Blogs > In The Room with Anthony SanFilippo

Daily Times beat writer Anthony J. SanFilippo takes you inside the locker rooms of the Philadelphia Flyers and the rest of the NHL.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

ON EMERY AND THE MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

OK... before we get to the Flyers 3-2 win over Nashville...


Reports out of Canada (TSN rumor hawk Darren Dreger) are that the Flyers are one of three teams interested in signing Ray Emery.

I checked with a source tonight and although I was told it was unlikely, I didn't buy the poker face I was being given.

I think the Flyers would like to add another veteran goalie for depth purposes - in case Sergei Bobrovsky falters, or there is an injury - and I think they'd be willing to gamble on Emery on a two-way contract, which Emery would likely sign.

Also, Emery is young enough that if he shows you something in the AHL, maybe he becomes another asset for the team. Who knows.

Also, Detroit is in serious need of a backup goalie. Maybe they'd be willing to trade for one of the Flyers depth guys. Who knows.

The fact is, while I was told emery is not a priority, I believe Dreger's report and think there is definite interest.

As for the game... it was well-played both ways.

Nashville doesn't get a lot of credit for their style of game because they are an unheralded team, but the fact is, they play you tough and are in every game. They have a really strong defense - like the Flyers - and probably a better goaltending tandem in Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback.

Where the Flyers seriously trump the Preds is up front. Nashville doesn't even have one dynamic offensive forwards, let alone six or seven as the Flyers do, and ultimately that won out.

But, it didn't stop Peter Laviolette and Barry Trotz from tripping over their own tongues to compliment the other coach's team:

Trotz:

“They have tremendous depth, they have three lines that are first or second line quality. We had (Kimmo) Timonen, and know he is one of the smartest defenseman in the league. Pronger is going to be a Hall of Fame Norris guy every year. They have really good depth, mobility, smarts. They’re the deepest team that I’ve seen out of the East, there is no question about it.”

Laviolette:

"Nashville came in here and played a really strong game. They skated very well and competed very well and you have to match that and I thought we did.
"It’s about winning and losing, and as the season starts to push towards the end, if you don’t compete at the level at which we did tonight and Nashville did tonight, you’ll find yourself not in a hockey game. Both teams were in a hockey game, it was a playoff style, very competitive game for me and not a lot of scoring chances, not a lot of room to make plays, you had to fight for everything out there, on both sides. But if you’re not ready to do that, you don’t do that, and you’re playing somebody that is – it might get lopsided out there.”

Speaking of Trotz, he didn't have a lot of kind words for Martin Erat, who was flabbergasted by Leino on the winning goal. Here's Trotz... a few times on Erat - without ever naming him).

"We came back twice in the game and tied it up and then just some coverage broke down. The low forward on the third goal(Erat) was really loose on Leino and then panicked and Leino executed. I thought we should have come out of here with a point."


Q: You said your team came back right after the Flyers scored, do you think it gave some momentum to the team?

“Absolutely, after they scored, they’re a good hockey team and obviously the top team in the East (more love for Lavvy) and we came back and responded and got a big power play goal. We should be able to hold them down; they really didn’t have much going on.
"That was really the only shift they had something going on after we scored the goal. Just forward low coverage, they (Erat) had Leino in the corner, then he moved it and they (Erat) just stood there and watched. You (Erat) have to be detailed and committed right at the end of the game and we lost, one guy made a mistake and it ended up in our net.”

Quality....

By the way, Jeff Carter is the definition of streaky. He has seven 3-point games this season. That's 21 points in seven games. That means he only has 26 points in the other 45 games.

2 Comments:

Blogger Dinkus Maximus said...

You do realize that Emery was one of the best goalies in the NHL last season before getting injured right? His #s were all up there. We more then likely would have won a Cup had Emery been healthy.

Right now goaltending is this teams biggest weakness. Do you really want to put playoff hopes on a young Russian rookie and Brian "egg" Boucher? Bob's been spectacular, but you can't expect a kid to stand on his head in the playoffs with no safety net. Boucher's entire career has been the definition of inconsistency. He played great last year in the playoffs, but also gave up a few bad ones too. Sorry but I can't see Boucher raising a Cup in a starter spot. We need a goalie and we can't afford the likes of Vokoun, Kipper, or Giguere with their Cap hits. I don't see any problem with signing Emery as an insurance policy. You're not going to land a better goalie at the deadline (and without giving up anything at that) because most "good" ones are too expensive and you'd rock the nucleus of this team just trying to get one.

February 4, 2011 at 1:31 PM 
Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks for posting! Your job won't be left unnoticed and unappreciated. It helps me understand much in this sphere. I like the intelligible way you present information so that it became comprehensible, transparent and accessible for ordinary people like me. Well done!

February 5, 2011 at 11:00 PM 

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