This is not news any Flyers fan wants to hear. You never want to hear that anyone is hurt. The thing is, with Ivan Provorov struggling, some have started to wonder if he’s playing through some type of injury.
After practice Friday, Provorov was asked if his left hand had been bothering him of late and if that had been part of the reason for his slow start.
“Well whoever wrote that is wrong. Nothing is bothering me. I feel 100%”, said Provorov.
So as far as we know, he’s completely healthy. You cant blame people for asking this question though. The slump has lasted much longer than expected. Through 35 games, Provorov has a +/- of -9. In just the month of December he’s -5. Don’t look to much into it though.
The turnovers are however a concern. A month into the season, many people said that it was just a slow start for the 21 year old. After all, it’s only his third year in the National Hockey League. But we’re now almost three months into the season and the turnovers remain a problem. Instead of just making the simple play, he’s trying to be fancy.
The offense isn’t there either so far this year. If you go back to the end of November last year, Provorov had 13 points (4G,9A). At the end of November this season he finished with 9 points (2G,7A). The offensive side of the game will pick up when # 9 gets back on track defensively.
So as far as we know, Provorov is healthy and just going through a funk. If he is hurt, he’s not willing to come out and tell everyone what’s going on. As always, Lets Go Flyers.
