[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.
- The Flyers have allowed only six goals in the first period, best in the league. The Kings are close though, only allowing 11 in the first period, good for fourth in the league. Does anybody take over the offensive flow early? Los Angeles controlled the offense early and often, outshooting the Flyers 11-6 in the first frame, and 39-20 overall.
- How does Randy Jones play in his first game against his old team? Pretty well. He got a couple nice shots off from the point, and handled himself real well in an interview with FSN Los Angeles.
- How does Brian Boucher play with something to prove after a terrible first outing? It's been awhile, so is there any rust? He was by no means great, but got the win in the end. Rust definitely looked like a factor, especially on that first goal.
- Does David Laliberte come back where he left off last week as an NHLer? Laliberte was fairly invisible for most of the game, but he was during his first stint as well. Ended as a -1, but didn't have too bad of a night out there.
Comment of the Night
Pyro gonna score tonight…hopefully.
>> flyrsfrk05
Highlights: