Tag: Ivan Provorov

Alain Vigneault’s second season as Flyers head coach will begin next month on Jan. 13, when the NHL opens the 2020-21 season. The 56-game condensed schedule, realigned divisions, empty arenas and shortened training camp present a new set of challenges.

The Flyers will be tasked with finding a way to replace Matt Niskanen’s 20 minutes or more a night and produced points at a solid rate. On the surface, newly-signed Phil Myers could see his role increase and play on the right side of Ivan Provorov on the team’s top pairing.

Re-signing Phil Myers could very well be the last order of business for the Flyers this offseason, outside of waiting for when the 2020-21 season will begin. The Flyers are limited on cap space and have some players waiting in the wings for a chance to earn a regular spot in the NHL.

For those who appreciate the fact that a player’s quality can’t be defined solely by numbers, Ivan Provorov’s performance on the ice backs it up. He’s not the indisputable best defensemen in the NHL, but he certainly didn’t deserve to be omitted from the NHL’s list of the top 20 defensemen for the 2019-20 season. So why was he left out?

On Monday, reports circulated that Flyers defenseman Matt Niskanen was announcing his retirement. The defenseman confirmed in a statement through Flyers PR and GM Chuck Fletcher offered his thoughts on a conference call.

Alain Vigneault addressed the media on Monday for the first time since the Flyers lost Game 7 to the Islanders nine days ago. His comments focused on a bright future ahead. “I believe that we’re on the right track as far as moving forward to win a Stanley Cup,” Vigneault said.

This is what is so hard about this Flyers loss. It’s not that it’s the end of the season. This happens for 15 other teams in the playoffs without a reward. Only one team comes away with the Stanley Cup. What’s so hard is having to once again hear “there’s always next year,”… and not knowing when next year really is.

The Flyers never had the answers. They could never counter the Islanders desire to finish this series. So it goes in the playoffs sometimes. Make no mistake, it’s disappointing, and this loss stings knowing the season is over, but there is a lot to take from this season. For now, let’s take a closer look at the game that did the Flyers in.

The Islanders struck for two goals in the first period and never looked back, holding the Flyers at bay all game and finishing off the series, as the Flyers season came to an end with a 4-0 loss to the Islanders in Game 7 on Saturday night.

It all comes down to this. Game 7 to decide who goes to the Eastern Conference Final and who goes home. If it’s anything like the other games in this series, you can expect a close, hard-fought battle to the finish where only one thing is certain: this game will end with handshakes at center ice.

In a wild, back-and-forth tilt, both teams showed the qualities and identity that they have established. This series has been as hard-fought as they come. Neither team quits. Ever. And it showed in Game 6 as both sides assumed control at different points and as the game drug on into the night.

Ivan Provorov scored the goal that forced a deciding Game 7 at 15:03 of the second overtime, giving the Flyers a 5-4 double-overtime win over the Islanders in Game 6. 

Just like in Game 2, when the Flyers let another 3-1 lead in the third period get away, they had the answer in overtime. It took over 12 minutes, but the Flyers remain alive in the series with a deflection goal by Scott Laughton. 5 takeaways from Game 5.

The Flyers are not dead yet. A point shot by Ivan Provorov was deflected by Scott Laughton and beat Semyon Varlamov to give the Flyers a 4-3 overtime win in Game 5 that keeps their season alive. 

It played out so much like the other games in the series. The Flyers had their moments. The Islanders had more of those moments. They used turnovers and transition plays to their advantage again. And while the Flyers had more shot volume and traffic to the net than in previous games, the goalie who kept them in Game 2 made sure they were in Game 4 and got the result needed.

The Islanders scored twice in the third period, helping to put away the Flyers in the game and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a 3-2 win on Sunday night.

The Flyers need more from these players, especially if they are to see this playoff run go any further. They need their top scorers. They need their best performers. They need the guys who get the most ice time to really earn it. They need their leadership group to step up on the ice. 5 takeaways from Flyers-Islanders Game 3.

Two opportunistic goals in the second period gave the Islanders the edge and they never looked back, capitalizing on the first power play of the game in the third period as well to put the game essentially out of reach in a 3-1 win for New York over the Flyers in Game 3.

The Islanders showed they are a team that has a lot – the talent behind the bench, the depth up front, the defensive structure and the goaltender to get the job done. The Flyers did not show what they wanted to show. They did not show they have another level. They showed their flaws. 5 takeaways from Game 1.

Even-keeled Flyers goalie Carter Hart downplayed the comparisons and significance of facing his boyhood idol in his first playoff series. But even he couldn’t hide the significance of meeting at center ice to shake hands with Canadiens’ veteran Carey Price after winning the series.

The long drought is over. The Flyers went back to the style of play that helped them secure the first three wins and it earned them the all-important fourth one to move on. Here are 5 takeaways from Game 6 of Flyers-Canadiens.

Some dirty but good goals and a 31-save effort by Carter Hart were the difference, as the Flyers claimed Game 6, 3-2, over the Montreal Canadiens, advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

The Flyers had to overcome a lot of obstacles to eventually tie the game in the third, but gave the lead back 22 seconds later, as the Canadiens carried the lead the rest of the way for the 5-3 win in Game 5 to force Game 6 on Friday.

It’s a quick turnaround for the Flyers from their second straight shutout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday night gives the Flyers the chance to finally get back on the right side of a playoff series result and claim their first playoff series win in over eight years. 

The Flyers were 6-0 in games following a loss in the second half of the regular season. They can add a playoff win to that total with a greasy, bounce-back effort led by their goaltender. Here are 5 takeaways from the Flyers 1-0 win over the Canadiens in Game 3.

In just his fifth playoff start, Carter Hart made 23 saves, allowing Jake Voracek’s first-period goal to stand as the game-winner in a 1-0 Flyers victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

The opportunity was there for the Flyers to take a 2-0 series lead after having what many viewed was only a B-minus, C-game from the Flyers. There were some who viewed Game 1 as a missed opportunity for the Canadiens, while others saw it as a game where the Canadiens showed they could hang around in this series. Man, did they prove that in Game 2.

One thing remained a constant. Carter Hart was excellent again. That is the main reason the Flyers find themselves with a 1-0 series lead following a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1. Here are 5 takeaways from the Game 1 win.

Carter Hart made 27 saves to help the Flyers claim a 2-1 win in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night.