Game Thread Maple Leafs vs Flyers, 2/9/12 - And some stats

[Digityman]

Some stats to start your morning.

• Although 2nd in the league in points, Claude Giroux is a plus/minus -4. Only 1 other player in the top 30 for points has a worse plus minus. That player is Ilya Kovalchuk with a -6. Giroux's line-mates - Hartnell +14 and Jagr +6
  
• Giroux is ranked 23rd on the team with a -4. Flyers with a higher plus/minus Lilja +2, Gustafsson +6, MAB +0, Carle -1
  
• Scott Hartnell is 7th in the NHL for goals scored. Currently ahead of the following players - D. Sedin, Perry, Couture, Sharp, Kovalchuk, Ovechkin, Iginla, Giroux, Hossa, Spezza, Seguin, Lecavalier.
  
• Bryz's career stats in the shootout - 14 wins, 17 loses. 124 shots against, 46 goals against for a 0.452 save %
  Bob's career stats in the shootout - 2 wins, 5 loses. 23 shots against, 11 goals against for a 0.569 save %
  During the 09-10 season, Bryz was ranked #1 in shootouts with 8 wins, 5 loses and a .726 save %
  
• Last time the Flyers played the Leafs Hartnell had the winning goal.
  
• Flyers currently rank #27 in Face Off %. Ahead of the Ducks, Devils and Flames
  

(Click to enlarge)

MAPLE LEAFS (28-20-6) at FLYERS (30-16-7)

LAST 10: Toronto 6-3-1; Philadelphia 4-3-3

Season Series: It's the second meeting between the teams this season, but the first since Oct. 24, when the Flyers beat the Leafs 4-2 at the Wells Fargo Center. Philadelphia makes both of its visits to Toronto in March.

Big Story: Both teams are coming off disappointing losses in which their offense let them down. Toronto got an early goal in Winnipeg but would up losing 2-1, while the Flyers fell 1-0 in a shootout to the Islanders despite controlling play all night

Team Scope:

Maple Leafs: The Leafs got the jump on the Jets when Phil Kessel scored the game's first goal, but Winnipeg scored twice in the second period and shut down Toronto in the third, cooling off a team that had been 5-0-1 in its last seven games.

Still, the Leafs are just five points behind the Flyers, so this game could dictate whether Toronto will be in line to chase a higher seed or focus more on defending their current spot in seventh place.

"That's going to be a team we'll be chasing for the rest of the season," Leafs winger and ex-Flyer Joffrey Lupul said after Wednesday's practice. "(Thursday) is going to be a big challenge.

"They always play well at home. They have some good skill and are a strong team. We'll be up for it."

Flyers: Through 65 minutes against the Islanders, the Flyers did everything right except score. They outshot the Isles 45-18, outhit them, outchanced them, won more faceoffs and dominated everywhere but on the scoreboard, where the numbers at the end of overtime still read "0-0." The Islanders got shootout goals by Frans Nielsen and John Tavares, while the Flyers failed twice against Evgeni Nabokov and had to settle for a point in a 1-0 loss.

"We didn't score tonight," coach Peter Laviolette said. "It was from the lack of trying, it didn't go in the net. It is one thing when you are not getting the opportunities and you are not getting the looks."

Who's Hot: Kessel has four goals and three assists in Toronto's last three games. Toronto goaltender James Reimer has back-to-back shutouts after blanking Pittsburgh and Ottawa last week. … Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is just 1-1-2 in his last four starts, but he's allowed just six goals in those games, and he allowed one goal or less in five of his last seven starts.

Injury Report:

Toronto is healthy except for center Darryl Boyce (back). … The Flyers are still without forward James van Riemsdyk (concussion), and captain Chris Pronger will miss the rest of the season with the same ailment.

Stat Pack:

Toronto has not allowed a power-play goal in any of its opponents' 24 chances in 2012. … Kessel has 30 goals in each of his three seasons with the Leafs. … Bryzgalov was 18-22 in shootouts before this season; in 2011-12, he's 1-4 and has allowed eight goals on 10 attempts.

Puck Drop:

Pronger won't play again this season, but that doesn't mean he's been forgotten. The big defenseman spent 90 minutes at the Flyers' training facility.

"We certainly miss him and we'd rather have him in here but he's not," Laviolette said.

"I think it's good to see somebody that hasn't been around in a while because of injury. They come back in and it's good to see them. We're talking about teammates and friends he's coming back to see, so I think that's a positive thing."

From NHL.com

[flyercanuck]

Just beat the Leafs. I have to play tonight with a bunch of Leaf fans, likely catch the 3rd period. Please don't make this painful...that means YOU Bryz!

[Bertmega]

@flyercanuck

Anybody work at a Lexus dealership on your team?

[flyercanuck]

LOL. no but our goalie owns the local VW dealership. But he's not a a$$hole. And he's better than Bryz.

[hf101]

A couple of things I noticed, I like Schenn on the line with Briere and Simmonds. This sets up a well balanced line to take some of the pressure off the HGJ line.

What a huge defensive FO win Couturier made in the last two minutes of the game while on the PK. Bob had a nice win. Meszaros a +3 tonight.

2pts

[OH1FlyersFan]

Nice to see Giroux score a pretty nifty goal. Hope that lights the fire in his belly again. That was a confidence builder. And nice to see four goals on the board at the end of the game. After the last 3.5 periods of no goals, especially.

[doom88]

Giroux looked really relieved to get that one too.

[pensuck]

I'm digging that 4th line. You can see how the other team reacts to those guys out there. A little more aware of their surroundings

i would say. I'm thinking Shelley may not play too much anymore. Sestito is a way better skater. I know JVR will come back

but I would love to see these guys checking in the playoffs.