Face-offs, Penalties and the VCVR Line

Throughout the first month of this young NHL season, the talk around the Flyers has largely been about Ilya Bryzgalov and the Claude Giroux-Jaromir Jagr-(and recently) Scott Hartnell line, and rightfully so. Bryzgalov was the high-priced, high-profile offseason acquisition, finally giving the Flyers the elite netminder they've been lacking ever since Bernie Parent was hoisting two Stanley Cups — or possibly young Ron Hextall and his incredible Conn Smythe run in 1987.



Naturally, he's going to generate a ton of attention all year, whether it's praise like he received through the first few games or criticism following a recent slump in play.

And of course no one can stop talking about the Jagr-Giroux connection and how incredibly awesome that line has been, especially since Scott Hartnell was inserted on the wing.



And while that trio did connect for what turned out to be the game-winning goal — an absolute laser of a shot by Hartnell, assisted by both Jagr and Giroux, that chased Ryan Miller from the game — it was another line that stood out on the night, a newly formed line due to the injuries to Brayden Schenn, Danny Briere and Matt Read.

With Schenn, Briere and Read out of the lineup, Peter Laviolette devised a trio of two 22-year-olds and an 18-year-old: rookie Sean Couturier centering James van Riemsdyk and Jakub Voracek. That line got the Flyers out to a fast start as Couturier calmly gathered a fat rebound kicked out by Miller and deposited it in the back of the empty net just 1:43 into the game, and 13 seconds later JVR ripped an unstoppable shot past Miller, sniping the top right corner.



A seemingly makeshift line of youngsters scored twice in the first two minutes of the game and set the tone for the first period. And while the Sabres eventually got their bearings at intermission and gave the Flyers a fight to the end, that line continued to be the most impressive all night long. The chemistry between Voracek, Couturier and JVR was instant and just kept getting stronger. Every time those three were on the ice together, it seemed as though they had the Sabres on their heels and pinned deep in their own zone. They cycled the puck well, won battles along the boards and created chances time and time again.

It was such an impressive performance that I wouldn't be surprised if Laviolette keeps them together for a little while, even if Briere and Read come back relatively soon. I mean, for the first time perhaps all season someone other than the top line looked like the best line for the Flyers. So perhaps this is the birth of the VCVR line.

Of course, we all know how fickle line combinations can be in the NHL, and this line may not be what it was last night as time goes on. But I was so impressed with the way they played last night that I couldn't help myself from giving it a name, especially since it's so easy to come up with. The VCVR line. I like it.

What I do not like, however, is this team's continued propensity to lose face-offs and take penalties. No matter how much talent and how good your lines and defense pairings are clicking, a team that takes a lot of penalties and that cannot win face-offs will struggle to be a true Cup contender.



As you probably know, I'm a huge face-off guy. Hockey is a possession game, and winning face-offs is a huge part of gaining possession. An offensive zone draw can be the difference between a great scoring chance and shift or a missed opportunity. And defensive zone draws are so vital to keep the other team out of your zone and relieve the pressure, especially on the penalty kill and in the 3rd period.

Prior to the lockout, the Flyers always had a stable of centers who were elite face-off guys: Rod Brind'Amour, Eric Lindros, Joel Otto, Keith Primeau, etc. It was a major reason the Flyers of the 90s and early 2000s were always among the elite, always great defensively and always strong on the penalty kill. They won important draws all the time.

But since the lockout, despite always having a glut of centers, the Flyers have not been able to find a dominant guy in the circle. As a result, it's been one of the franchise's achilles heels and led to entirely too many goals by the opposition and missed opportunities to set up in the offensive zone.

Despite my urging, the team continually fails to address the problem, and lost face-offs continue to harm the Flyers.

Last night, they won just 35 percent of the draws, and it was a huge reason that the Sabres were able to get back in the game and control large chunks of the 2nd and 3rd periods. And it's been a huge problem all season long. In fact, the Flyers are dead last in the NHL in face-off percentage, sitting at a paltry 45.5 percent. That's embarrassingly low and something the team has to address at some point. It's honestly like the Eagles with linebackers. For whatever reason, the Flyers turn a blind eye to face-offs despite face-offs being a huge part of the game. It drives me nuts.

Just as the constant penalties drive me nuts. The other reason Buffalo was able to steadily get back in the game after digging itself a 3-0 hole in the first 6 and half minutes is because the Flyers kept taking penalty after penalty, another recipe for disaster and another bad habit this team can't seem to break.

Through 12 games, the Flyers are second in the NHL in penalties minutes with 205, trailing only Ottawa's 224. Last night, they had 31 penalty minutes compared to just 17 by the Sabres. And while Buffalo failed to convert on any of its five power plays last night, they were able to build momentum and sustain pressure to get back into the game due in part to the Flyers being shorthanded so often.

Thankfully, the Flyers' penalty kill has been pretty good this year, and I cannot say enough about Max Talbot on the PK. The guy really is one of the game's best. Last night, he was a monster on the penalty kill, doing everything you can ask and always making the right, smart decision. I hated it when I heard the Flyers signed arguably the former Pittsburgh Penguin I despised the most, but now I absolutely love it.

Now if he could just win some damn face-offs with the rest of the centers and have his teammates stop taking so many penalties, the Flyers could really have something special.

Oh, and I'd be remiss without mentioning Ilya Bryzgalov's enormous save at the end of the game on Thomas Vanek all alone in front of the net to preserve the 3-2 victory. Bryz was really good last night when he needed to be, and he seems to have his confidence back after that dreadful 9-8 loss against the Jets. And thank goodness for that.

The Missing Piece

For the majority of my life, the Flyers have been one of the best franchises in the NHL. It truly began during the Eric Lindros era and has continued to this day, minus one epically bad season mixed in. Yet year in and year out, the Flyers have always come up short, whether it was an unexpectedly early playoff exit, the seemingly annual dismissal at the hands of the Devils or heartbreaking series a la Tampa Bay, Detroit and Chicago.

During this run of impressive regular seasons that ultimately end short of hoisting the Stanley Cup, one thing has been missing more than anything else. That thing is a goaltender that can literally win you not just a game, but an entire series, as every Flyers fan alive can attest to. Well, the Buffalo Sabres have that missing piece in Ryan Miller, and he is the only reason why this series is now tied 2-2 heading back to the Wells Fargo Center tomorrow night.



I could talk about the questionable referring — which had me screaming and yelling and jumping up and down — but as bad as some of those calls and no calls were (especially giving Mike Richards a major for that elbow), the referees didn't decide last night's game. Ryan Miller did. The Flyers could have had all the power plays in the world last night, and it wouldn't have mattered. Not only because their power play is a complete disgrace (seriously, it's fucking atrocious), but because Ryan Miller simply was not going to yield anything last night. For the second time in this series, Miller literally played flawless hockey.

And while the Flyers dominated the game for the most part after the first half of the first period, they weren't flawless. Particularly on the lone goal of the game.



The entire play was a series of mistakes. First, the Flyers backed up, allowing Buffalo to enter the zone easily, instead of holding the blue line. Then, after a nice poke check by Danny Syvret, Giroux couldn't get his stick on the puck, a difficult play. And most egregiously, Nikolay Zherdev, who every single person in the Philly.com comments section insisted absolutely has to be in the lineup no matter what, tried to break out of the zone early on the original poke check instead of taking care of his defensive responsibility. That left Matt Carle in an impossible 2-on-1 situation, resulting in a slam-dunk goal for Jason Pominville.

That's why Zherdev has had such a difficult time staying in Peter Laviolette's lineup. For all the good things he does offensively, he goes and does that, completely ignoring his assignment defensively, resulting in a goal for Buffalo. It turned out to be the difference in the game. Well, that and Ryan Miller.



Honestly, it's difficult to be too upset with the Flyers last night. This wasn't game 1, where they generated very little great scoring chances despite controlling the game. After the initial 10 minutes, when Buffalo took it to the Flyers and scored the goal, the Flyers played exactly the way you want. They forechecked aggressively, cut down on mistakes, fired the rubber at Miller, got traffic in front, won puck battles, created tremendous chances. They just couldn't beat Miller. He was too damn good.

The best chance they had was on the play above, with Danny Briere all alone down low with the Buffalo goalie. It sure did look like Briere had a whole lot of room to score between Miller's legs, but Briere tried to beat him glove side. His former teammate would have none of it. Hindsight is always 20-20, and I'm sure Briere is kicking himself for not sliding between Miller's five-hole after his poke check missed, but what can you do? Sometimes you a goaltender can steal a game and even a series. So far, it's been Flyers 2, Ryan Miller 2. He's that guy the Flyers have been searching for forever. Unfortunately, he's winning games for the opposition.

And I mean this as no indictment of Brian Boucher. Boosh was fantastic again last night. He stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced, and the one he gave up he had absolutely no chance on. Boucher has been spectacular. He really has. But even with his impressive playoff numbers and awesome play in the two-plus games he's been in net so far, he won't singlehandedly win the Flyers a series the way Ryan Miller has singlehandedly evened this thing up for Buffalo. The guy is incredible, and it's incredibly frustrating that Philadelphia isn't up 3 games to 1 or done with the Sabres in a clean sweep. But what can you do besides keep cracking away and hoping you can crack through the way the Flyers did in games 2 and 3?

I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on a few Flyers in particular last night. For the second straight game, Kris Versteeg impressed the hell out of me. He was flying all over the ice, making plays, creating chances and playing sound defensive hockey. These past two games he's been every bit the player I thought the Flyers were getting when they traded for him. Glad to see him pick him game up. His forechecking and pressure on the puck was a big reason the Flyers got things going after that first 10 minutes.

And to me, even with James van Riemsdyk continuing to be the best skater on the ice and the top three lines creating chances, the fourth line was the best of the bunch last night.



Dan Carcillo had his best game in forever. He showed the offensive flair that had some people thinking he'd be much more than a fourth-line agitator when he was coming up. Carcillo was all over the place last night, drawing penalties and pounding the Sabres on both ends of the ice. He had a jump in his step that we haven't seen in quite some time. And his linemates followed suit.

Blair Betts and Daroll Powe have been stalwarts on the penalty kill all season long, and they were again last night, especially when killing off that five-minute major to start the third period. And at even strength, no line cycled the puck better or spent more time in Buffalo's zone than Betts-Powe and Carcillo. It really was an impressive showing by that trio. It's a shame they weren't rewarded with a goal.

But with the good came the bad. Namely, Jeff Carter injuring his knee on a collision with Tyler Myers. Missing a goal-scorer against a guy that's already difficult to score against is a big deal. Hopefully Carter is OK to go tomorrow night and/or Sunday, because with the way Ryan Miller has played in games 1 and 4, the Flyers will need as many goal-scorers as possible in the lineup.

And speaking of Tyler Myers, I cannot say enough about the kid. He has been downright awesome in this series, and he was against last night. In the NHL, we're used to our big defensemen being smart and using their reach, but not being that agile or fast. Zdeno Chara, Chris Pronger, even guys like Derian Hatcher before them use their size, strength, reach and smarts to dominate. Tyler Myers has all that, but he also has the speed and agility of players half his size. At 6'8" that's frightening. The kid has been the biggest standout on the blue line for either team thus far, and that's certainly not helping Philadelphia in finding a way to beat Miller.

Thankfully the Phillies won in come-from-behind fashion to give the day something positive. After the bats went silent Monday and Tuesday, it was Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino supplying the power and re-igniting the bats just as the Phils drew it up. Or something like that.

Anyway, it was nice to see Polanco have another monster game with his three-run jack to tie the game in the 6th and Victorino continuing his hot start with an absolute bomb in the 7th to give the Phils a 4-3 win and prevent the sweep. Unfortunately, no one could get a hit on Tuesday, when I sat out in the cold and rain to watch Roy Halladay labor through six innings only to have David Herndon surrender a game-ending (for all intents and purposes) home run on his first pitch. Oh yeah, and the Phillies only got two hits off Randy Wolf, one of which was a bunt single by Jimmy Rollins.

This week has not exactly been that great. Hopefully that all changes tonight with the Sixers getting a boost from the home crowd. Though somehow I doubt it.

Nice of (One of) You to Show Up

As you may have heard, I attended game 1 of the Flyers-Sabres series last night with Adam EatShit. Maybe it was because I was there and felt the energy (and lack there of) of the building that led me to slightly disagree with Matt P's assessment of last night's 1-0 loss:

Sifting through the ashes of the Flyers' 1-0 loss to the Sabres to open the playoffs, it's hard to come down too hard on them despite losing a game we really wanted to see them win. They played well overall, with a single play that was by no means terrible leading to the game's only goal. The Flyers generated some very good scoring opportunities, but couldn't beat Ryan Miller, nor his defense, which clamped down on the slot and surrounding area once the Sabres had the lead. 

Yes, the Flyers outshot the Sabres 35-25 last night. Yes, they won the faceoff battle. Yes, they took less penalties, threw more hits and had more scoring chances. But being at the game and watching it all unfold, the Flyers hardly played well, at least offensively.

I agree 100 percent that the defense played extremely well. The Flyers surrendered just 25 shots, and the Sabres generated very few chances. When they did, Sergei Bobrovsky was there to answer the call. In his first career playoff start, Bob was stellar. While he did leave a big rebound on the game's lone goal, he did just about everything right last night, absorbing the puck and leaving few rebounds, never losing track of the puck, making all the saves you can expect. It was perhaps his best start in a month.



You'll get no complaints on Bob from me. Nor from the defensive work of the Flyers. The only negative came on that rebound goal by Patrick Kaleta, with Danny Syvret letting him get behind him and bang it home.



It would have been nice to see Syvret get in better position and take that away, but I won't be too hard on the young defenseman. He played fairly well.

What absolutely disgusted me last night was the complete lack of energy from any forward not named James van Reimsdyk.



First, let me get the good out of the way. JVR was absolutely awesome last night. He was head and shoulders the best player on the ice for either team, and that even includes Ryan Miller. This time last season, van Riemsdyk was struggling to get ice time in the playoffs and looked completely lost. But over the past couple of months, with the Flyers slumping, he's been one of the few consistently good forwards. Last night, he carried that over into the playoffs. JVR was flying all over the ice, creating a ton of scoring chances, backchecking hard, blocking shots, and honestly playing perhaps the best game I've ever seen him play. He was all amped up and ready to go.

The problem was none of the other forwards seemed too eager to join him. Yes, the Flyers looked really good early, creating a lot of chances, but after the first couple of minutes, many of those 35 shots were easy saves for Miller. Claude Giroux had some of his typical brilliant moments, but he also gave the puck away a ton. Danny Briere was humming, but he didn't really get things going the way he typically has against his former team. And barely anyone else did a damn thing.

Honestly, for all the shit the fans give Andreas Nodl, he may have been the second-best forward on the night for the Flyers. At least he consistently busted his ass and looked determined. I can't say the same for anyone else.

Ville Leino made a habit of trying to go through too many people again. Scott Hartnell was relatively quiet, failing to even stir the pot. The fourth line worked hard but couldn't generate anything more than a modest forecheck. Jeff Carter, save for his one great chance, was damn near invisible. And Kris Versteeg and Mike Richards actually were invisible, not doing a damn thing.



And that brings me to the root cause of the problem with the Flyers. Remember earlier this season, when the Flyers were ripping through the NHL and night in and night out looked far better than anyone else? During those times, Mike Richards was quietly playing some of the best hockey of his entire career. While the Briere line was lighting the lamp like crazy and Giroux was getting the headlines with his all-star level play, Richards was racking up the points himself, and doing so while being given a revolving door of wingers.

Every time a player hit a rough patch, Peter Laviolette would put that guy on Richards' line, and he'd snap out of the funk — Nikolay Zherdev, JVR, Dan Carcillo, even Nodl. Richards was not only playing his typical style of hockey, but he honestly was making his linemates better on a nightly basis.

Then Paul Holmgren went out and acquired Kris Versteeg, and everything changed. At the time of the trade, I was ecstatic. Versteeg has been a very good, very productive player for the Chicago Blackhawks before going to Toronto this season, and Holmgren didn't have to give up anyone on the roster to get him. It looked like a brilliant addition — another player who could play in all situations, a scorer and defensive player. But ever since that trade, the Flyers have been a mediocre hockey team at best. And Versteeg has been complete and utter shit.

I have no idea where the guy who looked so good in Chicago went. But I have been nothing but underwhelmed with Kris Versteeg since he put on the Orange and Black. He came here with a reputation of being a smart, hard worker who could make plays. He's shown absolutely none of that. At all.

Versteeg has been an even bigger perpetrator than Ville Leino when it comes to trying to do too much with the puck. He routinely tries to stickhandle through 2, 3, even four guys, rarely ever succeeding. He seemingly refuses to shoot, a trait that has rubbed off on most of his teammates. He rarely dumps the puck in to make the simple play, and he makes so many ill-advised passes that it drives me nuts. Last night, Versteeg continued to do all of those things, and he was without a shadow of a doubt in my mind the single worst player on the ice.

It pains me to say that, because I was all for this trade and actually liked Versteeg before he came here. But he has sucked ever since he got here, and he's sucked the life out of this team, especially the captain. Since being paired with Versteeg, Richards' play has plummeted. Initially, the two looked to have a good rapport, finding each other often and looking very comfortable. But it was all an illusion. All of Versteeg's bad traits have rubbed off on Richards, and the bad traits Richards' already had have magnified. Those two are supposed to be two of the top players on the team, but lately they've been playing like fourth-liners. And last night, they were completely invisible, save for the glaring bad plays Versteeg made.

Though the offense didn't go silent solely because of Versteeg and Richards. It began with the power play literally stifling all the early momentum the Flyers had in the game.

When the puck dropped, the Wells Fargo Center was rocking. The place was loud and energetic and the Flyers started well. Then they went on the power play and things came to a screeching halt. As has been the case virtually all season, the Flyers couldn't even get set up, let alone create opportunities. It was so bad that I honestly wished they could decline penalties in hockey.

And the biggest killer of all was the brief 5-on-3 they had in the second period. The Flyers came out in the second with their skates on fire, building a shot advantage and actually taking it to the Sabres. Eight minutes in, they went to the power play, and at the beginning it actually looked competent. Then Shaone Morrison slashed Richards to give the Flyers an abbreviated two-man advantage. The home team had all the momentum in the world. The place was rocking. And I was certain JVR was going to score sooner or later, if not on this power play than before the game was over. He just had that look in him last night.

But with all the momentum on their side and the Sabres reeling, Laviolette decided to use his timeout. I know he's a magician with his timeout use, especially in the playoffs, but to me this timeout made absolutely no sense. I understand maybe he wanted to set up a play and get his guys composed with the two-man advantage, but he also let the Sabres get a breather and gain their footing. It made no sense to me. Buffalo was on its heels. That timeout allowed them to get their bearings. And whatever was said in the timeout didn't work, because instead of generating any really good chances, the Flyers looked more determined to break the record for most consecutive passes without shooting on a power play ever.

It was embarrassing to watch. No one would pull the trigger. They just kept passing and passing and passing. And of course they didn't score. When the second penalty expired, all the air went out of the building. From then on, the place was dead quiet more than it should ever be in a playoff game. Sure, there were uproars when something happened, but the Flyers showed so little life after that that it was like a funeral in there.

I have to give credit where credit is do. The Sabres, despite surrendering 35 shots, played tremendous defense. They bottled up the front of the net, rarely let the Flyers establish their forecheck and cleared any rebounds Ryan Miller left out there, which were few and far between. And Miller was outstanding, just as you'd expect him to be. Even with the lack of quality chances, the fact the Flyers did spend more time in Buffalo's zone than their own, the fact that they did fire 35 shots at the goaltender, the fact that they did set up about 4 or 5 really great scoring chances would have been enough to beat damn near any other goaltender in the league. But Ryan Miller isn't just any other goaltender. He's a stud, and he played like one.



But to me, that doesn't and shouldn't let the Flyers off the hook. Simply put, not enough guys showed the desire to win, a common trait for this team heading into the playoffs. The only two players I can confidently say had really good games are JVR and Bobrovsky, and let's fact it, if your two youngest players are making the rest of the team look fairly bad in comparison in the playoffs, you're in trouble. And that was the case last night. Other guys had their moments, but no one else played with the intensity and desire that those two did, which is just unacceptable.

I also want to voice my extreme displeasure with Laviolette last night in the third period. Typically, when Lavvy sees a player that is simply going harder than anyone else, he'll double shift him to make sure he's on the ice as much as possible. He's done it numerous times this season, even if it's a fourth-liner like Darroll Powe. Last night, JVR was clearly that guy. He was infinitely better than the next best skater for either team. Yet when it got down to desperation time in the final six minutes, he didn't double shift Riemer at all. Instead, he double shifted Carter a couple times, a guy who showed very little last night. The one time he looked like he was going to do it, putting a makeshift line of Briere, Giroux and JVR out there, he called back JVR and sent out Hartnell instead. I just didn't understand it.

Maybe Laviolette wasn't comfortable putting a 21-year-old in that type of position, but it was a move I think you had to make. JVR was the best player on the ice, and he should have been given more time in the 3rd.

I guess it's hard to complain with him getting 18:29 of ice time, but he should have definitely been out there more than Carter, Hartnell and Leino, all of whom saw more action.

Now the Flyers find themselves in a 0-1 hole, a place they certainly didn't want to put themselves in with the way the season has turned on them. But it's nobody's fault but their own. Yes, Ryan Miller played great and the Sabres were limited offensively themselves, but the Flyers just didn't bring their A game offensively. And in all honesty, they haven't had their A game offensively in months. Trying to get it back against Ryan Miller and a stingy Buffalo defense is a tough proposition.

All I know is that the rest of the forwards better join JVR and Bobrovsky tomorrow, or this team will be watching the Phillies like the rest of us very soon.

At least Cliff Lee is still the greatest man who ever lived. Lee followed up Roy Halladay's complete-game win on Wednesday with a complete-game shutout of his own, striking out 12 Nationals while walking one and surrendering just three hits, giving the Phils the 4-0 win and 2-1 series victory. So there's that. At least all of the Phillies have been showing up to play.

If You Could Add One Player …

So the other day, my roommate asks me, "If you could add one player in any sport to a Philadelphia team, who would you add?" At first I hesitated. One athlete and one athlete only, regardless of sport. Then it hit me relatively quickly. Blake Griffin. No question about it.





For me, Blake is a no-brainer. He would bring some much-needed excitement to the Sixers, and with all due respect to the rest of the NBA, no one is more of a must-see player right now than Blake Griffin. That doesn't mean he's the best, but he's the one guy I'd want in this city more than any other right now.

The funny thing is, as my roommate pointed out, a few months ago I might have said Cliff Lee. And I probably would have. Now I don't have to, because we all know the greatest man who ever lived is back where he belongs.

We both agreed that Griffin was a tremendous pick, and if you had to pick just one athlete to come to your city, it would almost have to be a basketball player. The reason being that one NBA superstar can change the course of a franchise more than any one player can in football, baseball or basketball all by himself. Of course there are exceptions, so we took it a step further: Who would you add if you could add one player to each team in each sport?

That's when it gets tricky. You can look at it one of two ways: Adding that player to your team's current makeup, or the guy you'd like to start your team from scratch with. For instance, for football, my roommate said he take Ndamukong Suh, and he might even take him over anyone else in any sport.



Frankly, that choice is hard to argue. I'd absolutely love to have Suh terrorizing the NFC East as a member of the Eagles. But if I had to add one player right now to this current Eagles roster, I think it would be Patrick Willis.



My reasoning for Willis is twofold. For starters, the Eagles haven't had a terrorizing linebacker since a young Jeremiah Trotter, and it's a position they sorely need an upgrade in. Second, he would bring a presence that opposing offenses fear, a hard-hitter who will terrify wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks alike. That's something they haven't had since Brian Dawkins went to Denver.

Of course, in reality, I desperately want the Eagles to sign Nnamdi Asomugha and pry Albert Haynesworth away from Washington to reunite with Jim Washburn here in the Philadelphia. Just imagine Haynesworth and Trent Cole up front with Asante Samuel and Nnamdi protecting the back end. Still, in a dream scenario, Patrick Willis is my guy.

However, if we were starting a team from scratch, Aaron Rodgers would be my man. He's only 27 and on the precipice of being one the few elite quarterbacks in the NFL, the most important position in professional sports.

As for baseball, that's a no-brainer for me: Albert Pujols.



There's really no debate, especially when it comes to the Phillies. They already have the most ridiculous pitching staff assembled in my lifetime. What they're lacking is a power-hitting right-handed bat. Pujols is just that. Yeah, he plays first, but who cares? I'd trade Ryan Howard for him today. In fact, if the Cardinals can't sign him, I'm down with a sign and trade, sending Howard back home to St. Louis in exchange for Albert.

That's no slight to Howard, who I love, but Pujols is the best. Even if the Phillies had no hitting at all, Pujols is still my pick. He's just so much better than everyone else in baseball right now. He's my guy.

Then there's hockey. With the Flyers currently tied for the most points in the NHL with Vancouver, there isn't much this team lacks. The one obvious area would be goaltender, that ever-elusive position for the Flyers. However, 22-year-old rookie Sergei Bobrovsky has been fantastic, as has veteran Brian Boucher. And the team is stacked with talent.

Still, I'll take a goalie. And my guy is Ryan Miller.



Miller's have a little bit of a down year, but he's been so damn good in front of a mediocre team. I'd love to see him in Orange and Black. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get an Alexander Ovechkin or, dare I say, Sidney Crosby. But I like rooting against those guys too much. Give me Ryan Miller.

But first, give me Blake Griffin. He's one player I'd trade an entire franchise for. He's just that good and that fun to watch.

It's a Shame One of Them Had to Lose

During Roy Halladay's first shutout as a Philadelphia Phillie, we had the Boston-Buffalo game on the top television, taking peeks between innings and even pitches. Then when the game went final, we shifted our focus to this epic hockey game that showcased perhaps the best goaltending duel I've ever seen in my entire life.





Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller played completely out of their minds, displaying some of the most spectacular goaltending the sport has ever seen in this double-overtime thriller. Puck Daddy broke it down better than I ever could, but even with Wysh's great analysis, it's something you have to see for yourself.



These two were making incredible save after incredible save, and it looked as though this one might go on forever. Then, former longtime Buffalo Sabre Miroslav Satan received a beautiful pass from Michael Ryder, showcased incredible patience and ended a game that looked like the goaltenders were never going to let end.



You really had to feel for Ryan Miller, a guy who played his heart out and made some truly spectacular saves to keep the game going, especially in overtime. But there had to be a loser. Sadly for Miller, it was him, and it brought back memories of his difficult-to-take loss to team Canada in the gold-medal game of the Olympics. In that outcome, you felt like he deserved better, and you had to feel that way last night too. Though at the other end, Rask earned every bit of that victory. As Satan said after the game, describing the remarkable save Miller had on him in the first overtime, "Only two goalies can make that save, and the other was playing in this game too."

It truly was a virtuoso performance by Miller and Rask. It's just too bad one of them had to lose.

You Wouldn't Like the Canadians When They're Angry

The Canadians are angry. Angry that they looked sluggish against Norway. Angry that they needed a shootout to beat Switzerland. And most of all, angry that they lost to the United States. In their own country. Playing their sport.

Now Canada is playing angry. It was the Canadians who were supposed to be the No. 1 seed, supposed to secure their place in the quarterfinals in the round robin. Instead, they were forced to play an extra game to earn a quarterfinal bid, and that made them angry. So they came out and blitzed a completely overmatched Germany team 8-2. As a reward, they were forced to take on the team many considered the second most talented behind the Canadians — Russia, with Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kavalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Gonchar and a whole slew of former and current NHLers.

This also made them angry. Angry that they had to face such stiff competition so early on. Angry that people dared to question whether or not the Russians were just as good, some cases even better than Canada. So they came out angry, starting with a great, physical shift by Mike Richards, Jonathan Toews and Rick Nash, who were brilliant as a line all night, and went from there. A Ryan Getzlaf goal here (assisted by Chris Pronger, by the way), Dan Boyle power play tally there and a Rick Nash breakaway goal started by a great breakout pass by Richards to Toews, who hit Nash right in stride, and Canada was up 3-0 before you could blink.



At that moment, I proclaimed that this one was over. My roommates scoffed at the notion, saying with all the firepower the Russians had, no lead was safe. I told them, believe me, that with Roberto Luongo in net, with the Canadians absolutely dominating, that this one was over. I was 100 percent sure of it. Then the Russians answered with a goal, had some really nice shifts, and my roommates seemed vindicated … until Brenden Morrow scored again for Canada before the first period was through: 4-1 Canada just 20 minutes in. Game, set, match.

It was all Canada all the time from there. You could just sense that they knew they were taking this Olympics for granted, almost as if it was their god-given right to win gold in their home country. It's not quite that simple. Not with NHLers spanning the globe, not just Canada. But last night, you could just see that the Canadians sense that now. They know now the work they have to do, and with this all-star roster, their potential is limitless. It took a loss at the hands of the U.S. for them to realize, but they now realize it.

Mike Babcock found out the hard way that you can't keep juggling lines, can't keep only sending out the Crosbys and Thorntons. You can't rely on an aging veteran in net, even if he still has it, when there is clearly a more talented netminder. Last night, Babcock coached the game like an NHL game, not an all-star exhibition. He rolled four lines, put his best defensive lines out against Ovechkin — which just happened to be led by Philadelphia's Mike Richards, along with Nash and Toews. He gave everyone their ice time, and the Canadians were just too much for the Russians to handle.

Canada blitzed Ovechkin and company from the start, throwing their weight around, grinding it out and winning every battle. Russia looked as though it was content to just wait for odd man rush opportunities, and defense didn't interest them in the slightest. There was no aggression, no fight, no intensity coming from the Russian side, unless you count a couple big hits and dirty plays. No, Canada was the aggressor, the intimidator, the dominator.

Anaheim Ducks teammates Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry were incredible. Getzlaf got things started with his goal, added two beautiful assists and in my opinion, was the best player who took the ice last night. He was truly awesome, doing everything you'd expect: using his big body to get to the net and hitting anything that moves, making plays, and controlling the play. And his Anaheim teammate scored twice himself, making up somewhat for his lackadaisical effort going back for a puck that allowed Ryan Kessler to beat him to it and score his remarkable diving empty-net goal.



Dan Boyle had a three-point night, scoring a power play goal and adding two assists. Drew Doughty and Duncan Keith continued to be the most dynamic defense pair. Pronger and Scott Niedermayer looked anything but old. And Richards-Toews-Nash completely shut down Ovechkin and company, having their most impressive game for sure.

Oddly enough, it was the Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla duo that had the quietest night, though Crosby was quietly awesome, winning puck battles, winning faceoffs, exploding up the ice and even throwing some nice body checks. Basically, the Canadians put it all together. They harnessed all their talent and directed all their anger toward the Russians, and they came out with a dominant 7-3 win, chasing Evgeni Nabokov, who was just dreadful, and taking advantage of the Russian "defense."

The last two games, the Canadians looked nearly unbeatable. That's why I still think they'll win it all, round robin struggles be damned. Tomorrow, they take on Slovakia, a team with considerably less talent. If they win, which it's hard to believe they won't, they'll take on either Finland or the U.S. And the way they're rolling, I don't expect either one to stop them. Not on their home ice. Not after a loss at the hands of their brethren to the south. Not with their entire nation cheering them on.

However, the U.S. and even Finland have something that no other teams in this tournament besides Canada have: dominant goaltenders. The Fins have Miikka Kiprusoff, the tremendous goalie for the Calgary Flames (not to mention the most underrated defenseman in all the land, Philadelphia's own Kimmo Timonen). He stopped 31 shots in Finland's 2-0 victory over the Czechs, shutting out the likes of Tomas Pleknaec, Patrik Elias and Jaromir Jagr. We've all seen him carry the Flames before, so it's no stretch to see him stand on his head yet again. And the U.S. has Ryan Miller, and no goaltender on the planet is playing any better than Ryan Miller has this season and is in these Olympics.



He was brilliant against the Canadians the first time around. He stopped all 19 shots he faced yesterday to help the U.S. advance. And he's been locked in all season long. With the way Canada has come roaring out of the gates in this medal round, a hot goaltender may be the only think that can stop them. Though I wouldn't bet on it. The Canadians have a damn good goaltender of their own. And they're angry. You wouldn't like to face the Canadians when they're angry. Just ask Germany and Russia.

Strange Things Happen at the Palestra

Temple walked into Saturday's game at the Palestra with the No. 21 ranking, a 21-5 record overall and a 9-2 conference record. St. Joe's entered the hallowed ground on the campus of Penn with a less impressive résumé to say the least, sitting at 9-17 overall and a paltry 3-9 in A-10 play.



On paper, this should have been no contest. The Owls were a half game out of the lead in the A-10, had already beaten the titan of the Big 5 with their victory over Villanova and were set up to take the reigns in the conference. St. Joe's had played horrendous basketball all season long, getting blown out by superior competition all year, including a 73-46 loss on Jan. 6 to this same Temple squad. But you know, funny things happen at the Palestra.



All game long, St. Joe's was hanging around and hanging around, and with about 8 minutes remaining, I was beginning to fume. Temple was going to lose to a horrendous St. Joe's team. I was sure of it. Garrett Williamson was playing the best basketball game of his life, doing it all on both ends of the floor. Darrin Govens was bombing away. And freshman Carl Jones was showing no fear. The Hawks had all the swagger, while Temple looked out of sorts.

Ryan Brooks was dreadful. Juan Fernandez continued to struggle with his shot since returning from his concussion. And the Hawks were swarming LaVoy Allen every time he touched the ball, though he still managed a beastly 16 and 10 on 7-8 shooting. All I can say is thank god for Ramone Moore, who was by far the player of the game for the Owls, scoring 24 points and grabbing 9 boards … and oh yeah, saved them from embarrassment with his end-to-end layup to tie the game with just over a second left.



To be perfectly frank, St. Joe's just played harder than Temple most of that game. You could see it in the Hawks' eyes. They wanted this one so badly. This team had struggled so much this year. They aren't going to the NCAA Tournament. They aren't going to the NIT. They aren't going anywhere. But a victory against a city rival, an A-10 rival, a Big 5 rival in the holiest of basketball arenas would salvage something of this lost season. This was especially important to seniors Darrin Govens and Garrett Williamson. You could just see it. Govens scored a team-high 21 points, hitting four threes, and nabbed six boards and three steals. Williamson was arguably the best player on the court Saturday, scoring 20 points on 6-15 shooting, nabbing 5 boards, dishing 4 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, not to mention playing great defense on Brooks, Fernandez and anyone else he guarded. And in a wild finish, Williamson made that aggressive drive to the hoop, making a difficult shot to put his Hawks up two with just 5 seconds remaining. He gave every ounce of his being, and it looked as though it had paid off.

But then Ramone Moore took it coast-to-coast, tied the game, and Temple imposed its will on an inferior St. Joe's team in overtime, escaping with a 75-67 victory that perhaps they didn't deserve. And as happy as I was for Temple, I almost felt bad for St. Joe's, and especially Williamson. The Hawks scratched and clawed their way, taking it right to Temple. They were the aggressors. And Williamson did all he could to go out against Temple with a victory. By the time OT rolled around, he was just spent. He had nothing left. Neither did the Hawks. They did all they could, but it just wasn't enough. It's been that type of year for Phil Martelli's bunch.

While it was certainly a scare for Temple, they just kept on trucking along, marching straight to the top of the A-10 standings. Ryan Brooks had his worst game of the year, yet he still made some key plays down the stretch. Fernandez struggled with his shot, but he still scored 13 points. LaVoy Allen continued to quietly be awesome, doing just about everything right, from owning the boards to scoring inside to making tremendous passes. And most of all, Ramone Moore continued to blossom, taking over as Temple's lead player Saturday, something he's been making a habit of lately. It's beginning to look as though Temple just may be a force to be reckoned with come tourney time.

While the Owls got a scare at the Palestra, Villanova simply didn't have enough out in Pittsburgh yesterday. Corey Fisher picked up two early fouls, Scottie Reynolds struggled early on and the Panthers destroyed the Wildcats on the offensive glass. Ashton Gibbs and Garrett Brown outplayed all of Villanova's guards combined, as it was just one of those days for Nova. As an undersized unit, Nova struggled with Pitt's size and was in foul trouble all game long. And Pitt took advantage, getting to the line more than twice as much Nova (34-16). And that was the biggest difference in the game. Pitt made 26 of 34 free throws, while the Wildcats, typically a tremendous foul-shooting team, went just 11-16.



Sooner or later, you had to figure Nova's tough end-of-season Big East schedule would catch up to them, and it has. For the first time all season, Nova has dropped two games in a row, losing to an underachieving UConn squad and then getting beaten up a little bit by a big, physical Pitt team out in shitty side of the state. And things don't get any easier for Nova, who takes on a solid South Florida team Wednesday, then finishes up with a lethal schedule: at Syracuse, at Cincy, home for West Virginia. The Wildcats certainly have their work cut out for them to try and grab a No. 1 seed, whether we're talking about the NCAA tournament or Big East tournament. Who knows, by the time the conference tournaments roll around, Nova may not even be the highest-ranked team in the Philly area. After all, Temple already topped Nova and has only Dayton left as a real test.

The college basketball was all well and good, but I was most excited to watch the USA take on Canada last night in hockey. Now let me tell you something, if you aren't watching the Olympic hockey taking place right now, do yourself a favor and start. You'll be glad you did.

Thursday night, I watched every second of the Canada-Switzerland game and the Russia-Slovakia game. Both were awesome. Both went to overtime. Both went into a shootout. And both had the excitement of a playoff game … and we're not even in the medal round yet.

Last night was more of the same, as the U.S. stunned Canada in their homeland 5-3, thanks in large part to Brian Rafalski, Ryan Kessler and Ryan Miller.



Rafalski wasn't just the star for the U.S., he was easily the most outstanding player on either team, scoring two goals against his former teammate Martin Brodeur and adding an assist. He opened the scoring and then put the U.S. up 2-1 after Canada answered. Then he accounted for the game-winner, ripping another low laser shot from the point that went off Jamie Langenbrunner's skate and in. He was simply awesome last night. Glad he's not in Jersey anymore.

Watching that game, it was evident that Canada was the better team. The Canadians were dominating the game, outshooting the U.S. by a ton, generating loads of sustained pressure, but they just couldn't make the U.S. pay. Ryan Miller was oustanding, stopping every puck he had even a remote chance at stopping, and the U.S., while not getting as much pressure as Canada, got tons of great chances themselves … and made the most of them.

Canada threatened throughout, but the U.S. scrapped its way to the win. The New York Ranger duo of Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan were tremendous on the penalty kill, stifling the Canadian power play. Dustin Brown had an excellent game. Devils Zach Parise and Jamie Langernbrunner generated several good chances, and Patrick Kane utilized his speed successfully all night. And Ryan Kesler, who guaranteed the U.S. would beat Canada, had a really strong game overall, capping things off in style with a truly awesome play, busting his ass down the ice, beating Cory Perry to the loose puck with an all-out dive and batting the puck into the empty net, securing the victory.



It was one of the best empty-net goals I've ever seen. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.

It was an exciting sight to watch, a talented but considerably less talented U.S. team going into Vancouver and defeating the loaded Canadians. Should make for an interesting medal round, that's for sure.

As far as the Flyer connection goes, Mike Richards was teamed up with Rick Nash and, gasp!, Sidney Crosby most of the game. No matter what the case, that just doesn't seem right. I prefer seeing them more like this:



That's better.

Anyway … USA! USA! USA! Suck on that, Canada.