The first game at the newly christened Wells Fargo Center started off on a good note for the Philadelphia Flyers, who iced the Colorado Avalanche 4-2. The home opener celebrated the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup run with the raising of the Eastern Conference Champions banner.
The introduction for the team and staff began with a recap of the 2010 playoffs (with a certain series left absent). Among the Flyers that weren’t dressed, Ian Laperriere received a deafening ovation from the fans. Goaltender Brian Boucher was the first out on the ice, passing through an elaborate smoke and video display to cheers of “Booooosh!” Laura Hart once again belted out a “God Bless America” that would make any hockey fan smile. The Eastern Conference Champions banner was officially unveiled and rolled out along the rafters. Hockey had arrived in Philadelphia once again.
The top line of Dan Carcillo-Mike Richards-Jeff Carter started the game again. Richards and Carter looked sharp, but Carcillo still appears out of place on that line. It took a few minutes for the team to get into a rhythm, but aside from a few turnovers, the team seemed to find the consistency that was lacking in Saturday’s tilt against the St. Louis Blues. The penalties in the first period were limited to a too many men call and a slashing from Richards. Both Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter were able to capitalize on bouncing pucks on the penalty kill to put the team up 2-0. One has to wonder if this is coach Peter Laviolette’s answer to the team’s discipline issues.
The second period was another decent effort for the team. They held back on their pressure a bit too much in the first half of the period and allowed for the Av’s to get back into the game with a quick wrister by Brandon Yip. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, getting his second start of the season, lost the puck in traffic. The goal served as a wake-up call for the Flyers, who were visibly more aggressive for the rest of the period. They were on the power play twice, but were unable to convert.
The third period started in the same manner as the second- the Flyers couldn’t get into a groove quick enough and the Avalanche tied the game. Milan Hejduk threw the puck on net and it trickled through Bob’s gear over the goal line. The Av’s almost gained the lead immediately afterwards, but the goal was waived off as it was blatantly kicked in. Despite the softy, Bob was strong in net. He wasn’t pressured as much as he was in his first outing, but kept the game alive for the Flyers on a number of chances for the Av’s, including a 1-on-1 shorthanded attempt near the end of the third period.
Jeff Carter hammered home the game winning goal with 2:38 remaining in the game off a feed from James Van Riemsdyk. JVR and Richards looked great with Carter, but in the post-game presser Laviolette suggested that he wasn’t planning on mixing up his lines just yet. Matching penalties were awarded at 18:42 for goalie interference on Carter and unsportmanslike conduct (diving) on goalie Craig Anderson. Darroll Powe sealed the deal with an empty netter while on the 4-on-4.
Defenseman Chris Pronger returned to the ice for the first time this season, and while it appears that his knee is still bothering him a little, he managed to log in around 20 minutes of ice time.
The obvious story to this game is the return of the Flyers to the Wach, now affectionately known as “the Wagon.” The story at the end of the game, though, was either the success of the penalty kill or the failure of the powerplay. The Flyers played much tighter as a team and managed to catch the Av’s twice while down a man, but there was a disconnect at times on the powerplay. Laviolette will need to address this area in the future.
The Flyers will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, which will see the return of former Flyer Simon Gagne for the first time.
JVR would be a good match for Carter and Richards: three big guys who can score on the same line. I’d love to see it. Zherdev would work well, too, since he’s supposed to be a defensive liability and Richards is our best defensive forward. Carcillo is just a straight up liability. Why is he on the top line?