Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
In a game that featured multiple lead changes, quick answers, and a host of blown opportunities on both sides, the Ottawa Senators emerged victorious in the shoot out against the Philadelphia Flyers thanks to a next to last shot goal by Jason Spezza. A completely up and down affair that featured a personal high for young rookie Flyers forward Michael Raffl finally landing his first NHL goal, whatever magic the Flyers conjured to respond to the Senators tallies just wasn’t enough, and there were a few good reasons why.
The first one? Mark Streit.
Now any hockey fan worth their salt knows Streit isn’t exactly a defensive phenom to begin with, instead being more of a solid puck mover and power play quarterback, but he was absolutely horrid in all three phases, and especially when it came to decision making defensively. He was the mastermind behind a few blown pinches that lead to breakway threats against Flyers goalie Steve Mason, and it was his direct misshandling of the puck that led to the Senators game tying goal on a Clarke MacArthur breakaway that nullified Raffl’s feel good moment. Streit’s stats reflected his abysmal play as well, pretty much wasting 20 minutes of ice time going a -3 with nothing else to show for it. Once considered a solid player, and the best defender on the market this past offseason, Streit has been third pairing way too often for what a near 6 million dollar man should be. He’s also slated to collect a few more years of this pay rate while only getting older, and at 36, he was already old to begin with.
The second issue? Steve Mason might actually be feeling it.
Feeling what, you say? How does the burden of masking a weak defense with out of this world goaltending sound? Mason has had quite a renaissance since donning the Orange & Black, but he can’t be counted on to produce ridiculous numbers every single game. This is what a terrible Flyers blueline has forced him to do though, and it’s beginning to show in Mason’s numbers the last few games. It’s not a case of him regressing, but merely wearing down. A good team doesn’t ask a goalie to carry a team, but this is exactly what the Flyers have done all season long. Mason may need to be spelled a little more than he has been, and GM Paul Holmgren seriously needs to be shopping for a solid young potential franchise blue liner. Unfortunately for Homer, these kinds of players don’t grow on trees, so a tough decision may be looming, but it is necessary for any type of future success the Flyers will have.
What was astonishing was how quickly each team reacted to the other taking the lead. Raffl got the Flyers on the board first, But MacArthur tied it two minutes later. In the second period when the Senators took the 2-1 lead on a Peter Wiercioch blast, the Flyers responded and reclaimed the lead again in a span of four minutes, thanks to Jakub Voracek and Luke Schenn. This theme carried into the third when the Senators tied and then took the lead again thanks to Clarke MacArthur, a player who has become something of a nemesis for the Flyers since becoming a Senator, only to see Kimmo Timonen tie the game up once more in a two minute span. Even though the Flyers played terrible defense, and every time the Senators seemed to explode out of their own zone each time they had the puck, the game was pretty much anyone’s to win.
Or lose.
After an overtime period that featured little excitement, things carried over into the shoot out. MacArthur had a chance to sneak a third puck past Mason, but was cut off while attempting a five hole sneak. That brought up Flyers forward Matt Read, who tried a wrister to no avail. Next was Bobby Ryan(Did you know he’s from Cherry Hill, NJ? I’m certain we ALL know this by now.) who wasn’t able to cash in and hurt Flyers fans feelings due to the hometown type affinity Philadelphia has for him. Giroux was next and while always a threat on the shoot out, ran out of room and couldn’t pitch his backhander high enough to get over a sprawling leg save by Sens goalie Craig Anderson.
This brought up All Star level Senator Jason Spezza. As he made his way towards Mason, he began a series of moves I think I’ve only seen on NHL 14, deking and deking and…deking again, he kept Mason in check all the way up until he reached the crease, until finally Mason flinched first, and Spezza promptly dangled the puck opposite net side. A completely unreal shoot out goal, and one worthy of an ESPY mention or an NHL highlight award.
Sean Couturier held the Flyers last chance in his hands, and he almost beat Anderson to prolong the shoot out, but his wrister rang off the top bar and Anderson then celebrated briefly, a move I didn’t mind too much given how tough this season has been on the normally incredible Anderson. He’s had quite a bad stretch with a high GAA and has looked bad at times, and this had to be a breath of fresh air, to be a part of a victory for a change.
I predicted a 4-2 record on this 6 game road trip, but it’s clear the wear and tear on the Flyers now, and at 2-2-1, it doesn’t appear to get any easier when the Flyers take on the Chicago Blackhawks at the Madhouse Wednesday night. The loss of Vincent Lecavalier to a displaced fracture in his back for a month isn’t helping matters, and it seems the Couturier/Read/Downie line has slowed down a tad, which is even more bad news for the Flyers considering how slow the top two lines has been in scoring.
Best hope is for a miracle win against the defending champs, because the next few games will only wear on this team even more. Bright side? 4 of the next 6 games are at home. The Flyers will have to push through if they are to stay on any kind of playoff contention, we’ll see if they’re up to the task.
*Photo courtesy of NHL.com
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