As I discussed in the blog update I posted a few days ago, I was considering bringing back this series, and now I have. As we enter the fifth year of this GM Mode with the Flyers, we make our second trip to the playoffs, facing off with the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1. Can we earn redemption after falling in the Stanley Cup Finals last year? Let's find out!
Here's a look at what our lines will look like heading into the first round. I've decided to use Best Lines, meaning that they won't look the same as they did last time.
Forwards
Rattie(84)-Giroux(90)-Voracek(90)
Burakovsky(85)-Horvat(85)-Forsberg(85)
Duclair(83)-Couturier(85)-Perlini(83)
Lemieux(80)-White(80)-Reaves(80)
Defensemen
Ekman-Larsson(86)-Jones(86)
Hagg(85)-Gostisbehere(85)
Pettersson(83)-Meloche(83)
Goalies
Campbell(89)
Schmidmeyer(82)
PREVIEW
We met Tampa Bay in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, winning in a gritty seven game battle. They finished this season with a 48-24-10 record, good for 106 points, tied for the second best record in the NHL. We scored 11 more goals than them in the regular season, but did concede 22 more. Their team is lead by future Art Ross recipient and Hart favorite Jonathan Drouin, who put up an insane 115 points, including 79 assists. Fellow first liners Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov put up 88 and 75 points respectively, leading this absolute juggernaut. In goal, Ben Bishop had another incredible season, finishing near the top of every statistical category. We are going to have our work cut out for us if we hope to make the second round.
Forwards
Kucherov(86)-Stamkos(95)-Drouin(90)
Palat(85)-Filppula(87)-Callahan(86)
Gilmour(85)-Namestnikov(81)-Connolly(84)
Bouma(78)-Shirley(81)-Hansen(81)
Defensemen
Hedman(88)-DeAngelo(85)
Coulombe(85)-Gudas(85)
Zboril(84)-Dotchin(84)
Goalies
Bishop(89)
Makarov(83)
SERIES
With the Lightning holding home ice advantage, we stunned the home crowd in Game 1. After Anthony DeAngelo opened the scoring for Tampa Bay, Sean Couturier and Marcus Pettersson quickly answered. We then held the lead, as Filip Forsberg and Oliver Ekman-Larsson got us a 4-1 win. Yet again, the Lightning scored first in Game 2, as Stamkos got his first of the series. And yet again, Tampa Bay couldn't contain us. Bo Horvat, Petersson, Anthony Duclair, Forsberg and Andre Burakovsky put five past Ben Bishop, as we were somehow up 2-0.
The roles were reversed back home in Game 3, as after Forsberg got another, Stamkos, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Callahan, Brett Connolly and Nikita Kucherov scored five consecutive goals to get a game back. Jakub Voracek would miss Game 4, which was a nailbiter. After Connolly and Jake Dotchin put Tampa Bay up, we fought back, with two powerplay goals from Seth Jones and Duclair. Stamkos and surprise scorer Ryan Reaves traded, and the game entered overtime, where Dotchin broke our hearts, evening up the series at 2-2.
The pivotal Game 5 in Tampa Bay was another close fought affair. Ekman Larsson scored in the first period, but Ondrej Palat evened it up early in the second. But the period ended with us in the lead, as Jakub Voracek and captain Claude Giroux gave us a two goal cushion. In the third, Collin Shirley got one back, but we held on to go up 3-2.
Game 6 in Philly was scoreless through the first two periods, both offenses held in check. In the third period, Couturier was the hero, putting the first past Bishop. Goals from Forsberg and Horvat soon followed, and we were off to the second round!
Series MVP: Jack Campbell, Philadelphia Flyers
Honorable Mention: Bo Horvat, Philadelphia Flyers
ANALYSIS
That went about as well as we could have expected. The second line provided a lot of offense as the first was held in check, as Horvat, Forsberg and Burakovsky led the way with crucial goals and assists. Campbell has always been a phenomenal playoff goalie, and he showed his quality here, as only Game 3 got out of hand. I would've liked to see more from Giroux, Rattie and Voracek on the first line, but it's a small complaint, and they likely faced stiff resistance from Tampa Bay throughout.
Up next, the Ottawa Senators in Round 2! Hopefully you join me for that, and hopefully you have enjoyed the return of the Philly Flyers GM Mode.
-Henry
Here's a look at what our lines will look like heading into the first round. I've decided to use Best Lines, meaning that they won't look the same as they did last time.
Forwards
Rattie(84)-Giroux(90)-Voracek(90)
Burakovsky(85)-Horvat(85)-Forsberg(85)
Duclair(83)-Couturier(85)-Perlini(83)
Lemieux(80)-White(80)-Reaves(80)
Defensemen
Ekman-Larsson(86)-Jones(86)
Hagg(85)-Gostisbehere(85)
Pettersson(83)-Meloche(83)
Goalies
Campbell(89)
Schmidmeyer(82)
PREVIEW
We met Tampa Bay in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, winning in a gritty seven game battle. They finished this season with a 48-24-10 record, good for 106 points, tied for the second best record in the NHL. We scored 11 more goals than them in the regular season, but did concede 22 more. Their team is lead by future Art Ross recipient and Hart favorite Jonathan Drouin, who put up an insane 115 points, including 79 assists. Fellow first liners Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov put up 88 and 75 points respectively, leading this absolute juggernaut. In goal, Ben Bishop had another incredible season, finishing near the top of every statistical category. We are going to have our work cut out for us if we hope to make the second round.
Forwards
Kucherov(86)-Stamkos(95)-Drouin(90)
Palat(85)-Filppula(87)-Callahan(86)
Gilmour(85)-Namestnikov(81)-Connolly(84)
Bouma(78)-Shirley(81)-Hansen(81)
Defensemen
Hedman(88)-DeAngelo(85)
Coulombe(85)-Gudas(85)
Zboril(84)-Dotchin(84)
Goalies
Bishop(89)
Makarov(83)
SERIES
With the Lightning holding home ice advantage, we stunned the home crowd in Game 1. After Anthony DeAngelo opened the scoring for Tampa Bay, Sean Couturier and Marcus Pettersson quickly answered. We then held the lead, as Filip Forsberg and Oliver Ekman-Larsson got us a 4-1 win. Yet again, the Lightning scored first in Game 2, as Stamkos got his first of the series. And yet again, Tampa Bay couldn't contain us. Bo Horvat, Petersson, Anthony Duclair, Forsberg and Andre Burakovsky put five past Ben Bishop, as we were somehow up 2-0.
The roles were reversed back home in Game 3, as after Forsberg got another, Stamkos, Jonathan Drouin, Ryan Callahan, Brett Connolly and Nikita Kucherov scored five consecutive goals to get a game back. Jakub Voracek would miss Game 4, which was a nailbiter. After Connolly and Jake Dotchin put Tampa Bay up, we fought back, with two powerplay goals from Seth Jones and Duclair. Stamkos and surprise scorer Ryan Reaves traded, and the game entered overtime, where Dotchin broke our hearts, evening up the series at 2-2.
The pivotal Game 5 in Tampa Bay was another close fought affair. Ekman Larsson scored in the first period, but Ondrej Palat evened it up early in the second. But the period ended with us in the lead, as Jakub Voracek and captain Claude Giroux gave us a two goal cushion. In the third, Collin Shirley got one back, but we held on to go up 3-2.
Game 6 in Philly was scoreless through the first two periods, both offenses held in check. In the third period, Couturier was the hero, putting the first past Bishop. Goals from Forsberg and Horvat soon followed, and we were off to the second round!
Series MVP: Jack Campbell, Philadelphia Flyers
Honorable Mention: Bo Horvat, Philadelphia Flyers
ANALYSIS
That went about as well as we could have expected. The second line provided a lot of offense as the first was held in check, as Horvat, Forsberg and Burakovsky led the way with crucial goals and assists. Campbell has always been a phenomenal playoff goalie, and he showed his quality here, as only Game 3 got out of hand. I would've liked to see more from Giroux, Rattie and Voracek on the first line, but it's a small complaint, and they likely faced stiff resistance from Tampa Bay throughout.
Up next, the Ottawa Senators in Round 2! Hopefully you join me for that, and hopefully you have enjoyed the return of the Philly Flyers GM Mode.
-Henry
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