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Game 19, Preview and Open Thread: Into The Shark Tank, Philadelphia Flyers at San Jose Sharks
by Travis Hughes on Nov 20, 2009 9:05 PM EST
in 09-10 Game Threads
297 comments
Philadelphia Flyers (12-5-1, 25 pts) at San Jose Sharks (14-5-4, 32 pts)
HP Pavilion - 10:00 PM ET - San Jose, CA
TV: CSN Philly HD, NHL Network US HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Behind Enemy Lines: Fear The Fin, Battle of California
The Flyers continue one of the hardest stretches of their season tonight as their West Coast swing takes them into San Jose, California to take on the Sharks. As was the case on Thursday in Los Angeles, tonight's game will not be an easy task for the Flyers. San Jose boasts the league's best record and they're also without a regulation loss at home this season, going 6-0-2. They're also 6-1-3 in their last ten.
So why should we expect anything different than the 4-1 beating the Sharks put on our boys last month in Philadelphia? Well, for starters, Ray Emery is in goal tonight, and he's a much better goalie then the Sharks saw in Brian Boucher on October 25. Secondly, the Sharks faced a Flyers team that was struggling on defense at the time. In fact, Kimmo Timonen and Braydon were on the ice for all four SJ goals that night, which provides a nice little window in how they were playing at the time.
They've picked things up since then, and so have the Flyers overall. Since losing consecutive games to the Sharks and the Capitals two nights later in DC, the orange and black are 6-1, and they've scored two goals for every one allowed. They've shown in that stretch that they're the team we thought they were at the beginning of the season, with a prolific offense and a shutdown defense. Add in consistent goaltending and you've got a team that has a good shot at handing San Jose their first home loss of the season.
As for the Sharks, they're coming off a road trip in which they went 1-1-1. After losing their most recent game to Nashville on Tuesday night, San Jose has had plenty of time to rest and prepare their game plan for the Flyers. That's why it'll be important for our boys to set the tone early and get the Sharks off that plan.
San Jose has the second best offense in the league. They've scored 76 goals so far this season -- compared to the Flyers 65 -- but seemingly out of respect for the Flyers' D, coach Todd McLellan has opted to throw his three best scorers on one line tonight. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Dany Heatley will start the game for them tonight, and it'll likely be up to Chris Pronger and Matt Carle to stop them.
That could be the story line of the game right there. McLellan has said that he won't keep that line together if it means the other three have to struggle. But could you imagine seeing Pronger, who is HATED in San Jose, and Carle, who used to play for the Sharks, going head-to-head against a line all night that has a combined 834 NHL goals? I hope it happens.
After the jump, we've got a few questions to answer tonight, and of course another late night open thread. Join us, won't you?
297 comments | 0 recs |
Friday Morning Fly By: Road Trip Continues in San Jose
by Travis Hughes on Nov 20, 2009 11:11 AM EST
in Morning Fly By
23 comments
Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...
- Last night's NHL scores... CAR 6, TOR 5 (SO) - BOS 4, ATL 3 (SO) - OTT 6, PIT 2 - STL 3, PHX 2 - NSH 3, NJD 2 - CBJ 4, DAL 1 - CHI 7, CGY 1 - ANA 4, TBL 3 (OT)
- We're gearing up for tonight's showdown with West-leading San Jose with previews from the Inquirer, NHL.com, and San Jose Mercury News. Slim selection today...
- Ray Emery will be in net this evening.
- Out in San Jose, they won't get a chance to see every East Coast team. Thanks, NHL. [Mercury News]
- Get your Flyers and Sixers at recession buster prices. Someone tell them the recession is over... [Gormley]
- The Flyers defense has been good. [Daily News]
- Notably, Matt Carle has been good. The effects of The Pronger rear their head... [CSN]
- Jari Kurri runs things in Finland, and he likes Mika Pyorala's game. The word Olympics has been mentioned. [Bucks Co. Times]
- The Flyers are usually plagued with injuries, and while we haven't be exempt this season, it clearly hasn't been as bad as in recent years. Philadelphia ranks 20th in the league, on pace to lose 183 man games to injury this season. [From The Rink]
- There was another incidence last night where referees had to use their discretion on the "intent to blow the whistle" rule. I don't think it was as bad, nor as obvious, as the terrible call in the Stars/Wings game the other night, but this one was in OT, so it's clearly not good. It went against the Leafs, so we need a Toronto-based site to break this down. Just for laughs, if nothing else. [Pension Plan Puppets]
- Dallas' James Neal scrambles Derek Dorsett's eggs. Suspension worthy? [Kukla's]
- Scott Niedermayer tries to give a stick to a little girl, but two drunken idiots decide they want it more. Brawling ensues on live television. [Puck Daddy]
23 comments | 0 recs |
I'll just let that speak for itself...
1 day ago
Travis Hughes
5 comments
0 recs
Thursday Morning Fly By: Primeau speaks, Win a Boston trip
by Travis Hughes on Nov 19, 2009 11:32 AM EST
in Morning Fly By
21 comments
Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...
- Last night's NHL scores... Flyers 3, Kings 2 - FLA 6, BUF 2 - DAL 3, DET 1 - PHX 3, MIN 2 - EDM 6, COL 4
- Recaps of last night's/this morning's squeaker in LA from the AP, NHL.com, the Inquirer, Daily News, Bucks Co. Times, CSN Philly, the Kings (and much more at Kings Insider), FGSB, and Flying P.
- Several articles about Randy Jones playing the Flyers for the first time. [Inquirer] - [Daily News] - [CSN]
- Keith Primeau speaks on living life with head injuries. [Daily News]
- This story was posted by Geoff in the FanShots yesterday, but I wanted to put more of a spotlight on it here. Apparently, Metro Philadelphia thinks that Darroll Powe is a defenseman. I've reached out to the editor for comment, so hopefully we'll have more on this later. [Metro]
- The Phantoms won last night 2-0 over Toronto. Tim McManus: "How do you have a winning record (8-6-1-0) when you’ve scored just 34 times in 15 games? By only allowing 37" Johan Backlund has been great. [Post-Star]
- Adirondack has a game on Thanksgiving. Really, AHL? [Phantoms]
- The worst call all season. And I don't think this can be topped. From Wings-Stars last night... [Puck Daddy]
- CSN is giving away a trip to Boston for the Winter Classic. [CSN]
- I firmly believe the Flyers are contenders; they got better over the summer and they’re used to playing without Simon Gagne anyway. They had great special teams last year, and Chris Pronger has been playing at a Norris Trophy level so far this season. [Hockey Or Die]
- Become a fan of Broad Street Hockey on Facebook. [Facebook]
21 comments | 0 recs |
Pyorala Powers Flyers 3-2 Win Over Kings
by Ben Rothenberg on Nov 19, 2009 1:57 AM EST
in 09-10 Game Recaps
17 comments
[Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Complete Coverage] - [LAK Reaction]
These 10:30 PM ET start times are pretty rough. It's already an hour into Thursday here in the East, so I'm going to cut right into the bullet points:
- Big Flyers fan presence in LA, as per usual. There was an enormous Flyers flag in the corner to Quick's right throughout the first, and around the rest of the arena there was a ton of visible orange. Good on the Flyers to give the faithful a win.
- I'd give Brian Boucher a B+ for his performance in this game, his first win of the season. The first goal he allowed was easily the softest goal a Flyers goalie has let in all year, but he only let in one more after that, making 37 saves on 39 shots. Good numbers, but he looked far from rock solid or even steady for most of the game. But a win is a win is a win.
- Speaking of shot totals, the Flyers got absolutely dominated in this category for the first time all year, almost getting doubled up by the count of 39-20, including a ridiculous 21-5 deficit in the third period. For a team that regularly breaks 40 in this category, it came out of nowhere. The Flyers did get a lot of pressure and puts down low in the Kings end, though, so the numbers are a little scarier than the reality was. And the bigger numbers, 3-2, are the ones that matter in the end.
- The diving backhand Mika Pyorala netted for his first career goal is the stuff of dreams. He was playing notably better for the rest of the game, hopefully indicating that scoring a goal lifted a big weight off his shoulders and will let him regain the free flowing form he showed in the pre-season.
- James van Riemsdyk is looking more and more like a legit threat to win the Calder Trophy with every game. His goal was super aware and super pretty, and he's just generally pretty super. It's been a long time since the Flyers had a guy this great out of the gate, not since Simon Gagne, at least.
- Speaking of young guys, that Drew Doughty fellow they've got over there is ridiculous. Glad he's not in the East.
- The shot with under 20 seconds left that snuck through Boucher's legs and squeaked along the goal line definitely took years off the life of any Flyers fan watching.
- The win was the Flyers' seventh in their last eight games, which is pretty friggin' awesome.
- The win also puts the Flyers in sole possession of third in the Atlantic, and only three points behind Pittsburgh with three games in hand.
After the jump, Travis' pregame questions answered, the video highlights from the game, and your comments on the win.
17 comments | 0 recs |
Game 18, Preview and Open Thread: Late Night With Michal and Randy, Philadelphia Flyers at Los Angeles Kings
by Travis Hughes on Nov 18, 2009 8:00 PM EST
in 09-10 Game Threads
274 comments
Philadelphia Flyers (11-5-1, 23 pts) at Los Angeles Kings (13-7-2, 28 pts)
Staples Center - 10:30 PM ET - Los Angeles, CA
TV: CSN Philly HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 208
This is the open game thread.
Behind Enemy Lines: Battle of California
The Flyers begin a four-game West Coast swing tonight in Los Angeles as they reunite with outcast defenseman Randy Jones. He'll get his chance for revenge tonight as he faces his old team for the first time since they banished him to the minor leagues.
The Kings are depleted with injuries, though. Ryan Smyth found out today that he'll be out for a month while defenseman Rob Scuderi is also missing time. Who needs to step up in Scuderi's absence, according to Battle of California? Take a guess...
Rob Scuderi is almost as important as Ryan Smyth but he's a little easier to replace. Randy "Has a Peephole in His Guest Bathroom" Jones has taken Rob Scuderi's slot. Jones has played a few games for the Kings and is a high plus/minus player. Someone like Rob Scuderi isn't going to give you a lot of plus plays that lead to goals, but he's also not going to make any mistakes that cost the Kings' goals. Jones, on the other hand, will fail to skate hard getting back and cost the Kings a goal (like he did against the Panthers to make it 0-2), but then he'll smartly jump in on the rush and tap in a rebound goal (like he did against the Panthers to make it 3-2). I don't know, I'm not a huge fan of him because I think poor Wayne Simmonds is going to wake up one morning with a sticky face and a lot of questions, but he's fine for a little while.
The Kings also have a few other former Flyers on their roster, but they're two players that were actually liked around these parts. Michal Handzus and Justin Williams are wearing purple and black these days, and Terry "Choking Situation" Murray is their bench boss. Williams should get top line time tonight playing with Alexander Frolov and NHL scoring leader Anze Kopitar. Zus skates with Wayne Simmonds and Teddy Purcell.
On the Philly end, Brian Boucher will get his second start to the season tonight. After a less-than-impressive first outing about a month ago, Boosh will look to get back to winning as he faces a Kings team he got to see a lot of last season. His team played them six times last season and he got in two of those games, winning both. He even shut them out on October 12th. Hopefully, he can put in a serviceable performance tonight considering we're going to be seeing much more of him over the next two months as the schedule picks up.
David Laliberte is back in the Flyers' lineup as Arron Asham exits with an oblique strain. He'll play alongside center Claude Giroux and winger, not defenseman, Darroll Powe. Letting those three loose is an exciting proposition. Other than that, we should see the same lineup tonight as we saw Monday against the Devils.
If you love hockey and have nothing else to do tonight, you'll be a happy camper. There are five games on the NHL schedule this evening and all of them have different start times, so you can catch a ton of hockey from 7 PM to about 1:30 AM when the Flyers are done beating down on the Kings.
After the jump, we'll ask a few questions to be answered as well as the open thread. Join us for some insomniac hockey, won't you?
274 comments | 0 recs |
Flyers Crown on Kings, Historically
by Ben Rothenberg on Nov 18, 2009 4:41 PM EST
in Features
16 comments
One of the biggest surprises early on in this nascent NHL campaign is the Los Angeles Kings, who have stunned many by racing out to a 13-7-2 start that has them in fourth place in the Western Conference. And while most Flyers fans don't know (or care) a whole lot about the Kings, there's a lot of ice under the bridge between these two squads.
Along with the Penguins, Blues, North Stars, and Golden Seals, the Flyers and Kings were part of the six-team expansion of the NHL in 1967. The two have had a pretty long (but not particularly storied) history with one another, the latest chapter of which is set to be written at 10:30 ET tonight, in the House That Kobe Built.
With that historical perspective in mind, here are some things you almost certainly do not know about the Los Angeles Kings, seen through orange-tinted lenses:
- The Flyers and Kings have played 135 times, with the Flyers posting an 80-37-16 record in those contests. None too shabby. The Flyers are also a pretty awesome 38-22-8 all-time in Los Angeles.
- 17 of those 80 Flyers wins over the Kings were of the shut out variety, including four each by Bernie Parent and Doug Favell, and two each by Wayne Stephenson, Pelle Lindbergh, and Roman Cechmanek.
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The 1974-75 season, best known in these parts for being the year of the Flyers' last Stanley Cup win, was also the most successful regular season in Kings history in terms of points. The Kings 105 point total was largely because of their incredible number of ties, with their 42-17-21 record including more ties than losses. Sadly for the Kings, there are no ties in the playoffs, and the Kings bowed out in three games to the Maple Leafs in the first round.
- The Kings have only won their division once in 41 seasons (1990-91 Smythe Division), a number that compares none-too favorably with the Flyers fifteen division crowns over the same time period.
- The Kings and Flyers have never met in the playoffs, making the Kings the oldest team still in existence that the Flyers have never faced in the postseason.
- Recent Flyers Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Schultz was traded to the Kings in September of 1976 in exchange for two picks (4th Rd 1977 and 2nd Rd 1978).
- Powered almost entirely by Head Coach Barry Melrose's hair gel, the Kings made the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals, their only trip to date to the last stage of the playoffs. The Kings lost to the Canadiens in five. In a feat not likely to be repeated any time soon, the Kings played all four of their playoff series against Canadian teams, knocking off the Flames, Canucks, and Maple Leafs on their way to the final. That means that "O Canada" was played eleven times in The Forum during the playoffs, a record for an American arena. The Flyers also didn't face an American team during the 1993 playoffs. Or any team, for that matter.
- In the fourteen seasons since that run, the Kings have only won one playoff series, a first round upset of the Red Wings in 2001. The Flyers have fared somewhat better, winning thirteen series.
Little of that will matter come tonight though. With Anze Kopitar and the two or three other Kings you might have heard of at the wheel, there's a pretty good team in Los Angeles these days. But the Flyers are awesome themselves, so it should make for a decidedly good late slate of hockey.
It definitely beats watching that terrible new Jay Leno Show, that's for sure.
After the jump, a look back at the most recent Kings foray into Philadelphia, from last February, as well as any comments or thoughts you may have on the Flyers-Kings match-up.
16 comments | 0 recs |
Philadelphia is currently tied for last place in the Atlantic, but that’s highly misleading, both because they’ve played four games less than three of their rivals and because by one measure, the Flyers have been the best team in the entire NHL: Philadelphia leads the league at 1.13 goal difference per game, a portent of even better results to come. The Flyers boast two of the biggest stories of the young season: the wildly successful return from the KHL by controversial netminder Ray Emery (7.0 GVT) ––who is in the top 10 in wins, GAA and save percentage––and the Norris Trophy caliber play of offseason acquisition Chris Pronger (5.7 GVT), who is being given credit for the improved play of 25 year old Matt Carle (4.5 GVT) – Carle and Pronger are tops among all skaters at plus-17 and plus-13. Rookie James van Riemsdyk (3.9 GVT) has provided a welcome boost to Philly’s offense, offsetting the long term loss of Simon Gagne (0.7 GVT). The Flyers of 2008-09 were known for their prolific offense; Paul Holmgren’s moves to acquire Emery and Pronger have now built the nucleus of a championship defense.
2 days ago
Geoff Detweiler
3 comments
0 recs
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