October 12, 2015
The South Philly faithful were fired up for the home opener, and the Flyers largely matched their energy. After getting blown out by the Florida Panthers on Saturday, they took the second leg of the home-and-home by a score of 1-0. Hey, two points is two points. Here’s what I saw:
1. It’s better to face your problems head on, right? The Flyers only killed 60 percent of their penalties in the first two games, and they spent a lot of time short-handed in the first period. 7:54, to be exact. They were able to hold the Panthers off for the duration of that time, including an early Michael Raffl double minor. Once they killed that one off, the crowd went bonkers. The Flyers' PK was a perfect 6-6 on the night.
2. Claude Giroux is being used on the PK a lot more under Dave Hakstol, and he’s such a weapon. On one kill in the second period, Giroux kept extended possession in the offensive zone all by himself.
3. With only a couple of seconds left in the first period, Jake Voracek found himself with the puck all alone in prime scoring position. He was in the right slot, his favorite spot on the ice, with nothing but net to shoot at. Somehow, Voracek missed. Luckily for the Flyers it didn't come back to bite them.
4. Filling in for Steve Mason (personal issue) in between the pipes, Michal Neuvirth showed why he is considered an above-average backup goalie. How does a 31-save shutout sound? On a few occasions, the 27-year-old made sweet glove saves. Late the in third period, he went full Brian Boucher circa 2001 (sprawling save on his back) to preserve the lead.
5. Fresh off an embarrassing loss to these same Panthers, the Flyers reacted in a productive manner. They were physical and gritty, but largely played within the rules. On a couple of instances, fights broke out after the Flyers crashed Roberto Luongo’s net hard. You might not want to mess with Wayne Simmonds, Connor Brickley (GIF via @BradyTrett):
Don't make Wayne Simmonds mad. pic.twitter.com/5oSlnYsD4h
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 12, 2015
Later, Luongo was fed up (GIF via @BradyTrett):
Luongo getting in on the action pic.twitter.com/iyaAUgS0rx
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) October 13, 2015
Bonus! The Flyers unveiled a pregame light show that was, in a word, weird. Two big metal orbs were lifted down from the ceiling, and it sort of felt like we were in “Tron,” “Hunger Games,” and other futuristic movies. Unlike the Sixers’ light show, this one wasn’t big on either hockey (basketball) or Philadelphia.
The defending champs are coming to town. The 2-1-0 Chicago Blackhawks, who won’t have played since Saturday, will bring Patrick Kane and all of Patrick Kane’s baggage into South Philly on Wednesday night. The game is on national television, so puck drop is scheduled for a little after 8:00 p.m.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
