1. Well, that start was less than ideal, and so was the finish
And the worst part of it all was, the Flyers really didn’t play that poorly in the first period. The two opening goals for Dallas were byproducts of poor goaltending from Cam (Camuel) Talbot and … actually nothing else just Cam Talbot. Sorry Cam. Despite the underlying numbers for the period looking strong for the Flyers, this just kind of felt like one of those games.
They’d give up another goal before the end of the first to drive that point home even further, and although they would tie the game up at one point, four unanswered goals by Dallas to close it out really erased any memories of that. The third period was where the team truly fell apart and man when I say they fell apart, I mean they crumbled. They looked like the Nationals’ social media person after Bryce Harper CRANKED a baseball into the second deck. Don’t worry, we’re going to talk more about Bryce later, who was 100 percent more entertaining than the Flyers tonight.
2. Camuel, we need to have a talk
Actually, we don’t, because you probably won’t even be back next season! The Flyers goalie struggled in what should be his final game in his brief tenure in orange and black, giving up all of the six Dallas goals. Simply put, Talbot looked awful in this game and there’s really not a whole lot else to it. Sure, there were instances where you could say the Flyers’ defense should have or could have done more, but Cam just didn’t help them whatsoever.
Talbot allowed six goals on 30 shots and honestly I’m not sure why I was surprised by this. He’s barely played since joining the Flyers and in one of his rare starts, he faces one of the more lethal offensive attacks in hockey in the Dallas Stars. Sure, he absolutely should have been better last night and overall looked like a Natiturd like those stupid fans at the Nationals game and … wait where was I?
Anyway, this was a pretty bad game for Mr. Camuel and barring any shenanigans in which he returns next season, good luck wherever your career takes you!
3. Hey, at least the Nolan line looked good
Alright so surprisingly enough there were some actual positives from this game and one of them was definitely the line of Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, and Travis Konecny. Lindblom and Patrick have seemingly always worked well together, and then you add Patrick’s ride-or-die in Konecny? It’s like a meatball to Bry … sorry I’m a little distracted if you couldn’t tell.
This line was easily the Flyers’ best last night and they combined for the lone 5-on-5 goal Flyers goal of the night on a gorgeous move by Patrick. A couple of the things I’ve loved watching from Nolan even dating back to last season are his quick feet and strength along the boards. On this goal, the quick feet combined with a tenacious forecheck to cause the original turnover, and then the power move to the front of the net where Lindblom would eventually slam it home. The line would also be one of the better play-driving units of the night, posting a 66.67 Corsi-for percentage.
We all want Nolan Patrick to show more of this on a consistent basis, and he’s going to need to if he wants to live up to his draft position. However, in a season such as this, and on a night like tonight, I’m simply just glad he did it and is capable of it. Patrick has such a wide array of talents and when he puts them altogether, it’s extremely fun to watch. Combine that with the speed and tenacity of a Konecny, and the hockey smarts of Lindblom, and you have yourselves a very exciting trio.
Patrick with the move, Lindblom with the finish! pic.twitter.com/JluDYXuq0a
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 3, 2019
4. Oh look, a Ghost!
Let’s play a game on this fine Wednesday morning shall we? It’s called spot the difference. I’m going to show you two awesome sporting plays that occurred last night, both from Philadelphia athletes, and I want you the fine reader to tell me the difference between these two clips.
👻🐻💣 pic.twitter.com/l3t3ovXVpb
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) April 3, 2019
We were saying Boo-ryce… pic.twitter.com/Gvo08aZykq
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) April 3, 2019
You can’t spot the difference either? Ok cool, this was just a test.
In an attempt to get back to some seriousness after that horrific attempt at a joke, this Shayne Gostisbehere goal was extremely nice to see. It’s been a rough year for Ghost to put it nicely, and to watch him dial up a classic one-timer from the top of the key on the power play was quite easy on the eyes. It was Ghost’s ninth goal of the season as he attempts to post his second straight, and third overall double-digit goal season. The young blueliner will be key for the Flyers as they look to get back to the postseason next year, and any momentum he can carry in is greatly appreciated.
5. Did I mention that Bryce Harper went yard? Because uh, he did, he went yard
Typically this would be an observation from you know, the Flyers game, since this is a blog about the Philadelphia Flyers. But you see, the hockey team the Flyers are really hard to watch at the moment and sometimes you need a little break from the pain and suffering. For the past five to six years that break would not be spent watching the Philadelphia Phillies. But now, they have a man named Bryce Harper and he made his return to Washington last night, and dunked on every last Nationals fan and member of ownership in attendance. And that my friends, was a pretty damn cool thing to witness.
So to tie this back to the Flyers, I beg of you Chuck Fletcher, give us a Phillies-like offseason. I understand that is not exactly possible given the fact the MLB doesn’t have a hard salary cap and the NHL does, but we need something to cling to. There are moves that need to be made to make this hockey team truly relevant again not only in the NHL but in Philadelphia. So please Chuck, do those trades, do those signings.
Data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
