The Wachovia Center will be rocking tonight as the Flyers return from a 2-0-0 road trip to play their home opener against the high-powered Washington Capitals.
This season, Hockeybuzz writers will continue to have head-to-head previews in conjunction Versus.com for games broadcasted on the Versus network. The crux of my
preview follows below. For Steve Hindle's take from the Capitals' side, click
here.
Philadelphia's games against Washington are usually barn-burners and this one should be no exception. The rivalry between the clubs has picked up considerably ever since the teams met in the 2008 playoffs.
Last year, the Flyers didn’t see Washington until late December. The clubs split the season series. The most memorable meeting was the first: a bizarre tilt at the Wachovia Center that saw now-former Flyer Antero Niittymaki stop 47 of 48 shots – mostly in the first 30 minutes of the game – and Philadelphia take control over the second half of the game to win in a 7-1 blowout. Philly also dealt the Caps a rare loss on home ice before Washington returned the favor.
Heading into this game, the Flyers’ two most important missions will be to play solid team defense and to stay out of the penalty box. Improvement in the faceoff circle would also help, as only Blair Betts has won more faceoffs than he’s lost over the first two games. Washington is an excellent puck possession team in general, and Philadelphia would do well to minimize the chance of a quick goal off a defensive zone faceoff.
Offense: The Flyers have already had 13 of the 18 skaters they’ve dressed register at least one point. As expected, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have led the way by tallying goals in each of the first two games. One player who looks a little out of sorts offensively in the early going is Simon Gagne.
Defense: The addition of Chris Pronger has already made an impact on the club, and the team seems to building a rhythm defensively. They’ll need to continue, because the Caps’ potent attack goes beyond just Alex Ovechkin. Players such as Mike Green, Alexander Semin, and Nicklas Backstrom are also deadly. Meanwhile Brooks Laich is off to a tremendous start as well. The top four scorers in the league through the opening weekend are all Washington players. Philadelphia will need strong backchecking support, crisp line changes and intelligent puck management to minimize the damage.
Goaltending: So far, Ray Emery has answered his critics by playing outstanding hockey. He’s been quick as a cat in his actions around the crease and made big saves when he’s had to. It will be interesting to see how he reacts if former Flyer Mike Knuble is able to set up shop on his doorstep and the defense is unable to move him aside to give Emery a clear look at the puck.
Special teams: The Flyers got two power play tallies in the opening tilt and have killed 12 of 13 penalties so far. The team still needs to reduce the number of needless penalties it takes. In addition, after going the first 81 games of the 2008-09 regular season without allowing a shorthanded goal, Philly has yielded shorties in two of its last three regular season games (the finale against the New York Rangers last year and the game in New Jersey on Saturday).
Starting lineup
Hartnell - Carter - Briere
Gagne - Richards - Pyorala
JVR - Giroux - Powe
Carcillo - Betts - Laperriere
Pronger - Carle
Timonen - Coburn
Parent - Syvret
Emery
[Boucher]
Scratches: Asham (healthy), Cote (healthy), Tollefsen (healthy)
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Today's
Daily Drop looks at the early season struggles of the Vancouver Canucks and Martin Brodeur. How much reason for concern should there be?
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I will be a guest on Brian Startare's show on WIP tomorrow night. We'll talk some Flyers hockey and discuss the Pelle Lindbergh book as well.
You can order
Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask online at
Barnes & Noble, via
Amazon or through
Middle Atlantic Press.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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