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Time for Claude Giroux to step up

claudegirouxgetty

The numbers aren’t pretty for the Philadelphia Flyers. Three games. Three goals. Three losses.

As a result, head coach Peter Laviolette has been fired and replaced with Craig Berube. Criticism is also being heaped on general manager Paul Holmgren for the decisions he’s made, as well as owner Ed Snider for allowing Holmgren to keep making those decisions. And rightly so, since there’s no question management has made some major mistakes. (See: Bryzgalov, Ilya.)

But really -- and with all due respect to Berube, who we assume has some ideas on how turn the team around -- it’s the players who need to take the most responsibility for the way things have gone so far. Suffice to say, this is not a roster bereft of offensive ability.

That starts with the captain, Claude Giroux, who’s been held pointless in three games after receiving an eight-year, $66.2 million contract extension this summer.

Giroux isn’t alone among well-compensated Flyers forwards in searching for his first point. Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, and Scott Hartnell are in the same boat. However, that really shouldn’t be any solace. Pointless is still pointless. Shouldn’t matter if you have company, especially if you’re supposed to be the leader.

Yesterday in Carolina, the Flyers managed just three third-period shots despite trailing the Hurricanes by a goal after 40 minutes. Giroux finished the contest with just 18:06 of ice time. In his first game, he played 26:02. His second, 22:56.

Maybe Giroux is still feeling the effects of the tendon damage he suffered in his right hand while golfing this summer. And to be fair, he does have nine shots on goal, so perhaps there’s an element of bad luck in his failure to find the back of the net.

“No one’s got that confidence or that swagger right now to score some goals,” Flyer defenseman Luke Schenn said yesterday. “When you put the puck in the net, it makes everyone feel good around you. For whatever reason, we’ve had a hard time doing that.”

On the bright side, the Flyers have a great opportunity to get their first win, and score some goals, tomorrow with Florida in town. The Panthers, last year’s worst team in the NHL, were blown out, 7-0, in St. Louis on Saturday.