VOORHEES, N.J. – With just four games left on the Flyers’ schedule, just how important is it for the veteran players to set a good example for the young guys?
Very.
That’s been evident since the Flyers were eliminated from playoff consideration and really have nothing left to play for except maybe some positions which might be considered up in the air for next season.
A good example of this was Wednesday night’s game in New York.
The match started off with a lot of structure and disciplined play. It was still 2-2 after two periods.
But then things suddenly became wide open. The lead went back and forth. Nine goals were scored. But somehow the Flyers prevailed, 8-5. Some of that had to do with the play of experienced guys like Nick Deslauriers and Nick Seeler.
Defenseman Cam York, who’s not quite considered a veteran just yet but, at 24, not really a newbie either, agreed with that premise.
“We were down a goal in the third and we continued to chip away,” he said after Friday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “Our team cares about each other. We’re super close. We fight to the end. That game in New York was good for morale.”
Deslauriers is a character player willing to stand up for teammates and show the up-and-comers how to do it the right way.
“I think they can grow out of this, too,” Deslauriers said. “Not a lot of young guys can go through this and say they had an interim coach for the last 10 games. I think it’s something that can build them a little more maturity and see that nothing is taken for granted.
“You have to work for everything. We didn’t do the job this year – we had to do some trades and we lost our coach as well. So it’s kind of a mental thing that you have to work forward through.”
Seeler has been in this game long enough to know that the end of one season can have impact on the start of another. With the Flyers watching the playoffs at home for a fifth straight season, it’s up to the experienced players to help lead a turnaround.
“We have to be those voices in the locker room and try to lead by example,” he said. “We’ve all kind of stepped up and played together these last few games.
“So if we can continue to do that and build this positive momentum going into next season, it would be ideal.”
Interim coach Brad Shaw said the game at Madison Square Garden typified the way his team survived and then thrived in a tense third period against the Rangers, who were still desperate to stay in the playoff hunt.
“We did a lot of good things,” Shaw said. “I think it really depends upon what you’re looking for. I’ve tried to be better at that. I think the focus is the hardest thing right now. All our guys pretty much know what they’re supposed to be doing in every area of the ice. It’s just how well we play off that situation. That was the real challenge.”
If the veterans and youngsters can play as a cohesive unit in this final week of the season, it will certainly make the offseason hockey memories feel a little bit better.
>Pelletier makes strides
Jakob Pelletier has posted two goals/seven points in the 21 games he’s played with the Flyers since a February trade from Calgary. His plus-minus is an acceptable minus-1, which isn’t bad for playing on a checking line for a team which is a collective minus-44.
“It took him a while to get comfortable here, which is common with a trade,” Shaw said. “Especially with a young guy who’s still trying to find his game at the NHL level.
“All of a sudden you’re doing it in a new environment, new teammates. . .all that stuff can throw you for a loop. I think he’s shown that he can provide offense. It’s always going to be a challenge for him on the checking side because of his size (5-foot-9, 170 pounds). So his body position has to be exemplary, his stick has to be fantastic. That’s going to be his challenge. Can he do it? I think so. He’s the kind of guy you cheer for.”
>Foerster continues to blossom
In Wednesday night’s game, Tyson Foerster had his first career hat trick and his first goal was his 20th of the season, giving him back-to-back 20-goal seasons in his first two NHL campaigns. He’s the first Flyer to achieve that mark since Simon Gagne turned the trick (1999-2001).
“He (Foerster) is an impressive young man as far as maturity, as far as being a pro,” Shaw said. “I don’t think he’s ever taken anything for granted. Some young players can. He seems way more comfortable in his own skin.”
The line of Foerster, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink might be the Flyers’ best two-way line of the season.
“What that line does better than the rest of our team in general is there is an intent to get the puck back after two or three seconds,” Shaw said. “To be disruptive as soon as possible. And Foerster is a big part of that. His 200-foot game is the best part of his game.”
>Short shots
Both Matvei Michkov and Ryan Poehling were given the day off for maintenance. . .The Flyers play host to the New York Islanders on Saturday (12:30 p.m.), then head straight to Ottawa for a 1 p.m. Sunday game against the Senators.
