Flyers Skid Opens Playoff Door For Capitals

NHL

By: Emre Aksoy

Posted: 3/25/08

Although the NHL playoffs don't start for another two weeks, teams like Buffalo, Washington and Florida have been stuck in a playoff mindset for the past month. All three of these teams are competing to make into the top eight of the Eastern Conference, and with the Philadelphia Flyers on a slippery downward slope, any of them could make it in.

Coming out of the lock-out season, the NHL put an emphasis on speed players over big physical players who slow down the pace of the game. The Flyers, notorious for being one of the larger teams in the league, refused to make any changes with their team personnel. The results were not exactly what management expected. At the end of the season the Flyers had posted the worst record in the NHL. Things had to be changed. In the off-season, the organization knew if they wanted to be competitive again they would to change up their style of play. Speed would have to be traded for size, and that's exactly what they did by signing two big time free agents Vaclav Prospal, from the Tampa Bay Lighting, and Daniel Briere, from the Buffalo Sabers. Both these players bring in excellent speed and can play two-way hockey, filling in needed gaps on the team's roster.

However, this team was still a work in progress, and playing in the toughest division in hockey, so no one expected much. But they provided otherwise. They posted a 7-3 record in their first 10 games, and at one point even led the Atlantic Division for some time. But now, the wheels are flying off and it's the same recurring problem that has plagued the Flyers for years - goaltending.

The Flyers have never had a true number one goaltender they can rely on, and its been the Achilles' heel of this team for as long as I can remember watching hockey. This team is hanging on by a thread, going 7-11-5 in their 23 games, and looks like they will be watching the playoffs from home this season.

So the story becomes, who will take their spot? Well, there are three teams looking to capitalize on the Flyers downfall. It looks as if the Washington Capitals will be the ones to get that last spot. Alex Ovechkin just scored his 60th goal of the season, the first player to do so since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr both did it in 1996, and will most likely win Hart Trophy for MVP of the league. They have developed two good scoring lines with the combinations of Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov and Semin-Fedorov-Fleischmann, and picked up a solid young goaltender at the trade deadline from Montreal in Cristobal Huet. Fedorov, although not the player he once was, adds veteran leadership to the lineup, and has been a role model for both Semin and Ovechkin. This team no longer needs to rely solely on Ovechkin for scoring, but if they are to make the playoffs, he will be the one that takes them there.

Last season, the Buffalo Sabres were the most feared team in the Eastern Conference. With four lines that could skate, their transitional attack was unbelievable. Teams would turn the puck over in the neutral zone and would have to go to the back of their net to find it. But the off-season was not a pleasant one for the Saber fans, who watched their team turn into a tag sale. After losing captain Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun all to free agency, things did not bode well for the Sabres this season. They remained competitive into the season, but they were forced to trade another key competent of their team at the trade deadline. The Sabres were forced to move their All-Star defensemen Brian Campbell to the Sharks due to financial reasons. The team was able to adjust without having Drury and Briere in the lineup, but losing Campbell at the deadline will no doubt have a monstrous effect on the teams production. The Sabers still have a great chance of making the playoffs, but all the losses might be too much for them to overcome.

The Florida Panthers are making a late-season push at the playoffs, and they very well might just get there. The problem with this team is that no one told them the season starts in October and not in March. Every year the Panthers struggle in the beginning of the season and try to make a late push at the end of the season to make the playoffs. The Panthers have all the right pieces; it's just a matter of them showing up to play. Although it looks like the Panthers will fall short of the playoffs this season, this bodes well for them in the future. Playing in the weak Southeast Division, anything can happen. Overall, losing Richard Zednik might have been an injury that keeps this team on the outside this year, they will be able to challenge Carolina for the Southeast Division next season.

The playoffs start in two weeks, and it looks like we won't know who will claim the last spot until the final day of the season.

Contact Emre Aksoy at

Emre.Aksoy@UConn.edu.