PHANTOMS WHITEWASH ALBANY, 4-0
The Adirondack Phantoms put forth their best 60-minute effort of the season to date, blanking the Albany Devils 4-0.
Scott Munroe earned a 26-save shutout for Adirondack, which ran its season record to 4-5-0.
Sean Couturier played a dominant all-around game, scoring a shorthanded goal and later adding assists on a power play tally and an even-strength goal. Couturier now had 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in the nine games so far; one point behind
Brayden Schenn (4 goals, 7assists) for the team lead. Schenn assisted on Couturier's shorthanded goal in the first period, as well as a third-period power play marker.
Ben Holmstrom and defenseman
Erik Gustafsson both scored power play goals for their respective first tallies of the regular season.
Shane Harper, who was initially credited with the Phantoms lone goal on Friday before the goal was changed to
Harry Zolnierczyk, tallied his second of the season on a third-period deflection goal moments before mayhem broke loose.
The Phantoms have had issues with slow starts and power play problems (5-for-50 entering the game) this season. That was not the case in this game. Adirondack was the better team in all three periods against Albany. The Phantoms also converted on two of five power plays one night after going 0-for-7 against Syracuse.
Adirondack is now off until Friday, Nov. 9, when they pay a visit to the Rochester Americans. The next night, the Phantoms are in Albany.
*************
TRENTON TUMBLES IN SECOND GAME OF 5-GAME GAUNTLET
The Trenton Titans dropped their second straight game to the Reading Royals, losing 2-1 in Reading on Saturday night after losing 4-2 at home the previous evening. Andy Bohmback tied the game at 1-1 early in the third period, but Reading re-took the lead and held on for the win. For the second straight night, Alex Berry scored for Reading, while Yannick Tifu opened the scoring in the game.
The loss dropped the Titans' record to 5-4-0. The club has lost three in a row and four of its last five after opening the season with four consecutive wins.
Scott Wedgewood got the call in goal for Vince Williams' team, one night after an uneven performance by
Niko Hovinen in his return to the lineup.
Rookie forward
Marcel Noebels saw his point streak come to an end on Saturday night, after compiling nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) in the first eight games of the regular season. The German winger was credited with two shots on goal. Meanwhile,
Jason Akeson (2 goals, 6 assists on the season) earned a helper on Bohmback's goal.
Friday night's game featured a pair of fights. There was another fight (Andrew Conboy vs. Berry) in this tilt, plus several other scrums.
These two teams have already played each other four times in the regular season, and are far from done with one another. This was the second of five consecutive games against each other. After a five-day schedule break, they'll square off again in Reading next Friday and in Trenton on Saturday and Sunday.
***********
VORACEK RETURNS TO THE LINEUP
With the Karjala Cup international hockey tournament upcoming, the KHL is about to go on a schedule hiatus following this weekend. After tomorrow, all teams in the league will be idle for at least 10 days. There will also be similar schedule breaks in Sweden's Elitserien, Finland's SM-liiga and the Czech Extraliga.
Jakub Voracek made his return from a knee injury in Lev Prague's final game before its break. He tallied the team's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Slovan Bratislava. The goal, which was assisted by Zdeno Chara, trimmed the Lions' deficit to one goal midway through the third period. Lev was unable to score the equalizer.
Overall, Voracek skated 20 shifts for 18:37 of ice time. His score came on his lone shot on goal in the game. In his eight KHL games played to date, Voracek has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists).
Lev is now off until Nov. 14. When they finally play their next game, the club will be on the road to take on Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.
************
MULTI-POINT GAME FOR SESTITO
Tom Sestito notched an even-strength goal and an assist in the Sheffield Steelers' 4-3 overitme win over the Dundee Stars on Saturday. For the third straight game, the bruising winger stayed out of the penalty box.
Sestito's goal came with 1:30 remaining in the first period, forging a 2-1 lead for Sheffield. He followed it up with the lone assist on a Shawn Limpright goal at the 3:42 mark of the middle stanza. Overall, Sestito has compiled 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) and 84 penalty minutes in his nine EIHL games to date.
The Steelers (10-5-0-1) are right back in action on Sunday, hosting the Nottingham Panthers. The game starts at noon eastern U.S./Canada time. Live game updates will be
available here.
************
SIMMONDS IN ACTION ON SUNDAY
Apart from the ugly incident in Chomutov, which was hardly the player's fault, the signing of
Wayne Simmonds is one of the very few things that have gone right for the underachieving HC Bili Tygri Liberec team in the 2012-13 season to date.
On Friday, the Tigers hit a new low; receiving an 8-1 thrashing on home ice at the hands of HC Plzen. The lone highlight was a Simmonds goal, set up by former Flyers forward Petr Nedved. In his previous game, Simmonds tallied a pair of goals, including the overtime game winner, as Liberec earned a rare win.
Overall, Simmonds has five points (4 goals including a penalty shot, 1 assist) and 16 penalty minutes in five games since joining Liberec. Chris Stewart has one point (an assist on a Simmonds goal) in four games to date.
On Sunday, the 13th-place Tigers are on the road to take on 4th-place PSG Zlin. The game starts at 11 AM eastern U.S./Canada time. A webcast is
available here.
*************
GIROUX AND BRIERE TAKE AIM AT DEG ON SUNDAY
Coming off an explosive performance on Friday in which they combined for nine points and played key roles in a hat trick by Eisbären Berlin teammate Andre Rankel,
Claude Giroux and
Danny Briere go back at again on Sunday. The 4th-place Polar Bears are on the road to take on DEG Dusseldorf.
On Friday, Eisbären had a lackadaisical start against last-place Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg, and the teams found themselves tied 3-3 heading into the final half minute of the second period. At that point, Giroux and Briere decided enough was enough. Over the next 42 seconds of game time (remaining 31 seconds of second period time and the first 11 seconds of the final period), they set up three goals to turn the tie game into a 6-3 lead.
By the time the carnage was done, Giroux had four points (one goal, three assists) and Briere had five points (one goal, four assists) and Eisbären had an 8-3 win. Originally, Giroux was credited with five points and Briere four, but post-game scoring changes subtracted one assist from Giroux and added one for Briere.
For the season to date, Giroux and Briere have identical 17-point totals (4 goals, 13 assists apiece) in just seven games with Eisbären. Giroux has recorded points in every game he's played -- including a European Trophy game in Sweden not reflected in his DEL stats -- while Briere has only been held off the scoreboard once. Giroux and Briere are tied for 7th on the DEL scoring leader board, despite having played 9-10 fewer games than most of the league leaders.
Sunday's game starts at 10:30 AM eastern U.S./Canada time. Once again, there is no webcast of the game, as Servus TV is showing the Ice Tigers vs. Panthers game. However, live in-game updates will be
available here, and in-game highlights from around the DEL are often shown during intermissions of the webcasted games.
After Sunday's game, Eisbären has a long hiatus of its own. The team will not play again until Friday, Nov. 16. The club's next game available via free webcast is on Sunday, Nov. 18.
During the lengthy schedule break, the team will have a light practice schedule until the last few days prior to the resumption of the season. As such, I would not be surprised (though I don't know for a fact) if Briere takes a trip back to the Delaware Valley to be with his sons before heading back to Germany to resume the DEL season.
*************
READ AND SSK FACE A HUGE CHALLENGE ON SUNDAY
Matt Read and his Södertälje SK team have been on a roll ever since his arrival in Sweden. The team has won eight of its last nine games.
On Thursday, Read played an outstanding game without the services of linemate Carl Hagelin (day-to-day, bruised shoulder) in the lineup. Read generated a primary assist on a power play goal and later used a burst of speed to steal a puck and speed away on a breakaway from an empty net tap-in goal to seal a 3-1 win over Karlskoga.
Now, SSK has its work cut out on Sunday. They will look for just their third road win on the season when they travel to central Sweden to take on a powerhouse Leksands IF team (12-2-4) that some have already labeled as a strong candidate for promotion the Elite League next season. The job will be even tougher if Hagelin isn't ready to return.
To date, Read has 14 points in 10 games (4 goals, 10 assists) and a plus 13-rating (+15, -2) for Södertälje. In terms of the league leader board, he ranks 24th in scoring but has played 8-9 fewer games than most of the people ahead of him and he's only two points behind the player who ranks 10th overall. His plus-minus differential is already third-best in the league.
Sunday's game starts at 10 AM eastern U.S./Canada time. Live in-game updates in English will be
available here. The Viasat/Viaplay channel/website is showing a different live Allsvenskan game tomorrow, but the official SSK website always posts video highlights shortly after each game.
After the Leksand game, SSK goes on a schedule break until Tuesday Nov. 13. Read's club will host fourth-place Örebro HK that day.
*************
BRYZGALOV WINS FINAL START BEFORE SCHEDULE BREAK
Ilya Bryzgalov had a relatively easy time of it in CSKA Moscow's 6-2 blowout of Amur on Friday. He stopped 21 of 23 shots; getting lucky a couple times on missed nets where he was in vulnerable position but generally having an easy game.
Bryzgalov has been the subject of several scathing articles in the Russian media about his struggles in irregular duty for CSKA (6 GPI, 2-4-0, 2.92 GAA, .891 SV%), especially as compared to usual starter Rastislav Stana's league-leading totals in most categories.
According to Sportbox.ru, Bryzgalov has taken some of the articles personally. He refused to be interviewed after the Amur game.
The locker room dialogue reportedly went as follows:
Q: Can you talk about the win tonight?
A: What do you want me to say? You've been writing filth about me and now you are asking for an interview. Go look around; there are so many good players. You can go talk to them. Why me? In reality, my wife, Zhenya, forbade me from giving interviews and so did my parents. If you call them in Togliatti and they give you their permission, then I might do it. Do you think I'm joking? No, I'm not joking in this case. I am telling the truth.
Q: At least share your impressions about the game.
A: What impression are you talking about? I didn't have to work hard. Even my uniform is dry. You can touch it yourself if you want just to make sure.
CSKA is now off until Nov. 14, when they are the road team in a Moscow metropolitan area derby against Atlant.
*************
PROSPECT ROUNDUP/SUNDAY GAMES
CHL
* OHL:
Nick Cousins and the rest of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds had a rough night in a 6-1 home loss to Ottawa on Friday, but he bounced back with a three-point game (1 goal, 2 assists) in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Barrie Colts on Saturday. Cousins is still leading the OHL in scoring with 27 points (8 goals, 19 assists) in 18 games played. His rescheduled court date in on Monday. The team's next game is Nov. 9.
* OHL: In Friday's nationally televised game on NHL Network, Oshawa Generals defenseman
Colin Suellentrop was credited with an assist in a 4-1 loss to the Guelph Storm. He was minus-two in the game. Overall, Suellentrop has 12 points (3 goals, 9 asssists), 16 PIM and a plus-five rating in 18 games. Oshawa plays the Kingston Frontenacs on Sunday. A
free radio stream (Kingston announcers) is available or a webcast is
can be purchased for $6.99.
* OHL: Oshawa center
Scott Laughton will serve the fifth game of his 10-game suspension from the OHL when Suellentrop and the rest of the team take on Kingston on Sunday. To date, Laughton has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) and 28 PIM in 14 games played.
* OHL: Enforcer prospect
Derek Mathers scored his first goal of the season for Peterborough on Friday, notching the lone marker in a 4-1 loss to Mississauga. On Sunday the Petes take on the Niagara IceDogs. Game time is 2:05 PM eastern. A
free radio stream (Petes' announcers) is available or a webcast is
can be purchased for $6.99.
* WHL: Portland Winterhawks steamrolled the Victoria Royals by identical 6-2 scores on both Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday, forward prospect
Taylor Leier notched his third goal of the season. The following night, he did not get on the score sheet. Overall, Leier has 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 10 games since his return from a pre-season abdominal tear.
NCAA
* Sophomore defenseman
Shayne Gostisbehere played a big role in Union College's back-to-back ECAC wins over RPI. On Friday, "Ghost" scored a power play goal in Union's 4-2 win. The next night, he had three assists in a 7-3 romp. Overall, the offensive-minded blueliner has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) in 7 games. He clearly had no ill-effects from the lower-body injury that kept him out of practice much of the past week. Union visits Harvard next Friday and then plays Dartmouth on Saturday.
* Freshman goalie
Anthony Stolarz watched from the bench as senior John Faulkner earned back-to-back wins over Michigan Tech this weekend. Stolarz, who has struggled a bit with nerves and positioning in his first few collegiate games, has appeared in three games to date (0-3-0, 3.03 GAA, .871 save percentage). Stolarz was pulled after the second period in his most recent start. These are all typical growing pains of a true (i.e., 18-year-old) freshman goaltender.
* Colgate University earned three of four possible points against Colgate this weekend, winning 3-1 on Friday and tying 2-2 on Saturday. Freshman defenseman
Reece Willcox blocked a pair of shots and did not record a point, shot on goal or penalty in the first game. On Saturday, he had a pair of shots and a pair of blocks. He is still looking for his first collegiate point through four games played to date.
* Sophomore winger
Petr Placek did not record a point in Harvard's 5-1 win over Brown on Friday or its 5-1 loss to Yale on Saturday. The Czech is pointless through 3 games. Harvard hosts Gostisbehere and Union on Friday.
* The University of Vermont split their weekend games against Providence, losing 3-2 on Friday and coming back with a 2-0 shutout victory. Sophomore defenseman
Nick Luukko had an assist for the Catamounts in the first game. On the play, Luukko faked a shot and fed Jteammate Jacob Fallon for a one-timer from the right circle. On Saturday, Luukko did not record a point. Overall, he has one goal and one assist in five games played to date.
* Sophomore forward
Michael Parks remained out of the lineup this weekend, as the University of North Dakota split two games with Boston University. Parks sustained a lower-body injury in the preseason and yet to play a regular season game.
EUROPE
* J20 SuperElit: Brynäs had a rough weekend, losing 5-2 to Modo on Friday and 5-3 to Timrå on Saturday. Defenseman
Fredric Larsson had an assist and was minus-one (+1, -2) in the Modo game. He was minus-two (+0, -2) without a point or any penalties in the Timrå game. Overall, Larsson has four points (1 goal, 3 assists), 12 penalty minutes and an even plus-minus (+15, -15) in 15 games played.
* MHL: Defenseman
Valeri Vasiliev was not in the lineup on Thursday for his Spartak club. He last played on Wednesday. The team is now on a schedule break until Thursday, Nov. 15. Overall, Vasiliev has one assist, 26 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating in 22 regular season games.
*************
Kindle users: Please sign up for Flyers Buzz. For more information
click here.
Click below to follow me on Twitter:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»