FRIDAY GAMES: FLYERS FARM TEAMS
AHL: PHANTOMS (6-6-0) @ Binghamton Senators (5-4-1-1) -- 7:05 PM
Winners of three of their last four games, the Adirondack Phantoms' road trip continues on Friday night with a visit to the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to take on the Binghamton Senators. The Phantoms defeated Manchester, 4-1, on Wednesday morning while the Senators downed Norfolk, 4-2, last Saturday.
Brayden Schenn registered a natural hat trick in the win over the Monarchs. He and
Sean Couturier have been Adirondack's lone consistent offensive threats so far this season. However, the team has begun to play better defense. The Phantoms have given up a combined four goals in the last four games. In addition, rookie goaltender
Cal Heeter was outstanding in the Manchester game.
Special teams -- at least the power play side -- remains a concern for Adirondack. The Phantoms rank 20th in the AHL with a 14.5 percent (10 for 69) success ratio on the man advantage. Not coincidentally, the team is a perfect 6-0-0-0 in games in which it has scored at least one power play goal and winless (0-6-0-0) when it has failed to convert on any of its power play chances.
On the penalty killing end, the Phantoms have ranked in the top one-third of the league throughout the early going of the season. They currently rank 10th with a healthy 87.3 percent (48-for-55) success rate in killing off their own penalties. Over the past five games, the Phantoms are 20-for-21 on the PK.
Bingham has been something of a Jeckyl-and-Hyde team in its own right in the early going of the season. Even so, the team played very well it's last time out. The Senators enjoyed a balanced attack in that game. The team got goals from four different players (Coery Cowick, Andre Petersson, Andre Benoit and Derek Grant) as well as a multi-assist effort from highly touted rookie Jakob Silfverberg.
As with the Phantoms, special teams have been a mixed bag for Binghamton. The Senators rank 26th in the AHL in power play efficiency (6-for-59, 10.2%), but are 7th on the penalty kill (52-for-59, 88.1%).
PROJECTED PHANTOMS LINEUP (based on Wednesday lines)
Eric Wellwood - Brayden Schenn - Ben Holmstrom
Harry Zolnierczyk - Sean Couturier - Shane Harper
Zac Rinaldo - Rob Bordson - Matt Ford
Garrett Roe - Andrew Johnston - Mike Testwuide
Erik Gustafsson - Marc-Andre Bourdon
Brandon Manning - Danny Syvret
Oliver Lauridsen - Cullen Eddy
Cal Heeter
Scott Munroe
Injuries and potential scratches: Tye McGinn (muscle spasms, day-to-day), Matt Mangene (shoulder), Tyler Brown (healthy) Matt Konan (healthy), Zack FitzGerald (healthy), Jeff Dimmen (undisclosed, day-to-day).
PHANTOMS NOTABLES:
Brayden Schenn (12 GP, 7 G, 7 A, 14 PTS),
Sean Couturier (10 GP, 2 G, 8 A, 10 PTS),
Tye McGinn (11 GP, 3G, 1A, 4 PTS, 19 PIM),
Zac Rinaldo (12 GP, 2G, 1A, 3PTS, 21 PIM),
Eric Wellwood (11 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS),
Erik Gustafsson (12 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS, -3),
Marc-Andre Bourdon (10 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, -1, 36 PIM),
Brandon Manning (11 GP, 2 G, 0A, 2PTS, -8, 14 PIM),
Cal Heeter (6 GP, 3-3-0, 2.84 GAA, .897 SV%),
Scott Munroe (6 GP, 3-3-0, 2.53 GAA, 1 SO, .925 SV%).
SENATORS NOTABLES: Andre Benoit (11 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS), Jakob Silfverberg (11 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS), Tyler Eckford (11 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS, -6), Mike Hoffman (11 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS), Andre Petersson (11 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 PTS), Mark Stone (5 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 PTS), Mika Zibanejad (11 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 PTS), Jared Cowen (3 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 PTS, E), Robin Lehner ( 9 GP, 5-2-1, 1.74 GAA, .942 SV%, 1 SO), Ben Bishop (2 GP, 0-2-0, 4.04 GAA, .902 SV%).
BROADCAST LINKS: The game broadcast is available for free via the
streaming Phantoms radio broadcast or you can purchase a streaming video webcast via
AHL Live. A single-game webcast costs $6.99, with a variety of multi-game purchase options.
ECHL: TITANS (5-6-0-1) @ Elmira Jackels (6-5-1-0) -- 7:05 PM
The Titans are coming off a disappointing stretch of five consecutive games against the Reading Royals, in which the Flyers' ECHL affiliate lost four times in regulation and once via shootout. Overall, Trenton has dropped six games in a row.
There have been some roster changes since the team last played. Most notably,the team traded defenseman Mitch Versteeg (a Phantoms training camp non-roster invitee and the brother of former Flyers forward Kris Versteeg) to the Kalamazoo Wings in exchange for center Justin Taylor. The forward is off to a slow start this season but has been an effective scorer at the ECHL level in the past.
In a separate deal this week, the club acquired veteran minor league enforcer forward Kelsey Wilson from the San Francisco Bulls for future considerations. Wilson, who set a pro career high 215 penalty minutes with the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals in 2006-07, has also scored as many as 15 goals at the AHL level and was an effective power forward during his junior hockey days in the OHL. He is playing in the ECHL this season for the first time.
The Titans hope their new additions provide a spark to a lineup that has looked rather flat for the last two weeks. Trenton's offense went cold in the games against Reading, and the team was also both sloppy and undisciplined defensively in three of the Reading games.
Rookie goalie
Niko Hovinen has been inconsistent in three appearances since returning to the Trenton lineup. Meanwhile, rookie forward
Marcel Noebels recorded points in each of the first eight games of the regular season but has gone without a point in each of the last four games, including a missed penalty shot.
Elmira is the ECHL affiliate of the Ottawa Senators as well as the AHL's Binghamtom club. Although its home arena (First Arena) is the smallest in the league, it's also one of the newer buildings in the league.
Former Phantoms players Andrew Rowe and Rob Bellamy are now members of the Jackals. The club also features 2009 Ottawa Senators draftee Brad Peltz (formerly with Yale University) and Chester Springs native Matt Campanale.
TITANS NOTABLES (FLYERS/PHANTOMS PROSPECTS INDICATED IN BOLD): Andy Bohmbach (12 GP, 5 G, 10 A, 15 PTS),
Marcel Noebels (12 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS, -6),
Jason Akeson (12 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 PTS, -4), Stephen Schultz (9 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS),
Blake Kessel (12 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 PTS, -2),
Luke Pither (11 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS, -4),
Tyler Hostetter (9 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS, +3),
Ian Slater (12 GP, 1 G, 0 A, 1 PTS, 35 PIM), Andrew Conboy (11 GP, 0 G, 3 A, 3 PTS, 76 PIM), Scott Wedgewood (8 GP, 4-3-0, 2.62 GAA, .910 SV%),
Niko Hovinen (6 GP, 1-3-1, 2.95 GAA, .901 SV%).
ROYALS NOTABLES: Dustin Gazley (12 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 PTS), Artem Demkov (12 GP, 6 G, 5 A, 11PTS), Andrew Rowe (12 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 PTS), Jordan Pietrus (12 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 PTS), Brad Peltz (11 GP, 2 G, 1 A, 3 PTS), Marc Chevrie (7 GP, 4-2-0, 2.60 GAA, .916 SV%).
BROADCAST LINKS: Tonight's game is available via a
free radio stream. Alternatively, a webcast can be
purchased here for $8.
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Friday Games: Flyers in Europe (Times in EST)
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KHL: Torpedo vs. CSKA Moscow (11 AM):
Ilya Bryzgalov was scratched last game, while Rastislav Stana recorded a shutout for CSKA. BROADCAST: A free webcast will be
available here.
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KHL: Lokomotiv Yaroslavl vs. Lev Prague (11 AM):
Jakub Voracek logged a pair of assists in Lev Prague's first game after the schedule break. BROADCAST: A free webcast will be
available here.
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SM-liiga: Ilves Tampere vs. Ässät Pori (11:30 AM):
Max Talbot scored a power play goal in a losing cause in his Ilves debut on Tuesday. The last-place team is in desperate need of some wins.
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KHL: Donbass Donetsk vs. Salavat Yuleav Ufa (1 PM):
Ruslan Fedotenko recorded two assists and scored the winning shootout goal in HC Donbass Donetsk's first game after the break. BROADCAST: A free webcast will be
available here.
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DEL: Eisbären Berlin vs. Krefeld Penguins (1:30 PM): This is the Polar Bears' first game after the schedule break.
Claude Giroux and
Danny Briere will look to pick up where they left off heading into the break. During the gap between games, Giroux paid a visit to Prague (where he met with former Flyers linemate Jaromir Jagr) while Briere took advantage of the opportunity to return to the U.S. and spend time with his family. There is no webcast of this game (ERC Ingolstadt vs. Adler Mannheim is the DEL game being shown on Laola1 TV) but Sunday's game will be webcasted.
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EIHL: Sheffield Steelers @ Nottingham Panthers (2:30 PM): This is the Steelers' first game since the schedule break. They played Nottingham in Sheffield in the final match before the break, as
Tom Sestito netted the game-winner in overtime. Now the scene shifts to the Panthers' home rink.
THURSDAY RESULTS: FLYERS IN EUROPE
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Allsvenskan:
Matt Read returned to the Södertälje lineup after a one-game absence (bruised foot). He racked up three more assists in a 6-4 road victory over Karlskrona. The win was SSK's 10th in its last 11 games. The team's next game is on Saturday. In the upcoming match,
Nicklas Grossmann will play his first of four games with his original team. He'll be paired with Anaheim's Cam Fowler.
* Nick Cotsonika had an excellent
article over on Yahoo about the reasons for the sudden departures of
Wayne Simmonds and Chris Stewart from Czech Extraliga team HC Bili Tygri Liberec. Simmonds apparently DOES have a legitimate family reason to return to the Toronto area but he was also unhappy in the Czech Republic.
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FRIDAY GAMES: FLYERS JUNIOR PROSPECTS
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J20 SuperElit: Brynäs J20 @ Skellefteå J20 -- 1:30 PM: Last time out, defenseman
Fredric Larsson notched his third assist and fourth point in 15 regular season games this season. He is even in the plus-minus department (+15, -15) heading into this tilt against SuperElit North-leading Skellefteå. The SAIK juniors boast a 13-2-3 mark, and the stingiest defense (42 GA in 18 games) in J20 SuperElit North.
BROADCAST LINK: A free live internet broadcast will be available on the team's
Bambuser channel. All games are also archived in their entirety and sorted by date.
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OHL: Peterborough Petes @ Kingston Frontenacs-- 7:05 PM:
Derek Mathers and the Petes finally earned a win on Thursday. Now the team with the worst record in the OHL will look for back-to-back victories.
BROADCAST LINKS: A free
radio stream of the Petes' broadcast is available or you can
purchase a live webcast for $6.99.
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OHL: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds vs Brampton Batallion -- 7:05 PM: The Greyhounds have lost each of their last five games (0-4-1) and eight of the last 10 (2-7-1) heading into this one. Center prospect
Nick Cousins will try to help his turn turn around its recent fortunes and climb back up in the OHL leading scorer rankings.
BROADCAST LINKS: A free
radio stream of the Soo broadcast is available or you can
purchase a live webcast for $6.99.
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OHL: Oshawa Generals vs Belleville Bulls-- 7:35 PM: The Generals need a win, after going 0-3-1 in their last four games and 3-5-1-1 over the last 10.
Scott Laughton will serve the ninth game of his 10-game suspension. Defenseman
Colin Suellentrop is among the many Generals players who has struggled during the team's recent slide.
BROADCAST LINKS: A free radio stream is
available here. Alternatively, you can purchase a live webcast for $6.99.
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WHL: Portland Winterhawks @ Kamloops Blazers- 10:05 PM: The scoring hot Winterhawks have won each of their last 10 games and have compiled a 12-0-1 record over their last 13 games. The U.S. Division leaders beat overall WHL leaders Kamloops head-to-head when the teams faced off last weekend.
Taylor Leier has scored goals in each of Portland's last three games heading into this tilt.
BROADCAST LINKS: A
free radio stream is available (Portland broadcast) or a
webcast stream can be purchased for $6.99.
THURSDAY GAMES: FLYERS JUNIOR PROSPECTS
* The OHL's cellar-dwelling Peterborough Petes finally got their fifth win of the season, embarrassing a lackadaisical Ottawa 67's squad, 5-2.
Derek Mathers recorded one assist and stayed out of the penalty box entirely.
* The Oshawa Generals continued their recent skid, which has also coincided with much of the 10-game suspension the league handed down to 2012 Flyers first round pick
Scott Laughton. On Thursday, Laughton served the eighth game of his suspension as the Generals went down in overtime to the London Knights, 4-3. Oshawa defenseman
Colin Suellentrop did not record a point and was minus-one in the game (he's a combined minus-eight in the club's last four games). Suellentrop and London's Matt Rupert served coincidental unsportsmanlike conduct penalties late in the second period.
* MHK Spartak dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to Russkie Vityaz Chekhov. Defenseman
Valeri Vasiliev had no points and was minus-two in the game. For the MHL season, he has one assist, 26 penalty minutes and an even plus-minus in 23 games played.
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FRIDAY GAMES: FLYERS COLLEGIATE PROSPECTS
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University of Vermont @ Boston University -- 7:05 PM: Sophomore defenseman
Nick Luukko and the Catamounts face a pair of Hockey East conference games this weekend. After hosting BU on Friday, they'll play Northeastern on Sunday.
BROADCAST LINK: A free radio stream is
available here or a webcast can be
purchased here for $9.99.
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Cornell University vs Harvard-- 7:35 PM: There are two Flyers prospects involved in this game; one per side. Freshman defenseman
Reece Willcox has gotten off a reasonably solid start to his collegiate career for Cornell. Sophomore winger
Peter Placek skates on Harvard's fourth line.
BROADCAST LINKS: The game will be nationally televised in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network. Alternatively, there will be an
audio stream available.
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University of North Dakota vs. Minnesota-Duluth -- 8:35 PM: Sophomore UND forward prospect
Michael Parks has yet to play in the regular season, due to a leg injury sustained in an Oct. 6 exhibition game. He is nearing his projected return date. UND and Minnesota-Duluth play each other again on Saturday.
BROADCAST LINK: There is an
audio stream available.
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FLYERS PLAYERS TO PARTICIPATE IN SANDY RELIEF FUNDRAISER IN AC
Flyers forward
Scott Hartnell will be one of the team captains in a charity game at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on Saturday, Nov. 24. Game time will be 7 p.m.
Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m., and range from $20 to $100. All proceeds from the match will go to benefit the ongoing relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast two weeks ago.
New York Rangers center Brad Richards will captain the opposing side. Other participants slated to play in the game include current Flyers
Kimmo Timonen,
Braydon Coburn and
Jody Shelley, as well as former Flyers Simon Gagne, James van Riemsdyk, Ville Leino, Justin Williams, Dan Carcillo and Steve Eminger.
Cherry Hill native Bobby Ryan is also confirmed to play, along with NHL players such as the Pittsburgh Penguins' James Neal and east coast native Jeff Halpern.
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