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Centers Of Attention

October 25, 2016, 12:03 PM ET [5 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT





Tonight, long time foes the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers will enter the octagon for the first time this season. The Flyers lost 3-1 in Montreal last night while the Sabres were watching from their luxurious Philly hotel .

This is the 171st game all-time showdown between Buffalo and Philadelphia. Buffalo trails the all-time series with a 66-81-23 record.

The last time these two teams squared off, Philadelphia drubbed Buffalo, 5-1, in Philly on Febraury 11. The Sabres and Flyers won't play again until January 10 in Buffalo.

I give the advantage to Buffalo heading into tonight as they are rested having played just four games this season. The Sabres have been idle since they lost to Vancouver last Thursday.

I'll be watching Sabres center Ryan O’Reilly very closely tonight.

O'Reilly led all NHL forwards with an average TOI of 23:13 as of dinner time Monday night.

O’Reilly concluded the 2015-16 season ranked first among NHL forwards with 21:44 TOI per game and has averaged 20:43 TOI per game since the beginning of the 2014-15 season. Since that time, O'Reilly is leading all NHL forwards.

O’Reilly has nine points (3G, 6A) in 10 career games against the Flyers, including seven (3G, 4A) in his last seven contests.


O’Reilly has totaled 13 points (7G, 6A) in his last nine road games dating back to March 22 at Carolina. O’Reilly has been a point-per-game player in his last 52 road games, totaling 18 goals and 34 assists on the road in a stretch that began with a career-best, 10-game road point streak from February 20 to March 26, 2015.


O'Reilly's line mate Kyle Okposo has 16 points (6G, 10A) his last 15 road games dating back to March 1 at Vancouver, including six two-point games during that span.



O'Reilly and Okposo wil be joined tonight by Matt Moulson.


After four games, Moulson has been one of if not the best Buffalo forward. Moulson has scored two power play goals in four games played. He'splayed faster. He's been more physical. He is competing harder for loose change on the walls, behind the net and in the slot.

At Sunday morning's practice, Bylsma threw Moulson a cookie. Moulson is now the first trio left winger alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Okposo.


To make room for Moulson on the top line, Bylsma moved Samson Reinhart back to his natural center position on a line with Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.


Here are Bylsma's line trios from Sunday's practice:

Moulson - O'Reilly - Okposo
Ennis - Reinhart - Girgensons
Foligno - Larsson - Gionta
Deslauriers - Grant - Fasching

When Jack Eichel returns from his high ankle sprain injury, you cn expect to see he and Reinhart reunited, with Samson on the wing. For now, Bylsma wants Reinhart to kickstart the slow to get going Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons.

Moulson has earned his promotion from the fourth line out house the penthouse.


“I think I put in a lot of work during the year,” Moulson said Sunday.

" I just have to keep working, day in, day out. I think it probably started somewhere last year to get back to where I wanted to play.”


Bylsma likes what he sees from Moulson.

“I think you’re seeing a result of the work that ‘Mouls’ put in in the offseason,” Bylsma said. “He’s come with a renewed vigor for playing, and I think he’s playing a better game as a result. You see him last game, he’s skating, he has four hits, he’s on the forecheck, he’s winning pucks on the offensive zone. That’s something he’s got to keep bringing for us.”



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A very tasty plot line for me to follow tonight is how Flyers captain Claude Giroux plays head to head against Ryan O'Reilly. The two veterans are leaders of their respective teams and they are always counted upon to create offense, win key faceoffs and shut down the other team's top line with stifling D tactics.



There is a game within the game that is making tonight's O'Reilly-Giroux matchup.

Both centers were members of Team Canada's gold medal winning squad at the World Cup of Hockey.


On September 13, Hockey Canada and its World Cup of Hockey management group have named O’Reilly to Team Canada, as a replacement for Tyler Seguin who suffered a lower-body injury.

O’Reilly, 25, was one of only three players to win back-to-back IIHF World Championship gold with Canada in 2015 and 2016. In addition to wearing the Maple Leaf at two other IIHF World Championships (2012, 2013) and the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championship, O’Reilly had won gold with Canada at the 2008 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament, and captained Ontario to a gold medal at the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

O’Reilly joined Team Canada for a pre-tournament game against Russia in Pittsburgh.


O'Reilly obviously passed the audition which promopted Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock to bench Giroux so that he could play O'Reilly with Matt Duchene and Joe Thornton instead. Talk about a phenomenal fourth line. ROR and Duchene were teammates for years in Colorado and had immediate chemisty. O'Reilly would play six games for the Canadians en route to their gold medal victory. When asked about the roster move at the time, Babcock said that he appreciated O'Reilly for his consistent international body of work. Babcock also liked ROR's 200 foot game and his ability to win draws in all three zone of the ice.

Giroux played just one game for Team Canada's World Cup of Hockey championship team.

At the time, not much was made of the Giroux benching by media during the World Cup of Hockey, however, I watched it with a hawk eye.

Giroux didn't voice his displeasure publicly. But you better believe that he was seething inside that Babcock snubbed him so. Giroux is a proud guy. He's the captain of the Philadelphia Flyers. He wants to be counted on by his coaches and teammates. When the going gets tough, Giroux gets going because it's in his DNA to lead his team out of the darkness and into the light.


It's hard for a guy to be a leader when he's being benched and bag skated. It was difficult for Giroux to prove his worth to Babcock because Ryan O'Reilly skated in late as an injury replacement and ostensibly stole Giroux's ice time and roster spot. If I'm Giroux, I would be pissed off. Alpha dogs don't give up without a fight. They will fight, claw and bite to win a battle with another alpha dog. Two aggressive dogs, one bone. Someone has to lose.


One wonders if Giroux is still smarting about losing his World Cup roster spot to O'Reilly.

Giroux has yet to score a goal in his six games played. He has seven assists and is -4. He has only landed 14 shots on goal in six games. He's averaging 20:43 TOI and is 48% on draws. Giroux has only 5 hits and no blocked shots. In my opinioon, Giroux is at his best when he is chirping his opponents and slashing them behind the knee caps. This kinder, gentler, decaffeinated version of Giroux isn't the same guy who has tormented Sidney Crosby to the point to violence over the the years. What's up with that?


O'Reilly has scored 3 goals and 2 assists in his four games played. He has landed 12 shots on goal in four games while landed 1 hit and 1 blocked shot. ROR has won 61% of his draws.


Chances are, we will see ROR and Giroux lined up head to head in the face off dot tonight.




Tonight, will the real Claude Giroux finally appear for the Flyers?



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The Flyers have scored 13 of their 20 goals in the second period. Why? They shoot more P2. They have taken 40 first period shots as compared to 76 second period shots.


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4 of Buffalo's 11 goals on the year have come on the power-play.

The Sabres have also allowed just one power-play goal this season, killing off 13 of 14.


They are one of eight teams to have given up only one goal on the penalty kill.





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Buffalo’s penalty kill units are on fire this season. The PKers have squashed 13 of 14 attempts through three games, ranking sixth in the NHL (entering league play Monday night) with a penalty kill percentage of 92.8%. The Sabres finished the 2015-16 season with a penalty kill percentage of 82.6 percent, ranking ninth in the league and marking the team’s best rate in five seasons.




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The return of Radko Gudas from his six game suspension will no doubt add cayenne pepper and seasoning to tonight's Sabres-Flyers tilt.

Gudas missed six games after being suspended by the league for a hit to the head of Boston rookie Austin Czarnik during a game on October 8. Gudas declined an in person hearing with the Department of Player Safety and was given the six game ban.

Gudas served the final game of his suspension on Monday.






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Rasmus Ristolainen entered play Monday tied for seventh in the NHL (third amongst defensemen) with five assists and ranked 12th in the league with 24:53 TOI.






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The Toronto Maple Leafs are only five games into goalie Freddy Andersen's five year, $25 million contract and already the Toronto media are chirping the puck stopper. Mike Babcock ain't having any of that sh.... stuff.




Andersen is 1-0 with a less than enviable 3.63 GAA and .879 save %. Mediocre numbers to ne certain. Andersen has faced 124 shots on goal and has allowed 15 goals against in 247:33 TOI.

You will recall that on September 5, was run into by his own Team Denmark defenseman at an IIHF Olympic qualifiying tournament game against Slovenia. Anderson suffered an upper body injury and was forced to miss 4 weeks whie his ailment mended.

Could it be that Andersen's struggles are tied to his upper body injury? Or, is it a horse of a different color?


Whatever the cause, Babs has Freddy's back.



The Leafs rank 24th in the NHL in goals against average .
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