Flyers Take On Oilers: Two Philosophies Converge
The Flyers play hockey today, which seems like more of an ominous statement than an exciting one. The truth is: we’re at that time of year.
That time of year when the contenders are fighting for playoff positioning and pouring every ounce of their heart and soul into every game, and the rest are just… the rest. The Flyers very much classify as “the rest” at this time of year, and their schedule is full of teams who are either competing to earn a playoff spot or competing to keep one.
This team is not doing either of those things, realistically. I’m sure John Tortorella will rally the troops into pretending that they are doing such a thing, but the truth will catch up to them eventually. But will it catch up to them tonight? Probably not.
The thing is, it doesn’t have to! Whether the Flyers believe they’re competing for a playoff spot or not, the reality of what’s coming is not changed. Connor McDavid is coming to the Wells Fargo Center. Leon Draisaitl will somehow be the second best player in the game because the best player is the best in the world.
The Flyers have a tendency to get exposed for their inadequacy every time they face a genuine top-flight team. And while the Oilers are not quite that, I don’t think this team will be able to tell the difference.
McDavid has 41 goals and 52 assists for 93 points in… 51 games!
That is a full season for all but the best players in the world, and this guy has hit that mark with 31 games left. He’s chasing 150, and he’ll probably get it. The first player of the modern era to do it. Because of McDavid’s singular brilliance, the questions aimed at Torts have generally revolved around a simple one…
“How do the Flyers plan to contain McDavid?”
The simple answer is: they don’t.
They don’t have the ability to contain McDavid because stopping such an offensive juggernaut requires going on offense.
It means making McDavid play defense and making him chase the game. If he’s just going to have the puck and enter your offensive zone at will, then it’s only a matter of time before he dissects your defensive structure.
Now, maybe McDavid comes out and doesn’t have his skating legs. Over an 82 game season, that’s always a possibility. It’s happened to him before, and it’ll happen again.
Maybe he ate something rotten the night before, and he has stomach cramps. Short of that, this is a scheduled loss. Partially because the Oilers simply have more to fight for. Unlike the Flyers, they’re holding onto a playoff spot. The first Wild Card spot.
And they don’t want to lose their spot.
In a way, there’s an interesting dichotomy here. The Flyers and Oilers are living avatars of an argument that’s taken place in hockey circles for a very long time.
What’s more important? Having top-tier talent, or having a balanced team with sound structure and coordination?
The Flyers have depth. They roll 3 lines of competent middle six and two pairs of top 4 defensemen. They hired John Tortorella to give them sound structure and coordination, which they adhere to religiously.
The Oilers, frankly, have very little of that. They barely fill out a top-6 with competent forwards. They have maybe one competent top-4 defenseman. But they have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, two of the best players in the world.
- The Flyers have amassed 51 points in 52 games.
- The Oilers have amassed 62 points in 51 games.
Everyone knows that you need all of these things to be a true Cup team, and the malpractice of the Oilers’ Front Office is despicable. They’re wasting a pair of generational talents.
But really, if you had to pick one or the other? Well, we can see which one gets you further.
Let’s see how this battle plays out in a microcosm tonight!
Scheduled loss eh. Once again Derek how dumb & ignorant you really are.
Bro is bragging that they’re 1-4 instead of 0-5 lmfao