The Philadelphia Flyers next 10 games on the schedule are brutal, but the team started off the stretch with an incredible overtime win.
Claude Giroux scored the game-winning goal with 4.2 seconds left in overtime. Mark Streit started the late rush and gave the puck to Giroux, who skated into the Blackhawks zone. He took the snap shot and beat Antti Raanta over the shoulder.
The Blackhawks came out and took an early 2-0 lead. Brayden Schenn turned the puck over in the offensive zone, and Patrick Sharp pounced on the puck. Sharp skated the puck into the zone and got the puck over to Michal Handzus, who took a shot, but Ray Emery made the save. The rebound came out to Andrew Shaw, who was in front of the net, and he scored to make it 1-0 Blackhawks. The defending champions were 31-1-6 when scoring first.
A 1:22 later, the Blackhawks were at it again in the offensive zone. Jonathan Toews passed the puck to -Duncan Keith and he took a slap shot that skidded past Emery. The goal was Keith's first in 30 games. The other assist on the goal went to Marian Hossa.
The Flyers seemed to settle down after a sloppy start. Emery was playing in his first game since February 27th when he got hurt against the San Jose Sharks. Braydon Coburn rolled the puck behind the Blackhawks net to Scott Hartnell, who tried to make the pass to Giroux. The puck deflected off of the skate of Marcus Kruger and into his own net. The Flyers couldn't capitalize on a couple of power play opportunities.
Then at 16:27 of the period, Hartnell scored his second goal of the game. Matt Read battled for the puck behind the net, Giroux came in for support and passed the puck to Hartnell, who fired it past Raanta to tie the game 2-2.
In the second and third periods each team had its chances, but both Emery and Raanta kept the teams off the board. In the second period, Zac Rinaldo and Sheldon Brookbank dropped the gloves after the gloves after Rinaldo hit Brookbank along the boards.
In the third period, the Flyers had two straight power plays but couldn't convert on either of them. The Blackhawks came into the game 23rd in the league on the penalty kill, but kept the Flyers power play off the board in five chances. Brayden Schenn had two chances to win the game for the Flyers, but couldn't put the puck in the net.
The win was Emery's first since February 8th versus the Calgary Flames because he was out with a groin injury. The win also gave the Flyers some breathing room in the playoff race with the Columbus Blue jackets losing, 3-1, to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers are three points ahead of the Blue Jackets in the standings.
The next game doesn't get any easier for the Flyers as the Dallas Stars come to the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Andrew MacDonald Makes Flyers Debut
Andrew MacDonald made his debut for the Philadelphia Flyers last night versus the Washington Capitals.
MacDonald was paired with Luke Schenn. He played a pretty solid game with the exception of having a shot go off of him and into his own net. The defenseman finished the game with an assist, was a plus two, blocked three shots and finished with 18:07 of ice time.
He didn't get any time on the power play, but that's because the Flyers have had their power play units set since the beginning of the year. MacDonald did get to play 1:18 of shorthanded time. He got a chance to play on the penalty kill because the Flyers had traded Andrej Meszaros earlier in the day to the Boston Bruins.
MacDonald looked like he could move the puck up the ice pretty good. He had three hits and can play physical at times. MacDonald and Luke Schenn looked like an adequate defensive pairing. Luke Schenn will now have a steady defensive partner unlike earlier in the season and that could benefit him down the stretch.
MacDonald had a good debut for his new team. You didn't notice home when he was on the ice because he wasn't making any stupid plays or mistakes. He also stayed out of the penalty box. Hopefully the defenseman can play smart for the rest of the season with the Flyers being in the middle of the playoff race.
MacDonald was paired with Luke Schenn. He played a pretty solid game with the exception of having a shot go off of him and into his own net. The defenseman finished the game with an assist, was a plus two, blocked three shots and finished with 18:07 of ice time.
He didn't get any time on the power play, but that's because the Flyers have had their power play units set since the beginning of the year. MacDonald did get to play 1:18 of shorthanded time. He got a chance to play on the penalty kill because the Flyers had traded Andrej Meszaros earlier in the day to the Boston Bruins.
MacDonald looked like he could move the puck up the ice pretty good. He had three hits and can play physical at times. MacDonald and Luke Schenn looked like an adequate defensive pairing. Luke Schenn will now have a steady defensive partner unlike earlier in the season and that could benefit him down the stretch.
MacDonald had a good debut for his new team. You didn't notice home when he was on the ice because he wasn't making any stupid plays or mistakes. He also stayed out of the penalty box. Hopefully the defenseman can play smart for the rest of the season with the Flyers being in the middle of the playoff race.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Flyers acquire Andrew MacDonald from Islanders
The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the New York Islanders in exchange for prospect Matt Mangene, a 2014 third round draft pick and a 2015 second round draft pick.
MacDonald, 27, is in his last season of a four year, $2.2 million contract. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The defenseman was reportedly asking for $5 million per season from the Islanders, according to nbcsports.com.
MacDonald was drafted by the Islanders in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 295 career games registering 17 goals, 72 assists, 89 points, is a minus 11, has five power play goals, and four game-winning goals.
This season MacDonald had played in all 63 games for the Islanders. He has four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, is a minus 19 with two power play goals, while averaging 25:25 of ice time per game. MacDonald also has 48 hits, 198 blocked shots, 53 giveaways and 22 takeaways. His last assist came against the Flyers on January 20, 2014.
He can play at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill unit. MacDonald, the Islanders assistant captain, will be reunited with former teammate, Mark Streit. Streit was acquired by the Flyers in the offseason.
The Flyers most likely aren't done making trades. They now have nine defensemen on the roster. I'd look for the Orange and Black to move Andrej Meszaros before the deadline since he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Flyers are asking for a second round draft pick for Meszaros, according to Darren Dreger.
capgeek.com/player/1110
nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473584#&navid=nhl-search
MacDonald, 27, is in his last season of a four year, $2.2 million contract. He is due to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The defenseman was reportedly asking for $5 million per season from the Islanders, according to nbcsports.com.
MacDonald was drafted by the Islanders in the sixth round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 295 career games registering 17 goals, 72 assists, 89 points, is a minus 11, has five power play goals, and four game-winning goals.
This season MacDonald had played in all 63 games for the Islanders. He has four goals, 20 assists, 24 points, is a minus 19 with two power play goals, while averaging 25:25 of ice time per game. MacDonald also has 48 hits, 198 blocked shots, 53 giveaways and 22 takeaways. His last assist came against the Flyers on January 20, 2014.
He can play at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill unit. MacDonald, the Islanders assistant captain, will be reunited with former teammate, Mark Streit. Streit was acquired by the Flyers in the offseason.
The Flyers most likely aren't done making trades. They now have nine defensemen on the roster. I'd look for the Orange and Black to move Andrej Meszaros before the deadline since he is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The Flyers are asking for a second round draft pick for Meszaros, according to Darren Dreger.
capgeek.com/player/1110
nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8473584#&navid=nhl-search
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Panthers Acquire Brandon Pirri from Blackhawks
The Florida Panthers have acquired center Brandon Pirri from the Chicago Blackhawks for a 2014 3rd round draft pick and a 2016 5th round pick.
Pirri is only 22 years old and is in the last year of his entry level contract. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The center was taken in the second round (59th overall) in the 2009 Entry Draft by the Blackhawks.
Pirri has split his time this season between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs. He played in 28 games in the NHL this season, while scoring six goals, assisting on five goals, and tallying 11 points. The young center was a plus six in those games with 12:15 of ice time per game.
Pirri did get some power play time while in the NHL. He averaged about 54 seconds of power play time per game this season. He also had 14 hits, 10 blocked shots, only three give aways and 12 takeaways. He was sent down to Rockford and then called back up to the Blackhawks on January 27.
Pirri lead the AHL in scoring during the 2011-12 season with 75 points and won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for being the league's leading scorer. He played 238 games, tallied 68 goals, had 132 assists for a total of 200 points and was plus 13 during his time with the Ice Hogs.
In the 26 games he played for the Ice Hogs this season, Pirri had 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points and was a minus 1. He seems like he is responsible with the puck and can score by his career stats in both the NHL and AHL.
capgeek.com/player/1869
theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=3777
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475204#&navid=nhl-search
Pirri is only 22 years old and is in the last year of his entry level contract. He is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. The center was taken in the second round (59th overall) in the 2009 Entry Draft by the Blackhawks.
Pirri has split his time this season between the Blackhawks and their AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs. He played in 28 games in the NHL this season, while scoring six goals, assisting on five goals, and tallying 11 points. The young center was a plus six in those games with 12:15 of ice time per game.
Pirri did get some power play time while in the NHL. He averaged about 54 seconds of power play time per game this season. He also had 14 hits, 10 blocked shots, only three give aways and 12 takeaways. He was sent down to Rockford and then called back up to the Blackhawks on January 27.
Pirri lead the AHL in scoring during the 2011-12 season with 75 points and won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy for being the league's leading scorer. He played 238 games, tallied 68 goals, had 132 assists for a total of 200 points and was plus 13 during his time with the Ice Hogs.
In the 26 games he played for the Ice Hogs this season, Pirri had 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points and was a minus 1. He seems like he is responsible with the puck and can score by his career stats in both the NHL and AHL.
capgeek.com/player/1869
theahl.com/stats/player.php?id=3777
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475204#&navid=nhl-search
St. Louis Blues, Buffalo Sabres Make Major Trade
The Buffalo Sabres have traded Ryan Miller and Steve Ott to the St. Louis Blues for Jaroslav Halak, Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier and two draft picks.
It had been rumored that Miller could get traded for weeks since he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and sign with any team he wants. Miller was drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 draft by the Sabres and had played all of his 540 games with the team. He has 284 wins, 186 losses, and 57 ties or overtime losses. The goalie has a lifetime .916 save percentage to go along with a 2.46 GAA.
He went from being on a team that is completely out of playoff contention to a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race. The goalie, 33, has played in 40 games posting a record of 15-22-3. The 22 losses are first in the league. He's faced 1,411 shots (6th most in NHL), while posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA.
The Sabres have the least amount of wins in the NHL with 18, give up the second most shots in the league and give up a full goal more per game than they score. The team isn't very good and that's what has contributed to Miller having the most loses in the NHL.
He's been to the playoffs four times in his career, but has only gotten as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006. Miller played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics for Team USA. He won the Vezina Trophy for being the best goaltender during the 2009-10 season.
Steve Ott, Buffalo's former captain, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars and later traded to the Sabres. Ott is 31 years old.
The center has played in 59 games this season and has scored nine goals to go along with his 11 assists for a total of 20 points while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game.
He has 103 goals, 161 assists, 264 points, and is a minus 35 in 673 career games played. The center can play on both the power play and the penalty kill units. He is fourth in the league with 94 hits. Ott is a physical player, who will stand up for a teammate when needed. He also likes to stir the pot and get the opposing team's player frustrated enough to take a penalty.
Jaroslav Halak, who was sent to Buffalo, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Halak is 28 years old and was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003.
The goaltender has played in 40 games this season while posting a 24-9-4 record. He is eighth in the league in wins and third in the league with four shutouts. He has a .917 save percentage to go along with a 2.23 GAA.
Halak has a 139-81-26 record in 260 career games played. He has also posted a .917 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA to go with 29 shutouts in those 260 games played. The goalie is 10-11, has a .923 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA in 23 playoff games.
Halak also played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He was part of the goaltender tandem that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the 2011-12 season and won the William J. Jennings Trophy that same season.
Chris Stewart plays right wing and is only 26 years old. He is in his first year of a two year deal worth $8.3 million. The cap hit for the 2014-15 season is $4.15 million.
Stewart was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2006 draft. He has played in 58 games scored 15 goals, assisted on 11 of his team's goals and has a total of 26 points. He's a plus two and has 112 penalty minutes, which is good for eighth in the league. The winger is averaging 13:41 minutes of ice time per game.
He has 115 goals, 113 assists, 228 points and is a minus 17 in 377 games played. Stewart has played in 19 playoff games and has five goals and one assist on those games. Stewart was only playing on the power play for St.Louis. He has 78 hits, eight blocked shots, eight giveaways and 11 takeaways o the season.
The Sabres also received prospect William Carrier in the trade. Carrier is a 6'2", 198 pound left winger who is only 19 years old. He was drafted by St.Louis in the second round of the 2013 draft.
Carrier has size, skill, is willing to play physical in the corners and in front of the net to make a play, according to hockeysfuture.com. He can try to do too much times but he has a good set of hands and a hard shot, according to hockeysfuture.com.
The Sabres will also get a first round pick in the 2015 draft and a conditional draft pick. If the Blues make the Western Conference Final or Miller resigns with St. Louis then the Sabres would get a first round pick in the 2014 draft from St. Louis, according to nhl.com.
Sources:
hockeysfuture.com/prospects/william-carrier
capgeek.com
hockey-reference.com
nhl.com
It had been rumored that Miller could get traded for weeks since he can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and sign with any team he wants. Miller was drafted in the fifth round of the 1999 draft by the Sabres and had played all of his 540 games with the team. He has 284 wins, 186 losses, and 57 ties or overtime losses. The goalie has a lifetime .916 save percentage to go along with a 2.46 GAA.
He went from being on a team that is completely out of playoff contention to a team that is right in the thick of the playoff race. The goalie, 33, has played in 40 games posting a record of 15-22-3. The 22 losses are first in the league. He's faced 1,411 shots (6th most in NHL), while posting a .923 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA.
The Sabres have the least amount of wins in the NHL with 18, give up the second most shots in the league and give up a full goal more per game than they score. The team isn't very good and that's what has contributed to Miller having the most loses in the NHL.
He's been to the playoffs four times in his career, but has only gotten as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006. Miller played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics for Team USA. He won the Vezina Trophy for being the best goaltender during the 2009-10 season.
Steve Ott, Buffalo's former captain, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars and later traded to the Sabres. Ott is 31 years old.
The center has played in 59 games this season and has scored nine goals to go along with his 11 assists for a total of 20 points while averaging 19:42 of ice time per game.
He has 103 goals, 161 assists, 264 points, and is a minus 35 in 673 career games played. The center can play on both the power play and the penalty kill units. He is fourth in the league with 94 hits. Ott is a physical player, who will stand up for a teammate when needed. He also likes to stir the pot and get the opposing team's player frustrated enough to take a penalty.
Jaroslav Halak, who was sent to Buffalo, is also an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Halak is 28 years old and was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 2003.
The goaltender has played in 40 games this season while posting a 24-9-4 record. He is eighth in the league in wins and third in the league with four shutouts. He has a .917 save percentage to go along with a 2.23 GAA.
Halak has a 139-81-26 record in 260 career games played. He has also posted a .917 save percentage and a 2.38 GAA to go with 29 shutouts in those 260 games played. The goalie is 10-11, has a .923 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA in 23 playoff games.
Halak also played in the 2010 and 2014 Olympics. He was part of the goaltender tandem that allowed the fewest goals in the NHL during the 2011-12 season and won the William J. Jennings Trophy that same season.
Chris Stewart plays right wing and is only 26 years old. He is in his first year of a two year deal worth $8.3 million. The cap hit for the 2014-15 season is $4.15 million.
Stewart was originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2006 draft. He has played in 58 games scored 15 goals, assisted on 11 of his team's goals and has a total of 26 points. He's a plus two and has 112 penalty minutes, which is good for eighth in the league. The winger is averaging 13:41 minutes of ice time per game.
He has 115 goals, 113 assists, 228 points and is a minus 17 in 377 games played. Stewart has played in 19 playoff games and has five goals and one assist on those games. Stewart was only playing on the power play for St.Louis. He has 78 hits, eight blocked shots, eight giveaways and 11 takeaways o the season.
The Sabres also received prospect William Carrier in the trade. Carrier is a 6'2", 198 pound left winger who is only 19 years old. He was drafted by St.Louis in the second round of the 2013 draft.
Carrier has size, skill, is willing to play physical in the corners and in front of the net to make a play, according to hockeysfuture.com. He can try to do too much times but he has a good set of hands and a hard shot, according to hockeysfuture.com.
The Sabres will also get a first round pick in the 2015 draft and a conditional draft pick. If the Blues make the Western Conference Final or Miller resigns with St. Louis then the Sabres would get a first round pick in the 2014 draft from St. Louis, according to nhl.com.
Sources:
hockeysfuture.com/prospects/william-carrier
capgeek.com
hockey-reference.com
nhl.com
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