Flyers: Tuesday nigh
in Residenz des Hokage 17.08.2018 07:50von elaine95 • Sannin | 618 Beiträge
Miami Dolphins players wonder whether Kris Kocurek's voice will give out Youth Justin Jones Jersey , and perhaps they wish it would.
Kocurek is in his first year as the defensive line coach, and he operates with high expectations at high energy and volume.
"I've got to watch where I stand on the field with him," defensive coordinator Matt Burke said following Thursday's practice. "Sometimes he's right there, and I get an earful. ... People think it's an act, and it's not. That's just who he is."
Not everything Kocurek shouts can be repeated, but the thrust is he's trying to turn around a unit that underachieved last year when the Dolphins went 6-10.
"I'll just say this: I have a passion for d-line play," said Kocurek, with a rasp.
Coach Adam Gase lured Kocurek out of Detroit, where he had been the Lion' defensive line coach. Kocurek joined the Dolphins shortly before five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh departed, but Gase still believes his front four will be better this year.
"Kris has done a really good job of getting to those guys," Gase said. "They bring it. How they pursue the ball, get back to the line of scrimmage, go to the next play 鈥?there's a lot of energy exerted on one play, and they just move on to the next one. He has developed them. That's a tough group. They're really trending in the right direction."
While Kocurek can be hard on his players Vikings Brian O'Neill Jersey , he also knows how hard the game can be. The 39-year-old Texas native played at Texas Tech, and after he was drafted in the seventh round, his NFL career lasted one game and four snaps 鈥?for Tennessee in 2001.
"It was a goal-line situation," he said. "They stuck me in there, and I just tried to get as low as I could. We actually held them out of there."
After a fifth shoulder operation ended his career, he turned to coaching and reached the NFL as a Lions assistant in 2009. When Detroit coach Jim Caldwell was fired in January, Kocurek came to Miami.
"I had the same office for nine years, and all of a sudden you get thrown into a little bit different environment," he said. "But it has been great. I look forward to cranking my truck in the morning and getting to work as fast as I can."
He's working with perhaps the team's deepest unit. While Suh is gone, Miami acquired two-time Pro Bowl end Robert Quinn. Holdovers include ends Cameron Wake, Andre Branch and Charles Harris, and tackles Jordan Phillips, Vincent Taylor and Davon Godchaux.
Kocurek yells at all of them.
"He's high energy," Branch said Odell Beckham Jr Jersey Youth , "so you have no choice but to be high energy."
Burke said Kocurek's passionate approach is a good match for the area he coaches.
"People might get mad at me for saying this: I think the bigger you get, the more motivated you've got to get from somebody externally," Burke said. "With that group, it takes a little extra yelling and pushing."
Wake, for one, loves Kocurek's approach.
"He's a guy that's old school, hard-nosed," Wake said. "He's demanding. He doesn't bite he tongue. He tells you how it is. ... I love it. It's a man's game and there is no room for softness, especially the d-line. This is not quarterbacks, this is not receivers."
But will Kocurek's voice make it through training camp?
"No," Wake said. "It has already taken a hit. He's going to have to get some tea or some honey."
Wayne Simmonds just had to tap the puck over the blue line but couldn’t. Then Andrew MacDonald fanned on a clearance.
Patrice Bergeron pounced on the extra chances, tying it for the Boston Bruins with 3.8 seconds left and leaving the Philadelphia Flyers stunned.
It took Jakub Voracek’s pep talk and Claude Giroux’s acrobatics to finally give Philadelphia a crucial win.
Giroux scored his second goal with 1:21 left in overtime and the Flyers recovered for a 4-3 victory over Boston on Sunday to inch closer to returning to the playoffs after a year absence.
”The play at the end of the game is a play that can’t happen. We all know that,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said of the stick-handling mishaps. ”Take that puck and just push it out to the neutral zone.”
Dazed ahead of OT, Voracek implored his teammates to stay focused. Voracek then sprung Giroux on a breakaway. The captain faked out goaltender Anton Khudobin by acting like he was going to take the puck through his legs Alexander Alexeyev Capitals Jersey , only to snap a backhander for his career-best 29th goal.
”I just thought I’d try that,” Giroux said, grinning.
Travis Konecny added a dazzling goal and an assist, Nolan Patrick also scored and Petr Mrazek made 36 saves for the Flyers. Philadelphia opened an eight-point lead over idle Florida, the last team that can overtake it for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference – the Flyers have three games left and the Panthers five.
Bergeron helped the ailing Bruins earn a point. With the goaltender pulled, Bergeron got his 30th goal on feed from Brad Marchand after the Flyers’ miscues.
”We didn’t have a ton of control, but we continued to stay on it,” Marchand said. ”Tried to force them to make plays, turn a couple of pucks over and it ended up in the net.”
Noel Acciari and David Pasrnak scored and Khudobin stopped 20 shots for the Bruins, who lost Brandon Carlo and Riley Nash to injuries a day earlier.
The Bruins welcomed Zdeno Chara back from an upper body injury a day after losing fellow defenseman Carlo to a possible serious leg injury, but they couldn’t complete a season sweep of Philadelphia.
”We got the point, but losing (stinks), Khudobin said.
Boston moved two points ahead of Tampa Bay atop the the Atlantic Division. The Lightning played later Sunday against Nashville.
A day after Vegas’ Willam Karlsson’s short-handed, between-the-legs goal was declared by many to be the NHL’s top goal this season Authentic Frank Ragnow Jersey , Konecny provided competition. His nifty stick work made it 2-0 just 25 seconds into the second period.
Konecny flicked the puck between two defenders along the boards, regained possession in the faceoff circle, went to his backhand to slip past a flailing Bergeron and then quickly switched back to his forehand and beat Khudobin from the slot for his 24th goal.
”I think it was just instinct. I reacted,” Konecny said. ”When it happens, you’re just in the moment.”
But it was Giroux, who has a career-high 95 points, that came up with the final and most important tricky stick work.
”I’ve seen some great highlight-reel goals throughout the year,” Hakstol said, ”but I don’t think I’ve seen a better one than that.”
NOTES: Bruins D Torey Krug said he was hit in the face by Patrick’s high stick just before Patrick’s goal made it 3-1. . Flyers G Alex Lyon was recalled on an emergency basis to back up Mrazek as Michal Neuvirth (lower body) was unavailable. No. 1 G Brian Elliott (abdominal surgery) practiced Saturday and could return this week. . Bruins D Charlie McAvoy (knee) skated before the game and could return Tuesday. . Marchand, who was named the NHL’s second star of March, took a penalty when he cross-checked Andrew MacDonald in the face late in the second period.
UP NEXT
Bruins: Tuesday night at Tampa Bay in the second matchup in six days of the East’s top two teams.
Flyers: Tuesday night at the New York Islanders in their final road game of the regular season.
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