The Phantoms dropped their preseason opener yesterday, losing 5-3 to the Albany Devils at the SkateZone in Voorhees. Niko Hovinen had a rough exhibition-game debut for the Phantoms, getting beaten on 3 of the first 5 shots he faced. Overall, Hovinen stopped just 18 of 23 shots.
Danny Syvret, Matt Ford and Tye McGinn scored for the Phantoms, while the Devils got two goals apiece from Mike Sislo and David Wohlberg (the latter of which came shorthanded) and a single goal from Raman Hrabarenka. The Phantoms had nine power plays to two for the Devils, including three 5-on-3 advantages. Adirondack converted twice.
Syvret's goal was a blast from the point, which got through a Tyler Brown screen and may have been partially deflected. Ford's tally was a re-direction of a Brandon Manning shot from the point. McGinn converted a setup from Sean Couturier for the final Phantoms goal.
Couturier had two assists in the game, also earning the secondary assist on Ford's goal. However, he had a tough day on faceoffs, which is one of the few areas where his game needs improvement. Brayden Schenn was held off the scoreboard in the opener.
At least three of the five goals that Hovinen yielded beat the 6-foot-7 netminder up high. Nerves may have been a factor for the Finn in his first North American game. It is going to take time and patience to adjust to the shooters and angles in the AHL; a transition that typically takes about half a season for goaltenders coming over from European leagues.
Finally, it's worth noting that this was the first game of any kind that Hovinen has played since aggravating a hip injury during the SM-liiga
playoff finals in mid-April. He underwent hip surgery over the summer and says he is now 100 percent healthy.
Terry Murray did some experimentation in yesterday's game. For example, he had Couturier working a point during the power play. Zac Rinaldo saw time up front on the first power play unit.
The Phantom are back at practice today at the SkateZone. The session runs from 9 AM to 12:30 PM.
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According to multiple reports yesterday from the Czech Republic, Jaromir Jagr's HC Rytiri Kladno (Kladno Knights) team in the Extraliga is one of two finalists in the running to sign Flyers' center Claude Giroux during the lockout. The other club is the KHL's Avangard Omsk.
Jagr told the Czech media yesterday that he's been in recent contact with his former Flyers' linemate. Jagr has repeatedly recommended the KHL and Avangard to Giroux, telling him he'd be well-paid and well-treated by the club. Giroux reportedly told Jagr, however, that he's reluctant to sign with a KHL team unless there are other North Americans he knows on the team.
While Giroux would be the lone North American on Kladno if he signed with the Czech team, he'd have Jagr (with whom he's become close friends over the last year) nearby. In addition, the Jagr-owned team features current NHLers Tomas Plekanec, Jiri Tlusty, Tomas Kabere and Marek Zidlicky during the lockout.
If the decision comes down to finance, it's a no-brainer for Giroux to choose Avangard. Playing for Kladno would actually COST Giroux money. Jagr's team can arrange for a third-party discount of 40 percent of Giroux's insurance premiums, but 60 percent of the sky-high cost would still have to come out of Giroux's pocket. His salary from the team would be roughly what junior players make when they are called up the senior club.
Conversely, if he chooses Avangard, the KHL team has reportedly offered to cover all of his insurance costs and he'd make a decent (roughly about what an AHL veteran makes) salary on top of it. Jagr told the Czech press that he would not be the least offended if Giroux took the KHL option and, in fact, reiterated his recommendation of Avangard the last time he spoke to Giroux.
Jagr said that he would be thrilled and touched by the gesture if Giroux plays for Kladno, and he has a standing invitation to practice with or play for the team. The Czech team is willing to give him a no-strings-attached contract that would enable him to leave the team at any time if he wants to sign with another team or simply return home.
Thus, while HC Kladno can't offer Giroux money, they can offer him considerable flexibility and lighter travel. There is also an obvious trust factor between Giroux and Jagr, whereas Giroux still seems leery of various issues (safety, travel, contractual loopholes) in the KHL. Jagr has assured Giroux he'd be fine playing the KHL, but it's up to the Flyers' center to decide what's right for himself.
Jagr joked to the Czech media yesterday that the only personal downside to Giroux joining Kladno would be that, with the lineup juggling that the suddenly stacked club would make, Jagr himself might end up having to play on the blueline.
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Flyers forward Matt Read has arrived in Södertälje, Sweden, joining his friend Emil Billberg (a former college teammate) and the rest of the Södertälje SK club. At this point, Read is awaiting legal clearance from the Swedish immigration department to approve his temporary work permit. In the meantime, he will practice with the SSK club.
In the meantime, Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann (a Södertälje SK alum), has decided to stay put in the United States for a little while longer. SSK club director Maria Andark tweeted in Swedish yesterday that the team is continuing dialogue with "Grossa" while working on obtaining financing to offset his insurance costs. But the ultimate decision will be up to Grossmann.
In the meantime, Grossmann continues to skate with the group of locked-out Flyers players renting ice time at the SkateZone in Voorhees. The word on Grossmann's timetable is that he prefers to wait until he knows for sure that there will be no NHL hockey in October before proceeding with the final steps to return to Europe.
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Here is a
webcast link for the KHL game between Ruslan Fedotenko's HC Donbass Donetsk team and Dinamo Riga. Game starts at noon eastern U.S./Canada time.
Both CSKA Moscow (Ilya Bryzgalov's team) and Lev Prague (Jakub Voracek) are idle today. CSKA returns to action tomorrow, while Lev is off until Saturday.
Wayne Simmonds had a big game for Eispiraten Crimmitschau yesterday, compiling three primary assists in a 4-1 win over SC Riessersee. He know has four points (all assists) in three games for the Bundesliga club. The team is back in action on Friday, playing a road game against the Fischtown Penguins.
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Nick Cousins and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are in action tonight, hosting the Saginaw Spirit. Game time is 7:05 PM eastern. Click
here for the streaming radio feed of the Soo broadcast or
purchase the webcast for $6.99.
Scott Laughton and Colin Suellentrop's Oshawa Generals team is idle tonight.
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