Philadelphia Flyers' Power Play Futility Fuels Buffalo Sabres' Aggressiveness

Anyone who has watched the Philadelphia Flyers-Buffalo Sabres playoff series, or the last two months of the regular season for that matter, knows that the Flyers' power play is struggling mightily.

They have scored just twice in 21 opportunities during the first round and what’s more disconcerting than the 9.5 percent success rate is the fact that they have generated very few scoring chances outside of those goals.

Some have blamed it on Chris Pronger being out of the lineup, and while his absence certainly isn’t helping matters, the Flyers were only 4-for-35 on the power play in his last 10 games before the injury.  

Given the fact that the Flyers actually generate more scoring chances when are shorthanded, it appears that the entire team is suffering from a colossal lack of confidence on the power play with no end in sight.

And Buffalo is taking full advantage of it.

Generating offense is only one reason that an effective power play is important in the NHL playoffs. Equally as important is establishing a fear of taking penalties.

Teams tend to play more conservatively against opponents with good power plays which, consequently, gives their even strength offense more room to maneuver. The dividends from a successful man advantage compound exponentially and it can be a huge factor toward victory in a playoff series.

Conversely, the Flyers' lack of power play success has allowed Buffalo to play an ultra aggressive style since they have no concerns that the Flyers will capitalize on their opportunities. They feel free to hit and hold before, during, and after the whistle because there are no ramifications.

Of course, the referees are playing a huge part in this situation as they continue give the Sabres increased latitude. I have long thought that the Flyers are held to a different standard when it comes to aggressive play and this series has done nothing to diminish that belief.

Don’t get me wrong, the refs often make horrible calls for both sides and most of them, such as stick infractions, tend to even out over time. However, the roughing, holding and interference that occur in front of the net are a completely different story.

In Game 4 alone you saw Mike Weber and Ryan Miller punch, grab and hold Dan Carcillo, who did not retaliate, only to see off-setting minors called.

Then there were the late game antics of Tyler Myers, who cross checked Daniel Briere to the ice three seconds after the whistle and then dropped his gloves in an attempt to throw punch at Mike Richards who was facedown on the ice. The referees decided that there were no infractions on the play.

These types of situations put the Flyers in a tough position because they know they can’t defend themselves without going to the penalty box.

Richards received five-minute major penalty for elbowing Patrick Kaleta at the end of the second period as Kaleta was skating toward him. Just two days prior, Chris Kunitz deliberately elbowed an unsuspecting and previously concussed Simon Gagne yet only received a minor penalty.

Kunitz was suspended by the league for one game, but that is just another example of how the referees set the in-game tolerance bar lower for the Flyers than other teams.

All of that said, until the Flyers power play begins to produce and/or the referees start calling it evenly for both teams, Buffalo will continue to be more and more aggressive in this series. Of course, the Flyers can only control their production, but if things don’t change soon they could be packing their lockers on Easter.  

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