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Written by Fran
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Tuesday, 19 January 2010 13:02 |
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 Tonight, the war rages on Flyers fans. The Columbus Blue Jackets are in town for the only meeting of the season between these two clubs. Philly welcomes back Columbus head coach Ken Hitchcock and ex-Flyer R.J. Cheeseburger. Both teams have been maddeningly inconsistent this year. Coumbus looks to be a real long shot to make the playoffs in a crowded Western Conference. The Flyers are still hanging around on the fringe of the top 8, looking more like a team waiting for another to fall than one surging ahead. After dropping the last two, a frustrated team led by a frustrated captain will try to right the ship against a sneaky Columbus team.
I call them sneaky not because they tip toe around your room at night and skim a few bucks off your wallet. And they aren't sneaky like trying to bang your secretary, wife and kid's babysitter all on the same night. No my friends, the Blue Jackets are sneaky in the "should be pretty good, but are actually pretty bad, ie: Flyers 2006". A season ago, these Blue Jackets made it to the playoffs. Even though they got trounced by Detroit, it was still a big step for a young franchise. Maybe the high expectations were too much for a young team to live up to. Columbus will stay positive. (They have too, since college football is now over). A good fan base, awesome stadium, Columbus is led by one of the top 10 players in the league, Rick Nash. Dude can do everything and anything. They also have young stud Steve Mason in net. Between the two of us, that was all they needed last year to get into the second season. This season, with Mason doing his best swiss cheese impression, (along with a shit defence) the Blue Jackets are losing alot of close games because they can't shut down the opponent in the 3rd period. Keep your eyes on Nash, Antoine Vermette, Umberger and Jakub Voracek as the guys to carry the Columbus offense. Jared Boll and Dan Carcillo are a sure thing tonight, and it could be the best fight of the year. These guys have gone a few times since 2007 when Chico was a Coyote. Both are tough middleweights who play the same style and will most certainly be doing their best Rock 'Em Sock 'Em impressions tonight.
The Flyers need to get their intensity back. Both the Toronto and Washington game proved that their focus can be hit or miss for any period. Battling for 60 minutes is the only way that this team can win. We're not a Capitals team than can outscore everyone. We're not a Penguins team than can steal games because of timely scoring. Hell, we're not even a Rangers team that can get points because of our steady goaltending. We're a Flyers team than can only win when 100% of the guys are playing at 100%. It's that simple. Off nights by anyone, be it RIchards or Bartulis will lead to goals against. Talk about a inconsistent Blue Jackets team is like the pot calling the kettle black. When the Flyers are playing up to their potential, they'll win 8 of 9. When they're playing without focus and intensity, they'll lose 4-0 to the fuckin' Maple Leafs. You can usually tell within the first 30 minutes of the game which team we're watching. Columbus is not a must-win, but it would be nice to get 2 points from a struggling club. I'm a bit worried about the Flyers playing down to a lesser opponent for the 2nd time in 3 games. Razor in goal needs to look A LOT better tonight than he did on Sunday. I'd also like to take this time to abolish all drop passes on a rush, and simple fire the puck. A goal is a goal, no matter how sexy the setup. And goals lead to victories, and victories lead to the playoffs. It's so simple, even Steve Coates gets it.
Even though its January, both teams are still trying to find their identity. Tonight will be a good game to watch from the team angle. Hitch will get the Jackets ready to go. He's rotund, yet fiery. Umberger will probably get a "meh" from the crowd, but will look to bring the heat and try to collect some points. For the Flyers, we'll get to see how the team responds to this whole Mike Richards/Meda broo-ha thats going on. Clearly the team SHOULD "stick up" for their captain, and their energy tonight should give some indication as to if the team wants to rally around their embattled star. I said it yesterday, but I think Richie goes nuts tonight. Turns it on and goes for the Gordie How hat trick. That may be going out on a limb, but thats where I live baby. Either way, both teams have something to play for and these two points are badly needed. We were "in" last week and 2 losses in a row have us in 10th place again. I hope you're ready for this roller coaster for the rest of the season. Columbus & Philadelphia: Best. Rivalry.Ever. Let's Go Flyers.
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