Game #2 - Flyers (3) at Coyotes (4) - Oct 15, 2016 @ 9:00 ET

[brelic]

Let's make it 2-0. 

 

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill-Meltzer/Flyers-Gameday-101516--ARI-Flyers-Kings-Wrapup/45/79932

 

I'm on mobile and the copy/paste from hockeybuzz ain't working so well. Anyone want to post the lineups?

 

 

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. COYOTES

Playing the second half of their first set of back-to-back games of the 2016-17 season, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (1-0-0) are in Glendale on Saturday night to take on Dave Tippett's Arizona Coyotes (0-0-0). Game time at Gila River Arena is 9 p.m. ET. The game will televised on CSN Philadelphia.

This is the first of two meetings between the inter-conference teams, and the lone game in Arizona. Last season, the Flyers went 1-1-0 against the Coyotes, with both teams winning on their home ice.

After this game, the Flyers return to action on Tuesday in Chicago. The Coyotes are on the road in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Flyers Outlook

The Flyers earned a 4-2 opening night win in Los Angeles on Friday (see game report below). Philly got very little going offensively for the first 13-plus minutes of the opener but took over the game in the second period and held on for the win.

Steve Mason will get the start in net for the Flyers in Arizona after Michal Neuvirth played well in the opener. Brayden Schenn will serve the second game of his three-game suspension while Radko Gudas will serve the second game of his six-game banishment. 

Shayne Gostisbehere and the Flyers had a scare early in the first period of opening night in LA as Gostisbehere suffered a facial cut from a skate. Thankfully, the cut was relatively minor and was across his right cheek to the bridge of his nose, rather than around his eyes or near his throat. Gostisbehere was tended to on the bench and quickly rejoined the game.


Coyotes Outlook

Saturday's game is opening night for the host Coyotes. After going 35-39-8 last season, the club enjoyed a strong preseason, posting a 5-1-2 record. 

Rookie general manager John Chayka, the youngest GM in NHL history at age 27, signed veteran former Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski and ex-Flyers defenseman Luke Schenn during the offseason. Up front, the team added veterans Radim Vrbata, Jamie McGinn and former Flyer Ryan White. 

Additionally, top prospect Dylan Strome, the Coyotes first-round pick in 2015, made the opening night roster but is said to be a likely healthy scratch for the opener. However, power forward Lawson Crouse will make his NHL debut after being acquired by the Coyotes in the deal that also so the team take on unhealthy veteran Dave Bolland in a deal that took Bolland's contract off the Florida Panthers' hands.

Puck-moving defenseman Jakob Chychrun, the Coyotes' 2016 first-round pick and the son of former Flyers defenseman Jeff Chychrun, also made the team's opening night roster. Holdover young veteran Connor Murphy is the son of Flyers assistant coach and former Flyers defenseman Gord Murphy.

Speedy young forwards Max Domi (18 goals, 52 points as a rookie last season) and Anthony Duclair (20 goals, 44 points as a rookie) were dubbed "the Killer Ds", and added a dimension to what had previously been a rather shallow attack. Dynamic defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson remains the team's catalyst from the back end and in joining the attack. 

Veteran Martin Hanzal is entering his 10th NHL season; all with the Coyotes. Limited to just 64 games last season, Hanzal produced 13 goals and 41 points. There was bad blood last season between the Flyers and Coyotes stemming from incidents in their meeting in Glendale that saw Hanzal drill Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux from behind in retaliation for a questionable hit by Gudas on Arizona captain Shane Doan.

The 40-year-old Doan, whom the former Winnipeg Jets drafted seventh overall in the 1995 NHL Draft, has spent his entire career in the Jets/Coyotes organization. He is entering his 21st season in the National Hockey League. After seeming to be in twilight of his career in 2014-15, he bounced back last season for a 28-goal campaign despite missing 10 games. He is four goals away from 400 and five points away from 950 for his regular-season career.

Considered one of the top goalies in the NHL a few seasons ago, Mike Smith had an awful 2014-15 season and an inconsistent, injury-plagued 2015-16. However, the 34-year-old netminder remains arguably the best puckhandling goaltender in the league. He will be pushed for playing time this season by righthanded catching 24-year-old Louis Domingue.


Projected Lineups (subject to change)

FLYERS (based on Friday night)

12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds
11 Travis Konecny - 14 Sean Couturier - 93 Jakub Voracek
25 Nick Cousins -76 P-E Bellemare - 22 Dale Weise
76 Chris VandeVelde - 27 Boyd Gordon - 24 Matt Read 

47 Andrew MacDonald - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
9 Ivan Provorov - 32 Mark Streit
55 Nick Schultz - 23 Brandon Manning

35 Steve Mason
[30 Michal Neuvirth]

Scratches: Brayden Schenn (suspended by NHL for first three games), Radko Gudas (suspended by NHL for first six games), Michael Del Zotto (LTIR), Scott Laughton (LTIR), Roman Lyubimov (healthy).

COYOTES (per Dailyfaceoff.com)

16 Max Domi - 11 Martin Hanzal- 17 Radim Vrbata 
8 Tobias Rieder - 18 Christian Dvorak - 10 Anthony Duclair 
48 Jordan Martinook - 12 Brad Richardson - 19 Shane Doan
67 Lawson Crouse - 76 Laurent Dauphin - 25 Ryan White 

23 Oliver Ekman-Larsson - 5 Connor Murphy
33 Alex Goligoski - 2 Luke Schenn
6 Jakob Chychrun - 21 Jamie McBain

41 Mike Smith
[35 Louis Domingue]

Scratches: Dylan Strome (healthy), Michael Stone (knee), Kevin Connauton (lower body, injured non-roster), Jamie McGinn (doubtful, upper body), Jarred Tinordi (20-game NHL suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug policy), Dave Bolland (LTIR, back and ankle, unlikely to play again), Chris Pronger (LTIR/retired, salary cap floor contract acquisition), Pavel Datsyuk (KHL, salary cap floor contract acquisition).
 

[OccamsRazor]

My broadcast on gamecenter is froze. It won't play. I can't believe this bullshit.

[Howie58]

Flyers D looks a bit porous. But the team speed is good.  They Arizona started with 7 unanswered shots....Mason was a bit weak on rebound control on second goal but giveaway started the play.  It is uptempo.

 

 

[Hextall27]

"Loved" the non-goal call.  I know technically they need to see it, but you see the empty space in the crease where the puck reappeared while 2/3 of the pad was in the net.  The pad rotates out of the net...sloooowwlly, lifts it up, and abracadabra!, there's the puck where the empty space once was.

[Howie58]

Now a shortie that did not look good on the part of Mason. Twenty-four hours after a great performance, the O and B look pedestrian.  

[Hextall27]

a breath of life...

[flyerrod]

38 minutes ago, Howie58 said:

Twenty-four hours after a great performance, the O and B look pedestrian tired.

Lots of mental mistakes but they are looking better as the game goes on. MacDud's should be selling Mr.Softee Ice Cream or maybe even the Snuggle bear for as soft as he continues to play.

[Howie58]

This is an early test of mental toughness/compete level.  They didn't have much of a layoff from last night.  Let's see if they make a game of it in the third. 

[LegionOfDoom]

any links tonignt?

[King Knut]

These refs tonight... Seem ankittlencondused.   Hooking, tripping, roughing.

 

i know the yotes are trying to get under the skin of the kids, and I'm good with that.  It's the booking and tripping as soon as the flyers start to clear the zone.  Seems like the yotes lose possession and every flyer is on the ice in a second and a half. 

 

Notnsure ehat hat to say about not calling the Weise thing icing break up attempt.  I see it both ways.  Weise didn't really break the rules, but he did initiate contact.   Technically the kid lost his edge and to me it seemed more due to the pressure than the contact, but I could have seen it if they'd sent him. 

 

The yotes throwing their hands up and looking  To the skies on every call against them is getting old.  They're pretty blatant trips and hooks. Not even close to borderline. 

 

The he call against Simmons cracked me up. That's one dude who is always expecting a hit and isn't about to take it lying down. 

[Howie58]

Well, history repeat itself. We dominated possession in OT but couldn't get the job done.  This was not one of Mason's better performances.  We were lucky to get a point.  

[King Knut]

And overtime just proved my point. B

thst was HORRIBLE. Beirut Reffingnive seen in a decade or more. New ally just ATTOCIOUS 

 

someone eneds toet frggin' fired Immediately.   They should at least be forced to apologize and hand deliver Jake his damn stick back. And our extra point. 

 

Grand theft referees. 

[RJ8812]

this is why I hate the NHL. 

 

3 calls on PHO that were ignored. Giroux touches the guy, he dives, and there it is 

 

Refs should be embarrassed for that display 

[King Knut]

1 hour ago, Howie58 said:

Now a shortie that did not look good on the part of Mason. Twenty-four hours after a great performance, the O and B look pedestrian.  

 

Mason, ghost and Mac all looked like fools on that one. 

[King Knut]

I seriously think the league has to answer for nights like this be just explain what the hell these jokers were thinking.

 

honestly if they'd just say "we had a bad night. Sorry.  We'll try harder". I'd at least appreciate their honesty.  Tonight was BAD. 

[RJ8812]

3 minutes ago, King Knut said:

I seriously think the league has to answer for nights like this be just explain what the hell these jokers were thinking.

 

honestly if they'd just say "we had a bad night. Sorry.  We'll try harder". I'd at least appreciate their honesty.  Tonight was BAD. 

 

I'd really like them to explain to us why that guy that clearly held Voracek's stick in his hand right in front of the ref didn't get called, followed by the blatant obstruction, and then the trip on Streit. Then the player falls when Giroux's stick touched his hip, and there was no hesitation to call that  

[OccamsRazor]

7 hours ago, Howie58 said:

Now a shortie that did not look good on the part of Mason.

 

 

Yeah why was he so deep in his net??? He claimed to be working with Dilly on his play that sure doesn't look like it.

 

He might as well crawled into it he was so far in. And how is that not interference by Dvorak bumping him in the crease??? 

[OccamsRazor]

6 hours ago, RJ8812 said:

3 calls on PHO that were ignored

 

 

They did the same last year in the lose to the Yotes. Some turrible reffing. I'd just like to see the Flyers be on the other side of some of those to even it out or something. Mase was not very consistent tonight i will say that will he ever beat the Yotes??

 

Last two game he has got outplayed real bad by Mike Smith.

[flyercanuck]

7 hours ago, King Knut said:

And overtime just proved my point. B

thst was HORRIBLE. Beirut Reffingnive seen in a decade or more. New ally just ATTOCIOUS 

 

someone eneds toet frggin' fired Immediately.   They should at least be forced to apologize and hand deliver Jake his damn stick back. And our extra point. 

 

Grand theft referees. 

 

Rick?

[King Knut]

8 hours ago, RJ8812 said:

 

I'd really like them to explain to us why that guy that clearly held Voracek's stick in his hand right in front of the ref didn't get called, followed by the blatant obstruction, and then the trip on Streit. Then the player falls when Giroux's stick touched his hip, and there was no hesitation to call that  

 

Move slept so I fee better, but yeah.  It's just worthy of an explanation.  Even the Simmondw call... They were putting up with way more than they were dishing out and for it to end because of 3 uncalled yotes penalties and one called and iffy flyers penalty. 

 

I I really think Hakstol and Hextall need to change their approach to how they deal with the refs.  I don't want them to turn into Whiney bee hatches like Tortarella, but their strong and silent take it like a man approach is just costing the team at this point.  

 

Last night was was very uneven on the refs and it cost them ththe game. 

[King Knut]

1 hour ago, flyercanuck said:

 

Rick?

 

No but nice slept for the first time in. A few days and I feel a lot better now

[murraycraven]

7 minutes ago, King Knut said:

 

No but nice slept for the first time in. A few days and I feel a lot better now

 

I assume you are on your phone?

[Hextall27]

Overall assessment - Yotes earned a point, Flyers stole a point, and Refs gifted the last one.

[RJ8812]

46 minutes ago, King Knut said:

 

Move slept so I fee better, but yeah.  It's just worthy of an explanation.  Even the Simmondw call... They were putting up with way more than they were dishing out and for it to end because of 3 uncalled yotes penalties and one called and iffy flyers penalty. 

 

I I really think Hakstol and Hextall need to change their approach to how they deal with the refs.  I don't want them to turn into Whiney bee hatches like Tortarella, but their strong and silent take it like a man approach is just costing the team at this point.  

 

Last night was was very uneven on the refs and it cost them ththe game. 

 

Saying anything about the ref gets you no here in this league. The NHL doesnt even hold them responsible for blowing calls because they are all "Yes men"