Power Rankings?

So Nick Carroll, who appears to be a relatively young sports writer, with limited hockey knowledge, posted his power rankings on philly.com today.  

His assessment of the Flyers is predictable and obviously gleaned from common grumblings of sports writers in this town.  It completely ignores Mason's save percentage (see my earlier post) and the fact that Jake Voracek (as of this moment) is tied for the most points in the league (64) and is in second place for assists (45).  Not sure how you can call the Flyers a below-average team with those stats.  

And the line about the 2010 Flyers?  Pretty much parrots the thinking of most naysayers regarding this  team.  

Again, a non-hockey fan toeing the party line would, of course, hate on the Flyers this season.  I know the team is still four points out, but that's a hell of a lot closer than anyone pegged the Flyers a few weeks ago.  If Nick knew a bit more about hockey, and was a bit more of a Flyers fan - heck, a Philadelphia sports fan - I think he may have spun this in a better light.  This team is the best this city has right now.  We might as well get on board.

We've got Mason back (albeit backing up tonight) and a team leader, Kimmo, poised to skate on Saturday night.  Anything, anything can happen.

I'm ignoring Nick's power rankings, posted and linked below.  Any true Flyers fans should, too.  

21. Flyers (LW: 22; 26-24-11, 63 points) – The Flyers have the eighth-worst goal differential (minus-16), the 10th-worst shot attempt and unblocked shot-attempt percentages, and ninth fewest points. Sure, the Flyers might have left some points on the table against Buffalo and Columbus (Carolina is probably the better team in its building), but there’s no disconnect between their performance and record – they’re just a below-average team. Even if they do sneak into the playoffs, this isn’t the 2010 Flyers. There’s no Chris Pronger or any semblance of a loaded roster that underperformed throughout the season. With a collection of expendable veteran defensemen, the trade deadline Monday should be interesting as the Flyers continue to rebuild and add depth.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/flyers/Predators_first_team_to_40_wins_move_to_top_of_power_rankings.html

Keep Calm and Watch More Hockey

Take a deep breath.  The Flyers are still four points behind the Bruins in the wild card race.

Yes, it was an abysmal loss last night to the 'Canes.  Yes, the team loses to bottom-feeders.  Yes, everyone is starting to panic.

Don't.  Instead, accept that this is just the way the Flyers are playing this season.  Blame it on Berube, blame it on the rain.  You may never find an explanation and I certainly can't offer one.

But I can tell you to keep the faith.  I hated the loss last night but the team is still 4-2-4 over the last ten games.  Not too shabby, and still in the hunt.  We'll see what Thursday brings.

On Goaltending

All Flyers fans have opinions about the team's goaltending.  Here's one of mine.

Steve Mason's .925 save percentage has him in a three-way tie for fifth best in the NHL.  He's only played 34 games this season due to injuries.  But when he was healthy, Berube often, and in my mind, inexplicably, chose not to put Mason between the pipes.  

Why are the Flyers the only team in the NHL that does not consistently start its starting goalie?  Night after night, all across the league, you'll see the same names in net . . . but Flyers fans are often left scratching their heads why, why, is our (finally) consistently excellent goalie sitting on the bench?

I know some people will say, oh, he needs to rest, blah blah blah.  Spare me.  He's a professional athlete.  Playing every game is his job.  Who was Bernie Parent's backup goalie?  What other teams in the NHL have embraced a "rest a good goalie" strategy?  When a goalie's hot, he wins, end of story. 

I think if Berube had played Mason as much as he could while he was healthy, the team may not have fallen into quite as deep a hole in the standings.  

But only time will tell where the rest of this season goes.  Mason seems to be on the mend from his recent knee surgery, as some of the latest reports are pegging his return as early as Saturday.  In the meantime, Zepp continues to rise to the occasion.  

Onward to Carolina.  Flyers should be able to pick up two tonight.    

Improbable or Probably? - The Playoffs

According to an Inquirer reader poll taken a little over a week ago, Flyers fans were split nearly 50/50 over whether the team would make the playoffs this season.

Following an exhilarating weekend at the Wells Fargo Center, where the Flyers picked up a precious four points, the playoffs are tantalizingly in reach.  What seemed improbable months ago has moved into the realm of . . . probably (?)

True, the Bruins didn't do the Flyers any favors on Hockey Day in America, as their freefall came to a resounding halt with a 6-2 rout of the Blackhawks.  The Panthers continue to pester and remain one point ahead.  BREAKING NEWS:  Emery is injured, leaving the team with Zepp and Stolarz to tend the twine.  (Note that this may not be a bad thing, refer to the 2010 playoffs.  Subject of a later post.)

Despite all of that, there is something new in the air, floating ever so cautiously around the recently woeful world of Philadelphia sports:  Hope.  Anticipation.  A maybe, just maybe, this team could make it to the post-season, where anything can happen.

Stay tuned.