The Flyers would have played the New York Islanders in Uniondale tonight amidst a heavy slate of NHL games. Alas, the lockout has ruined the first weekend of the regular season as the casualty games begin to mount.
However, that does not mean there is not plenty of hockey to choose from today. This weekend is absolutely jam-packed with North American minor league, Canadian junior games, NCAA college and European league games.
ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS (AHL)
The Adirondack Phantoms, featuring
Sean Couturier,
Brayden Schenn,
Erik Gustafsson,
Marc-Andre Bourdon,
Eric Wellwood and
Zac Rinaldo, will play their regular season opener tonight. The Flyers' top farm team takes on the Portland Pirates at the Glens Falls Civic Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. eastern.
There is good news and bad news for those who want to watch the Phantoms play and can't travel to the games.
The good news: There are streaming webcasts available of all the team's games (as well as all AHL games) throughout the season.
The bed news: The webcasts are not free and, in fact, are more expensive than the NHL Game Center package on NHL.com. Also, the quality is not comparable to NHL webcasts10. The video feed is usually from the jumbo tron camera. Lastly be aware that if you order a full-season package, the balance is NOT refundable if and when the NHL returns.
The AHL Live webcast service pricing is as follows:
* $349.99 for the full-season package (all games, all teams)
* $149.99 for the Phantoms-only package (all games)
* $99.99 for the Phantoms away game-only package
* $6.99 for a single-game order (alternatively, you can order a block of five single games at $6.49 apiece or a block of 10 single games at $5.99 apiece)
If you prefer a free alternative to the AHL webcast, I would suggest listening to the
Phantoms radio broadcasts with team announcer Bob Rotruck doing the play-by-play call.
TRENTON TITANS (ECHL)
The Flyers' ECHL affiliate opened up the regular season last night with a
3-1 victory over the Greenville Road Warriors. Rookie goalie Niko Hovinen made his regular season North American debut by turning back 31 of 32 shots. The game-winning goal was scored by Jason Akeson, who also registered an assist in the game.
Other Flyers-contracted players who figured in the scoring last night were Marcel Noebels (two assists in his pro debut) and Blake Kessel one assist. Apart from Akeson, the other Trenton goals were scored by Stephen Schultz and Ryan Hayes.
The Titans are back in action tonight, heading into Pennsylvania to take on the Reading Royals. Game time is 7 p.m. eastern.
OTHER LEAGUES
Allsvenskan: Flyers forward Matt Read and Södertälje SK host the Malmö Redhawks. Game time is 10 a.m. eastern. The game will air on the Viasat channel, and I will see if I can find an available stream. Even if there is not one, the game can be followed by live updates available in English.
KHL: Ilya Bryzgalov may or may not be in goal for CSKA Moscow when the club takes on Neftekhimik. Game time is 10 a.m. eastern. A free webcast is available here.
MHL: Valeri Vasiliev and MHK Spartak travel from Russia to Hungary to take on Patriot Budapest. Game time is 11:30 a.m. eastern. A few hours after the completion of the game, a boxscore will be posted here (link is to a Google translation that will convert the Cyrillic box score to quasi-English).
EIHL: Tom Sestito makes his debut for the Sheffield Steelers, in a road game against the Fife Flyers. Game time is 2:15 p.m. eastern. A box score (and possibly highlight clips) will be available here.
NCAA: Shayne Gostisbehere and Union College have another 7 PM game on tap in Bowling Green. Union prevailed over Bowling Green last night, 5-3. Gostisbehere did not get on the scoresheet. He had one shot on goal and an even plus-minus. For tonight's game, a free radio stream is available.
OHL: Nick Cousins and the Soo Greyhounds visit the Plymouth Whalers. Opening faceoff is the slated for 7:05 p.m. eastern. Click here for the streaming radio feed of the Soo broadcast. For all OHL games, you can also purchase a live webcast for $6.99.
OHL: Scott Laughton, Colin Suellentrop and the rest of the Oshawa Generals are in action for the second straight night, playing a road tilt against the Belleville Bulls. Game time is 7:35 p.m. eastern. Click here for the streaming radio feed of the Belleville broadcasters or you can purchase a live webcast for $6.99.
WHL: Taylor Leier and the Portland Winterhawks wrap up their lengthy road trip with a game against the Swift Current Broncos. Game time is 9 p.m. eastern. A free radio stream is available (Portland broadcast) or a webcast stream can be purchased for $6.99.
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