defense

When the Montreal Canadiens signed Hal Gill three years ago, everyone was wondering where the defenseman would fit into the line-up. He was big, he was slow, and he came into the organization at a time where it seemed as if the Habs had good depth on the back-end. Needless to say, the reaction wasn't entirely positive.

But over the course of the next two seasons, Gill would go on to prove everyone wrong. The road was often rocky, but the aging defenseman would often be a force to be reckoned with on the Canadiens' blue line, and definitely proved to be a valuable member of this team in more ways than one. While scoring goals a...

The All-Star break is an exciting time of year for an NHL hockey player. Whether they are playing in the game or watching from home, the weeklong break is a welcome vacation from the marathon that is the NHL season.

For those involved, the event is a tangible example of their achievements and acknowledges a job well done.

For those who don’t take part in the game, the weeklong break is a time to re-charge their batteries in preparation for the stretch run towards the end of the season.

Some players will spend their time catching up with family or friends. Some will go on vacation, play some golf or maybe visit their hometown.

Hopefully, Philadelphia Flyers rookie defensemen Marc-Andre Bourdon will spend some of his time going over game film.

It doesn’t look good.

When a 4-1 final flashes on the screen, it’s evident that something went wrong.

Especially when it comes to the Philadelphia Flyers.

In recent weeks, the goaltending and defense have come under a great deal of scrutiny. At first glance, it appears as though that was the case on Thursday night.

However, the Flyers inability to gain two points wasn’t the fault of their goalie or their defense.

Focused primarily in the offensive zone, the team failed to adequately backcheck and as a result allowed the Islanders to generate offensive attacks in transition.

While the Philadelphia Flyers have a successful record halfway through the season, there are still things that need to be improved upon down the stretch -- namely, defense.

The Flyers are 26-13-4 heading into their 43rd game of the season. They have the offensive depth it takes to make them Stanley Cup contenders, but a team needs to be balanced throughout the entire roster to go all the way.

The struggles of Ilya Bryzgalov in net for the Flyers has been highly publicized.

He is not playing at the level expected of him.

However, the 128 goals allowed by the Flyers so far this season have not all been Bryzgalov’s responsibility. The defense has struggled, and struggled mightily in some cases.