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Odds and ends through a Philadelphia lens: 3/26/08 |
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There has been so much said and written about Mike Richards' extraordinary season this year that it's tough to come up with something new to add. But here's an obscure fact that underscores what a model of consistency he has been all year.
To date in the 2007-08 campaign, Richards has only gone back-to-back games without a point twice and three games just once (Dec 29 and 30, Jan 4). He's vying to become just the fifth center in team history to put together a season in which he never went more than three consecutive games without a point.
The others: Bobby Clarke, Eric Lindros, Rick MacLeish, and Darryl Sittler.
Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Clarke did it in seven different seasons in his Flyers career. In four seasons, he never went more than back-to-back games without a point. Most notably, he only went two games without a point a single time in his Hart Trophy winning seasons of 1972-73 and 1975-76.
Lindros managed the feat in six of his seven Flyers seasons, although it should also be noted that he missed 15-plus games in four of those seasons due to injury. The 1994-95 season was only 48 games long due to a three-month lockout. That year, Lindros only went back-to-back games without a point once. In 1995-96, he had a single three-point pointless stretch and a two-gamer. 1996-97, he had a pair of two-game blips without a point.
MacLeish accomplished the feat twice. He had three pointless streaks of three games in both 1972-73 and 1976-77 but never went four games without a point.
Hall of Famer Sittler did it in 1982-83 when he had a single three-gamer and was blanked in back-to-back games three times.
Several Flyers centers narrowly missed accomplishing the feat: Peter Forsberg had a four game pointless streak in 2005-06 (March 8-15) plus a pair of back-to-back games. Ken Linseman had a single four-game drought in 1981-82, as did Pelle Eklund when he won the Bobby Clarke Trophy in 1990-91.
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Here are updates on Flyers prospects in Canadian major junior, NCAA, and European pro hockey.
NCAA: Three prospects starting in Frozen Four regionals, four in tourney.
James vanRiemsdyk: JVR's New Hampshire team will play Notre Dame in the West Regional. JVR had a very solid freshman season with 11 goals and 31 points in 30 games, while playing both wing and center. He was runner up to Colin Wilson for the Hockey East Rookie of the Year Award. He was a big part of Team USA at the World Juniors.
Brad Phillips: Notre Dame freshman goaltender Phillips is the team's backup. He's unlikely to see Frozen Four game action barring an emergency. Like vanRiemsdyk, Phillips is a product of the USA Hockey NTDP.
Andreas Nödl: Nödl's St. Cloud State team will take on Colgate in the East Regional. The Austrian got off to a slow start this season but rebounded nicely as the year progressed. He's a good skater and passer. For the season, he posted 18 goals and 44 points in 39 games.
Michael Ratchuk:Sophomore Ratchuk's Michigan State team plays Colorado College in the West Regional in Colorado Springs. Ratchuk is a small, offensive minded defenseman. He needs to work on his consistency in his own of the ice but he's an outstanding skater and has good skills with the puck. For the season, the USNTDP alum (a second round pick in 2006).
CHL: Five prospects in league playoffs.
Claude Giroux: After winning gold with Team Canada at the World Juniors and earning a two-game emergency recall to the Flyers, Giroux finished out an excellent QMJHL junior campaign for Gatineau with the second-most points (106 in just 55 games) in the Quebec League as well as a plus-40.
In the playoffs, Gatineau currently leads Shawinigan, two games to one, but lost yesterday by a 5-1 count. Giroux was held off the board yesterday, but had two goals and five assists in the first two games of the series.
Mario Kempe: The speedy little Swede was confined to the fourth line of the "Junior Crowns" during the WJC. During the QMJHL regular season with the St. John's Fog Devils, he posted 25 goals and 49 points in 48 games (66th in the league).
St. John's trails Acadie-Bathurst in their playoff series, two games to one. Kempe scored a goal last night in the Fog Devils' 6-5 win. He's scored twice in the series to date.
Jakub Kovar: The Czech goaltender had a somewhat disappointing WJC but has done decently during his first season of junior hockey in Canada. He will likely need an overage season next year, as he's not yet ready for the pro level. Kovar (whose name is pronounced Koh-vash) started the year with Oshawa but was later traded to Windsor.
Windsor trails its playoff series with Sarnia, three games to one. Kovar might have seen Steven Stamkos in his nightmares tonight, as the probable first overall pick in this summer's draft torched him for four goals in 27:53. At that point, Kovar was pulled in favor of Andrew Engelage.
Stamkos has now scored nine goals at Kovar's expense in the four games. In game one of the series, won 3-0 by Sarnia, Kovar turned back 29 of 31 shots but Stamkos got him for a pair of goals. In game two, won 4-2 by Sarnia, Stamkos scored two more. Kovar was pulled after the second period. In game three, won 4-2 by Windsor, Stamkos scored a shorthanded goal against Kovar but the Czech made 19 saves for the victory.
Patrick Maroon: Maroon has already been signed to an entry-level contract and may join the Phantoms after his season with the London Knights ends. The big winger is older and more physically mature than most of his OHL opponents. His 35 goals and 90 points in 65 games showed he's ready to get his feet wet in the pro game.
Maroon, however, has been pretty quiet in London's playoff series with Guelph. The Storm lead the series, three games to one. Maroon was blanked in the first two games but did collect a secondary assist in last night's 5-3 loss.
Kevin Marshall: In some ways, Marshall is a better-skating version of Denis Gauthier at the same age. Although he's put up some points for Lewiston this year (11 ogals, 35 points, even, in 66 games), he's more of a hitter and agitator. His 143 penalty minutes is more reflective of the style he'll eventually display in the pros. Marshall was cut from Team Canada WJC roster this season but stands a decent shot to make it next year as a 19-year-old.
Lewiston trails its QMJHL playoff series with Cape Breton, two games to one. Marshall scored a goal in the MAINEiacs 2-1 win last night. For the series, he's got a goal and an assist. Marshall was a minus-three in the first two games of the series but was a plus-one last night.
Europe: All players eliminated from postseason play.
Joonas Lehtivuori: The 19-year-old old Finn is currently the Flyers' top European prospect. He had an outstanding regular season for Ilves Tampere (eight goals, 21 points and a team-best plus-nine) and a solid World Junior Championships.
His Ilves club had the misfortune of running into Kärpät Oulu in the playoff quarterfinals. Kärpät seems well on its way to winning its fourth Finnish championship in the last five years. Lehtivuori's team was abused in a mismatch of a series and the defenseman was minus-seven. He fared better in Ilves' playoff qualification mini-series with Lukko Rauma.
In total, he played nine playoff games, scoring once and adding an assist.
Denis Bodrov: The mobile defensive D-man (drafted in the second round of the 2006 Entry Draft) plays with a bit of an edge. His Lada Togliatti club was bounced in the first round of the Russian Super League playoffs by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, three games to one. Bodrov scored a goal in the series.
During the regular season, he had a pair of goals, 11 points and 74 penalty minutes in 46 games. He was a minus-seven but Lada was among the bottom half of clubs in the league this season.
Andrei Popov: The right winger is still looking to establish himself in the RSL with Traktor Chelyabinsk but has shown flashes. His club got swept in the first round by CSKA Moscow. Popov didn't record a point in the series. For the season, he got into 33 games, scoring five goals and adding a pair of assists for seven points.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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