Flyers Look To Begin Playoff Push

For those of you who are about to start watching hockey now that the Eagles season has ended here is what you missed so far.  The team got off to a slow start and is near the bottom of the league in the standings, but is only 8 points out of a playoff spot.  That is not impossible but they have work to do.

If the Flyers are going to make the playoffs they are going to have to improve their penalty kill.  Philadelphia is currently 29^th in the league at killing penalties.  During Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Nashville the Flyers gave up 3 power play goals.

‘We have to get better,’ general manager Ron Hextall said.  ‘You’re talking pressure, blocking shots, passing from the seams, goaltending.  Every area has to be better.’

One of the things that has to get better for the Flyers when killing penalties is winning face offs.  Adam Hall took the face offs last year and had a lot of success, this season he is playing Switzerland.

‘To me it starts in the face off circle and winning draws, getting pucks down the ice, clears,’ head Coach Craig Berube said.  ‘It’s the simple things like that which makes your PK work and you have success.’

This year Claude Giroux is taking most of these crucial face offs.  During the game Saturday night against Nashville, Giroux was in the box serving a penalty during two of the goals.

Sean Couturier takes the face offs when Giroux is not on the ice.  Giroux has won 56 percent of face offs compared to only 48 percent for Couturier.

‘I work on it and try to get better at that aspect of the game,’ Couturier said. ‘When you are down one or two guys, it’s tough for the other guys. They got 5-on-3, you got to try and win a clear pretty much.’

Another missing piece for the Flyers penalty kill this season is Kimmo Timonen.  He has not played yet this season because of blood clots in his legs.  Last year he was the quarterback of the penalty kill.

‘Kimmo was a big part of it,’ Hextall said.  ‘But somebody’s gotta play where Kimmo was playing and we gotta pull it together. It’s a big part of it. Special teams are huge. You look at last year. We made the playoffs. Why did we make the playoffs? It wasn’t 5-on-5.’

The Flyers continue the road trip tonight in Arizona before heading to Colorado on Wednesday.  They will also play in Carolina and New Jersey before the trip finishes out.  This is going to be the time for the Flyers to make a playoff push against some weaker competition.  Hopefully they can kill off some penalties and steal some games before returning home to South Philly next week.