

When it’s the third line though, it provides an incredible level of scoring depth that is hard for other squads to match up against. “If your top line is scoring at that rate, then your team will be very difficult to stop. Since last Tuesday, the trio has produced five goals and 13 points. The line makes sense when you look at it, and they’ve been nearly impossible to stop over the last three contests.

“He (Craig Berube) seems to be onto something with the combo of Sean Couturier, Steve Downie and Matt Read. Since Downie and his minuscule 17 points with the Flyers this year are so pivotal to the team’s win-loss column, what gives? The value of Steve Downie can be seen in his role with players such as Sean Couturier and Matt Read. He’s one of those guys that has the patience to take a second and make sure the other guy is open and then he makes the good pass to him.” The Mentor Sean Couturier’s numbers appear to be a direct correlation with the value of Steve Downie. Like he did on that first goal there, not everybody can make those plays. “The media says he does these big hits and stuff like that, but he’s definitely much more. “He’s a really good hockey player,” said Vincent Lecavalier after defeating Buffalo back in November. 5th in the fashion of a goal against the Washington Capitals, Philly was on an 8-2-1 run before the right winger suffered an upper-body injury against St.

And despite Downie last recording a point on Mar. Further proof lies within his seven-game absence a span that has resulted in a 1-4-2 record for the Flyers. Since the Flyers win 62 percent of the time when Downie is on the ice and active, his lack of scoring can be immediately dispensed. With Downie, the orange and black are an impressive 31-13-5 without the rough and tough Downie, Philly is a daunting 8-16-4. Consider the team’s overall record with and without Downie. After all, Talbot has given the playoff bound Colorado Avalanche 23 points in 65 games.Īlthough Downie has not been as reliable in point production, or health for that matter, his effect on the Flyers has been felt much deeper than Talbot’s. His three goals and 14 assists, along with a negative-one rating, could lead one to believe the Flyers came out on the losing side of the trade involving he and Max Talbot. In 49 games with the Flyers this season, it’s safe to declare that Steve Downie is not in the Hart Trophy discussion. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports) Numbers Can Be Deceiving The value of Steve Downie can be measured in the Flyers’ 31-13-5 record with him in the lineup. But determining Downie’s worth goes beyond personal accolades, which makes him a bigger piece of the puzzle than meets the eye. The 27-year-old unrestricted free-agent-to-be would be given his second farewell from the team that drafted him in the 1st round in 2005, and both parties would move on. If personal stats determine the value of Steve Downie to the Flyers, it’s an open and shut case.
