Big difference on Flyers defense

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Flyers spent the first half of the season winning despite mediocre play from their recently signed netminder, Ilya Bryzgalov. That, in addition to the injury bug, caught up to them by mid-January, and for about a month and a half, the Flyers were unable to win back-to-back games, due to not being able to put together the entire package of offense, defense and goaltending for sixty minutes. However, as of March 1, everything changed, as Bryzgalov got his game back, and the team won five-straight including three shutouts.
 
Bryzgalov’s statement about being lost in the woods looked likely to be the epitaph on his career with the Flyers. His repeated failure in the shootout, and being susceptible to at least one soft goal a game had earned him the ire of the Philadelphia faithful. There were disputes with the media, and the front office gave Bryzgalov strict orders on how much he could speak, limiting his unusual and blunt comments, and as the trade deadline approached, there were more than a few whispers that Flyers GM should be looking for a goaltender to fill the gap.
 
But Holmgren’s been doing this a long time, and it wasn’t a goaltender he was after. After all, he’d spent $51 million over the summer securing the best netminder on the free agent market. With the loss of Chris Pronger, and his team’s weak play in front of the net, he set his priorities on defense.
 
On February 16, Holmgren acquired defenseman Nik Grossmann from Dallas, in exchange from draft picks. On February 19, he went on a acquired Pavel Kubina from Tampa bay in exchange for two draft picks, and Adirondack Phantoms centerman Jon Kalinski.
 
Stay at home defender, Grossmann, stands 6’4” and weighs in at 230-pounds. He’s a defensive defenseman, who’s among the top 30 NHL players in shots blocked. He’s not strong with the puck, but he is without it. With Dallas he averaged just over 18-minutes a game, and was a main-stay on the penalty kill.
 
Kubina offers a bit more of an offensive edge. He’s been a smooth skating puck carrier, with a cannon for a shot, and he’s scored 40-plus points twice as an NHLer. He’s also 6’4” and weighs 258-pounds, and he has a Stanley Cup with Tampa in the 2003-2004 season.
 
With the two additions, the Flyers had acquired two sizable defenders to block shots and clear the front around Bryzgalov. And finally, on March 1, the team began a five game winning streak that included three shutouts, and a spectacular shootout win. There was one hiccup in an uninspired match against the Devils in New Jersey, in which the Flyers lost 4-1 with Sergei Bobrovsky trying desperately to keep his team in it.
 
Luckily, with Bryzgalov back in the net, in a home-and-home versus the Devils at the Wells Fargo Center, they got themselves back on the winning track with another shutout, 3-0. They limited the Devils to only 17 shots all game, including allowing only three in the final period, as the Devils tried to press.
 
Bryzgalov was getting his swagger back, and he’s made a number of big saves, but he’s had a great amount of help in front, by his new shutdown pair of Grossmann and Braydon Coburn. Since coming over from Dallas, where Grossmann averaged just over 18-minutes, he’s averaged just over 22-minutes since coming to Philadelphia.
 
The Flyers have been bitten by the injury bug on defense more so than any other team, as along with Pronger, ironman Kimmo Timonen missed a total of five games due to a back injury, and Andrej Meszaros has been out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury that still has him out-indefinitely.
 
Even with the injuries, the Flyers have gotten it done. The added size and strength on defense has given their goaltender the time and space to get his game back, and it’s given the Flyers the ability to compete on any given night. Going down the stretch, they’ll be a tough team to beat.
 
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com