TRADE DEADLINE: FLYERS DEAL MESZAROS TO BRUINS
The Flyers traded Andrej Meszaros to the Boston Bruins for a third-round draft pick. The trade once again gives the Flyers eight NHL roster defensemen after yesterday's trade to acquire Andrew MacDonald. It also recoups an asset after the Flyers sent second-round (2015) and third-round (2014) picks to the Islanders yesterday to acquire MacDonald.
A former Barry Ashbee Trophy winner, Meszaros was a frequent healthy scratch this season. Additionally, his impending UFA rental status and injury history severely curtailed his value.
Mez is a good guy who goes about his business professionally. He also still brings offensive pop. His defensive and physical games dropped off the cliff after all the injuries, which may have put him in Craig Berube's doghouse.
FLYERS VS. CAPITALS GAME PREVIEW (7:30 A.M. EST)
Returning to Philadelphia to complete a home-and-home set with a current two-point separation in the Metropolitan Division standings, the Philadelphia Flyers (32-24-6) will play host tonight to the Washington Capitals (29-23-10). Game time is 8:00 p.m. EST. The match will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
This is the fifth and final meeting of what has been an eventful season series. It is the third game in Philadelphia.
November 1, 2013
The Capitals visited the Wells Fargo Center. Playing without Alexander Ovechkin, Washington laid a 7-0 whipping on the Flyers. Philly actually held the Caps without a shot for the first 15 minutes of the game, but the Flyers felt apart after Washington scored late first period and early second period goals. Starting goalie Steve Mason was pulled after Washington opened a 3-0 lead. Ray Emery came into the game.
In the third period, Washington extended the lead to 7-0. On the final goal, an already frustrated Emery was peeved that his mask had come off as the goal was being scored but play had not been stopped.
Moments after the ensuing center ice faceoff, Wayne Simmonds fought Tom Wilson in the Washington end of the ice. Immediately, Emery skated down the ice, intent on fighting Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby.
Holtby, who was working on a shutout, refused to fight and skated away from his crease. Emery forced the issue, and proceeded to thrash the other goaltender. No teammates came to their goalie's defense.
In the meantime, a full-scale line brawl developed. Vincent Lecavalier ended up suffering facial injuries that kept him out of the next two games. Earlier in the game, Steve Downie (playing his first game after being traded to the Flyers from Colorado) suffered a concussion and sinus damage with Aaron Volpatti. Downie, who got caught flush just below his left eye, ended up in the hospital.
December 15, 2013
The clubs started a home-and-home series with a game in Washington. In a staggering collapse, the Flyers blew a 4-1 lead held midway through the third period and went on lose 5-4 via shootout.
Philly led 2-1 at the second intermission before opening up a three-goal lead on closely spaced goals by Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Caps cut the deficit to 4-2 at 11:20, got the game to 4-3 at 16:20 and then Alex Ovechkin tied it with 48 seconds left in regulation.
December 17, 2013
Two nights later, it was the Flyers turn to play comeback kids. Trailing 2-1, Philly exploded four four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 victory at the Wells Fargo Center.
At 11:54 of the middle stanza, Matt Read's 10th goal of the season -- made possible by Steve Downie keeping a rebound of a Nicklas Grossmann shot alive in front and poking the puck to an open Read -- tied the game at 2-2.
The real turning point of the game happened at 15:17 of the middle period. That's when Tom Wilson earned a charging major and game misconduct for a reckless hit on Brayden Schenn. Grossmann came over immediately to confront Wilson. Wilson was ready for him and an indecisive fight (which was mainly a grappling match) ensued. In the ensuing scrums, Scott Hartnell and Eric Fehr also went off for roughing.
The Flyer made the Capitals pay dearly for it, scoring twice on the ensuing power play open a 4-2 lead.
The go-ahead goal was a blast through traffic by defenseman Mark Streit, who scored one goal apiece in each game of the home-and-home to bring his season total to three. This goal showed Streit using his best asset -- his explosive shot -- to maximum effect. Since-demoted fourth line winger Chris VandeVelde was on the ice for this power play as the net-front forward. VandeVelde provided Streit with a screen on Braden Holtby (30 saves on 35 shots).
With 1:44 remaining in the second period, the power play struck again. Jakub Voracek cut in from the right circle and threaded a low shot past Holtby. The goal was Voracek's second of the game.
Voracek's two goals in this game were supplemented by a goal from the defense (Streit), one from a member of the Sean Couturier line (Read) and one from a member (Wayne Simmonds in the third period) of what had been an effective Schenn line prior to the incident with Wilson.
This time, the Flyers did not stop pressuring the puck. They kept up the forechecking pressure. As a result, Philly narrowly outshot the Caps in the third period (13-12) and a three-goal lead held until the final buzzer.
March 2, 2014
The teams started the most recent home-and-home with a 12:30 p.m. nationally televised matinee in Washington. The Flyers trailed by scores of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2 before rallying back for two goals in the third period to force overtime. Philly went on to capture its franchise-record 11th win of the season when trailing at some point in the third period.
Giroux scored the game-tying goal late in regulation after scoring a first period power play goal. Lecavalier scored the game winner in overtime. The Flyers also got goals from Adam Hall (shorthanded) and Voracek (power play).
The key turning point of the game happened midway through the third period. Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov, who had scored two of the Caps' four goals in the game, received a boarding major for an illegal hit on Brayden Schenn. That set the stage for Voracek's goal. Thereafter, the Caps were back on their heels the rest of the game.
Orlov will not play tonight. He has been suspended by the NHL for two games.
After tonight's game, the Flyers are off until Saturday night when they travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in a Hockey Night in Canada game.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers are 2-1-0 after the Olympic break and 7-3-0 over their last 10 games. After the team started the season by going 1-7-0 through the first eight games and 4-10-1 through the first 15, the club has posted a 31-17-6 over its last 53 matches and 28-14-5 over the last 47 games.
Yesterday afternoon, the Flyers made a trade with the New York Islanders. Philadelphia acquired minutes-eating shot blocker Andrew MacDonald in exchange for two draft picks (2015 second-round pick, 2014 third-round pick) and minor league forward Matt Mangene.
MacDonald's status for tonight is unclear. The Islanders were in Winnipeg yesterday.
CAPITALS OUTLOOK
The Capitals also made a couple of roster moves yesterday. The team acquired veteran left winger Dustin Penner (13 goals, 19 assists, 32 points) from Anaheim and traded forwards Martin Erat and John Mitchell to Phoenix in exchange for defenseman Rostislav Klesla, prospect forward Chris Brown and and a 2015 fourth-round pick.
Klesla, on the final year of a four-year contract, was waived by Phoenix earlier this season and sent to the minor leagues. He and Brown will both report to the AHL's Hershey Bears rather than the Capitals.
The Capitals won their final two games heading into the Olympic break and won their first two after the break before Sunday's overtime loss to the Flyers. Having given up two power play goals to Philadelphia and also yielding a shorthanded goal while failing to protect a pair of one-goal leads and a third period two-goal lead, the Caps will look to tighten up this years tonight.
On the injury front, Mikhail Grabovski (ankle) is still listed as day-to-day but did not practice yesterday. Aaron Volpatti (upper body) remains on injured reserve. Defenseman Jack Hillen (broken leg) has been activated from IR and is likely to start tonight in place of the suspended Orlov.
KEY STAT COMPARISONS (NHL OVERALL RANKING)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.76 (14th), Capitals 2.84 (9th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.82 (21st), Capitals 2.89 (22nd)
Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 0.92 (21st), Capitals 0.96 (18th)
Power play efficiency: Flyers 19.8% (12th), Capitals 22.1% (2nd)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 84.2% (8th), Capitals 80.8% (21st)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 49.3% (21st), Capitals 49.5% (20th)
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
19 Scott Hartnell - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
40 Vincent Lecavalier - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
9 Steve Downie - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
12 Michael Raffl - 18 Adam Hall - 36 Zac Rinaldo
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
Andrew MacDonald - 32 Mark Streit
8 Nicklas Grosssmann - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[29 Ray Emery]
Potential Scratches: Andrew MacDonald (acquired yesterday, status undetermined), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Jay Rosehill (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
CAPITALS
21 Brooks Laich - 19 Nicklas Bäckström - 8 Alexander Ovechkin
48 Casey Wellman - 90 Marcus Johansson - 20 Troy Brouwer
25 Jason Chimera - 16 Eric Fehr - 42 Joel Ward
94 Nicolas Deschamps - 83 Jay Beagle - 43 Tom Wilson
27 Karl Alzner - 74 John Carlson
38 Jack Hillen - 52 Mike Green
4 John Erskine - 58 Connor Carrick
70 Braden Holtby
[30 Michal Neuvirth]
Potential Scratches: Dustin Penner (acquired yesterday, status undetermined), Michael Latta (healthy), Mikhail Grabovski (sprained ankle, day-to-day), Aaron Volpatti (shoulder, IR), Jack Hillen (IR, fractured tibia).
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CASINO ROYALE FUNDRAISER WITH FLYERS ALUMNI
On Sun. March 9, starting at 5 p.m., Abrams Hebrew Academy will hold its annual Fund Raising Dinner and Casino Royale Night at Congregation Beth El in Yardley, PA. Special guests for the night will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Bill Clement, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.
Apart from the dinner and casino event, there will also be a host of items available via auction, including a signed stick by all three members of the Flyers' legendary LCB line (Reggie Leach and Hall of Famers Bob Clarke and Bill Barber), boxes of Bernie Parent's signature cigar line, a handsome Clarke lithograph and many more goodies.
All proceeds go to benefit the school. My nephew, Sammy Sherman, attends Abrams and my sister, Liza, helped to organize the event and line up the Flyers alumni guests. The slogan for the event is "Help Abrams Make Its Goal."
For more information,
click here.
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