Storyline: Limited offense, inconsistent goaltending, and questionable coaching plague the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Philadelphia Flyers have been struggling. Since the All Star break the Flyers are 1-2-1 and have only scored four goals. In their last two games they’ve failed to find the back of the net, losing back-to-back home games for the first time since 1999.
Why are they struggling?
Courtesy: CBS Philly
One reasons is that Coach Dave Hakstol has been leaving defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere out of the lineup. “Ghost” has 21 points so far this year– down from last season–but still not bad.
When in the lineup he’s the anchor of the Flyers’ powerplay. Without him, they’ve only scored three goals since the break. Fans continue to question Hakstol’s decision to keep his young star out of the lineup.
Another reason for struggle is that the Flyers don’t shoot enough. In the last two games they’ve taken 43 shots. If you don’t shoot, you don’t score. Simple as that. Jakub Voracek, one of the team’s main goal scorers, is very frustrated at their lack of scoring. He said, “It’s tough, you don’t score a goal two games in a row, especially at home. It’s tough for us.” (Dave Isaac, Courier Post).
Personally, I’m aggravated by the team’s recent play. Fans are frustrated. And if there’s anything about sports in Philadelphia, it’s this: if fans aren’t happy, things don’t go well. After just a season-and-a-half fans are asking for a new head coach. Ken Hitchcock is available and Flyers fans are fond of him. He spent four years in Philadelphia and had some success with the team.
Michal Neuvirth (photo, Philly.com)
Beyond the coach, the Flyers haven’t been able to solve a persistent problem–goaltending. Neuvirth and Mason are good goaltenders, but they’re inconsistent. They’ll be lights out for a few games and then they’ll lose it.
Sure, there will be options in the off-season–Ben Bishop and Ryan Miller come to mind–but the Flyers need help right now. They have Anthony Stolarz and Carter Hart in the system, but I don’t think they’re ready for the NHL So the challenge continues: to win a lot of hockey games you need solid, consistent goaltending.
In the meantime. the Flyers need to figure out how to find the back of the net. For that to happen Andrew MacDonald and Mark Streit need to play much better than they’ve been playing. And perhaps the biggest need is for Hakstol to figure out a way to win. Otherwise, he’s gonna get run out of town.
What’s your plan, coach?
