Inside the Flyers: Accentuating the positive with the Flyers
Even though his Flyers have not been over .500 this season and have had their share of major injuries, head coach Peter Laviolette has remained upbeat.
Even though his Flyers have not been over .500 this season and have had their share of major injuries, head coach Peter Laviolette has remained upbeat.
Laviolette playfully chided reporters Thursday for their negative questions and wondered why he couldn't get some positive energy at his daily news conferences.
Well, out of respect to the coach's Dr. Norman Vincent Peale plea, here are some positive observations you may not have known about the Flyers:
The Flyers have won their last two road games. (Nope, I refuse to divulge their overall road record.)
Jake Voracek is turning into a better all-around player than Jeff Carter. The Flyers, of course, acquired Voracek and a draft pick - it turned out to be Sean Couturier - for Carter in 2011.
Ilya Bryzgalov had as many assists (two) as Carter entering Saturday night.
The Flyers have fewer bench minors than the hated Rangers. (We won't divulge which team, ahem, leads the league in penalty minutes.)
The Flyers' power play has climbed into the top 10 in the 30-team NHL, clicking at nearly 21 percent.
Four NHL teams are worse than the Flyers in the faceoff circle.
Since he started wearing his Star Wars-themed mask, I swear Bryzgalov has been sharper.
The Flyers are on pace to go 27-0 with Simon Gagne in their alumni lineup.
Forget that the Flyers have not won more than two straight this year. They are waiting to string together lots of late-season victories so they can carry the momentum into the playoffs.
Chicago started the season without a regulation loss in 21 straight games, but none of those were against the Flyers.
The penalty kill has been dominating lately, killing its last 17.
Voracek has more assists (16) than Jonathan Toews (9) and Zach Parise (6) combined.
The Flyers are second in the NHL in hits and blocked shots. (We refuse the temptation to reveal where they stand in goals-allowed per game.)
Four NHL teams have more giveaways than the Flyers.
The Flyers have lost only once in a shootout this season. (Staying on a positive theme, I refuse to tell you how many of their games have been decided in shootouts, but it's less than two.)
Laviolette endeared himself to Flyers fans when he declined to talk about being in the wedding party of (gasp) Penguins assistant Tony Granato, saying he didn't want a story about "sentimental crap."
Luke Schenn has a better plus-minus rating (plus-6) than James van Riemsdyk (even). (Nope, I will not disclose how many goals JVR has scored.)
Brayden Schenn (19) and Wayne Simmonds (17) have combined for 36 points. The player they were traded for, Mike Richards, has 13 points.
Shawny Hill, known as the Dancing Guy at Flyers home games, looks as if he has shed a few pounds.
Bryzgalov has become so popular - the fans in Winnipeg, for instance, love to chant his name - that if you ask Apple's Siri "Who is Mr. Universe?" it will respond with the name of the Flyers goalie.
The Flyers are in a better position now than they were at a similar point in 2009-10, a season in which they reached the Stanley Cup Finals. (Nope, I will not point out what happened when Patrick Kane shot the puck toward Michael Leighton.)
