Bryz Beats Bob
One of the more interesting KHL matchups of the season from a Flyers standpoint took place yesterday, as
Ilya Bryzgalov (CSKA Moscow) took on former Philadelphia teammate Sergei Bobrovsky (SKA St. Petersburg). Both goaltenders performed well in a 2-1 overtime game won by CSKA.
Bryzgalov only saw 17 shots for the game, stopping 16. However, he had to come up with several key momentum saves that kept CSKA within striking distance until the team was finally able to solve Bobrovsky. Bryz had little chance to stop a Petr Prucha power play goal in the mid stages of the opening period.
Other than that, he was flawless. The performance was Bryzgalov's fourth straight strong start for CSKA, and he's started two games in a row for just the second time this season. He improved his season record to 6-5-0 and his stats to a 2.13 GAA and .913 save percentage after struggling in his six of his first eight appearances.
Bobrovsky finished with 21 saves on 23 shots. He turned away each of the first 12 shots fired his way until Detroit Red Wings superstar Pavel Datsyuk knotted the score at 1-1 in the final minute of the second period.
After a scoreless third period in which both clubs generated six shots apiece, the game moved to overtime. The match was just six seconds away from going to a shootout when CSKA's Mikhail Grabovsky potted a chance created by Alexander Radulov for the winning goal.
Bobrovsky, who will be a member of a Columbus Blue Jackets if and when the NHL lockout is settled, fell to 14-3-2 on the season. He has a 2.19 GAA and .922 save percentage.
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Briere Dominates
If
Danny Briere is still bothered by the back stiffness that limited him to power play duty in the European Trophy playoffs, it was not evident yesterday. The locked-out Flyers center was a one-man show for Eisbären Berlin yesterday.
Briere racked up a four point game in a 5-4 overtime victory over Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg. He scored a power play goal in the opening minute of the third period and then won the match with an overtime tally. Earlier in the game, Briere set up the opening goal scored by regular linemate Andre Rankel (1 G, 2 A). In the second period, Briere had the primary asssist on a Mark Katic power play goal.
For the DEL season to date, Briere has 33 points (9 goals, 24 assists) in 20 games. He is fifth in the league in scoring, despite playing five to 12 fewer games than anyone else in the league's top 25. The overall scoring leader is former Phoenix Coyotes center Yanick Lehoux (Adler Mannheim), who has 38 points in 32 games played.
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Titans Return to Action
The Trenton Titans begin a slate of important post-Christmas games tonight when they begin a set of matches on three consecutive days against the Reading Royals. The teams will play at the Sun National Bank Center tonight and Saturday with a game in Reading tomorrow night.
The Royals are in first place in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Trenton is second in the Atlantic and seventh in the East, 13 points behind Reading. The main reason for the huge gap at this juncture of the season: the two teams played head-to-head in five consecutive games in early November, and the Titans went 0-4-1 in that stretch. However, the Titans did win their first two games against Reading back in October.
Trenton brings a four-game winning streak into tonight's game. The Titans have won five of their last six games. The Royals have won eight in a row and nine of their last 10.
Rookie forward
Marcel Noebels has been on a tear all month for the Titans. He has points in 10 of 11 games in December, racking up eight goals and 17 points in that span.
Fellow first-year player
Andrew Johnston has been returned to the Titans from the AHL's Phantoms. His "recall" to Adirondack was an a paper transaction only, as he never went to Glens Falls. Johnston was diagnosed with a concussion after his second game with the Titans -- the injury actually happened in the previous match but the symptoms did not present until a few days later. He has not played in a game since Nov. 24 but has since resumed skating and could return imminently.
First-season pro Scott Wedgewood figures to start two of the three games in goal against Reading in the current three-game slate. Fellow rookie
Niko Hovinen would get the other game.
BROADCAST LINKS: If you can't attend in person, tonight's game is available via a
free radio stream. Alternatively, a webcast can be
purchased here for $8.
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