Week Six is done in the National Hockey League!
Wow, it’s been six weeks already? It’s flown by so quickly, it feels like just yesterday that the Flyers were failing miserably, losing every other game. Screw that, they’re back on the rise! Pardon the trite expression, but they are indeed playing like they are hungry for more!
It's time for my weekly review of the Flyers' schedule!
I will briefly recap each game, and then assign a plus or minus rating based on the Flyers' performance in the game. For example: if the Flyers played horribly, yet came out with a win, they get a plus-two rating—they were not expected to win, but did. If they play great and lose, they get a minus-two rating, for the opposite reason.
If the Flyers play well and win, they get an even rating, and the same for the opposite. They can also get plus and minus-one ratings for getting one point in the game.
Flyers at Sabres, Nov. 21, 2008 (W, 3-0)
Against a strong, but recently struggling team, the Flyers took advantage of their recent hot streak, and simply dominated the Sabres from start to finish. Hartnell scored the game winning goal on a backhand, while Jeff Carter scored two goals of his own to add insurance for the Flyers’ win. Marty Biron also made 40 saves in a brilliant shutout performance.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Even
Flyers vs. Phoenix, Nov. 22, 2008 (W, 4-3 OT)
The Flyers played just alright. I’m not sure if they deserved this win, as they played poorly to a weak and struggling Phoenix squad. Biron made some bad decisions, including one that resulted in a goal by tough guy Daniel Carcillo. Todd Fedoruk, the former Flyers’ enforcer, also scored on Biron to give the Coyotes a late lead.
Following goals from Scottie Hartnell and Mike Knuble, Jeff Carter tied the game with just over a minute remaining in regulation and sent it to overtime. In overtime, the Flyers decided to show up, and captain Mike Richards showed brilliant patience and discipline as he waited for a hole to open up, and buried a shot to win the game for the home team.
Plus-2
Flyers vs. Stars, Nov. 24, 2008 (W, 4-3)
Carter scored a goal and Knuble scored twice, as the Flyers and Stars battled in an epic game, one of the most exciting games I have seen this season. The Flyers outplayed them for parts of the game, but the play was truly even for the entire sixty minutes that was played.
Even
Week in Review
The Flyers had another great week with three straight wins, as they continue their hot streak. They are on their way back to the top half of the Atlantic division and the Eastern Conference. Martin Biron is coming up big, although he could go for a little bit more consistency. Keep it up, though, Fly-boys, and good things will continue to happen.
For the week: Plus-2
For the season: Plus-2
The Flyers have 22 points. They should have 20.
Alan Bass is a Senior Writer for Bleacher Report and the Community Leader for the NHL and Philadelphia Flyers’ section. He is also the co-host of NHL 2Day, a weekly radio show on Youcastr.com. You can contact him at ALN424@aol.com. You can also check out his BR archives here.
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about 1 month ago
So...good is minus and bad is plus? Gotcha.
from about 1 month ago
Plus means they have less points than they should, and minus means they have more points than they should. Yeah, it's kind of confusing...
from about 1 month ago
You think?
about 1 month ago
The game that piqued my interest the most this week for the Flyers was the game against the Stars. It was interesting to see a team playing extremely well play a team decimated by injuries, but still able to hang with them. Pretty interesting stuff. Hopefully they can continue this run, and make the division race interesting.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, and that PK at the end of the game was one of the best I've ever seen.
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