POST-PRACTICE UPDATES
The Flyers had another intensive day at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. The team did systems work and line rushes on one ice surface and then immediately switched rinks for special teams work. Afterwards, there was a team meeting conducted by head coach Craig Berube.
The most notable development at practice today was the full participation of Vincent Lecavalier and the large-scale shifting of line combinations. Here's is how the team lined up at practice today:
Raffl - Giroux - Lecavalier
McGinn - B. Schenn - Voracek
Read - Couturier - Simmonds
Hall - Talbot - Rinaldo
[Hartnell - Newbury - Rosehill]
Timonen - Gustafsson
Grossmann - Coburn
Streit - L. Schenn
[Gill - Meszaros]
Additionally, Berube moved Mark Streit onto the top power play unit, rotating Kimmo Timonen down to the second unit. Injured forward Scott Hartnell took line rushes with projected healthy scratches Kris Newbury and Jay Rosehill.
After practice, Lecavalier said that if he is going to play wing -- and he will be happy to do it if asked -- he feels more comfortable on his off-wing. While he would not say for certain that he will be ready to play come Thursday, that outlook seems much brighter than the picture Berube painted at yesterday's practice.
Vincent Lecavalier updates his status: "Have felt better and better each day"
Craig Berube discusses experiment with Lecavalier on Giroux's wing
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TUESDAY QUICK HITS
* The Adirondack Phantoms are off to a 1-3-0-2 start to the 2013-14 season. To the dismay of defensive-minded head coach Terry Murray, the team's biggest issue right now is that the club (which features a young blueline corps) has yielded an AHL-worst 24 goals. Discipline has been lacking, as the team also leads the circuit with 178 penalty minutes.
* One of the recent bright spots on the Phantoms has been the play of rookie forward Nick Cousins. The former Sault Ste. Marie center has scored goals in back-to-back games, and now has six points in the first five games. His defensive game remains a work in progress.
* In the two Phantoms games I have watched this season via Web streams, I have been impressed by the play of rookie defenseman Mark Alt. He's made a couple of rookie mistakes but he also also shown the intriguing combination of size and puck moving ability that originally made him a second-round by Carolina prior to the trade to the Flyers' organization last season.
* According to Phantoms beat writer, Diana Nearhos, rookie Phantoms forward Petr Straka suffered an injury at practice today.
* Flyers second round pick Robert Hägg has been receiving rather sparing ice time during Modo's recent games. Today, he is playing a game (his first of the season) with Modo's J20 team, skating on the top pairing. His ice time with the big club may increase now that veteran Anssi Salmela has left the team. Modo is back in action on Thursday against AIK.
* Today in Flyers History: On this date in 2006, the Flyers appointed John Stevens as interim head coach and Paul Holmgren as interim general manager following the firing of Ken Hitchcock as coach and the resignation of Bob Clarke as GM.
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