Latest news with #BobbyBrink
Washington Post
12-04-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Flyers eliminate Islanders from playoff contention with 3-2 shootout win
PHILADELPHIA — Bobby Brink scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Marcus Hogberg to the glove side on the fifth try to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Saturday. The loss eliminated New York from the Eastern Conference playoff race. Tyson Foerster scored two goals in the victory — including a go-ahead goal at the 10:39 mark of the third that gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. Foerster now has 24 goals on the season, including five in his last two games. Jakob Pelletier added the Flyers other goal while Samuel Ersson recorded 37 saves in picking up his 22nd win of the year.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Flyers' rebuild may have reached its low point, but none of it is surprising
At least the Philadelphia Flyers avoided what would have been an unwelcome bit of history. Thanks to a standout performance from winger Bobby Brink last Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers managed to eke out a 4-3 shootout win at Wells Fargo Center. It was their only triumph on a season-long seven-game homestand. Had they lost that game in regulation, the Flyers would have been the first-ever club to not collect a single point in the standings on a homestand of that length. Advertisement The Flyers were pounded by the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday in the final game of that homestand, 5-0, and now back on the road, they began a five-game road trip with a 2-0 loss in Tampa Bay on Monday. Now 1-7-0 in their last eight games, the Flyers been outscored an abysmal 32-11 over that span. The goaltending has been leaky (Ivan Fedotov's 21-save performance on Monday aside), their top talent has gone dry, the power play looks confused as ever and a depleted lineup full of players that have spent lengthy stretches in the AHL just can't keep up. It's spectacularly ugly. But it's not surprising. Flyers general manager Daniel Briere probably knew the moment that he dealt Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee to Calgary on Jan. 30 that the 2024-25 season was going to be a wash. When the Flyers gained a bit of momentum coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, looking like they might get back into the playoff race, the general manager removed a few more pieces before the trade deadline on March 7, leaving them in their current, downtrodden condition. Tearing down has been the plan all along, and it's now here in all its glory. It's also why any harsh criticisms of Briere to this point are grossly premature. Sure, some mistakes have been made — the goaltending situation could have been handled much better, and they plainly need a new voice and vision for their embarrassing power play, now 30th in the NHL — but all Briere has truly done since taking over on a full-time basis nearly two years ago is subtract players and salary in an attempt to clean up the mess he inherited. Even some of the trades that he was forced to make — the Cutter Gauthier for Jamie Drysdale deal being the primary example — look fine at the moment, considering Drysdale's recent improvements. Heck, with a little draft-lottery luck, Briere may look even better by the end of next month. Advertisement But that's when the real work will begin. Because breaking up a team is easy in comparison to building a successful one. And all signs are pointing toward the Flyers trying to become relevant again more quickly than was perhaps originally expected when Briere took the reins, if you read between the lines a bit with what he's said publicly. Take the situation with Rasmus Ristolainen. The Flyers put a high price tag on the defenseman for any potential trade, not just because they feel he's greatly improved under coach John Tortorella but because they didn't want to lose him for the immediate future. That's at least partly because they're hoping to 'take a run' at the playoffs in 2026, Briere said just after the deadline. 'We see him as a guy that you get in the playoffs, he becomes very, very valuable,' Briere said. 'The type of hockey he plays, the physicality, the size that he brings… We feel if we traded him, it would leave a huge hole.' Briere also touched on the importance of the 2023, 2024 and 2025 drafts for the Flyers — notably stopping short of the 2026 draft. 'We've said there's three groups of drafts, starting with (Matvei) Michkov's draft (in 2023), (Jett) Luchanko (in 2024), and then this year's draft. Those guys are going to be the bulk of our core players, we hope, in five years from now.' Further, when asked when the Flyers might look to add players after two years of the opposite strategy, Briere said, 'we're looking into it now.' According to CapWages, the Flyers should have approximately $13 million in salary cap space after signing their restricted free agents, such as Cam York, Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates — and that number doesn't even include Ryan Ellis and his $6.25 million AAV, which could always go on long-term injured reserve. 'We started (looking at adding players) that this trade deadline. It wasn't quite the right time,' Briere said. 'But more importantly, it's finding the right player. It's not just the timing of it, it's finding the right player. … That's what we're trying to be careful with.' Advertisement That's something that previous managers in Philadelphia haven't done. And it's something that some other young teams around the league haven't been very successful with, either — the stalled rebuilds in Buffalo and Detroit perhaps being the best examples. Briere already mentioning the playoffs is a pivot from last April, when, in his comments after the season finale, he cautioned against anyone believing that the 2023-24 team's surprising overachievements (before the late-season collapse) might result in them making a playoff push this season. And, true to his word, he was even more aggressive in dumping what were still useful players this season, leaving a predictably reeling team in its place. A high draft pick this year would not be an unwelcome development, because if all goes to plan, they won't be in the running for one a year from now, as he indicated. The Scott Laughton trade, in particular, felt like a turning point. Whether you agree with the logic or not, the Flyers wanted to keep Laughton around for as long as possible because of how vital he was to the dressing room. Considering where the team has gone since Laughton was dealt to Toronto, that notion seems to have merit. The calculation made by Briere is that there has been enough of a foundation put in place from a cultural perspective, from guys such as Laughton, and, to a lesser degree, Farabee, that they'll be able to withstand potential challenges — like the kind they're facing now, with a weak roster and a coach who is sometimes prone to provoking his own players. At this point, Flyers management is probably hoping that the final 13 games come and go without any major disasters, either on the ice or behind closed doors. From there, it will be up to Briere to start taking some swings, and it seems inevitable that there will be at least one or two this offseason. Along with their aforementioned salary cap space, the Flyers have 12 picks in the first and second rounds combined over the next three drafts — tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for the most in the NHL. The Flyers can utilize some of those in deals for players that could help next season, while keeping enough to help build their system, too. Briere himself once was part of a quick turnaround. In the 2007 offseason, he signed as a free agent with the Flyers, who were coming off a last-place finish in the league standings. He, Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith turned that team into an Eastern Conference finalist. While it's probably too ambitious to expect that kind of success, it still may provide Briere a blueprint, as he and those other veterans all helped push a young core with guys such as Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Braydon Coburn to within a few games of the Stanley Cup Final — which they would make two years later. The Flyers' current young core, despite some recent growing pains, still looks like a pretty solid group with potential. Advertisement In the meantime, it's still too early to draw any broad conclusions over how Briere has done his job so far. That won't be the case once he starts taking some real chances. As dark as things are now, they should at least become more interesting in short order. Whether that will lead to success is up to the general manager and his staff. (Photo of Nicolas Deslauriers: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
Fox Sports
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Tampa Bay plays Philadelphia following Cirelli's 2-goal performance
Associated Press Philadelphia Flyers (28-32-8, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (38-23-5, in the Atlantic Division) Tampa, Florida; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers after Anthony Cirelli scored two goals in the Lightning's 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins. Tampa Bay is 38-23-5 overall and 23-8-2 in home games. The Lightning have a 17-6-1 record in games they score one or more power-play goals. Philadelphia has a 12-13-7 record in road games and a 28-32-8 record overall. The Flyers have a -42 scoring differential, with 187 total goals scored and 229 conceded. The matchup Monday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout in the last meeting. Bobby Brink led the Flyers with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has scored 28 goals with 64 assists for the Lightning. Darren Raddysh has two goals and six assists over the past 10 games. Travis Konecny has 22 goals and 43 assists for the Flyers. Noah Cates has scored four goals and added two assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game. Flyers: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.9 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game. INJURIES: Lightning: None listed. Flyers: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tampa Bay plays Philadelphia following Cirelli's 2-goal performance
Philadelphia Flyers (28-32-8, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (38-23-5, in the Atlantic Division) Tampa, Florida; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers after Anthony Cirelli scored two goals in the Lightning's 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins. Tampa Bay is 38-23-5 overall and 23-8-2 in home games. The Lightning have a 17-6-1 record in games they score one or more power-play goals. Philadelphia has a 12-13-7 record in road games and a 28-32-8 record overall. The Flyers have a -42 scoring differential, with 187 total goals scored and 229 conceded. The matchup Monday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout in the last meeting. Bobby Brink led the Flyers with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has scored 28 goals with 64 assists for the Lightning. Darren Raddysh has two goals and six assists over the past 10 games. Travis Konecny has 22 goals and 43 assists for the Flyers. Noah Cates has scored four goals and added two assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game. Flyers: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.9 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game. INJURIES: Lightning: None listed. Flyers: None listed. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Associated Press
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Tampa Bay plays Philadelphia following Cirelli's 2-goal performance
Philadelphia Flyers (28-32-8, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (38-23-5, in the Atlantic Division) Tampa, Florida; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers after Anthony Cirelli scored two goals in the Lightning's 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins. Tampa Bay is 38-23-5 overall and 23-8-2 in home games. The Lightning have a 17-6-1 record in games they score one or more power-play goals. Philadelphia has a 12-13-7 record in road games and a 28-32-8 record overall. The Flyers have a -42 scoring differential, with 187 total goals scored and 229 conceded. The matchup Monday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Flyers won 4-3 in a shootout in the last meeting. Bobby Brink led the Flyers with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has scored 28 goals with 64 assists for the Lightning. Darren Raddysh has two goals and six assists over the past 10 games. Travis Konecny has 22 goals and 43 assists for the Flyers. Noah Cates has scored four goals and added two assists over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 6-3-1, averaging 3.3 goals, 5.6 assists, 3.2 penalties and 7.5 penalty minutes while giving up 2.3 goals per game. Flyers: 3-6-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.9 assists, 2.3 penalties and 4.9 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game. INJURIES: Lightning: None listed.
