brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 From Meltzer - http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=48800#.UQPze0qlp15 PREVIEW 4:00 AM ESTComing off their first win of the 2013 season, the Philadelphia Flyers (1-3-0) head to Florida for a two-game weekend road trip. First up is a Saturday night match in Sunrise with Kevin Dineen's Florida Panthers (1-3-0). Tonight's game starts at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised locally on CSN Philly.This is the first of three meetings between the teams this season. Last year, the Flyers won three of four games against the eventual Southeast Division champions.The Flyers are coming off a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers. The injury-riddled Flyers got strong performances from up and down the lineup to win the game by outworking a tired-legged opponent. Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek hustled up ugly-but-good goals and Ilya Bryzgalov made numerous key saves to nail down the win.The lone downside to Thursday's game was that the Flyers lost defenseman Andrej Meszaros to a shoulder separation. He is expected to miss a month. Philly has recalled veteran defenseman Andreas Lilja from Adirondack.The club was already without forwards Scott Hartnell (foot, 4-6 weeks), Danny Briere (wrist fracture, close to being ready to play), Zac Rinaldo (leg laceration, 10-14 days). Briere is unlikely to be ready to play tonight, but is said to be 50-50 for tomorrow's game in Tampa Bay and has a good chance to play by Tuesday. Tonight, the Flyers will get Brayden Schenn back after a one-game suspension for charging New Jersey's Anton Volchenkov. Philly has also signed 40-year-old free agent Mike Knuble for a second tour of duty with the team. Knuble is in Florida with the club.The Panthers, who have lost three straight games after winning their opener, are wracked with injuries in their own right. The club is without former Flyers forward Kris Versteeg (groin, chance of returning tonight), who led the club in scoring a year ago. Also missing are Stephen Weiss (lower body), Tomas Fleischmann (skate cut), Sean Bergenheim (groin), Marcel Goc (ankle) and promising young defenseman Erik Gudbranson (shoulder).Philly has shown signs of improvement on the penalty kill in the last two games, but are still at a horrid 65 percent through four games. The Flyers are also just 2-for-18 on the power play thus far. The Panthers have connected on five of their 22 powerplays (a healthy 22.7 percent) but have yielded four power play goals on 19 kills (79 percent). The Flyers have done all their scoring in the second period thus far. They have yet to tally a single goal in the first and third periods. Meanwhile, the Panthers have scored just two goals at even strength.Projected Starting Lineups (subject to change)FLYERS17 Wayne Simmonds - 28 Claude Giroux - 24 Matt Read25 Max Talbot - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek15 Tye McGinn - 10 Brayden Schenn - 9 Mike Knuble 26 Ruslan Fedotenko - 21 Scott Laughton - 11 Eric Wellwood44 Kimmo Timonen - 22 Luke Schenn8 Nicklas Grossmann - 5 Braydon Coburn6 Andreas Lilja/ 3 Kurtis Foster - 27 Bruno Gervais 30 Ilya Bryzgalov[49 Michael Leighton]Panthers 11 Jonathan Huberdeau - 88 Peter Mueller - 82 Tomas Kopecky42 Quinton Howden - 13 Mike Santorelli - 27 Alexei Kovalev19 Scottie Upshall - 18 Shawn Matthias - 50 Drew Shore12 Jack Skille - 25 Jerred Smithson - 22 George Parros 17 Filip Kuba - 51 Brian Campbell7 Dmitry Kulikov - 43 Mike Weaver4 Keaton Ellerby - 55 Ed Jovanovski30 Scott Clemmensen / 60 Jose Theodore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 The Flyers would be catching a break here if the Panther's top line is not playing tonight.I think I would prefer Talbot centering the third line with McGinn and Knubble and playing Schenn with Couturier and Voracek. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 The Flyers would be catching a break here if the Panther's top line is not playing tonight.I think I would prefer Talbot centering the third line with McGinn and Knubble and playing Schenn with Couturier and Voracek.I agree. Schenn is kinda wasted with McGinn and Knuble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 From the Twitterverse:Wellwood has been sent back to ADK.Briere is a game-time decision.Chances are Laughton will remain with the club for the year.Gustafsson is back from injury with ADK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 would be nice if Briere made his debut tongiht........Although there is much discussion about whether Laughton should stay with Flyers....might as well get him the experience. Yes I know it burns a yr for his contract, but hey it worked for Coots. Sad to see Welly go back to the Phantoms.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 From the Twitterverse:Wellwood has been sent back to ADK.Briere is a game-time decision.Chances are Laughton will remain with the club for the year.Gustafsson is back from injury with ADK.Wow he could soon be part of a trade later this season...i just have that feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Wow he could soon be part of a trade later this season...i just have that feeling.Yeah, good point. He actually looked pretty good in the games he played this season.They probably see the same things in Laughton already, so why not stick with the guy who has the higher ceiling and is only 18? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 ?? if Briere does play tonite. Obviously slide him into the 2nd line, but then where do you place Coots? 3rd line and move Schenn to a wing position?Just wondering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 ?? if Briere does play tonite. Obviously slide him into the 2nd line, but then where do you place Coots? 3rd line and move Schenn to a wing position?Just wondering?That's what I would do.Simmonds/G/SchennRead/Briere/KnubleTalbot/Coots/VoracekSestito/Laughton/McGinn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 (edited) That's what I would do.Simmonds/G/SchennRead/Briere/KnubleTalbot/Coots/VoracekSestito/Laughton/McGinnI kinda of like the 4th line. Granted we have two rookies there but i like the engery of Sestito and the play Laughton and McGinn (who handled himself very nicely on thursday night vs the Rags).Well hopefully Briere does play tonite...... Edited January 26, 2013 by pilldoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brelic Posted January 26, 2013 Author Share Posted January 26, 2013 Briere is officially playing tonight. His wrist is still too sore to take faceoffs, so he will be on Couturier's wing.Not sure what the lines will look like... Either Talbot or Voracek moves down a line, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted January 26, 2013 Share Posted January 26, 2013 beat me to it @brelic! I just saw this and was going to post it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom88 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 @azizI'm actually in a DC bar if you're in the area. Let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svetlana Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Bryzgalov has done some good work so far tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svetlana Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 And with that last post it appears I jinxed Bryzgalov. Good thing Luke got one in shortly after. I stand by Bryzgalov's stronger work tonight. He seems a lot more focused. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom88 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 @azizI'm actually in a DC bar if you're in the area. Let me know.Upon further review, this bar kind of sucks, but at least I got to see the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howie58 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Greetings:I just got back from the game. 1) I was pleasantly surprised at attendance. But they now charge $20 for parking...ouch.2) The Flyers fans were incredibly vocal. I got high-fived by several folks. An older Flyers couple was behind me. A young guy and his girlfriend who just moved to South Florida from Cincinnati sat in front of me. 3) On D, Gervais looked small and tentative. Foster looked a bit out of place too. But Timmo looked amazing for a guy his age.4) Knuble can still skate. But I wonder if he can shoot.5) Simmonds is tough but he took some dumb penalties.6) Bryz was good, despite looking spastic on occasion. I guess we have to get used to it.I am not sure if the Flyers are that good or the Panthers are that bad...they are an injured and depleted.7) Briere was not a factor.Let's hope this carries forward to Tampa Bay.Best,Howie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 As one of the boards biggest Bryz fans I have to give him props. He was a rebound machine in the first, but he made some great saves and played a solid game all around. He should have had a shutout if not for a brain cramp by the Flyers D. He also added an assist. Read obviously enjoyed playing on the top line and fit in well notching his first NHL hattrick.Luke Schenn had a goal and an assist...and ELEVEN hits! Coburn made some good plays, missed the net on every shot and continued to take really dumb penalties. He's been brutal that way so far. I thought with the teams improved play that laughton took a bit of a backseat. He was one of the highlights in the first 4 games and really stood out. He's shown he can play in the NHL but I'm not sure they should burn a year off his ELC for this season. Why not just keep Wellwood up? (thought I think Laughton has better offensive skill) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aziz Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 (edited) Upon further review, this bar kind of sucks, but at least I got to see the game.i'm about 2 hours south, in ric***nd. edit: um.."h-m-o" is verboten? Edited January 27, 2013 by aziz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilldoc Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 i'm about 2 hours south, in ric***nd. edit: um.."h-m-o" is verboten?aziz..i used to live 90 min south of you in VA Bch before I moved back to PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phlyer1 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 Bryzgalov has done some good work so far tonight. The only bad spot was the failure to stop the breakaway muck like the other night with the Devils I hope this will not carry over to Shoot Outs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doom88 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 i'm about 2 hours south, in ric***nd. edit: um.."h-m-o" is verboten?Ah crap, I think I knew that too. I'm technically in Baltimore, but was in DC for a rare appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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