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Quick Hits: May 18, 2020
1) According to Pierre LeBrun, the NHL-NLPA Return-to-Play Committee met throughout the weekend. There will be an NHL Board of Governors meeting today. The apparent focus now is planning for a 24-team play-in/playoff format. There has been significant push-back from teams on holding the NHL Draft in June, but the final decision will Gary Bettman's alone to make. The NHL may announce all of its major plans and timetables over the next week.
Once team training facilities are reopened for NHL team use and before players can convene for informal on-ice workouts, players traveling internationally to report back to their NHL teams will have to self-quarantine for 14 days. Given this need as well as the need to hold a training camp before the potential resumption of play, the beginning of July seems to be the rough target for games to resume.
Under the rumored direction of the emerging return-to-play plan, the NHL would NOT go directly into the playoffs. As the second place team in the Metro and fourth in the Eastern Conference at the time of the pause, the Flyers would play for seeding. The bottom seven teams in the NHL at the time of the stoppage would not play any further games this season. The teams in the middle would engage in a play-in format.
NHL executives have all but conceded that the 2020-21 NHL season will not begin in October. Whether next season would be scheduled to start in the latter part of November or in early December remains yet to be determined.
2) On today's edition of Flyers Daily for the Flyers Broadcast Network, Jason Myrtetus and I discussed LeBrun's report. Additionally, we talked about a series of pre-season question marks that have been answered with a high degree of certainty this season as well as questions that have arisen for beyond the current season. Lastly, Jason interviews Flyers/Phantoms defenseman Mark Friedman, who will be the subject of Tuesday's player profile on the Flyers official website.
3) Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in lieu of a traditional "exit day" media availability ala the end of an NHL team's season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms will be doing a season wrapup media availability via zoom on Tuesday. Head coach Scott Gordon and various players will speak.
4) May 18 Flyers Alumni birthdays:
* Offensively skilled winger Dave Michayluk was born May 18, 1962 in Wakaw, Saskatchewan.
* Grinding power winger Turner Stevenson was born May 18, 1972 in Prince George, British Columbia.
* Hard-nosed defenseman Jay Wells was born May 18, 1959 in Paris, Ontario.
5) Today in Flyers History: May 18, 2010 (Eastern Conference Final, Game 2)
After making NHL history with their second-round comeback against the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers showed no signs of physical fatigue or mental letdown in the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers opened the series with a 6-0 blowout win in Game One.
Two nights later, the Flyers did it again, shutting out the Canadiens for the second straight time. This time, the score was 3-0. Goals by Danny Briere (power play), Simon Gagne (power play) and Ville Leino led the way offensively. Leino also assisted on the Gagne goal. Philadelphia closed the game out with authority, outshooting Montreal by a 10-4 margin in the third period
After notching a 28-save shutout in the series opener, Michael Leighton stopped all 30 shots fired on his net in Game Two. His best work came in the opening period as he was called upon to make 16 saves. Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak turned back 20 of 23.
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