagr being 39, years removed from playing a full NHL season, and having been out on three different occasions with an injured groin.

Carle not signing an extension is predicated on what defenseman the Flyers acquire in a trade. If it is either Shea Weber or Ryan Suter, the Flyers will attempt to sign the player to a long term deal. And there won’t be enough money left over for Carle to get paid as well. If the Flyers sign say, Tim Gleason, then I think Carle could be coming back.

Sean Couturier winning the Calder Trophy is a bold prediction. It is also wrong, but as with any award it can always be argued that such and such a player should have won. However, barring long term injury, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is going to easily win the award. Courturier is not going to gain enough ice time to put up the stats he needs to win. And no one has ever won the Calder because of their excellent penalty killing skills.

That Bryzgalov will find his groove is the most controversial opinion. Seravalli bases his prediction on Bryz’s body of work and the idea that he will be starting the majority of the Flyers games during the Spring, which will allow Bryz to elevate his game. But didn’t Bryz start the majority of the Flyers game’s this fall and winter? I have little faith in the goalie play of either Bryzgalov or Bobrovsky, but hope to be surprised.

Boston defeats Flyers in a shoot out

This was a huge game for the Flyers. Philadelphia was coming off a rare victory over a playoff team (the Devils), and Boston was coming off an overtime loss to the NY Rangers. Boston destroyed the Flyers in their last meeting. It was also a huge game for Bryzgolov who got the call in net for the Flyers.

The Flyers replaced Jagr, Rinaldo and Briere in their line up with Zolnierczyk, Seiesto and Holmstrom. I am not sure if Rinaldo was injured in yesterdays game or if this was a coach’s decision. Jagr and Briere are hurt. Marc Savard and Brad Ference were out for Boston. JVR remains out for the Flyers.

First Period Highlights

Typical weak start by the Flyers as they give up a breakaway within the first 30 seconds.

Bruins score a goal a minute in. Good work by the Bruins on this goal as Patrice Bergeron tips in a crossing pass from Marchand, even though Bergeron has Wayne Simmonds draped all over him.

Tom Sestito fights Milan Lucic off a face off. I am surprised Lucic takes this fight, since the Bruins are up 1-0 on the road and it is against AHL call up Sestito. The fight is a draw.

Flyers tie the game: Max Talbot scores when Seidenberg tips his crossing pass past Thomas.

Scott Hartnell is playing hard thus far with a lot of hits.

Max Talbot has a scoring chance thanks to a lucky bounce off the end boards. Tim Thomas makes a good save.

Flyers penalty- a slash by Sean Couturier who was back checking. This is a bad penalty by Couturier.

Flyers are doing well on the penalty kill but somehow pick up a too many men on the ice penalty to give the Bruins a two man advantage. Bruins utilize an unusual, close-in umbrella style set on the 5-3, which proves useless and the Flyers kill the two man down time.

There are coincidental minors for Talbot/Krejci from a dust up by the benches.

Breakaway for Rich Peverley is saved by the “telescopic leg” of Bryzgolov and the Flyers kill off the remaining power play.

Flyers penalty: Voracek for tripping. This is a bullshit call.

Bruins score a power play goal by Seguin, thanks to the hard work of Bergeron who steals the puck behind the Flyers net and passes to the wide open Seigen who buries it behind Bryzgolov.

Sestito has a big hit, but loses a tooth on the play.

Schenn has a bigger hit and then is challenged to fight by Kelly who cuts Schenn badly in the fight. Flyers get a PP from the confrontation. Flyers have some pressure but do not score on the power play.

Lucic scores for Boston from above the face off circles. Lucic benefited from a pick by Horton on Coburn, but this is a soft goal by Bryzgalov.

Bergeron stirs the pot by bumping Bryzgalov after a stoppage. Bryzgalov explodes and attacks Bergeron and receives a roughing penalty.

Flyers are doing well on the penalty kill and on a 2 on 1 Chara bats the puck out of the rink and receives a delay of the game penalty so there is 4 on 4 hockey.

Flyers on the power play but the best chance goes to Marchand who is stopped one on one by Bryzgalov.

Talbot stirs the pot.

Flyers roll out the feared Zolnierczyk/Sestito/Shelly line who has a good shift pinning the Bruins in their zone.

Schenn is back on the ice.

Second Period Highlights

Sestito hammers Horton who looses his cool and crosschecks Sestito. Bourdon attacks Horton, but the Flyers emerge with a power play.

Thomas makes a fantastic save on a Hartnell rebound shot.

Hartnell scores a power play goal. There is some real nice puck movement proceeding this goal. Giroux with the assist.

Hartnell hammers McQuaid on a hit.

Quick whistle on a Flyers scoring chance started by a Matt Carle rush. Schenn could have easily scored if play continued.

Schenn has a good hit to cause a turnover, leading to a Hartnell goal. Giroux again with the assist.

On the ensuing draw Shelly and Thornton fight. Fight is a draw.

Sestito has a huge hit on Chara.

Boston Penalty- Seguin high stick on Bourdon. Bad penalty by Seguin. Flyers produce good pressure on the power play but do not score.

Boston Penalty- Lucic for interfering with Giroux on a Flyers 2 on 1. Good work by Giroux to draw this penalty.

Hartnell scores another power play goal for a hat trick. Same exact play as the 2nd Flyer goal.

The second period ends early since there are a thousand hats on the ice.

Third Period highlights

The last 46 seconds of 2nd period is played.

Boston Goal. Krejick deflects a Peverley shot past Bryzgalov.

Flyers have a 3 on 2 where Read blows an empty net goal when he
cannot control the puck.

Campbell stuffs a goal past Bryzgalov on a feed by Paille from behind the goal. The Flyers defense was weak here, but is Bryzgalov even capable of making a game saving save?

Time out by the Flyers.

Thornton negates an icing but the linesman blows the call.

A wild sequence where Giroux drives the net for a scoring chance and Schenn is buried by Thornton when he went for the rebound (should have been a penalty). Hartnell then crushes Kelly with a hit when Kelly goes to play the puck, leading Thornton to pummel Hartnell. The Flyers get a power play out of all of this.

Flyers goal- Carle with a point shot that is deflected by a Boston defender or Max Talbot in front.

Bourdon with a big hit on Kelly

Boychuk takes a lazy penalty as he trips Schenn. Flyers cannot score on the power play.

Kelly takes a holding the stick penalty behind the Flyers net! This is such a dumb play by Kelly, but the Flyers cannot score.

Overtime Highlights

Read has a good scoring chance on a redirection.

Giroux looks exhausted.

Quick whistle for the Flyers’ failure to play the puck on a delayed played by high stick call. This keeps the draw in the Flyers’ zone and leads to a penalty. Timonen held Krejci, this was a good penalty as Krejci was alone in front of the net.

Boston power play is all Chara shots, the majority of which are blocked by Max Talbot.

Fake hockey highlights

Bryzgalov can’t save a single shot. Boston wins.


Takeaways:

Wayne Simmonds cannot stick handle.

Bryzgalov is a bust.

Sestito is a better player than Shelly and probably just as good at fighting- why not bring him up and play him when you would play Shelly?

Bryzgalov is a bust.

Giroux needs some rest. He looked exhausted in OT. It is too bad he is playing in the all star game.

Bryzgalov is a bust.

Great games by Hartnell, Schenn and Talbot.

Poor shoot out by Bryzgalov. He is a bust.

Andy Reid, back for 14ths

Eagles owner Jeff Lurie held a press conference today to announce the inevitable - Andy Reid will be back. But before letting us all down softy, he made it seem like there was an actual chance that Reid would be fired. He said he was angry and frustrated and he called the season "dismal" and the result "unacceptable" and he even called the last 4 wins "fool's gold." I don't think he was intentionally being devious though, I think he just wanted the fans to really know that he too felt bad about this season and heard their complaints so he went overboard in trying to appease us. But of course in the end he was so disgusted with this unacceptable season that he didn't change a thing.

Flyers blow Winter Classic

Flyers handily controlled if not dominated the first 2 periods of this game. They were getting to every loose puck, winning battles, coming out of their own zone with ease and speed, and were controlling the faceoffs and as a result were winning 2-1 going into the third. Then early in the third goaltender fill-in Bobrovsky let in a goal softer than the Eagles, and the Flyers folded like a cheap umbrella. After that awful goal they never recovered, were quickly scored upon again and ended up losing 3-2 in a game they should have won.

After blowing the lead early in the third, the Flyers only really threatened in the last minute with the goalie pulled. In a "goalmouth scramble" Briere (I think) pushed the puck through Lundqvist and a Ranger fell on the puck in the crease as it was headed toward the goal line. This saved a goal but also awarded the Flyers a penalty shot. Giroux was on the ice at the time, but Laviolette gave Briere the golden chance to redeem his team's blowing a 2-0 lead. He went 5 hole but hit the 6 hole instead. Weak.

The result of this game pissed me off. The Flyers blew it and bad goaltending as usual was a primary reason. Bobrovsky didn't have to "stand on his head" or steal a game, all he had to do was make the routine saves and he failed. And after he blew it the rest of the team melted down and looked entirely different than it did the first 2 periods.

Other notes:

• Bryzgalov needs to give up the Yakov Smirnoff Jr. act. Ha ha you suck! Hilarious! You're not funny at all, dude.
• The refs this game sucked. Yeah, nothing new.
• Intermissions were extra long, right?
• NBC's coverage was pretty good I thought.
• How do they time those jet flyovers?
• How do the Flyers let a total scrub score 2 goals on them? And nice Sieg Heil, dumbass in your pathetic attempt to mock Jagr.
• Why did no one hand him a beatdown?
• One positive: The last time the Flyers blew a Winter Classic game they went to the Stanley Cup finals. And then blew that.

Somehow I stayed awake

Eagles beat the Redskins 34-10 at the Linc in golf weather, which foreshadowed both teams immediate futures. This game was awful with both teams doing what they did best all season - suck. The Redskins of course sucked more all season so they sucked more today and lost.

Even though they won and Vick had good stats and a 100+ QB rating, Vick held the ball too long and also made the usual poor decisions that has been his and the Eagles undoing all season. He was responsible for a typical Vick stupid fumble and an even stupider interception today which capped off the Eagles NFL high 38 turnovers for the year. We're #1!

Other teams would be trembling if they made the playoffs.

I supposed the defense played well again, but it was also against another terrible QB who repeatedly threw to covered receivers while the ones wide open were ignored. Rex Grossman is terrible.

Other notes:

• Happy New Year!
• Please clueless announcers (the Z team), shut the F up with your chastising of the fans for wanting Reid gone. Did you not notice you were calling the game of a mediocre, underperforming 8-8 team and one who has gotten progressively worse the last 3 years?
• Reid's teams continue to blow timeouts, but I have to admit he has gotten a lot better on challenges this year. Bring him back!
• I did enjoy the time management stupidity of the Redskins at the end of the first half. Way to honor the master in his presence.
• I enjoyed seeing the Jets meltdown vs. the Dolphins and finish out of the playoffs.
• Why were Eagles stomping around after hits and overcelebrating their catches today? Clueless idiots.
• Fire Reid.