SB Nation - Arron Asham

Tales of the Tape: Mike Rupp vs. Arron Asham, Part Deux

JDunman — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:00:39 -0000

It was so much fun last time, let's do it again!

With the score tied at 1, noted Flyer-fighter Mike Rupp and Arron Asham dropped the gloves seemingly to get some momentum going for their teams. This fight wasn't overly exciting, as there was no helmet scrambling or face grabbing. The two traded some shots before Rupp went for the rare body blow to no real effect. The two paused for a moment and apparently Rupp decided it was time to end it, going for a headlock. After a couple tries, he pulled Asham's helmet off and forced him down to the ice. No advantage here and not much of a takedown, so this one gets called a draw.

With this fight, Rupp has passed Eric Godard for the most fights on the Penguins with 6. Next up are the Sabres, who have a little over half (14) the fights that the Penguins have (27). Don't look for much here, as they only had one fight against the Penguins last season when Andrew Peters took on Godard. Peters is now with New Jersey.

Poll

Who won the fight?

Tales of the Tape: Beating on the Flyers in Three Parts

JDunman — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:46 -0000

When the Penguins meet the Flyers, be it in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia, the chances of a fight breaking out are quite higher than most other games. Toss in the level of frustration that Philadelphia has to be feeling, and that high chance becomes an inevitability. So, with little surprise, the game featured three fights, all within the first six minutes of the game. We'll be taking a moment and checking out all three.

First up - the Noted One Mike Rupp taking on Arron Asham.

The two meet up and exchange pleasantries (and jabs) before Rupp begins going for Asham's helmet. Asham responds by grabbing for Rupp's jersey, but instead gets a handful of face. Rupp answers back with a nice shot, and gets the helmet off, with Asham slipping to the ice. Asham regains his footing and shifts Rupp off his balance, ending the fight. I could see this one being called a draw, but with the shot leading to the helmet removal, I'm thinking it's a win from Rupp. And I'm writing this, so that's how it will be.

Quickly after the first fight comes another (with another annoying 'Well, well, well' call from the announcer) which is not at all surprising once we learn that it's Eric Godard and Riley Cote (round 5).

Spinning and punching. That's what these two are good at, and that's what these two do. Godard gets Cote's helmet off and gets some shots in to the head. Also with these shots came Cote's helmet, which got stuck on Godard's arm and was also swinging towards Cote's head. As the two near the boards, it looks like they await the linesmens' intervention, but when the officials make no moves, they decide to swing a few more times at each other. A few more fist/helmet shots from Godard and the officials finally get in and break the two up. I'm calling this one for Godard - he got the better offense in, and hit the man with his own helmet.

So with Rupp and Godard both getting decent showings, when a fight breaks out between Craig Adams and Dan Carcillo, we're expecting good things, right?

Oh no. Well, Adams did manage to get Carcillo's helmet off...but he also managed to get punched. In the head. A lot. The less said here, the better. That's a loss for Adams...but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

These matchups have something in common with each other. All three pairings have fought each other before. Godard and Cote is certainly nothing new - we saw it three times last season and the two even have an AHL bout against one another. Mike Rupp had a noted fight against Asham last season while he was playing for the Devils. Neat little tidbit about that one - Rupp also fought Riley Cote in that game. In fact, when Rupp was fighting Asham, Cote was fighting another Devil right next to him. Certainly nothing special about that - it's just kind of neat. As for Adams and Carcillo - they also fought last season, and Adams actually took a worse beating then.

With these three fights, the Pens are tied for 5th in fighting majors with the Sharks, only below the Flames, Lightning, Flyers and Maple Leafs. Next up will be the Flyers again, and do I really need to write a preview for that one? Of course someone's going to fight.

Poll

Overall, who came out on top of the fights?

Building Blocks: Flyers earn solid victory in Boston

Travis Hughes — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:57:23 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Look at that face.

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[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Boston Reaction]

The Boston Bruins hadn't lost a game all season after scoring the first goal, the best mark in the NHL. The Philadelphia Flyers had a 2-11 record when allowing the first goal of the hockey game, the worst mark in the NHL. So you can imagine how fans of the orange and black felt when Vladimir Sobotka scored a lucky, ugly goal in the latter stages of the second period to break a scoreless dead lock.

Same old story, right? It didn't matter that the Flyers had worked hard all game, or that the offensive pressure was there, or that the defense had been quite solid throughout, or that Brian Boucher continued to play like it was Game 7 of the Finals. Nope, bad luck would bite them this time, and a cheap goal would lead this ill-fated team toward yet another loss.

That's what overreacting sounds like when, in the end, the opposite actually happens.

The Flyers didn't give up. When the third period started, they continued to apply the pressure, not giving up. Hard work by Claude Giroux forced a power play, which they were unable to capitalize on, but you could feel it coming. Boston couldn't get out of their end except for a few futile little rushes the other way, which were quickly stomped out by the Flyers defense. With Philly again pressing in the Bruins end, Arron Asham was able to feed James van Riemsdyk in the slot, where he poked the tying goal through the pads of Tim Thomas.

The Flyers didn't stop there, though, continuing to control the pace for the next eight minutes, until a drive from Kimmo Timonen at the point deflected off a Bruin and found its way behind the net. And just like that, Philadelphia had a third period lead. Hard work rewarded.

Scott Hartnell would take a dumb penalty in the waning minutes, but on the ensuing kill, Kimmo Timonen lifted a shot from the far corner all the way down the ice into an empty net to seal the victory. It doesn't get any easier tomorrow in Pittsburgh, but this was an excellent victory tonight. Baby steps. Building blocks.

After the jump, a few more thoughts on this solid Flyers victory, questions with answers, highlights & pressers, and the comment of the night.

Some assorted thoughts...

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen left the game after the first period with a knee injury. He's reportedly going to be out two to three weeks, and Danny Syvret is on his way to Pittsburgh to meet the team. He'll play tomorrow night.
Boston fans are livid about a few questionable calls in this one, proving that everybody -- not just a select few Flyers fans -- believes the NHL is out to get them. Here's a quote from the game thread at Stanley Cup of Chowder...

Stuff like that makes me wonder. With the Classic coming up and Philadelphia clearly not being up to snuff as a team, it’s a little convenient that a game would be called this bad, with much of it in their favor, in the last matchup before the big one.

...you can snuff out the absurdity there, I'm sure. The commenter is referring to a non-goal call in the first period. The Bruins crashed the net and the puck wound up in it. There was no review, justified by the officials because Boucher never had a chance to make a plau. Jack Edwards probably had a heart attack on NESN, and if we can get a clip of that, we'll pass it along.
The Flyers peppered the Bruins with 38 shots, a nice little picture of how much offensive pressure they created. Not all of them were quality, but still.
The power play still looks terrible, though. They're not generating any movement, not getting creative with passes, and opting to take only low-percentage shots through traffic. It has to change.
There was a reported brawl during the Mites on Ice game in the first intermission at TD Garden. And they say we like fighting in Philly. If we get video, we'll be sure to pass it along as well. If you have video, please shoot us an email ASAP, because this has to be hilarious.
JVR broke a 12-game goal-less drought.
Giroux and Hartnell showed a ton of chemistry, and Carcillo looked really strong on the top line. In fact, the entire team put in an excellent effort tonight. They truly earned this one.
Hartnell did take a ton of penalties, though, and you can be sure Peter Laviolette will make him pay in practice.

Questions With Answers

Tim Thomas hasn't won a game since the 2nd and hasn't been great this season. Can the Flyers take advantage? Thomas didn't look particularly weak tonight.
Claude Giroux has scored the Flyers' last three goals. CAN SOMEONE ELSE SCORE, PLEASE? Giroux played fantastic hockey again, but yes! JVR and Timonen had Flyer goals.
Can the Flyers get the first goal and gain some momentum early? No, but they certainly stole the momentum out of the gate in the third and rode it to victory.
Power play. Goals? Nah, don't ask too much, now...
How's Tollefsen look now that he's back in the lineup? Poor guy. Another injury. It's almost funny, in a sick sort of way.
Does Carcillo noticeably hold back at all, fresh off his four game suspension? He didn't take any dumb penalties and even drew one or two, but from an aggressiveness standpoint, he didn't seem to hold back. He put together a nice little game.

Comment of the Night

Everyone remember what clothes they have on RIGHT NOW so you can wear them again tomorrow…

>> NoalB

Highlights

Laviolette Press Conference

Boucher, JVR, & Timonen Post Game

Fun Facts From the Flyers Media Guide

Travis Hughes — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

The Flyers media guide never seems to disappoint when it comes to interesting or funny facts.

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As every pro and college sports team does, the Philadelphia Flyers put out a media guide each season. In addition to all those interesting stats TV broadcasters hand out, the book includes profiles of every player on the roster, every member of the organization, and other fun little tidbits. I took a chance to page through the guide recently, and I share some of the best facts with you below.

The bar at the AT&T Pavilion in the Wachovia Center is the largest in-arena bar in the world.
Assistant GM Barry Hanrahan has a labradoodle named Meatball.
VP of Sales Jim Willits might be the reason the Phoenix Coyotes fail in the desert. In his first four years as director of ticket sales for the Coyotes, the arena filled to 94 percent capacity. Since he left in 2002, that number has substantially dropped.
On February 6, 1997 against Montreal, the Legion of Doom -- John LeClair, Eric Lindros, and Mikael Renberg -- scored 16 points in a game, the most by a line in one game in franchise history. 20 days later in Ottawa, they repeated the feat.
The names of Arron Asham's kids: Dexter, Azilyn, and Oceane.
If Matt Carle could have dinner with anybody, he would choose to dine with Santa Claus.
Ed Snider has 14 grandchildren.
Fred Shero holds the highest win percentage of any coach in team history, with a .642 mark. Terry Murray holds the best playoff win percentage for a coach at .609.
Brian Boucher loves Spongebob and wont eat sushi.
The Flyers went undefeated against the Penguins at home in 42 consecutive games from February 7, 1974 to December 8, 1988.
Darroll Powe would like Norm MacDonald to play him in a movie about his life.
You know how you know Ian Laperriere is gay? He listens to Coldplay before games. Linked video NSFW.
Chris Pronger's first car, a 1983 Ford Ranger, was held together by rust.
Mike Richards dreams of being on stage at an Eminem concert.
Los Angeles couldn't beat the Flyers from October 22, 1974 until February 5, 1983 -- 32 games.
Among goalies with at least 1,000 minutes played, Roman Cechmanek holds the best GAA mark -- 1.96. At the opposite end of the spectrum (no pun intended), Bobby Taylor had a GAA of 4.05 in 44 games.
Ray Emery is allergic to cheese.

More after the jump...

The most points the Flyers have compiled against one team? 299 against Pittsburgh all-time, an 132-76-30-5 all-time record.
Simon Gagne's favorite numbers are 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Philadelphia has only played Columbus eight times. Ever. 4-1-3-0 in those games.
Craig Berube has a son named Nashota.
The orange and black scored two goals in seven seconds in the first period against St. Louis on December 27, 1988. They scored three goals in 35 seconds in the eighth minute of the second period against Boston on March 1, 1979. They scored four goals in one minute, 22 seconds against Pittsburgh in the third period on October 11, 1981.
Kimmo Timonen has a thing for Robert DeNiro. He'd like to have dinner with him and he'd also select him to play him in a movie about his life.
The Flyers have never allowed a goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs, despite four chances by opponents.
Ian Laperriere, movie star. He played Montreal Canadiens great "Boom Boom" Geoffrion in Maurice Richard, a movie about another Habs legend.
Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1974/75, the Flyers scored just 61 goals at home that season, the low mark in team history.
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is listed as "single" but he also "got married over the summer to his wife, Guro."
In his one game as a Flyer goaltender, Martin Houle had a GAA of 30.00. He allowed one goal in two minutes of ice time.
The Flyers are 29-4-3-1 all time against Atlanta.
Scott Hartnell's favorite cartoon character is Darkwing Duck.
Prior to this season, the Flyers had sold out 1,054 of their 1,621 home games.
Raw onions don't get along with Braydon Coburn.
The Flyers have a winning record against every team in the NHL, with the exception of the Boston Bruins, who they are 59-80-21-5 against all-time.
Danny Briere's first car was an Izuzu Impulse.

Goodbye John Stevens? Flyers shutout again, 3-0

Travis Hughes — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:01:09 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Vancouver Reaction]

Final - 12.3.2009	1	2	3	Total
Vancouver Canucks	0	2	1	3
Philadelphia Flyers	0	0	0	0

Complete Coverage >

The Philadelphia Flyers haven't scored a goal in eight periods. They're getting chances, but the fact of the matter is they simply can't put the puck in the net. Why not? Quite honestly, it doesn't matter. They aren't getting it done. They knew they needed to win this game tonight. They had four full days to prepare for it. Losing, especially via a shutout, is absolutely unacceptable. There's no other way to put it.

Yeah, they're having a closed door meeting at the Wachovia Center right now as this is written, according to 610 WIP. But is it too little, too late? They're running out of options. The top lines aren't doing anything. Arron Asham was the best player on the ice tonight and that says a lot. He played a pretty good game, but when your best players aren't your best players and your role players are consistently the ones putting in the most quality shifts, you aren't going to win.

And eventually, it's going to get your coach fired. Is that the fair move? Up for debate. But you can't fire the players, especially when just about all of them are under performing. As we wrote the other day, when things are consistently going wrong, the coach is the scapegoat. It doesn't matter who is actually to blame.

It doesn't matter that Jeff Carter looks absolutely lost on the ice. It doesn't matter that the defense can't make one good outlet pass. It doesn't matter that Mike Richards is trying to do too much with the puck, often ruining plays by over-thinking. It doesn't matter that the power play can't seem to do anything right, making fans groan instead of cheer when a man advantage is announced at the Wachovia Center.

The Flyers did have 38 shots tonight and Roberto Luongo did have to put in a good game. But that's pretty misleading. Many of the shots were simple to stop. Philadelphia failed miserably at getting in front of the net and disrupting Luongo, and he had an unobstructed view of the puck for just about the entire night.

In the end, a lifeless offense and a lifeless team made a hockey game seem like a funeral. And for the Philadelphia tenure of one coach, that metaphor could quickly become the truth if his team can't snap out of this funk.

After the jump, questions with answers and the comment of the night.

Questions With Answers

Can the Flyers get to Luongo and the Canucks early? Nope.
Can the special teams get back on track? Nope.
How many hot dogs are consumed? Dollar dog night again... A lot. 16,000 something about halfway through the game. Don't care about the total number, honestly.
How many jokes get made at the expense of Jim Jackson's bald upper lip? It was loud in the room I watched the game in, so I didn't hear much of the commentary. If someone else wants to answer this in the comments, go right ahead.

Comment Of The Night

i think the flyers need more cow bell

>> phish'n

From Chris to Oskars: Meet Your Philadelphia Flyers 2010 Olympic Hopefuls

Travis Hughes — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:40:04 -0000

Chris Pronger skates for Team Canada at the Salt Lake City games in 2002.

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If you ever poke around at the new SBNation.com (and if you don't, then what are you doing with your life?), you've no doubt noticed SBN Hockey's running feature over the last week or so. Each site on the network has taken a look at their respective team, noting which players are locks to make their national teams and which players have outside chances at traveling to Vancouver next month.

While most of the Flyers are Canadian -- seriously, it's absurd the number of Canadians on this roster -- and will have trouble cracking a stacked roster, there are some who will make it. Of course, there are also other players who will make the squad in other countries, and you might be surprised at who has a shot.

After the jump, we'll break down the Flyers roster and see who has a chance at representing their country in Vancouver this February.

Team Canada

The pressure is on for the host country. After a disappointing showing in 2006 at Turin that saw Canada come home without a medal, anything less than the gold will be unacceptable north of the border.

Chris Pronger: There's absolutely no doubt that Pronger will be representing Canada in Vancouver. He's an experienced Olympian, winning the gold with Canada at Salt Lake City in 2002. He also played for his country in the 2006 Turin games and the 1998 Nagano games, as well as in the 1997 World Championships and the 1993 World Junior Championships. Pronger, along with former Anaheim teammate Scott Niedermayer, will be expected to lead the Canadian blueline. Packing His Bags.
Mike Richards: It's hard to see how Canada could keep Richards off the roster. The captain of the Canadian team that won the World Junior Championship in 2005, Richards has played internationally on three different occasions. Packing His Bags.
Jeff Carter: While not as strong a lock as Richards, Carter still has a very strong shot at making the team this year. He's versatile, obviously proven in the NHL, and he's got international experience, winning the WJC gold with Richards in '05. A Solid Bet.
Simon Gagne: It appears that Gagne will be held out by injury. He was probably about as likely to make the team as Carter prior to sustaining his injury during the Flyers season, but considering he won't be playing hockey when Team Canada announces their roster this month, it's hard to imagine Gagne will get another chance to represent his country. It's a shame, too, considering he played for Canada in the 2006 and 2002 Games. Staying Home.
Also staying home: Arron Asham, Blair Betts, Danny Briere, Dan Carcillo, Riley Cote, Claude Giroux, Ray Emery, Scott Hartnell, Ian Laperriere, Jon Kalinski, Darroll Powe, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent

Team USA

USA is expected to ice a much younger team than they have in recent Olympic games. Only six players over the age of 30 were invited to their summer camp, and there's no guarantee that all of those players will make the team. Guys like Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk, and Brian Rolston were left out of camp as general manager Brian Burke tries to create a younger team that can bring USA Hockey back to the summit.

There are only three Americans on the Flyers roster. They'll announce the roster on NBC during the Winter Classic.

James van Riemsdyk: JVR wasn't invited to USA's summer camp and he wasn't even expected to make the Flyers this season. But to say the 19-year-old has been impressive in the early stages of his pro career is an understatement, and there's no doubt he's at least opened some eyes with the USA brass. Will that get him a roster spot, though? It's tough to say. It's true that the youth movement on the team is here to stay, but it might be a little too early for JVR. He's got a lot of other players to beat out, but he deserves consideration and he'll likely get it. 50/50.
Matt Carle: He wasn't invited to the summer orientation camp either, but when you lead NHL defenseman in plus/minus, you'll open some eyes as well. He'd be a dark horse candidate for sure, and he could be dismissed as a player padded by playing with Chris Pronger. But when you look at some of the other players that attended the summer camp -- Tom Gilbert, Ron Hainsey, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, -- you could see Carle getting a spot over some of those guys. A Possibility.
Staying home: Brian Boucher

Team Finland

Led by goaltender Antero Niittymaki, Finland won the silver medal at Turin in 2006, beating Canada in the process. They aren't favorites to medal in Vancouver, but to say they couldn't surprise would be severely underestimating the Fins.

Kimmo Timonen: Kimmo is an absolute lock for Team Finland. He's their best defenseman, no doubt. There's really not much else to say. He's to Finland as he is to the Flyers -- a solid rock of a defenseman that can be counted on to play huge minutes. Packing His Bags.
Mika Pyorala: He made the preliminary roster over the summer, and making the Flyers certainly helps his chances to make the Olympic roster. He's not a lock at this point, but general manager Jari Kurri has been to Philadelphia to watch Pyorala play and has said good things about his play -- "he's a smart player at both ends of the ice," "you know what you are getting with him." Solid endorsements. Wouldn't Be Surprised.
Former Flyers To Watch: Antero Niittymaki, Joni Pitkanen, Ossi Vaananen, Sami Kapanen

Team Latvia

Probably the weakest team in the Olympics, NHL.com didn't even bother to preview them in their series over the summer. It's understandable, though. They have very little NHL talent on their roster, but one of those players does play for Philadelphia.

Oskars Bartulis: Even as an AHL player, Bartulis was one of the best Latvian players in North America. Now that he's in the NHL and playing solidly, it seems as though Bartulis will suit up for his country in February. He's played in pre-tournament games for Latvia, but didn't play in the World Championships. Things have changed now that he's made the jump to the NHL, and you can be sure that the Latvian brass won't let Bartulis go unnoticed. A Strong Bet.

Team Norway

They surprised by qualifying for Olympics, but could they stage an upset or two? There is only one Norwegian in the NHL. He plays in Philadelphia.

Ole-Kristian Tollefsen: Tollefsen has been injured for most of the season, but he is expected to be fine by February, so it would be an utter shock if he wasn't named to Team Norway. Packing His Bags.
Former Flyers To Watch: Patrick Thoresen

Team Sweden

Former Flyers To Watch: Peter Forsberg

Game 22, Preview and Open Thread: Reunited With Marty, Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders

Travis Hughes — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:09:27 -0000

Philadelphia Flyers (12-8-1, 25 pts) at New York Islanders (9-8-7, 25 pts)
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum - 7:00 PM EST - Uniondale, NY
TV: CSN Philly HD, Yahoo! Online
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Behind Enemy Lines: Lighthouse Hockey

Tonight, this hell of a road trip will finally be over. But before we can all breathe a sigh of relief, the Flyers will have to beat the Islanders tonight on Long Island. With a loss tonight, I will start to worry. Three straight losses out West are understandable. Not acceptable, but understandable. Making that four losses against a team that the Flyers are clearly superior than is not acceptable. It's not a must win tonight, but it's as close as you can get in the month of November.

For one, a loss tonight would make that in-superior hockey team top us in the standings. That's right, the Islanders are currently tied with us in the Eastern Conference with 25 points, but as their 9-8-7 record shows, they're being successful by having a penchant for getting games to overtime.

A major key in the Isles' relative success has been rookie phenom John Tavares. He's living up to the hype that has surrounded him since he broke onto the scene as a pimple-faced teenager, and now that he's a not-pimple-faced teenager, he's among the Isles' team leaders in scoring. But as Dominik from Lighthouse Hockey worried last night on BSH Radio and again today on his site, Tavares might not be as successful against the Flyers and Chris Pronger.

"But I'm more worried," Dominik wrote, "about Chris Pronger simply being physically dominant around the Flyers net -- John Tavares's workshop -- and using his long reach to disrupt any moves or shots Tavares tries." Outside of Tavares, the Flyers have Matt Moulson, Jeff Tambellini, and Kyle Okposo to worry about up front. But for the most part, the Islanders are a one-line team and their offense can be limited.

They've allowed 74 goals in 24 games so far this season, compared to the 59 allowed by Philadelphia in 21 games, so they are certainly vulnerable on defense. The Flyers are pretty hobbled in the scoring department, as we well know. Danny Briere will sit this one out due to suspension, and Darroll Powe and Blair Betts are still out as well. The good news? Arron Asham is back tonight. David Laliberte has been sent back to the Phantoms, so it looks as though Riley Cote will get to play hockey tonight.

The big news, though, is that the Flyers will see Martin Biron for the first time since casting him aside this offseason. Marty has basically been pushed into a backup role by Dwayne Roloson, who Yahoo! apparently thinks is playing tonight. It'll be Marty, but we wont get to see a rematch of Emery vs Biron's little fisticuffs match.

Brian Boucher will go for the Flyers tonight, and he earned it, in my humble opinion. Emery looked terrible against Colorado and pretty unimpressive against Phoenix as well. He's simply hit a wall and needs a rest, and Boucher has earned some time with his performance in relief against the Avs and even against Los Angeles last week. There's no goalie controversy, of course, but Emery needs a little rest. He'll get it tonight.

After the jump, we'll ask a few questions to be answered tonight.

Questions To Answer

Can Pronger and Matt Carle shut down Tavares and the Isles' top-line?
Will the Flyers be able to take advantage of knowing Martin Biron's weaknesses?
The Isles take 4.25 minor penalties per game, on average. That's about middle of the pack in the league, but the Flyers PP should get some chances tonight. Can they take advantage against a PK that's also average?
Is Kimmo Timonen hurt? He didn't play in the third on Monday night, but the Flyers haven't said anything about his absence. Any indications tonight that something is wrong?
Ice time for Riley Cote?

Tonight's game will be broadcast locally on CSN Philly. Listen on 610 WIP, and if you're not in the Philadelphia or New York markets, watch live online -- for free -- from Yahoo! (link above). As always, join us here for the conversation, and LET'S GO FLYERS!

Habs vs Former Habs at the Quarter Point

Robert L — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:24 -0000

I haven't taken a look at this since the 10 game mark (October 27), but it seems that the former Habs players are now gaining a slight edge on their current counterparts.

At the quarter season point, it is still too soon to draw much of a conclusion, especially considering how unstable the Canadiens' lineup is these days

Most of the players on both sides have kept up their early season pace going, with exceptions being Tanguay, Lang and Koivu, who have picked it up for the former Habs and Marc-Andre Bergeron, who now leads all Canadiens' D in scoring. Tailing off somewhat, are the Bruins' Michael Ryder and Steve Begin.

Most notable among these statistics may just be the save percentages - added to this list for the first time here. I chose to include them for obvious reasons, that being the Canadiens duos numbers as compared to the former netminders now tending goal for stronger clubs.

The Habs much maligned duo of Halak and Price take a beating a little too often, but as it appears here, they could just as well be the team's saving grace.

*Players below are ranking by points and not in comparison.

Jaroslav Halak 8-5-3-0 2.62-9.04 / Jose Theodore 13-5-3-4 3.24-8.83 (Capitals)

Carey Price 13-5-8-0 2.99-9.06 / Cristobal Huet 15-9-4-1 2.25-9.02 (Blackhawks)

Marc-Andre Bergeron 14-3-4-7 / 21-4-7-11 Mark Streit (Islanders)

Roman Hamrlik 20-4-2-6 / 19-0-8-8 Craig Rivet (Sabres)

Jaroslav Spacek 21-1-5-6 / 19-2-5-7 Francois Beauchemin (Maple Leafs)

Paul Mara 21-0-6-6 / 15-2-4-6 Ron Hainsey (Thrashers)

Josh Gorges 11-1-1-2 / 6-0-2-2 Sheldon Souray (Oilers)

Hal Gill 14-1-0-1 / 16-0-0-0 Mike Komisarek (Maple Leafs)

Totals - Defense　

Habs: Total GP: 101 / Goals: 10 /Assists: 18 / Points: 28

Former Habs: Total GP: 96 / Goals: 8 / Assists: 26 / Points: 34

Tomas Plekanec 21-4-15-19 / 20-6-10-16 Mike Ribeiro (Stars)

Mike Cammalleri 21-8-8-16 / 19-3-9-12 Mikhail Grabovski (Maple Leafs)

Brian Gionta 19-8-5-13 / 18-4-8-12 Alex Tanguay (Lightning)

Scott Gomez 21-2-9-11 / 20-5-6-11 Robert Lang (Coyotes)

Glen Metropolit 15-4-6-10 / 18-4-6-10 Alex Kovalev (Senators)

Travis Moen 21-4-3-7 / 20-2-7-9 Steve Begin (Bruins)

Andrei Kostitsyn 21-2-4-6 / 15-2-6-8 Saku Koivu (Ducks)

Maxim Lapierre 21-1-4-5 / 20-4-3-7 Michael Ryder (Bruins)

Max Pacioretty 21-2-2-4 / 20-2-5-7 Sergei Samsonov (Hurricanes)

Guillaume Latendresse 21-2-1-3 / 14-3-2-5 Arron Asham (Flyers)

Georges Laraque 8-0-1-1 / 20-2-3-5 Christopher Higgins (Rangers)

Matt D'Agostini 11-1-0-1 / 20-1-0-1 Tom Kostopoulos (Hurricanes)

Totals - Forwards　

Habs: Total GP: 221 / Goals: 38 /Assists: 58 / Points: 96

Former Habs: Total GP: 224 / Goals: 38 / Assists: 64 / Points: 102

Totals - Team

Habs: Total GP: 322 / Goals: 48 /Assists: 76 / Points: 124

Former Habs: Total GP: 320 / Goals: 46 / Assists: 90 / Points: 136

Incidentally, I'm not much of a video gamer when it comes to such things as NHL 2010 or EA Sports and stuff. (I used to joke that X-Box sounded like a former girlfriend!) A reader of this site has been looking into aligning the teams above against one another for a series of games. That sounded like an interesting offer, and I took him up on it. Once the results come forth, you'll read about it here.

Tuesday Morning Fly By: BSH Radio, LIVE tonight at 7 PM

Travis Hughes — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:02:39 -0000

Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... Flyers 3, Devils 2 - NYI 4, BOS 1 - CBJ 3, EDM 2 (SO) - PIT 5, ANA 2 - LAK 4, FLA 3 (SO) - TBL 4, PHX 1
We've got recaps of last night's from NHL.com, CBC, the Inquirer, Daily News, CSN Philly, the Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger, the Bucks Co. Times, the NY Post, FGSB, Meltzer, and In Lou We Trust.
... and stories on Dave "The Hammer" Schultz's induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame from the Flyers' official site, the Daily News, the Bucks Co. Times, and Anthony SanFillippo.
Schultz speaking pre-game about the current problem with headshots in the NHL: "Get rid of the instigator and I bet most of the players would be a lot more careful with those hits to the end (sic?). There are no consequences. And the equipment is out of hand. I want the guys to be protected, but the shoulder pads now are a joke. When I played, I wouldn't hit a guy with my shoulder. I would hurt my shoulder!" [FanHouse]
A transcript of John Stevens' post-game presser. [Courier-Post]
Arron Asham suffered an oblique strain in the game and he won't make the trip out west with the team this week. He'll miss about two weeks, overall. [Inquirer]
David Laliberte has been recalled from Adirondack to replace Asham. He'll meet the team in Los Angeles. [Post-Star]
The Florida Panthers have a new owner, and when asked if his club is the next Phoenix, he says "Absolutely not. It's not even a good comparison at all" The man's name is Stu Siegel, and he has a Philadelphia connection as a former member of the UPenn hockey club. [Puck Daddy]
You've probably realized that Comcast SportsNet in our fair city has re-branded themselves as "CSN Philly" and that they're pushing content on their website more and more, even introducing television reporters as "CSNPhilly.com Insiders." Could this be a preemptive strike at ESPN by Comcast, as they deepen their local roots? [The Sporting Blog]
A defense of the Bullies-era of hockey in regards to today's headshot issue. [USA Today]
The top-10 worst teams of the decade. Guess which one of ours makes the cut... [PD]
Broad Street Hockey Radio goes LIVE tonight at 7 PM Eastern. Just come right here to the homepage later today for everything you need to know.

Flyers stop Devils streak, honor Dave Schultz with 3-2 win

Travis Hughes — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:04:35 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Browse more photos »

[Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Complete Coverage] - [NJD Reaction]

There was no melee. There were no fights. There were no teeth knocked out, nor was there any blood drawn. But the Philadelphia Flyers honored Dave "The Hammer" Schultz as best they could with a 3-2 win on his night, tonight. Yes, the story of the night, regardless of the score, was his induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame.

His name will live forever in the rafters of the Wachovia Center and every subsequent building the Flyers call home. After tonight, he will be forever enshrined as one of the greats in team history, an honor reserved for just twenty of the hundreds of players that ever pulled on an orange and black sweater. He thanked his teammates, the front office staff, his coach, his family, and us.

But after the nostalgic ceremonies, there was a hockey game to be played, and the current incarnation of the Broad Street Bullies would successfully halt the streaking New Jersey Devils. They entered the game with an eight game win streak and they exited it with a one game losing streak and their first road loss on the season. How did Philadelphia do it?

For starters, Ray Emery put together another excellent game. It's one thing to out-duel Martin Brodeur in one game, as Emery did when these teams first met last month. But to do it in two games against him, as a member of the team he's owned for his entire career, is something else. Emery made 33 saves in total, and many of them came in an up and down first period that the Flyers escaped with a 1-0 lead. If it weren't for Emery's performance in the first twenty minutes, in which he made 14 of his saves -- many of them difficult -- the face of the game could've been vastly different.

The Flyers took over the contest in the second period, stretching their lead on a Scott Hartnell power play tally before penalties would turn around and haunt them. You can sit and debate the weak tripping call on Mike Richards at the 15:18 mark of the second period all you want, but when it comes down to it, the Devils capitalized on the 5-on-3 chance they had following it, trimming the Flyer lead to 2-1.

New Jersey was outplayed by the Flyers in the second, but to come out of the period with only a one-goal deficit was huge for them. It was also a credit to Brodeur, as well, who played great in the second. For a team that had made it their M.O. this season to come from behind on the road, the Devils felt good as they entered the third. Luckily, the Flyers came out and proved that they weren't going to let NJ come back on their ice.

James van Riemsdyk would score a power play tally on a fumbled pokecheck by Brodeur with about nine minutes left in the game, and then played suffocating hockey the rest of the way. The Devils would strike with less than a second left in the game, but it was obviously too little, too late as the orange and black sent them packing.

After the jump, a few more assorted thoughts from the evening, we'll answer our pre-game questions, grab some popcorn and watch the highlights, and select a comment of the night.

Some assorted thoughts...

The Flyers defense deserves a lot of credit for this one, as well. As a whole, the team blocked a whopping 26 shots tonight. That's obviously going to make the game a lot easier for Razor.
Oskars Bartulis put together another clean game. He was a plus-two in 12 minutes, 27 seconds of ice time alongside Ryan Parent. He also blocked four shots of his own.
It seems like every goal Scott Hartnell scores is an ugly one. Tonight, he banked it off of Devils' defenseman Mike Mottau and it found twine behind Brodeur.
Darroll Powe now has six goals on the season.
Giroux set up Powe's goal with a pass that looked easy, but was actually extremely difficult -- a testament to the guys' raw skill. Without looking, he fed the puck through the slot, past a NJ defenseman, and to a wide-open Powe.
Emery had to make a few key saves, but on the whole, he didn't have to work nearly as hard for them as Brodeur did down the other end. That's another credit to the defense for keeping the pressure off of their goaltender.
It was two Brodeur errors that led to goals on this night. On the first, he played the puck around the boards to Arron Asham, a turnover that led to the goal. On JVR's game winner, he poked the puck out of the front of his crease, but it went right to the stick of the Flyer rookie, who didn't hesitate in putting it to the back of the net before Brodeur even knew what hit him.
Speaking of JVR's goal, he deserved every bit of it. It came on a bit of a lucky break from his perspective, but on the two shifts leading up to the goal, he was working his tail off and generated several chances all on his own.
We love you too, Dave.

Questions With Answers

Do the pre-game ceremonies hurt the Flyers or help pump them up? It didn't hurt the Flyers, that's for sure, but it didn't seem to adversely effect the Devils either. The Flyers definitely won the early part of the first period, but the first 20 minutes as a whole were pretty evenly matched.
Can the Flyers solve Brodeur, and can Emery out-duel him again? Emery did out-duel the Hall of Famer yet again. Their numbers on the night were similar, but Ray was much more composed in his net.
How does JVR look in his return from the flu? Great. It didn't look like he was suffering at all, especially in the third period when you'd expect him to be gassed.
How many fights are there tonight, out of respect for Mr. Schultz? None, unfortunately. That's okay -- there was a little scrum in the final second of the game, and Mike Richards channeled The Hammer a little bit in his response to Jamie Langenbrunner pinning Emery to the ice. Look for more December 12.
Does the move to center help Claude Giroux? Hard to say. You could make the same criticisms of his game tonight -- that he passes too much, doesn't take enough shots, etc. -- as he's heard all season long. But just because he hasn't put a puck in the net doesn't mean he's not contributing.
How much emotion does The Hammer show in his Hall of Fame speech? He didn't cry or anything like that, but he was definitely humbled by the experience. Most of all, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to play in this city and for this organization. He may have been a monster on the ice in his playing days, but Dave Schultz is an absolute class act and a Philadelphia Flyer for life.

Highlights:

Comment of the Night:

Ya know, I have to reprogram myself to not passively be okay with the Islanders winning. They have the same number of points as the Flyers now.

>> Ben Rothenberg