FRIDAY QUICK HITS
* The Flyers will practice today at the Skate Zone in Voorhees in preparation for tomorrow night's Hockey Night in Canada game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.
The two clubs have not faced each other since opening night of the season, when Peter Laviolette was still the Flyers head coach. On that night, Philly played well for the most part but still ended up losing the match by a 3-1 score. The Flyers and Leafs will play again later this month, meeting in Philly on March 28.
For whatever reason, the road team has fared better than the home side in most of the recent Flyers-Leafs games. The Flyers are 10-4-0 in their last 14 games against the Leafs overall, including a 6-1-0 mark in the last seven games at the Air Canada Centre.
* Backup goaltender Ray Emery (groin) remains day-to-day, so Cal Heeter is still with the Flyers. Although Heeter has had a fine second pro season with the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms, the Flyers have to cross their fingers that Emery's situation does not linger now that the trade deadline has passed.
* I had an email exchange yesterday with an NHL pro scout regarding the Flyers' acquisition of Andrew MacDonald on the day before the trade deadline and the deal to send Andrej Meszaros to Boston on deadline day. The scout's take: "We had some interest, too. Good get for them. MacDonald is an upgrade on Meszaros and Gustafsson. More mobile and better hockey sense than Meszaros. More versatile to play in all situations than Gustafsson. Flyers now have one of the best shot blocking teams in the NHL. Valuable guy to have in the playoffs."
* The early indication is that the Flyers intend to run for awhile with the pairing of MacDonald and Luke Schenn, while Mark Streit continues to work alongside Nicklas Grossmann. After Wednesday night's game, I asked Schenn about working with MacDonald and the process of getting communications straight with a partner who is new to the team.
“We talked a little before the game," said Schenn. "I actually knew him a little bit just through some buddies so I’ve met him before. We went over a few things and talked a little bit. He’s a real easy player to play with. He’s in good position, he makes good passes, he’s got a good stick and defends real well too. It seemed like it was a nice transition tonight. We’re lucky to have him apart of our lineup.”
Speaking to another reporter, MacDonald stressed some of the same points.
"I think you have to get used to playing with different guys no matter what team you’re on," MacDonald said. "The D always gets scrambled and you end up with different guys. I think the most important thing is to communicate out there and talk even before the game and just try to work out little things that you might use during the game."
* Numerous people have asked me variations on the following question that a reader PMed me this morning: "What does Craig Berube have against Erik Gustafsson? He is always the first to pay for a mistake by being a healthy scratch for games on end. Why is he always the one who sits? Why not Grossmann or Schenn or even Coburn?"
The answer to the first question is that Berube doesn't have anything "against" Gustafsson. Unfortunately, Gustafsson is in the same conundrum as many other undersized NHL defensemen who aren't All-Star caliber players ala Kimmo Timonen for much of Kimmo's career.
Gustafsson is a good puck mover, skater and passer but not off the charts. He can put up some points even at the NHL level but is not a top-end offensive defenseman. He is not bad in own end of the ice from a coverage standpoint but gets outmuscled easily at times because he gives away size.
The main knock I've heard on Gustafsson is that he's not aggressive enough in using the things he does well to offset his lack of size. As a result, he ends up in the same situation as Philip Larsen (who has been unable to claim a full-time NHL role in either Dallas or Edmonton) and many others of similar profiles.
Personally, I think Gustafsson has played pretty well this season when given the opportunity to play. I do agree with those who say he's strung together several good games and then sat again as soon as he's had a bad game whereas the team has been more patient with more experienced veterans during struggling phases.
However, those players have more proven track records and experience usually wins out in the NHL when it comes to defensemen's spots in the lineup. That's not just in Philly. That has been with most teams over the years, and most especially true where an undersized young defenseman who is more puck mover than offensive D at the NHL level (AHL and collegiate hockey roles don't figure into this) is concerned.
* The Flyers were idle last night but got help in slightly strengthening their tenuous advantage both the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference Wildcard playoff chases.
The Chicago Blackhawks smoked the Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-1, which keeps Columbus three points behind the second-place Flyers in the Metropolitan Division and burns the game in hand the Jackets had held on Philly. Both the Blue Jackets and Flyers now have 19 games remaining, as do the third-place New York Rangers. New York, two points behind the Flyers, was idle last night.
Additionally, the Boston Bruins shut out the Washington Capitals, 3-0, last night. That keeps the Capitals four points behind the second-place Flyers in the Metro and now gives Philly, the Rangers and Columbus a game in hand on the Caps.
In the Eastern Conference wildcard chase (which the Flyers only need to worry about if they slip below third place in the Metro), Philly remains one point behind fourth-place Atlantic Division club Tampa Bay. The Lightning lost 3-1 to Buffalo last night. Beware of those trap games! Both the Flyers and Tampa have 19 games remaining.
The Flyers are three points ahead of the injury-riddled Detroit Red Wings, who currently hold the final wildcard playoff spot in the East. The Wings, who lost 3-2 in overtime to Colorado last night on Nicklas Lidström Night at the Joe, have 20 games remaining on their schedule.
* According to Russian hockey reporter Roman Solovyov, Flyers defense prospect Valeri Vasilev has already decided to cancel his contract for next season with KHL team Spartak Moscow. Vasiliev may have interest in joining the Flyers organization sooner rather than later, after initially saying that he wanted to play a couple years in Russia and focus on adding muscle to his frame while gaining pro-level experience in the KHL.
The player, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first game of the regular season and returned ahead of schedule, ended up being bothered by the shoulder all season but played through it. He will undergo shoulder surgery and spend the summer strengthening it.
Vasiliev, who will turn 20 on May 31, started 36 KHL games for Spartak this season, recording three assists, 14 penalty minutes and a minus-nine rating on the third pairing of a bad team. He also played for Team Russia at the World Junior Championships. He had one assist, four penalty minutes and an even plus-minus for the bronze medal winning team.
The 6-foot-2, 207 pound Vasiliev is noted for his aggressive physical game and solid mobility. His decision-making is sometimes questionable. Initially projected as high as a potential second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, he was set back a shoulder injury and ended up slipping to the Flyers in the seventh round (201st overall).
Now that Vasiliev had two documented significant shoulder injuries before the age of 20, the Flyers may want to proceed with caution. However, if he is physically sound and committed to working his way up the ladder in North America, he has both the frame and style to be an interesting prospect for the long term.
* Flyers 2013 second-round pick Robert Hägg sat out Modo's game yesterday against reigning SHL champion Skellefteå AIK due to an automatic one-game suspension for engaging in a full-blown fight with Luleå's Anton Hedman in the previous game. Hedman, a former Modo player and tough OHL forward who is a former Boston Bruins prospect, is no stranger to dropping the gloves. Hägg handled himself well in the fight.
Modo, in seventh place in the SHL standings, downed first-place SAIK yesterday by a 4-2 score. They have one game remaining on their regular-season schedule. Under the new playoff format this year, six SHL teams get automatic spots in the quarterfinals while the seventh to 10th place teams have to play qualifiers. Modo is one point behind sixth-place Brynäs. Under the old format, the top eight teams made the quarterfinals, the ninth and 10th place teams were done for the year.
* I greatly enjoyed reading "Gordie Howe's Son" by Mark Howe and Jay Greenberg (Triumph Books, $25.95). I will post a full review of the book on Sunday's blog.
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ABRAMS FUNDRAISER: UPDATE
* On Sun. March 9, starting at 5 p.m., Abrams Hebrew Academy will hold its annual Fund Raising Dinner and Casino Royale Night at Congregation Beth El in Yardley, PA. Special guests for the night will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Bill Clement, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
All proceeds go to benefit the school. My nephew, Sammy Sherman, attends Abrams and my sister, Liza, helped to organize the event and line up the Flyers alumni guests. The slogan for the night is "Help Abrams Make Its Goal."
Apart from the dinner and casino event, there will also be a host of items available via auction and raffle. The items include:
* Ultimate Flyers Fan Package (four VIP tickets for 2014-15 season game, autographed Claude Giroux stick, autographed Adam Hall mini-helmet, various autographed pucks, photos and hockey cards, $100 Modells Gift Card, Flyers-themed accessories for your home or office, autographed copies of books by Bill Clement, NHL.com's Adam Kimelman and "Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask). Available by raffle.
*Autographed hockey stick signed by all three members of the LCB line: Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber and Reggie Leach. Available by auction.
* Autographed Bernie Parent goalie stick. Available by auction.
* Autographed Bernie Parent jersey. Available by auction.
* Autographed box of Bernie Parent's signature line of cigars. Available by auction.
* Jiclee of Bobby Clarke, autographed by the Hockey Hall of Famer. Available by auction.
* Howie Mandel DVD containing his"Guffaw" routine, autographed by Brian Propp. Available by auction.
* Autographed Brian Propp jersey. Available by auction.
* Team USA hockey stick autographed by Jeremy Roenick. Available by auction.
* Team Israel national team hockey jersey, donated by Israeli Hockey Federation. Available by auction.
* Pair of suite tickets to a Flyers game vs. Sabres on April 6 donated by ESPN Radio. Includes food and beverages. Available by auction.
* Pair of front row floor seats for 76ers game vs. Charlotte Bobcats on April 2. Includes access to Cadillac Grille and Lexus Club. Available by auction.
* Pair of tickets to a Philadelphia Eagles tickets for a 2014 season game. Available by auction.
* Autographed Troy Polamalu football. Available by auction.
* Disney package: Airfare for two, four one-day passes, two nights of hotel in Orlando. Available by raffle.
* Assorted theater tickets. Available by auction.
* Kids' summer camp packages. Available by auction.
* Executive suite for up to 25 people at a Camden River Sharks game. Available by raffle.
* Four tickets to Yankees vs. Angels at Yankee Stadium on April 27, Section 216, Row 3. Available by auction.
* Much more, including a basketball autographed by the Atlanta Hawks and other items.
For more information,
click here.
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