FLYERS: Voracek can be difference maker
VOORHEES - Flyers’ captain Claude Giroux took the puck in Tuesday morning’s breakout drill.
Instantaneously, the legs of the skater on the left-hand side of the ice started to churn. Giroux hit Wayne Simmonds with a quick pass from the defensive zone as those legs pumped harder.
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Simmonds quickly found Jake Voracek, the man who gains steam through middle ice in a way only he can.
With his torso seemingly horizontal to the ice on that looping turn, Voracek burst up the ice. He scored with ease, skated back to the red line and pirouetted aback the line with a smile on his face.
“It’s the playoffs,” the 26-year-old Czech winger said after the practice session. “It’s the best time of the year.”
Voracek sounded loose, practiced sharp and looked like the player the Flyers need him to be to have a shot in the first round against the Washington Capitals.
“Jakey’s the same person, day-in, day-out,” Simmonds said. “Maybe he didn’t have the year he hoped for but Jakey’s a big-game player.
“When the chips are on the line, he shows up.”
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Voracek’s been on a bumpy ride since he inked an 8-year, $66 million contract last summer.
The right winger's scored just 11 goals – once on the power play – and battled a lower-body injury from late February into March that cost him nine games.
He refused any blame of his struggles on health with a fresh view of the postseason.
“The hands (were rusty) in the beginning when I got back,” Voracek admitted. “Now it’s playoff time. … There’s no reason for me not to make a difference in the first round.”
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Difference makers in orange will be necessary when the series opens Thursday night in Washington.
“We’re going to rely on Jake big time this year,” Brayden Schenn said. “He has to be one of our top guys and obviously he knows it. Our big guys gotta step up during the series in order to compete with Washington.”
Philadelphia must find success on the power play to pull the upset. The deep, talented Capitals ranked second in the NHL in power-play goals scored per game. The Flyers finished 22nd.
Proficiency on special teams won’t be easy. Washington possessed the league’s second-best penalty kill percentage at 85.2. Philadelphia ranked 11th in power-play conversion at an 18.9 clip.
Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere’s presence with the man-advantage sparked the team’s playoff run.
Once the secret got out, foes paid attention to the 22-year-old’s point shot. Gostisbehere registered four power-play points in the season’s final 27 games.
“Obviously teams keyed on (Gostisbehere) but when you key on one player you open something else up,” Simmonds said. “We like to think we have more than one option. If they try to take one away, we have other options.”
Voracek must again prove himself a dangerous one.
“I think the last two, three games of the season, I think we’ve been pretty good,” he said of the unit. “We moved the puck very well and even if we didn’t score I think we know what we want from each other and (that’s) really important. … We’ve just gotta make sure we go and execute some plays.”
One of those plays is the set up to the right side where Voracek waits to pick a corner after attention’s paid to Giroux and Gostisbehere. That shot can help even the scales against the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
“I think he’s proved it in the past,” Giroux said. “When we needed a big goal or a big play, he’s always there.”
Simmonds echoed the sentiment.
“I think he’ll break out in the playoffs here for sure,” he said. “We’re not worried about him in here. Not one bit.”
Teammates have faith in Voracek. All that’s left from the regular season is strategic memory.
“I think we played them well during the season,” Voracek said. “If we can play them the same way, we have a chance. Obviously it’s going to be a battle like every other series but this is why you play hockey.
“You remember some stuff. You remember how they kill. You remember how they defend.”
The Flyers must hope Voracek can also recall his potency with the puck, that feverish speed up ice and maybe even the pirouette to boot.
Mark Trible; (856) 486-2424; mtrible@gannettnj.com