The Flyers conducted a brisk practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees as they begin to prepare in earnest for Game One of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. The practice ran sufficiently long that both rinks at the Skate Zone were used, ala training camp.
Philadelphia practiced with the following lines:
Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jakub Voracek
Michael Raffl - Brayden Schenn - Wayne Simmonds
Matt Read - Sean Couturier - Jason Akeson
Zac Rinaldo - Adam Hall - Tye McGinn
Extra forward: Jay Rosehill
Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn
Nicklas Grossmann - Mark Streit
Andrew MacDonald - Luke Schenn
Erik Gustafsson - Hal Gill
Steve Mason
Ray Emery
Cal Heeter
Vincent Lecavalier took a maintenance day today. Steve Downie is officially day-to-day with an upper body injury. As of now it looks like McGinn will be the odd-man out when Lecavalier returns to practice and Akeson will get a shot to start the playoffs on the Couturier line if Downie misses the beginning of the series.
Grossmann, who was held out of the final three games of the regular season to rest an ailing foot/ankle, said he was not yet sure of his availability for the opener at MSG. However, by virtue of the fact that he took regular reps with usual partner Streit, it seems likely that he will be back in the lineup. (EDIT: Craig Berube later confirmed that Grossmann will be a go for Thursday night).
Mason went through his usual practice regimen -- out working with goaltending coach Jeff Reese well ahead of the other players coming onto the ice -- but left early in what appeared to be a pre-scheduled exit. Cal Heeter worked much of the latter part of practice.
Berube confirmed after practice that Mason's shortened practice session was indeed planned and the goaltender will go longer tomorrow depending on how he feels. The coach would not yet say Mason was good to go for Thursday but all signs are pointing that way.
Andrew MacDonald has signed a six-year, $30 million contract extension to pre-empt his impending UFA status. Basically, this is a market value deal commensurate with what the player would command in the (relatively sparse) unrestricted free agent market this season.
After practice today, I asked Wayne Simmonds how important he thinks the Flyers' north-south execution will be against a Rangers team that doesn't give up much east-west real estate. Simmonds said it was vitally important and, in reality, this is what the Flyers team has done well when they've been at their best this season. When they've gone off-program is when they get frustrated.
I also asked both Simmonds and Scott Hartnell about the importance of keeping things simple, given the high probability of bad ice at Madison Square Garden and the Wells Fargo Center. With the heat in the building, it is often tough to make complicated passing plays and there are often strange hops of the puck. Madison Square Garden ice in particular is less-than-ideal under even the best of conditions. Of course, both teams will be in the same boat throughout the series.
Simmonds and Hartnell agreed that getting pucks in deep and trying to get a puck-control/ cycling game going will be crucial to winning the series. If the Flyers can do that better than New York, they've got a better shot at winning the series than many people seem to think. If the Rangers own these battles down low, it's going to be real tough on the Flyers.
Lastly, the Flyers have signed Shayne Gostisbehere to an entry-level contract. The folks who were panicking because he didn't sign the day after Union College won the Frozen Four championship can exhale now. Really, it was a no-brainer decision on both sides.
**************
Click below to follow me on Twitter:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»