Who are they? Philadelphia Flyers (covered by Broad Street Hockey)
What do they want? Cup finals. Better goaltending. Different result.
What’s their ****ing problem? Injured: Chris Pronger (foot), Matt Walker (hip), Ian Laperriere (concussion). Kimmo Timonen has been dealing with a lower-body injury, but remains hopeful to play.
Jody Shelley was also just suspended for two games after sucker-punching Andrew Alberts. In his defense, it was Andrew Alberts.
Who the **** do they think they are? (IN) Peter Laviolette (first full season as coach), Sergei Bobrovsky, Jody Shelley, Matt Walker, Andrej Meszaros, Sean O’Donnell, Nikolai Zherdev (OUT) Ray Emery, Ryan Parent, Arron Asham, Simon Gagne, and our very own new assistant coach John Stevens. The players still blame themselves for his firing. Awkward.
What, are we supposed to be scared? Yep. Bruisers and scorers and defense, oh my. They have one of the best records in the league, and true depth across the board. They are 4th in goals per game (3.28) and average only 2.5 against. Goaltending was the biggest question mark coming into the year, especially with Leighton’s back injury, but potential Calder nominee Bobrovsky (15-5-3) posted great numbers at the start of the season and has shared starts with regular backup Boucher. Both have a .920 SV%, though Bob has lately struggled a bit.
However, we might not see either of them. Goalie Michael Leighton is set to get his first start since June.
I thought we were friends! Ex-Kings: Sean O’Donnell, Ian Laperriere (LTIR); Ex-Flyers, so many: Justin Williams, Michal Handzus, John Stevens, Terry Murray, Dean Lombardi, and Ron Hextall. Do you think they all go out for drinks afterwards, or will Hexy try to start an affectionate brawl in the street?
But how is Lappy? For the latest update, check out this excellent interview by Mayors Manor.
There is also a website in his honor which sells Lappy T-shirts and wristbands for charity. I’m not crying…it’s just raining on my face.
Yeah, well, wait till they get a load of: Jonathan Bernier gets the start, even though he served some unexpected time in net last night; this is the fourth game in five days, and the second back to back. Oh, and there’s this Anze fellow who’s still sizzling.
Both teams are looking to bounce back after a curb-stomping, but the Flyers have had a bit more rest. To top it off, victories over Philly have been rare for us for a couple of years. Ready? Sounds like it will be…fun!