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Philadelphia Flyers


angryjay93

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Philadelphia Flyers


Team Overview: Although lacking an elite super star and a solid #1 defenseman, the Flyers do have some very nice pieces in place to construct a solid line that can take on a couple different looks. These two different looks include a solid offensive approach where elite shooters such as Eric Lindros and Mark Recchi make defenses respect all areas of the ice. The other is an approach built on the speed and checking of Pelle Eklund and Kevin Dineen. The user must recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and evaluate the matchup at hand in order to determine the appropriate line combination.


Forwards: The forward unit is where the identity of the Flyers will be made, their defense has only one option, which makes constructing the forward line all the more important. There are 4 useful forwards; Recchi, Eklund, Lindros, and Dineen. The first two are mainstays and should be included in any line combination, picking one of the last 2 is where the true identity of the team is made.

Balanced Attack:
Lindros-Recchi-Eklund

Eric Lindros: 12 weight, 4/3 skating, 4/6 shot, 4 sth & pass, 4/4 aware, Shoots: R

This is the slower of the two lines I will recommend, it is very tempting to insert Lindros in the middle because of his 4/6 shot being among the elite in the game. Doing so though, would put the Flyers in a very precarious spot in terms of team speed and defense. At 4 agi/ 3 spd and 11 weight, Lindros is very slow and rather sluggish to handle, not only is he a liability defensively, he has issues dancing through traffic due to his handling and weight. He will be more useful on his off wing, he is an effective passer and stickhandler, also he can use his 4/6 shot to shoot accurate slap shot bombs from just inside the blueline.

Mark Recchi: 6 weight, 5/4 skating, 4/5 shot, 4 sth & pass, 5/3 aware, Shoots: L

Recchi is just on the outside looking in of the truly elite 94 players. At 6 weight, Recchi is the ideal center package, he has 5 o aware, so he will make a home in the slot to unleash his dangerous 4/5 shot via the one timer. He is also a slick enough skater at 5/4 to be a very dangerous 1 on 1 slasher through the middle of the ice. He can turn on a dime and is light enough to withstand checks from all but the most elite checkers. Another great thing about Recchi is that he has 4 passing ability, if the defense focuses too much on Recchi, he can make a deft pass over to Lindros who can then one time one of his own lethal shots at the net which creates a very solid 1-2 punch up front.

Pelle Eklund: 5 weight, 5/4 skating, 3/3 shot, 4 sth & pass, 4/3 aware, Shoots: L

Eklund is the defensive specialist of the line, but lets not undersell his ability to play a role on offense. He is also a nimble skater at 5/4, and with his 5 weight, he can run down and effectively check many of the top snipers in the game. He is also a great forechecker, Recchi is no slouch on defense, this allows Eklund to occasionally press the action in the offensive zone in an effort to lock down the other team behind their own blueline, creating turnovers with Eklund allows him to use his 4 passing to dish the puck to the open man. While only a 3/3 shooter, Eklund is not a complete liability when putting the puck on net, he can be counted on for some solid dekes.

This is the most balanced line possible, Lindros and Recchi provide two legitimate goal scorers to keep the defense on their toes. The defensive ability of Recchi in the middle and Eklund on the right can more than make up for Lindros’s short comings due to their light weight and skating skills.

Constant Pressure:
Eklund-Recchi-Dineen

Putting Eklund on his natural side makes him a much more effective player, he can now deke on his forehand to the short side, and he can also use his puck skills to drag the puck through the middle and pull of a sweet little floater to the far side. Also he can now use his more effective forehand pass to feed the puck to a left handed Recchi for quick, effective one-timers.

Kevin Dineen: 7 weight, 4/5 skating, 2/3 shot 3 sth & pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: R

Dineen has one attribute and one attribute only, his skating. A 4/5 skater, he has the ability to push the play on the wings and come back effectively on defense. Although at 7 weight, coupled with his meager puck skills, he is not a defensive stalwart nor an offensive weapon. The main draw to Dineen is that he keeps Lindros and his fat man self off the ice, if you can accept Dineen for what he is, then all the power to you.

With three plus skaters at weights of 5-6-7, this line can skate with any team in the league. The only problem is that it becomes more of a one man scoring situation with Recchi being the only respectable scorer. Depite that problem though, this is still a very effective line that can put constant pressure on the other team with their speed, by creating mistakes, easier scoring chances should be created where guys of lesser skill such as Dineen and Eklund can pot in the odd goal.

Other Options:

Rod Brind'Amour: 9 weight, 4/3 skating, 4/4 shot, 4 sth & pass, 4/4 awareness, Shoots: L

The Bod has a nice skill set here, and he can play center in a pinch if need be, but its hard to ask him to be a consistent contributor. Its really tough keeping up with the pace of a game with only 3 speed, its nearly impossible to do so while saddled down with 9 weight as well.

Andrei Lomakin: 7 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/3 shot, 3 sth, 4 pass, 3/2 aware, Shoots: L

A bit easier to handle and with more of an offensive nose, Lomakin could make a nice addition to the forward unit in Philly since he's a role player as opposed to being the superstar in Florida.

Keith Acton: 4 weight, 2/2 skating, 3/2 shot, 3 sth & pass, 2/4 aware, Shoots: L

If in desperate need of weight bug whoring, look no further then "Tough Acton Tinactin." He'll eliminate the opposing team and Philly's offensive output.

Forward Rating: (7/10)

Defense: A ho-hum group of defenseman reside in Philly, even the top two options provide nothing elite to the table, all that can be asked for is a steady performance that doesn’t drown the team.

Yushkevich-Hawgood

Dmitri Yushkevich: 7 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/1 shot, 3 sth & pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: L

Greg Hawgood: 7 weight, 4/3 skating, 3/2 shot, 3 sth & pass, 3/3 aware, Shoots: L

These two are nearly identical players, both are 4/3 skaters with a 3 shot power, 3 stick handle and 3 passing. The only noticable difference is Yushkevich’s 4 d aware, which makes him the better option at left defense since both players are left handed. Neither is an offensive force, so there is no point in pushing the action with them in the offensive zone. In fact, they need to be kept as defensive minded as possible since both have mediocre speed, they will be unable to effectively chase down the faster players in the league.

Other Options:

Gord Hynes: 4 weight, 2/2 skating, 1/2 shot, 2 sth & pass, 2/2 aware, Shoots: L

Gord Hynes provides a flyweight option that can lay the lumber, but his 2/2 skating leaves a slow blueline even more susceptible to the breakaway chance.

Gary Galley: 7 weight, 2/2 skating, 2/1 shot, 3 sth & pass, 3/4 aware, Shoots: L

It's tough to recommend Galley with him being such a slug. But he does have some decent passing and awareness skills. Hopefully he stays home and puts them to use, but don't plan on it and hope he stays glued to the bench once you sub him out.

Defense Rating: (4/10)

Goalie Zone:

Tommy Soderstrom: 3 weight, 4/4 skating, 4 puck control, 3/4/3/4 save, Catches: L

Tommy Soderstrom is a solid goalie, but at 3 weight, he is vulnerable to the goal ram tactic, the flip side of this though, is that at 4/4 skating, he can fly around the crease and close the door on one timers and be an effective manual goalie.

Dominic Roussel: 6 weight, 3/3 skating, 3 puck control, 3/3/2/2 save, Catches: L

Every once in a while someone gets the bright idea that they can use Roussel in a time share in the GDL. I speak from personal experience here, don't be that guy with the bright idea. The only bright thing will be the red light behind Roussel.

Goalie Rating: (7/10)

The Final Word: While not an elite team, the Flyers can really cobble together a couple of very solid forward lines. Between the forward line, Soderstrom in net, and a conservative approach with the blue line, this team is quite the sleeper option.

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So Brind'Amour is the odd man out in this one. I can understand; he's heavy, a bit slow and his stick handling could be a bit better. On the plus side, he's got good awareness, shot power and accuracy to fall back on. But that's just my opinon; despite some good checking, his weight is a setback. =P

I'll await the next team. :P

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Good stuff!

Weight Bug Fix follow up:

Forwards:

Lindros is a force in Blitz, due to his incredible 12/5* checking (second only only kjell samuelsson's 14/4). He may be slow, but using the C boost to catch up from behind the play, he can mow down anyone in his way, destroying passing options before homing in on the puck carrier.

Recchi, though he can't hit, is still a great player.

Brind'amour becomes a serious option with his 9/3 checking and 4/4 shot, but due to his slow speed, you may choose to go with Eklund or Dineen.

Defense:

Yuskevich and Hawgood are still your best bets, but if you really need some toughness, opt for Terry Carkner and his 10/3 checking, leaving Hawgood on the bench.

* checking effective in the weight bug fix is calculated as (6*wgt + 10*chk - 13)/8, giving lindros a 13.625 checking ability. ability to take a check is based solely on weight.

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Good stuff!

Weight Bug Fix follow up:

Forwards:

Lindros is a force in Blitz, due to his incredible 12/5* checking (second only only kjell samuelsson's 14/4). He may be slow, but using the C boost to catch up from behind the play, he can mow down anyone in his way, destroying passing options before homing in on the puck carrier.

Recchi, though he can't hit, is still a great player.

Brind'amour becomes a serious option with his 9/3 checking and 4/4 shot, but due to his slow speed, you may choose to go with Eklund or Dineen.

Defense:

Yuskevich and Hawgood are still your best bets, but if you really need some toughness, opt for Terry Carkner and his 10/3 checking, leaving Hawgood on the bench.

* checking effective in the weight bug fix is calculated as (6*wgt + 10*chk - 13)/8, giving lindros a 13.625 checking ability. ability to take a check is based solely on weight.

Yeah, with Brind'Amour I made 71 points in the season and Houlanov could tell you of Recchi's usefulness, so here we go.

I think smoz should make a follow-up to AJ's suggestions with every team he posts.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Totally agree with you about Eklund and where to make him most effective

The disadvantage I think with putting a lefty player on the right wing(or a righty on the LW) is you minimize his deking ability, unless you are particular skilled at fallaway floaters, like you mentioned. Sandstrom is awesome on the right wing with his right shoulder facing the net because he is a tremendous shooter and can hit the tight angle shots or narrow windows. But can you find the spacing on the ice to nail the shot without a defender hitting you ? That's the challenge and also getting the shot off before the opposing manual goalie activates. I think the question of whether to put a player on RW or LW comes down to agility and shot power. If the player doesn't have a great shot but has great agility, like Lafontaine or in this case Eklund, put him at the wing that matches his handedness. This way you maximize a players deke capabilities, because floater shots are not high percentage in my book.

My 2 cents

Edited by marcusmaximus
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Again, another team I'm a fan of in '94.

The "Constant Pressure" line is what I would typically use, though the 1 player who can be solid if someone is having a bad game is Lomakin. I've had games where a line of Lomakin-Eklund-Dineen/Recchi were crazy. It's rare I would put Lindros in, and I will almost never use Brind Amour.

On defense, I think it's almost a given to take Galley out (one of the worst starters in the game). Hawgood is the standard replacement, but don't underestimate Gord Hynes (also on Florida in Gens)! Well, at least for the non-adjusted ROM he's a beast with checking.

-Evan

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  • 3 weeks later...
The "Constant Pressure" line is what I would typically use, though the 1 player who can be solid if someone is having a bad game is Lomakin. I've had games where a line of Lomakin-Eklund-Dineen/Recchi were crazy. It's rare I would put Lindros in, and I will almost never use Brind Amour.

-Evan

I gotta agree with you that Lomakin can be a pretty nifty player he can do a little bit of everything and the opponent will usually underestimate him since he isn't a big name player.

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  • 5 years later...

C-B Notes

Forwards

Philly will still rely strongly on their tenacity to pressure the opponent into mistakes. By throwing an improved Lindros into the fray, the Flyers can be a tougher team to defend in transition and offensive zone cycles.

New Line Combo: Eklund-Lindros-Recchi

Eric Lindros: The Big E has transformed himself into a C-B checking monster...possibly almost too much so. At 12 weight Lindros can really lay the smack down and his 4 agility will allow him to do some more damage than possibly expected. Offensively he will still have a tough time getting things rolling but he may now be better suited to man the middle of the ice then he was previously. Philly has the puck carriers on the wing needed to have Lindros be a major one-time threat in the slot.

Mark Recchi: Thankfully for players who employ a 1 man show type of strategy, Recchi still has enough versatility to man the middle and do plenty of damage. One-timer and puck possession type players are also heaping praise on Recchi as he is a fantastic option on the wing where can dish the puck off to a revitalized Lindros.

Pelle Eklund: Regardless of his small stature, Eklund is still a critical weight bug player for the Flyers as his skill set is perfectly suited on the wing where he can use his slick skating in the open space to help avoid the more physically capable players in the league. Being aggressive will still be the key to unlocking Eklunds full potential as there may be more guys he can body with a vicious check.

Kevin Dineen: The big loser among the forwards is likely Dineen as he now loses his one main advantage of being able to skate around the poke checks of slower and heavier defenseman. Dineen does not have the skills when he has the puck to make up for the fact that he is now more vulnerable. Lindros and to even some extent Brind'Amour now have reason to claim higher spots on the depth chart due to their new found versatility and skill set superiority.

Rob Brind'Amour: For many years Rod never had a spot in the Philly lineup due to a lack of skating and the fact that most everyone else on the team did something far better than he could. That time is over as The Bod can now be a bit of a compromise between Recchi and Lindros in the middle. Brind'Amour is a better deke option and doesn't come with the hefty price tag of Lindros in the weight department. This extra bit of mobility and check resistance to players in the 8-10 weight range can prove to be quite the boon for the Flyers. Brind'Amour can also be pressed into wing duties provided that Lindros is on the bench as two 3 speed forwards paired with a slow blue line could be too much to overcome.

Andrei Lomakin: Not too much changes here, Lomakin is still a heady offensive player who provides good depth if injuries or penalties arise.

Keith Acton: Aside from being a part of an all weight bug line, Acton has essentially lost all viability as he is too slow and unskilled to truly take advantage of his opponent.

Defense

Dmitri Yushkevich and Greg Hawgood: No big changes for this duo as whatever advantage they gain against lighter players is given right back to the heavier players they will be up against. There are even fewer reasons to use either of these players as leaders in an offensive charge.

Gord Hynes: Still a beast without the puck but even more of a kitten with it. Attempt to move the puck quickly whenever possible with Hynes as he is just a sitting duck.

Gary Galley: Galley should still be subbed out before every game as everyone listed above is a superior option. Galley should be involved in the PK rotation as the options below him are truly dreadful.

Ric Nattress: 10 weight, 2/2 speed, 2/3 shot. 2/2 sth and pass 3/3 aware, Shoots R

Typically I suggest keeping defenders on their natural side but its really hard to do so in this instance. Nattress is the best right handed option and his weight does put a new wrinkle into the Flyer defense as he does have C-B check versatility. In the end its best to stick with Lindros or Brind'Amour as the C-B option as Nattress skating is just too poor and he will be exposed in almost every matchup he comes across.

Bottom Line

Philly does pick up some welcomed offensive options as the Flyers are blessed with some highly skilled heavyweight forwards. Their ability to create matchup problems is handicapped by one of the most vanilla defensive corps in the league. The concessions made on defense largely negate the offensive gains being realized thus leaving the Flyers much in the same competitive situation as they were before.

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Nice write up. I find that when Philly is used more like a Plabax style team, more of the lighter, agile players using the piss out of the B check button, they become a very effective unit.

When you put Lindros in there w/ this team's BLAH defense, it's a bad combo.

I've used Lindros at times effectively, but to get Philly in the top 15 to me, you still play with him on the bench.

That said, whenever I play Philly, I HAVE to use Lindros, cause I'm sick in the head :)

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Nice write up. I find that when Philly is used more like a Plabax style team, more of the lighter, agile players using the piss out of the B check button, they become a very effective unit.

When you put Lindros in there w/ this team's BLAH defense, it's a bad combo.

I've used Lindros at times effectively, but to get Philly in the top 15 to me, you still play with him on the bench.

That said, whenever I play Philly, I HAVE to use Lindros, cause I'm sick in the head :)

Perfect post lol B)

The truth.

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AJ are these write ups applicable to SNES as well? Great stuff

No, these write ups are not directly applicable to SNES but there a couple of good rules of thumb to go by when translating to SNES use.

In my original posts if I said a guy was heavy and skilled it means hes difficult to use in GENS but probably a fine choice as a Center or Defender in SNES. If a guy is light and skilled then they probably have some flexibility in SNES and can be placed in a spot where their speed and particular skills suit them best. If a guy is light but unskilled, then he probably wont deserve much run for SNES lineups despite being a option in GENS.

With the CB notes I think it brings things closer to SNES but there are still some issues such as heavier guys in GENS now have checking power but they will still drop to a light weight player who connects with a hit. In SNES the heavier guys don't need to be concerned as much with the lighter guys unless they have a full head of steam. The light and unskilled players get hurt the most in GENS and are now more closely related to their SNES brethren than before.

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  • 3 years later...

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