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Philadelphia Flyers

Although loaded with some weapons and firepower on their front-end, a mediocre defensive corps holds the Philadelphia Flyers back from being among the elite teams in NHL 94. However, if a user can find ways to counteract Philadelphia’s lack of strong defensive coverage on the blue-line, the Flyers are a team that can do some moderate to serious damage in the hands of a skilled player.

Forwards

"The 'Real' Crazy Eights (8-88-[1+7=8])"

Recchi-Lindros-Brind’Amour

Although not previously recommend for GENS play, Rod Brind’Amour brings solid defense to the table with his above average defensive awareness and 212 lb. weight. In short, Brind’Amour’s size and checking (55) allows him to throw down effectively enough on the majority of opposing skaters while above average awareness (65) means that he will be in position to make these checks and hits more often than not. This leads to a greater number of opportunities for odd-man rushes, breakaways, and goals. It also doesn’t hurt that Brind’Amour possesses an above average shot (65/65) that will come into play offensively when Mark Recchi or Eric Lindros may not be open for a one timer.

There’s not much to say about Recchi and Lindros that hasn’t already been said before. Both are great shooters (Recchi: 65/85, Lindros: 65/100) who can score on one timers with relative ease as well as successfully bury the occasional slapshot. Recchi in particular brings a dynamic skating presence to this line with 85 Agility and 65 Speed that becomes crucial to pushing the pace of the offense in contrast to the slower nature of Lindros and Brind’Amour. The beauty of Recchi is that he is also very suitable at the center position due to his 85 offensive awareness and knack for setting up in the right positions in the offensive zone. This comes in handy if Lindros happens to get injured at the hands of one of the few heavyweights that can take him down at will. At 236 lbs., Lindros will not go down easily. This makes him a strong asset on the SNES as he will be able to withstand almost any punishment to dish off passes to a streaking Recchi or open Brind’Amour as well as set up practically anywhere in the offensive zone to bury one timer opportunities.

The only change to this line would possibly be putting Brind’Amour on the Left Wing to keep him on the ice during Penalty Kill situations. However, Recchi’s offensive talents are definitely appealing to coaches who still look for scoring chances while on the Penalty Kill. Overall, user preference applies in all situations as Recchi and Brind’Amour seem to run hot and cold on the SNES no matter which wing each player is placed on whether in even strength, Penalty Kill, or Power Play situations.

"Broad Street Speedies"

Recchi-Lindros-Dineen

Kevin Dineen is the fastest skater on the Flyers roster (85 speed). When pure speed is needed on the offensive attack, Dineen is the best bench option for slashing through the opposing defense and changing the look of the Flyers offense to more of a Quick Strike approach. Although mediocre shot ratings (45/55) can affect Dineen’s ability to finish on one timers, his speed will allow him to put away dekes just fine in most situations. Though lighter (196 lbs.) and less skilled at checking (45) than Rod Brind’Amour, Dineen’s speed can be a worthy trade-off against lighter weighted opponents.

Brind’Amour-Recchi-Dineen

Here we have the fastest line that Philadelphia can ice without producing an extreme disadvantage in terms of weight. Theoretically, moving Brind’Amour to his natural wing side should allow him to be more effective in putting away short side dekes. With Recchi at center, the loss is the iron-fisted defense and check absorption previously brought forth by Lindros. The gain is the ability for Recchi to utilize much more space, go 1 on 1 with defenders, and put his deking skills to great use. Clearly, Recchi is more effective than Lindros in this regard. Add this gain to Recchi’s already impressive shot/offensive awareness ratings and you have a forward that is easily among the most dynamic in the game and arguably the best player on the Flyers roster.

While possessing great agility and good speed, Pelle Eklund does not have a true signature trait that coaches can rely on. Though not weak in any area, Eklund doesn’t possess the shot (55/55) or defensive ratings (55 defensive awareness/55 checking) to really be very effective on either side of the ice. Worse yet, Eklund is lighter at 180 lbs. which limits his checking effectiveness but also makes him a liability as he could get knocked down and thrown around by some of the heavier players/teams in the league. Hence, he likely won’t see much action on the SNES except in cases of momentum shifting substitutions or injury replacements. Eklund is certainly not an awful player, but most coaches will probably fare better with Brind’Amour or Dineen first and foremost.

Defense

Yushkevich-Hawgood

Here is where things go south for Philadelphia in a hurry. Neither Dimitri Yushkevich nor Garry Galley possess the abilities of even a decent #2 defenseman on almost any given team. At 196 lbs. and with mediocre checking ratings (Galley: 55, Yushkevich: 45), neither defender brings an outstanding physical edge. Even worse, both defenders lack significant speed to consistently rush the puck out of the defensive zone with little to no fear of turnovers (Galley: 45 Agi/45 Spd, Yushkevich: 65 Agi/55 Spd). This can lead to rushed passes and/or turnovers if the opposing coach is utilizing a strong forecheck. The only plus is that both defenders have above average defensive awareness (Both 65) which may possibly save a goal or two from time to time, but certainly is not something that a coach can count on in contrast to other teams in the league due to low weight and low checking ratings.

In this instance, Greg Hawgood gets the nod over Galley to higher agility and speed ratings. Though Hawgood and Galley both posses a semi-similar skill set, Hawgood is consistently a faster skater in each game (65 Agi and 55 Spd). Thus, Hawgood is usually a better choice on D than Galley due to the ability to rush puck out of the zone and join the offensive attack somewhat more effectively. Although Hawgood’s defensive awareness (55) is lower than Galley’s, a coach will be facing an uphill battle anyways in terms of defense even with Galley in the lineup…the end result will still be that the user will have to use a lot of D control and go into each game knowing that the AI controlled defensemen will likely not be playing up to the coach’s standards. Thus, why not squeeze a little more offense out of the lineup if defense is going to be a problem anyways?

Summary

With such a lack of strong defensive ability on the blue-line, Philadelphia will need all the offense it can get, but must not overly force it; especially from its defensemen. A somewhat higher degree of patience must be exercised with the Flyers. Therefore, solid decision-making, passes, set-ups, and well executed shots will be the name of the game when using the Flyers. Overall, coaches will be best off utilizing the talents of the forwards to get things done offensively and should refrain from directly carrying the puck into the offensive zone with defenseman at most times. Rod Brind’Amour brings something of a greater defensive and physical edge than Kevin Dineen or Pelle Eklund. Eric Lindros can also contribute heavily on defense with his weight and 85 checking. This checking presence from both forwards is crucial for the Flyers considering their lack of such physicality on the blue-line. In the end, Lindros’ heavyweight status and offensive talents will be what carries the Flyers most of the time. Couple that with Mark Recchi’s elite shooting, passing, and skating and Brind’Amour’s defensive abilities/decent shooting and the Flyers can have enough to keep the team in contention against even the most elite teams despite a very mediocre defense.

Edited by Oilers442
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I've never really used this team, as I've always thought they kind of sucked. The defense is bad and forwards are kind of slow and plodding.

And yet, I've had a lot of trouble beating them when a capable coach is using them. Their forwards are TOUGH to take down and Lindros and Recchi are beasts with great shots.

Overall, kind of an average team for me, but a very tough team in the hands of the right coach.

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  • 8 months later...

This team is night & day in SNES to GENS due to the weight bug issues.

Eklund, Dineen & Hynes become must plays 95% of the time, with an occasional substitution of Lindros against certain teams or opponents.

I took over for them in B2 Classic, and it took me about a week to get used to them. Their spacing & movement is quite different than most teams, so once I got the hang of them, I noticed I gave some really strong players hard times or even losses with their "better" teams.

Given the slow goalie & bad defense in either format, you could see how it would take understanding of their "talents" to be effective with them, but because of their solid puck control & skating from their forwards with some hard/accurate shooters, I can now see how the right guy can do solid damage.

IF I ever get around to playing some SNES games, I definitely have to take up giving them a try.

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