When the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Steve Downie from the Colorado Avalanche on October 31, he added an immediate and badly needed spark to the club's lineup. On Sunday, however, Downie was a healthy scratch because of his recent ineffective play.
In his first 19 games with Philadelphia, Downie was very effective. He scored two goals and added 10 assists while making the third line of himself, Matt Read and Sean Couturier the most productive unit on the team. It didn't just produce points, but it was a solid defensive and checking unit that was able to get under the skin of opponents. In their first dozen games together, they combined for 12 goals.
But in recent weeks, while the rest of the Flyers offense has perked up, Downie's play has slumped. He failed to register in point in his past nine games. In addition, his usual spirited play fell off, and his value as a grinder and defensive forward was also reduced.
Coach Craig Berube explained his decision to bench Downie to Frank Seravalli of the Philadelphia Daily News. "I think Steve's intensity level isn't high enough on a shift-to-shift basis," Berube said. "I th ...
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Article written by Brad Kurtzberg
What’s Wrong with Philadelphia Flyers RW Steve Downie?
January 13th, 2014 by Brad Kurtzberg Leave a reply »
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