As the old saying goes, when someone has your number, it usually doesn’t lead to good things.
Tim Thomas put that adage on display against the visiting Flyers tonight, pushing away their best efforts and stymieing a currently potent Philly offense during a 3-1 victory, albeit in front of a near vacant BB&T Center crowd. He didn’t have to make a host of fantastic saves, do anything that would make it to the NHL Tonight highlight reel. Quite simply, he just had to be in net, and that was enough to affect the Flyers psyche.
It was evident during the first two periods, when anyone watching the game saw a glimpse of the Flyers who began the season on a dreaded 1-7 run. Loads of ticky-tack passing, and when they weren’t doing that, they were chasing pucks from sloppy passes that didn’t connect in the first place. The forward corps took far too long to take shots, and I really think a lot of the credit goes to Thomas just for being in the Flyers heads. His presence and record against the Flyers is enough to perhaps influence the shot selection, draw Philly away from the simple shots on net strategy that has been working, and in this game that pattern didn’t appear until the third period when the Flyers were trailing by two goals and trying very hard to get back in it.
Scott Hartnell said he felt the first two periods were a reflection of the poor performances the opened the year, and he was spot on with that assessment. It wasn’t hard to see Philly not utilizing the forecheck adequately enough, and the fancy pass frenzy was rough to watch occur again. The team landed their very first win of the year against Thomas, and they did it by shooting the puck at him, and a lot. The Flyers put five shots on goal in a mere 7 minutes against Tim the first time, and were rewarded with 3 goals and Thomas leaving the game with a groin injury for it. This time around they managed only 9 SOG’s in a full 20 minute period.
The disparity is plain to see.
The key to success against Thomas in the past has been for opponents to keep him working, put the puck on net constantly and wait for the rebound. He has been notorious for allowing rebound goals, even for all the incredible numbers he has posted in an All Star career. When the Flyers began the tic-tac-toe passing, they played themselves right out of the game. Sadly it wasn’t until the third period when Philly showed up, pulled a complete 180, and began to flip pucks at Thomas at a shot per minute attempt. This led to their only goal, a slick put in by Wayne Simmonds, with Giroux grabbing another point, and Hartnell collecting one as well.
This sound familiar?
When the Flyers abandoned the smooth passing debacles and began to just put the puck on net, they played themselves back into the game. While this loss is hard to take because of the regression, it’s easy to see what may have influenced it. Some of the best players of all time can defeat an entire team by being in their heads and winning the game on a cerebral level.
Or they can just have your number.
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