You Can't Lose 'Em All, Can You?

So, Step One in John Stevens' master plan ripped right from "Coaching for Dummies" to jump-start a moribund team has failed.

Predictably, Saturday night's game in San Jose was a reunion for the line of last year dubbed "Octoberfest" with Danny Briere centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. The line picked up five points (2 goals for Briere, 2 assists for Knuble, goal for Gagne) but the other three reconstituted lines plus the defense only registered five points in a 5-4 overtime loss.

Add to that, the fact that the club was outgunned on the shot board 44-15 through regulation despite holding a 3-1 lead late in the second period.

So, what's next in the ol' bag of tricks for an 0-3-2 squad? My guess is more line shuffling, followed by benchings and stern lectures.

The first "shakeup" already occurred on Monday, when Steve Downie and Jared Ross were sent to the Phantoms. Well...Duh. Neither did much of anything yet this season.

With Wednesday's game a little more than 24 hours away, you'd think a little bit more action and rumors would be generated behind the scenes, but the best that can be dug up at the moment is that Andreas Nodl will get the call to the Big Show.

That infusion of unproven youth will do little to change the chemistry of a club which is still in search of a win. Oddly enough, the radio broadcast on Saturday praised what they termed a full 60-plus-minute minute effort - which is news even to anyone listening to the game. Anyone who saw the game can deduce that Antero Niittymaki was the sole hero, and well, just look at the stats.

Four days off before facing the same club again with the home crowd won't be enough to really turn things around, win or not. Besides, didn't I see a quote on Tuesday from Stevens saying that getting away from home was going to be just the thing to correct the slide?

It's amazing he still has full faith of the front office when the numbers ultimately don't add up. It's like Stevens is stuck on long division, when everyone else has graduated to calculus. I mean, there are reports that the club doesn't really have a sense of urgency because it's only October.

THAT - if anything else - points to a primary lack of ability on Stevens' part as well as the coaching staff. Again, you can use the argument of "they're professionals, they shouldn't have to be prodded at this level," but, OK then, what's the need for head coaches by that logic? Former head coaches Mike Keenan and Ken Hitchcock are master motivators, who knew that when X's and O's failed, a twist in psychology can provide a necessary boost on a team or one-on-one level.
God forbid, all 19,750 fans on Wednesday would - gasp - BOO the home team for an effort that does not equate with a victory. The Flyers just can't have that, although the league dictates that 41 of 82 games must be played on home ice. Mere effort now is not a thing that should be rewarded.

What Panaccio, Ed Moran, Wayne Fish and others keep quoting is that the 1999-2000 club started the year 0-5-1 before reversing field. That team won the Atlantic and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals where...well...you know...

BUT - that team at various points had the likes of Lindros, LeClair, Desjardins, Recchi, McGillis, Primeau, Tocchet, Berube, Vanbiesbrouck et al, coached by Roger Neilson and shephered by Craig Ramsay. In other words, veterans who knew how and when to take it upon themselves to maybe move away from the rigid system in place and go on emotion and instinct.

This Stevens-led club is a batch of kids with some veteran spice, one which is too solidly entrenched in the dump-and-chase, defense-first mentality that does not seem to permit adjustments or a way to rally once the team is behind. In other words, unless the coaching staff recognizes how and when to adjust, their skaters will be stuck in the same endless pattern.

Which leads back to the question of when exactly will the Flyers win a game?

This week there are three chances, none of which are cakewalks. Tomorrow, all San Jose has to do is circle the net like Saturday and the Flyers might not be able to stop them. Then comes back-to-back, home-and-road games with the Devils on Friday and Saturday.

New Jersey still has this way of choking off any offensive flow and capitalizing on mistakes, and can easily win 1-0 or 2-1 both nights. The systems which Brent Sutter and Stevens employ are eerily similar, but my money's on the Horned Ones because they always seem to bring that little bit extra most times.

After that, it's a matchup in Atlanta on October 28 against the Thrashers - whom Philly has beaten 10 times in a row and 14 of 16. There might be a bit of symmetry because Stevens' first win behind the bench two years ago was a 3-2 shootout decision over Atlanta.

Whatever happens, the Flyers need more, or any production from the following: Scottie Upshall (2 assists, 5 games); Scott Hartnell (1 goal, 5 games); Joffrey Lupul (0 points, 5 games). In addition, Asham and Metropolit must bring something more than fists and energy on the fourth line.

Even then, they need several of those guys besides the top line and Carter/Richards (combined 6 goals and 8 points) to contribute to out-hustle and outscore the opposition. Thus far, it's been feast or famine. That seems to be a tall order at this juncture.

Just in case you were wondering, according to FOX 29, it's only 1 day, 6 hours, 26 minutes until coverage of Game 1 of the World series begins.