We all hate Philadelphia, and especially the Flyers. For Pittsburghers, it’s genetic; for Pittsburgh fans, it’s an acquired taste; but one thing is simple, Philly’s loss is our gain. So as the Pens head into their first round rivalry matchup against the hated Flyers, let’s take a look at why you hate this specific 2012 Philadelphia Flyers team and a brief look at what you should know about them individually:
Let’s start with the suits really quick:
GM Paul Holmgren – Give Holmgren credit, he is decisive and fearless, albeit a little unstable sometimes, when he decides he needs to make a move. He traded away Jeff Carter and Mike Richards this summer, and followed it up with giving Ilya Bryzgalov a 9 year, $51 million contract. He may not win it all with this team, but he certainly has the guts to do anything necessary to have a chance at the Cup.
Coach Peter Laviolette – Lavy may also be crazy based on his tirade a week and a half ago that landed him a $10,000 fine, but he knows how to get results. He has a Stanley Cup ring from coaching the 2006 Hurricanes to a Cup win and he was just one vote shy of winning the Jack Adams award in the same year. He has the credentials, and the intelligence, but the question is does he have the team and the patience to handle them this year.
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| Laviolette might want to curb this demeanor a little. |
Now on to the roster!
The Talent:
Claude Giroux – Hate him because he’s a Flyer, but you have to respect his game. He missed 5 games with a concussion and finished 3rd in scoring with 93 points. He led the NHL with 38 powerplay points but puts in short-handed time as well. Giroux has the hands, the skill, and the vision, so expect him to be a threat at all times.
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| Girls love him for some reason too. |
The Former Pens:
Jaromir Jagr – Started by helping the Pens to Stanley Cups in ’91 and ’92, and then spurned them for their biggest rival in his NHL return just last summer. Jagr still has a wicked wrist shot, but may have durability issues, and will draw the ire of Pens fans whether for his “dying alive” statements long ago or his decision this past summer. One thing is clear, if he has time and space, he’s beating you glove side.
Max Talbot – The folk hero that brought the Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh in ’09 left for Philly this past summer to the chagrin of Pens fans everywhere. He put together a revival season for his career, scoring 19 goals, and is always dangerous in his checking role. You already know he can be a spark plug…but just imagine how he can incite his former fans and teammates. He probably knows a little too much about how to irritate the Pens than I would like.
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| How many people just vomited in their mouth? |
The Second-Hand “Stars”:
Danny Briere – Little Danny Briere can be a star or a flop, all in the same period. He’s an overpaid, undersized veteran at this point, but he has never shown the ability to lead his team on his own. Given room, he can be dangerous with some stellar passing abilities, but as Joe Vitale demonstrated, a hard check can knock him down quickly.
Jakub Voracek – While Briere above will be hot or cold by period, Voracek will likely be hot or cold for the whole series. Keep him down in Game 1 and he may drift away quietly, but if he scores a big goal, he will put up big numbers throughout the series. He finished the season hot with 10 points in 7 games (including a 3 point game against Pittsburgh). Often overlooked due to a lack of physical play, Voracek was still 4th on the team in takeaways, so the Pens need to beware of him in the neutral zone.
The Young Up and Comers:
Matt Read – Read was red hot for the first 2 months of the season before getting a little lost in the Flyers depth chart after a slump. He is another takeaway specialist and had a knack for coming up clutch as he led the team with 6 game winning goals. He’s a solid role player as a rookie and will likely improve as he gets his feet wet in his first playoff experience.
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| He scored his 1st goal quickly and added over 20 more in his rookie year. |
Sean Couturier – Making the team unexpectedly out of camp, Couturier was drafted in the 1st round this past summer and made a great impression with Philly very fast. He played a big part on their penalty kill and was the 2nd best takeaway guy on the team to Giroux, despite getting much less ice time. The Pens will have a chance to take advantage of him in the faceoff circle, where he only won at a 47% rate despite taking over 800 faceoffs this season. At 6’3, he doesn’t even weigh 200 lbs, so the Pens will want to use their big bodies on him heavily to wear him down.
The Talented Agitators:
Scott Hartnell – He led the team in hits, was 2nd in shots, and led the team with 37 goals in an all-star season. We all hate Scott Hartnell. He’s a dbag, but he knows how to succeed. Hartnell is an expert at getting under the opposition’s skin and placing himself around the crease at all times, where he is very adept with his stick. Pittsburgh will have to avoid playing his mind games and make sure he doesn’t get in Fleury’s way.
Wayne Simmonds – Simmonds is just a true hockey player in every sense. He can hit, has a scoring touch, and will do everything necessary to win a game. He has a great hockey sense, especially around the net, and he isn’t afraid of getting involved with anyone. Really, Simmonds is a blue collar guy that will get under your skin through goals and timely plays. Keeping him to the outside and away from the front of the net will be paramount.
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| If you can't respect this, I can't respect you. |
The Sometimes Idiotic Muscle:
Jody Shelley – Who knows if Shelley even touches the ice, but if he does he won’t be doing much. He registered 1 point this season and is exists more as a preemptive strike than to do anything in the game. Don’t worry yourself with this goon, any shift he takes in this series will be an opportunity for the Pens to make him look like a fool.
Zac Rinaldo – Rinaldo however, comes with a much better skating ability though far less brains in how he uses it. He almost led the league in penalty minutes this year. He will attempt to be a spark plug with big, though often borderline hits. If he crosses the line, the Pens have to let him be punished and stick to their game. Just like Hartnell, Rinaldo will try to draw their focus and distract them from playing systematic hockey.
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| Best part of the season? Letang knocking over Hartnell, who then high-sticked Rinaldo in the teeth. |
The Annoying Energy:
Eric Wellwood – Wellwood has had an impressive ability this season for elevating his game against the Penguins. He is a very quick skater who did not play much during the season but has enough skill to warrant a look. He was a +12 in just 24 games this season, posting 9 points and only averaging 10 minutes of ice time per game. Think Joe Vitale with more of a scoring touch.
Brayden Schenn – Schenn is a kid with a very bright future as a former 1st round pick in ’09 but for now he just plugs holes for the Flyers when necessary. With depth up the middle already pretty strong, the Flyers use Schenn for about 13-14 minutes per game as a 3rd line center. He has a scoring touch, can play gritty (and crosscheck people in the back) and generally has a very versatile game to match his opponents.
Harry Zolnierczyk – Zolnierczyk is another energy type guy, though at a -11 on the season, the Flyers will refrain from using him much. He is more of a throw away guy for smaller fights or short shifts to give the big guys a rest. He only managed 6 points in 37 games and was mainly a liability when he couldn’t find his way to the penalty box.
The Points from the Point:
Kimmo Timonen – My best memory of TImonen will always be Kunitz trying to kill him back in 2009. But more to the point, he’s a veteran defenseman that has made many playoff runs at this point and will keep this group calm and focused. He has a solid shot from the point and won’t be intimidated by Pittsburgh’s skill.
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| Keep your head up there Timonen. |
Matt Carle – Carle has missed usual defensive Chris Pronger greatly this season, but he has survived well enough to still put together a strong season. He has a great passing presence from the blue line and rushes pucks up through the neutral zone very well. He is also very capable in his own end and quick to make slides for coverages. He will be a big help to the Flyers PP as well as handling the 2nd and 3rd lines likely.
The Shut Down Men:
Braydon Coburn – Coburn does not receive enough credit for how strong he actually is defensively. He can hold his ground against anyone and is very smart about his positioning, especially when covering around the crease. He may give a little space to the Pens quicker forwards because he doesn’t want to get beat, so the Pens will have to try to exploit that with Dupuis and Sullivan especially.
Andreas Lilja – Lilja is already very familiar with the Pens and demonstrated it against them over the past week. He knows how to play Malkin, like really knows how to do it. Expect him to do his best to be physical on the Pens big 3 centers because I will tell you something, Lilja isn’t afraid of them after his time in Detroit.
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| Most priceless experience anyone on Philly could possibly have. |
The New Comers:
Nicklas Grossmann – Grossmann was laughed at as a fix for the Flyers defense, but it turns out the kid can actually play. He won’t do anything flashy, but he has good hockey sense in the defensive zone and generally knows to be in the right places. His knee may still be sore from Vitale’s rage a couple of weeks ago, but Grossmann should hold his own just fine.
Pavel Kubina – Apparently we shouldn’t expect to see Kubina play. He has been around the league a bit; he’s a big body with some skill, though he hasn’t looked strong for the Flyers at all since arriving from Tampa Bay. There are rumors flying that he will be healthy scratched for Game 1, so I guess he doesn’t fit in quite as well as Holmgren wanted.
The Wild Card:
Marc-Andre Bourdon – Bourdon has a lot of talent though I’m not sure he is quite ripe for playoff hockey against the best offensive team in the league yet. The skills are there, but the Pens forwards should be able to have their way with him just based on their vision and speed. If he plays wiser than his age though, he may be a big equalizer in depth for the Flyers.
The Injured:
Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk and Andrej Meszaros – Pronger is out for the season and the latter 2 are not expected to be back in for this series, so don’t worry about it. Be very happy actually as Meszaros is a veteran on that blue line and JVR had a great playoff run last year. The Pens are lucky to not be facing these 3 as the Flyers will be tough already. Pronger may have made them the Cup favorite.
The Crazy Russian Goalies:
Ilya Bryzgalov – No one knows what to expect out of Bryzgalov with the humongous universe on his shoulders. He has faltered in the playoffs before with Phoenix, but has also been quite successful with Anaheim. Really, you can flip a coin to determine what he will provide for the Flyers. The key will be getting into his head…if the Pens can play some games with his head, mainly around the crease and taking surprising shots, Bryz may be out early.
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| HUMONGOUS |
Sergei Bobrovsky – Bobrovsky FINALLY lost at Consol after some great games there over the past 2 seasons. He is a solid goaltender when facing a heavy workload, but seems to struggle a little more in light games. I don’t expect to see him unless Bryz falters multiple times, but if he does come in, his confidence will be the key. Beat him early and he will falter, but he definitely gets better as the game goes on.
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