Anatomy of a Slump

By: Patrice L. Leonard

What exactly is a slump? According to the dictionary, a slump is to sink or fall suddenly or heavily, decline sharply in value, and a relatively long period of time during which someone or something fails to perform well. Just the other day Ken Hitchcock told the media that his Flyer team was not in a slump. They were playing well enough to win. Therefore, obviously his definition of a slump is wholly different from Webster’s.

If this team is not in the middle of slump, then I do not know what to call the last few weeks. They have won only one game in the last twelve. I have taken apart this team repeatedly in my head and on paper. I am left shaking my head in disbelief. How can a club that is so fully stacked from top to bottom be having so much difficulty winning games?

Well, one major reason is the play of special teams. The Flyer penalty kill and power play units are ranked toward the bottom of the league. Explain to me why a power play unit with Forsberg, Knuble, and Gagne cannot find the back of the net. Granted, Simon has not played in the last three games due to an injury he sustained at the Olympics, but how do you justify the lack of offensive production with the man advantage. Explain to me why a penalty kill unit with Hatcher, Kapanen, and Radivojevic cannot keep opposing teams from finding the back of the net. I cannot figure it out. I watch the power play. I see passes made with astounding accuracy, hard shots finding their way on net, great puck movement, and grinding in the corners. It just does not seem to be enough. Are the goalies getting that much better? No, that is not the answer. Then what is? Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a whole more they can do.

Another problem is the holes in their defense. With Kim Johnsson out indefinitely and a lumbering, aging Chris Therien on the blue line the need for someone to step up is huge. Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje cannot do it alone. The Flyers are getting some use out of Phantom players Randy Jones and Freddy Meyer, but lack of NHL experience does rear its ugly head from time to time. With the trade deadline closing in, the Flyers would do well to trade for a veteran defenseman to compliment the Hatcher-Rathje tandem. I hear Adam Foote may be up for grabs. That acquisition would be colossal.

Rookies Mike Richards and Jeff Carter were put on a line together for the first time. They seemed to adjust well to each other. They continued to show the same fire they played with when the season first began. Brian Savage is playing like a man possessed lately as well. He just can’t buy a goal. If hitting the post counted, he would be leading the league in points right now. Joni Pitkanen is holding his own on defense. His youth is a good thing to have back there. He plays as if he has Canned Heat in his heels, and he is learning to be quite the pest. Opposing players have been losing their cool around him as of late. Anything the Flyers can do to draw a penalty is beneficial, well; it would be beneficial if they had a formidable power play.

Hitchcock has even started pulling his goaltender during a rough outing. In some way, he was using this tactic to put some fire under his listless club. I am guessing that he has run out of ideas too. From a standpoint of someone on the outside looking in, this team doesn’t look like a collection of lazy, uninterested players. They do appear to go out to win every night. Is the rest of the league, most notably their division, that much better than when the season started? That may be just the case here. All the more reason for these guys to wake up and realize that the free ride to the Stanley Cup they were granted in the pre-season has expired. They are going to have to work for every point they get from here on out. They are running out of time. They will not miss the playoffs to be sure. However, being a top four seed is much better than being a bottom 4 seed going in. There is too much at stake here now. This team has to much fire power to be underachieving. Nevertheless, to their credit, they do underachieve so well.

Word is out that there have been team meetings, private meetings, coaches meetings, meetings about meetings. What are they talking about? What can they say? Oh, to be a fly on the wall behind those closed doors. Then I would have all the answers. Alas, I am like the rest of you. I have to watch with one eye closed, white knuckling it the rest of the way.