“Fireeeeeee, um, hum. Fireeeeeee, um, hum,” taken from the song of Chef Gordon Ramsay’s show Hell’s Kitchen. The Philadelphia Flyers are hotttttttt, smoking H-O-T. They are on fire, and they’re one of the hottest teams in Philly right now.
After getting torched for ten straight games. The orange and black now have won five straight games. Some of the reasons for this hot streak are goaltending, and consistency. The Flyers have four pretty balanced lines at the moment, and Brian Elliott seems back to his old form like he was with the St. Louis Blues. It makes the players feel good knowing they have a stone wall between the pipes. Let’s get on with the show already. Here are our answers to your questions.
Mark Boehmer- Do you think Hextall should have allowed Nolan Patrick to play for Canada in the upcoming World Junior Championship? He could use more ice time and confidence boost
Mark your one of the most knowledgeable Flyers fans that I know. I think it was a great move that Ron Hextall didn’t loan Nolan Patrick to Team Canada for the upcoming tournament. Hextall is hoping for Patrick to develop chemistry with his new linemates, and hoping that he becomes reacclimated to the NHL following his injury. Patrick looked good a few games after coming back from his injury, but he has regressed here as of late. He will be fine, and Patrick will rebound in the second half of the season. It’s hard coming back from that type of injury since he’s so young. I’m confident with Patrick’s goods that this will be a minor bump in the road for his development.
Derick Bobb- Another losing streak over five games, does Hextall pull the plug on Hakstol?
Coming from a great writer like yourself. It’s not everyday I get to answer a question from a living legend. Absolutely not. Hextall is committed to Hakstol. It’s like a marriage vow, “Through thick and thin.” I like Hakstol as he gives in-depth answers to the media following wins and losses. I become skeptical sometimes with his benching decisions, but I have to give him credit for making these lines more balanced. Hakstol is here to stay at least until the end of season.
Brian Konstanty- Why don’t the defenders ever go down to stop the pass on 2 on 1’s. They leave the goalie worrying about the pass and the shot.
Brian your knowledge of the sport really shows here. I was thinking the same exact thought to myself the other day. There’s only three defenseman on the team that I see do this on a regular if need be. Shayne Gostisbehere, Andrew Macdonald, and Ivan Provorov. Although, Jakub Voracek did go down on the ice last night against Buffalo with the goaltender pulled, as he tried to block a pass in the slot.
I think the team is very confident in Elliott right now. The guy is a stone wall between the pipes. One person takes the pass and the goaltender takes the shot. Finally, we have a goalie that makes all types of saves, and very rarely gives up a softy. That’s the only logical reason I can give.
Brian Geese- Can you offer any explanation as to why the Flyers bring a lot more energy and intensity to their road games and seem very flat and disinterested at home? (At least during the 10 game losing streak).
Brian you’re a smart hockey advocate. With living on the West Coast, I’m sure is tough at times to support Philly teams with hecklers. But, you’re a very dedicated Flyers fan. Honestly, there’s really no answer to this. You’re absolutely correct about having the lack of energy at home games from time to time. For instance, the games against the San Jose Sharks, and Boston Bruins are prime examples of such. The only thing I can think of is that when a team is losing the sport is not fun. No one likes to lose, I think we all know that. But, I think it was the way they were losing in some of the games with overtimes and shootouts. Losing finally took it’s toll on the players. Brian I wish I had a better answer for you as I would love to know myself.
If you would like to see your questions submitted in our weekly mailbag. Just submit your question on our facebook page or on Twitter using the #Flyersmail. Thanks to all the fans for another great mailbag. Have a great and happy holiday season, and to all of our Jewish followers Happy Hanukkah.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
