UPDATE 1 PM
Flyers have announced their Black Aces for the rest of the playoffs.
Goaltender: Michael Leighton (cleared recall waivers earlier today)
Defense: Erik Gustafsson, Brandon Manning, Oliver Lauridsen
Forward: Ben Holmstrom, Matt Ford, Harry Zolnierczyk, Tye McGinn, Tyler Brown
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If it were the Flyers' decision to make, Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal would take place tonight (or even last night) instead of tomorrow. Of course, they have no say in the matter. There was a lot of talk yesterday around the SkateZone about which team would benefit more from the off-day.
Neither Peter Laviolette nor Claude Giroux wanted to broach the topic of the extra off-day. The Flyers head coach repeatedly called it "irrelevant" to the outcome of the series while Giroux shrugged and said "We'll see" when asked if it will have an effect.
I do not buy the idea that there is no effect to a change in the game day/practice day/ game day rhythm of a playoff series. There is very much a psychological component to this sport, especially in the postseason.
Tim Panaccio noted in the pressbox yesterday, and I agree with him, that the knee-jerk view about the extra off-day is that it gives the Penguins a chance to regain a little equilibrium heading into Game 4. However, the additional day also gives Pittsburgh more time to dwell on their frustrations in the series --- without being able to do anything about it until Wednesday.
From a tactical standpoint, the Penguins are going to try to get off to an early lead for the fourth straight game and then sustain the pressure throughout the game. What makes it difficult to accomplish is that the team knows full well that it is getting picked apart defensively and Marc-Andre Fleury has not been making the saves they need. Scoring four or five goals is no good if you are giving up seven or eight. When you can't kill a penalty and you're giving up shorthanded goals, you aren't going to win games.
Dan Bylsma will undoubtedly stress the word discipline -- both of the team defense and avoiding bad penalties varieties -- a dozen more times between now and the drop of the opening faceoff. But it will be up to his players, from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin right on down the line, to buy into it.
Sometimes it's hard to push those negative thoughts aside. But the Penguins are a club that dealt with plenty of adversity in its own right and worked through it. They remain eminently capable of beating the Flyers in four individual games so long as they don't try to win all four at once.
From a Flyers standpoint, the adjustments are easier right now. They can still clean up a few things defensively, but the biggest thing they need is a better performance from Ilya Bryzgalov than they got in Game 3.
The Flyers did not practice yesterday. Rehabbing forward Tom Sestito was out on the ice along with Jody Shelley and Sergei Bobrovsky. James van Riemsdyk, who was wearing a smaller walking boot in the pressbox during Game 3, was not on the ice.
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Later today, we will learn the suspension fates of James Neal and Arron Asham for their respective incidents in Game 3. Once the NHL announces a formal hearing, there is almost always a suspension to follow. When it's only a fine, the league announces it as such without a prior announcement of a hearing.
Asham's hearing is slated to be an in-person hearing in New York, although he can waive his right to it. In-person hearings are ones in which lengthy suspensions are dished out. I expect that Asham will get a four-game suspension.
I was pleasantly surprised by the announcement of a hearing for Neal. I thought the star player would get away with a fine, because both Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux were OK after Neal's runs at them in the third period of the last game.
But Neal is a repeat offender under current NHL policy, with a suspension in 2009-10 (boarding) and a fine earlier this season (high sticking). The league really couldn't dish out only two more fines, especially because Neal was involved in multiple incidents in the same game. As such, I think he will get a fine for his charge at Couturier and a one-game suspension for the Giroux hit.
Craig Adams has received an automatic one-game suspension for his instigator penalty in the final five minutes of Game 4. The NHL upheld the automatic suspension yesterday, along with the automatic $10,000 fine to Penguins' coach Bylsma. (Editorial comment: Sidney Crosby ought to pay the fine on his coach's behalf, because the Pittsburgh captain was the real instigator).
Philadelphia area native Eric Tangradi is likely to get the opportunity to fill in for Neal in Game 4. Joe Vitale will also be back in the lineup.
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The Flyers did not announce their Black Aces yesterday. However, they have put Michael Leighton on recall waivers for purposes of adding him to the playoff roster as the emergency third goalie. There is almost zero chance that the impending free agent will be claimed by another team. Such a move would be purely a spiteful one.
Apart from Leighton, Erik Gustafsson is a shoo-in to be added to the Flyers playoff roster now that the Phantoms season is over. Other likely additions include defenseman Brandon Manning, forwards Harry Zolnierczyk and Ben Holmstrom. Forward Matt Ford is an outside possibility.
Look for the full official roster addition announcement this afternoon after Leighton clears re-entry waivers.
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