Jones, a lead analyst for nationally televised games on TNT and locally for Flyers broadcasts on NBC Sports Philadelphia, said on the "NHL @TheRink" podcast for this week that the Flyers' 3.35 goals-against per game entering Wednesday, 26th in the League, can be attributed to Ellis not being available for 19 of their 24 games because of injuries.
The Flyers have lost 10 straight games (0-8-2) after a 3-0 loss at the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
"It's killing them," Jones said of Ellis' absence. "The Matt Niskanen effect all over again. The replacement for Matt Niskanen arrived a year later. They struggled without him last year. One of the strengths of Niskanen's game was that he made Ivan Provorov into a No. 1 defenseman. Most No. 1's make other players better and allow them to elevate into a two-role or a three; for 'Provy', he's needed the help of veteran defensemen and Niskanen gave him great insulation when he was here. Ellis was brought in to do the same. It started off and it looked like that was going to be the positive effect the Flyers were looking for. Missing Ellis has been the No. 1 issue for this team."
Jones also touched on the reasons why he believes Bruce Boudreau will turn the Vancouver Canucks around this season.
Boudreau replaced Travis Green as coach Sunday. The Canucks won 4-0 against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday and defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 in a shootout Wednesday.
"I think Bruce is the right guy for the job because he has a proven track record with talented players, top six forwards that have produced when he's been behind the bench," Jones said. "I think it's the fact that he really can get his message through to the players in a way that they understand it, in a way that alleviates some of the pressure that they may be feeling. He has done a really good job with a positive attitude of getting players to play to their potential, and Vancouver has got a lot of guys that were not playing to their potential."
Co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke also gave their opinions on the Flyers and Canucks, and debated the merits of the New York Rangers' seven-game winning streak.
They also discussed where Chicago Blackhawks goalie Marc-Andre Fleury ranks among the best all time at the position with him one win away from joining Martin Brodeur (691) and Patrick Roy (551) as the only members of the NHL 500-win club.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
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