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Quick Hits: April 29, 2024
1) On this week's "Mondays with Meltzer" edition of Flyers Daily, Jason Myrtetus and I take inventory of the Flyers. We assess areas of strength and areas of need, plus areas of redundancy in team building for both next season and the long-term outlook. We focus on goaltending and the Defense positions on the episode and also evaluate the overall state of the rebuild. Also, this week is our first Local Business Spotlight with the Flyers Hometown Assist program.
2) OHL Playoffs: The London Knights will visit the Saginaw Spirit on Monday in Game 3 of the Western Conference final round of the Ontario Hockey playoffs. London holds a two games to zero lead in the best-of-seven series. Game time is 7:05 p.m. EDT. The game will be streamed on OHL Live (subscription required).
On Sunday, the Knights captured a 3-1 home win despite a disallowed goal from Flyers defense prospect Oliver Bonk. Flyers prospect Denver Barkey assisted on a first period goal by Kasper Halttunen that gave London a 2-0 lead. Bonk earned third-star honors for the game.
In the postseason to date, Barkey has 13 points (3g, 10a) through London's first 10 games. Bonk has four points (2g. 2a) and is a traditional plus-eight.
Saginaw survived a hard-fought seven-game series against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the second round to advance to play London in the conference final. London, meanwhile, has yet to lose a playoff game. The Knights swept the Flint Firebirds in the first round and then took out the Kitchener Rangers in four straight games in the second round.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the Oshawa Generals hold a 2-0 lead in their series with the North Bay Battalion.
3) QMJHL playoffs: Flyers wing prospect Alexis Gendron and the Drummondville Voltigeurs have an off night on Monday in their semifinal playoff series against the Victoriaville Tigres. The series will resume on Tuesday in Victoriaville as the Voltigeurs look to grab a three games to zero lead in the series.
Gendron chipped in one assist in Game 2 to avoid going without a point for a third straight game in postseason play. For the playoffs overall, the 20-year-old forward has posted eight points (4g, 4a) in eight games played.
This season, Gendron spent the first half of the campaign in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, which was allowable under the CHL/AHL Age Rule because he turned 20 shortly prior to the end of the 2023 calendar year (Dec. 30). He showed he could handle the pace of play and had the hands to finish chances -- five goals, seven points in 17 games plus a very questionably disallowed goal not reflected in the totals -- but had holes in his all-around game and benefited more from playing on an every-game basis in the Q rather than being in and out of the lineup in Allentown.
After returning to the QMJL with a new team (Drummondville), Gendron posted 10 goals and 18 points in 16 regular season games. Last year, he tore up the Q offensively after a trade from Blainville-Boisbriand to Gatineau (33 goals, 47 points in 33 regular season games, 14 goals and 19 points in 13 playoff games).
4) Today in Flyers History: April 29
* 1975: Goaltender Wayne Stephenson records a 21-save shutout and is also credited with an assist on a Don Saleski goal as the Flyers earn a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke (shorthanded) and Rick MacLeish (1g, 1a) also tally for the Flyers. Note: Flyers Hall of Fame goaltender Bernie Parent misses the first two games of the series against the Islanders due to a deep knee bruise suffered when a shot struck him in the knee when going down for a save.
* 1976: Reggie Leach's goal at 13:38 of sudden death overtime lifts the Flyers to a 2-1 win at the Spectrum over the Boston Bruins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup semifinals. The goal is Leach's eight of the 1976 playoffs, on his way to an NHL record 19 goals during the postseason. Leach's combined 80 goals in regular season (61) and playoffs is a Flyers' franchise record.
* 2012: After a disallowed overtime goal, Danny Briere scores one that counts to send the Flyers to a 4-3 OT victory against the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals. New Jersey Devils argued that he'd been interfered with on the latter goal and that it. too, should have been disallowed. Coincidentally or not, Brodeur got the benefit of two goalie interference penalties called against Philadelphia over the remainder of the series. Despite dropping Game 1, the Devils went on to upset the favored Flyers in five games.
* 2014: A Wayne Simmonds hat trick keys the Flyers to a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers, forcing a seventh and deciding game in the 2014 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Erik Gustafsson and Claude Giroux (ENG) also score for Philly. Steve Mason is masterful in net, turned back 34 of 36 shots.
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