Game 73 Preview: Flyers @ Capitals
Interim head coach Mike Yeo's Philadelphia Flyers (23-38-11) are in DC on Tuesday to take on Peter Laviolette's Washington Capitals (40-22-10). Game time at Capital One Arena is 7:00 p.m. EDT (ESPN, 97.5 The Fanatic).
This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Metro Division clubs and the second and final game in Washington. The Flyers have won two of the prior three games: a 2-1 victory at Capital One Arena on Nov. 6, a 5-3 loss at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 17, and a 2-1 victory when the teams rematched in Philadelphia on Feb. 26.
The Flyers enter this game coming off a 5-3 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. The Flyers played a dominant first period in taking a 2-0 lead, followed by an atrocious second period that saw Anaheim strike three times. In the third period, the Flyers briefly re-tied the score at 3-3 and the game was up for grabs until breakdowns led to two additional Ducks goals in the latter portion of the final stanza.
All three Flyers goals against Anaheim were scored by defensemen: Travis Sanheim (7th goal of the season) off a pass-out feed from Morgan Frost, Ronnie Attard (1st NHL goal) on a point shot through traffic, and Ivan Provorov (8th) pinching into the slot to take a centering pass from Nate Thompson.
The Capitals are coming off a 4-2 home win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday. With the score tied at 2-2 after the second period, Lars Eller (10th) notched what proved to be the game-winning goal at 7:18 of the third period. The other Washington tallies came from John Carlson (14th), Tom Wilson (23rd) and Alex Ovechkin (empty net, 45th of the season, 775th of his NHL career). Vitek Vanecek stopped 28 of 30 shots to earn the win in goal.
Tuesday's game will be marked by Hobey Baker Award finalist and NCAA leading scorer Bobby Brink making his NHL debut for the Flyers. At Monday's practice, Brink was on a line with Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny (with Konecny playing his off-wing). However, Yeo indicated after practice that he considering whether to put Owen Tippett with Laughton and Konecny instead and having Brink start Tuesday's game with Morgan Frost and James van Riemsdyk.
Additionally, the Flyers practiced on Monday with Travis Sanheim playing right defense alongside Ivan Provorov and Cam York on left defense alongside Rasmus Ristolainen. Yeo said afterwards that he may opt instead to simply keep together York on his off-side paired with Provorov and retain Sanheim on his natural side along with his most frequent D partner this season, Ristolainen.
For an in-depth preview of the matchups, statistical trends heading into the game and players to watch, see Tuesday's Five Things on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com
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Phantoms Lose in Providence, 2-1
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms entered this week needing to string together a series of wins against divisional opponents to strengthen their chances of vaulting into a playoff spot. Instead, the team has lost back-to-back road games in Bridgeport and Providence.
On Monday, the Phantoms dropped a 2-1 decision to the Providence Bruins despite holding Providence to 22 shots for the game. Troy Grosenick stopped 31 of 32 Phantoms shots to earn the win. Wade Allison very nearly sent the game to overtime in the waning seconds but a screened Grosenick got just enough of the shot. Pat Nagle (20 saves) took the loss.
A faceoff win by Matthew Strome, and a goal by Maksim Sushko (8th tally of the season) off a pass from Isaac Ratcliffe briefly put the Phantoms ahead, 1-0, early in the second period. Providence's Aaron Ness tied the game about four minutes later and Victor Berglund put the Bruins ahead to stay with a power play goal on the opening shift of the third period. The Phantoms held an 11-3 shot edge in the third period as they attempted to come back to no avail.
The Phantoms ultimately paid dearly for going 0-for-6 on the power play; a major issue for most of season as their 30th-ranked power play dropped to 33-for-228 (14.5 percent for the season). Lehigh Valley's 7th-ranked penalty kill went 5-for-6 on this night but Berglund's goal was the game-winner for Providence.
The Phantoms will host the Hersey Bears at the PPL Center on Wednesday night.
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RIP Garrett Burnett
Colorful mid-90s to mid-2000s enforcer Garrett "Rocky" Burnett passed away on April 11 at the age of 46. The cause of death has not been released.
Burnett spent most of his 11-season pro career shuttling around the minor leagues -- including a 14-game stay with the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms in 1997-98 (one goal, three points, 129 penalty minutes) amid a season split between the AHL and ECHL -- but the left wing did appear in 34 NHL games for the Anaheim Ducks in 2003-04 (one goal, three points, 184 PIM).
Perhaps most notably, however, Burnett racked up 506 penalty minutes in the AHL for the Kentucky Thoroughblades in 1999-2000. After his NHL stint, he was recruited during the lockout-canceled 2004-05 season to play for the infamous Danbury Trashers; the mafioso-owned UHL team featured in the Netfix documentary "Untold: Crimes and Penalties".
Away from the rink, Burnett led a very colorful -- but deeply troubled -- life. However, he was a fan favorite wherever he played and was very approachable and friendly to fans. As a hockey player, the muscular 6-foot-3, 235-pound heavyweight understood very well that teams employed him solely for fisticuffs and fourth-line muscle.
However, when "Rocky" would score one of his rare goals, Burnett would be mobbed by teammates and react with joy. He never scored more than six at any level, including junior hockey, so he'd enjoy each and every one whether it was scored in a scramble or bounced in off his shinpad.
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Reminder: Flyers Alumni Walk, Run & Stroll
The Flyers Alumni's Walk/Run/Stroll event at Washington's Crossing State Park will take place on Saturday at Washington's Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County. There will be 1k, 5k, and 10k courses and an appearance by the Marbleheaders; a Revolutionary War re-enactment and education troupe geared toward family-friendly events. All proceeds benefit the Flyers Warriors program along with the YMCA of Bucks County's Veterans Wellness Initiative.
Participating Flyers Alumni at Washington's Crossing include Bob Clarke, Brad Marsh, Bob Kelly, John LeClair, Mark Howe, Paul Holmgren, Dave Brown, Dave Schultz, Todd Fedoruk, Steve Coates and more.
Can't make it to Washington's Crossing on the 23rd but want to participate some other way? One option is to participate in a virtual/remote walk (either your own, or one organized by someone else). Several Flyers Alumni who either live outside the Delaware Valley or will be traveling out of the area on the 23rd will be doing their own remote walks for the cause.
Another option: Make a donation to the event.
Fundraising is NOT required in order to participate. However, there are some pretty cool incentives for participants who also raise funds. The top level ($1,000 raised) includes a private meet-and-greet event with the Flyers Alumni in the brand-new Alumni Lounge at the Wells Fargo Center plus a pair of tickets for the April 29 season finale against the Ottawa Senators.
In order to register for the event -- and for complete details on the courses, participation options and fundraising incentives -- visit the
Flyers Alumni Walk, Run, Stroll official website.
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