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Flyers Gameday w/ Updates: 12/11/10 @ Bruins |
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PREVIEW 8:30 AM EST
Playing for the third time in four nights, the Flyers (18-7-5) will return tonight for the first time to the scene of of one of the most historic victories in team or NHL history. But the comeback from 3-0 deficits in both their Eastern Conference Semifinal series and the deciding seventh game with the Boston Bruins is now but a happy memory. All focus is on tonight's game with a Bruins team (16-8-3) that shut the Flyers out, 3-0, at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 1.
In their previous meeting this season, Sergei Bobrovsky played a solid game in goal for the Flyers, allowing two goals that he had no chance of stopping. The other Boston tally was an empty netter. At the other end of the ice, Tim Thomas was nothing short of sensational. He came up with at least a half-dozen mind boggling saves among the 41 stops he made on the night.
With such a busy slate of games this week, the Flyers did not hold practice yesterday. The team had a "free" day in Boston. Everyone knows what the club needs to do to grab two points tonight.
In addition to continuing to work on improving their special teams and building off their strong faceoff performance in Toronto (following a disastrous showing in the faceoff circle against the Sharks the previous night), the Flyers need to minimize the turnovers and allowed odd-man rushes that have crept in over recent games.
On Thursday night, Daniel Briere (2 G, 1 A) and his linemate, Ville Leino (1 G), figured in the four goals the Flyers scored against the Leafs. Both players also scored against the Sharks. In order to beat the Bruins, a wider array of contributions will be needed once again from the Flyers other lines.
Bobrovsky played two decent periods on Wednesday but was swallowed up by the avalanche of the Flyers' collapse against San Jose, and then yielded two goals on two attempts in the shootout. Brian Boucher played a very strong game in Toronto the next night. Laviolette, as usual, has not named a starter for tonight in advance. With two days off after this one, followed a brutal back-to-back against Pittsburgh (home) and Montreal (road), it may be good to try to get Bobrovsky back on the horse.
Dan Carcillo (recovered from sprained MCL) is now healthy enough to play, but has been a healthy scratch the last couple games. Laviolette has indicated that Carcillo is going to have to wait his turn again to get back into the lineup.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
FLYERS
JVR - Richards - Nodl
Hartnell - Briere - Leino
Zherdev - Giroux - Carter
Shelley - Betts - Powe
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Boucher/Bobrovsky
BRUINS
Lucic - Krejci - Horton
Recchi - Bergeron - Wheeler
Seguin - Savard - Ryder
Campbell - Marchand - Thornton
Chara - Boychuk
Seidenberg - Kampfer
Ference - McQuaid
Thomas
[Rask]
*****
With Michael Leighton in goal for the Phantoms last night, Adirondack won for just the fourth time this season, downing Syracuse by a 5-2 score to snap a 10-game losing streak. Erik Gustafsson (1 G, 4 A) directly figured in all five Phantoms goals, and Adirondack tallied three power play goals in a game for the first time this season. Mike Testwuide scored his first pro goal. Leighton stopped 29 of 31 shots. Afterwards, he told Phantoms beat writer Tim McManus that he felt better than in his previous game but is still dealing with weakness in his left foot.
The Phantoms are back in action at home tonight, taking on Portland. Leighton will get the start in his final rehab game. In addition, the Phantoms will have Matt Walker in the lineup. The Flyers have also sent Walker (hip surgery) on a conditioning assignment. He played last night in Syracuse.
Patrick Maroon had one assist and was minus-one for Syracuse last night.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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