(My pre-game, press level photo of the Wells Fargo Center.)
The Wells Fargo Center was silent upon
arrival this Saturday, January 9, 2016. The Philadelphia Flyers were
set to play the New York Islanders on another mild winter's day that
has thankfully been snowless to-date this season. The historically
high $900 million-plus national Powerball lottery pot amount was the
only screaming voice this scribe heard pre-game.
The consistent professionalism of the
staff in this building is always noteworthy. A hard-working
collective unit, which includes many familiar faces, is always
appreciated. Random chance doesn't enable this solid sports' business
to retain its mojo. Instead it began with the leadership of Ed Snider
and continues to flow through the earnest efforts of all team
members, both on and off the ice, since the 1960's.
Driving past the site of the fabled
Spectrum never grows old as one approaches the Flyers' second home in south Philadelphia. The exact physical location of that
cultural icon was tastefully not supplanted by another structure. A
reverent amount of open space allows the lasting image of all hockey,
basketball, wrestling, concert and other events to live on in the
mind's eye.
Introductions
Flyers' starters: Goaltender Steve
Mason, First line: Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds.
The defensive pairing was Mark Streit and Nick Schultz. (The lack of
Shayne Gostisbehere, due to a recent leg injury, will remain
challenging to overcome, considering this impactful rookie's presence
since his fall arrival.)
Islanders' starters: Goaltender
Jaroslav Halak. First line: Brock Nelson, Mikhail Grabovski and Ryan
Strome. The defensive pairing was Thomas Hickey and Brian Strait.
First period
Little action, underscored by the
lopsided 11-2 shot total in favor of Philadelphia. The lack of
Flyers' goals, in an of itself, can't be defined within this one iced
frame. However, until general manager Ron Hextall is able to inject
at least three additional, effective, offensive players into this
roster, it will continue to have limited playoff chase potential.
Having typed that, it's also worth noting that the second-season
front office boss is doing a fine job, as recognized across the
National Hockey League, in incrementally upgrading the organization.
Evgeny Medvedev took advantage of
minimal open iceway on the power play taking the puck in the faceoff
circle and scoring his third goal of the season at 8:33 on the power
play. Assists via Matt Read and Michael Del Zotto. Penalized Islander
Mikhail Grabowski left the box with a chagrin on his face.
Second period
Michael Raffl (sixth goal) opened the
scoring at 1:28 of the period by lifting a quick passed Halak. Matt
Read carried the puck into the o-zone, passed it to Sean Couturier,
who gave up his body into the back boards, while simultaneously
shifting the disk to the approaching Raffl. Result: Full line team
effort and goal scored.
The period ended in a 2-0 lead for the
Flyers. New York mustered eight shots in the period, with minimal
effective scoring chances.
Third period
Read scored his sixth goal of the
season by flicking a wrist shot through Halak's five-hole at 10:58.
He took the puck near the blue line and fired from above the faceoff
circle. His tally was assisted by Mark Streit and Scott Laughton.
Radko Gudas ended the scoring with a
spin-o-rama shot, that was tipped by Couturier, past Halak's right
pad at 15:14. Couturier's ninth goal of the season capped a fine home
performance that featured fine work by all four lines and 200 feet of
hockey responsibility.
The raucous crowd serenaded the
visiting hockey team prior to the horn sounding. The ode offered the
gathered thong's philosophical take on New York's collective worth. A
4-0 shutout didn't elicit generosity from the hometown crowd.
Mason
tied Neuvirth with three shutouts on the season.
Takeaways
(My post-game presser photo of head coach Dave Hakstol.)
Head coach Dave
Hakstol emphasized the sound work of his unit in the post-game
presser. Part-way through his first year foray in the the NHL, this
bench boss has had an effect upon a group of players that are
somewhat similar to last year's contingent.
Speaking to the press, post-game, about his team's current track, Hakstol said, “Yeah, every two points, it sounds like a broken record right, but it’s true, every game is pretty important for us. These games happen to be against eastern conference teams. I said it the other day, our long term focus is between now and the four day all-star break. That’s long term and short term is just what you saw today, one game, two points at a time.”
Speaking to the press, post-game, about his team's current track, Hakstol said, “Yeah, every two points, it sounds like a broken record right, but it’s true, every game is pretty important for us. These games happen to be against eastern conference teams. I said it the other day, our long term focus is between now and the four day all-star break. That’s long term and short term is just what you saw today, one game, two points at a time.”
Hakstol also agreed,
when asked, that tomorrow was an earned day off. Monday's practice
will reflect the good feelings generated by the three-game win
streak, that started with a 4-3 regulation win against the Montreal
Canadiens last Tuesday. Next up is another home contest that features the Boston Bruins on January 13th.
Per the Flyers' media relations department: Matt Read recorded his eighth career game of three or more points and his first since Dec. 4, 2013. Three of those eight games have come against the Islanders. Read has had 11 shots on goal over the past two games. And, Steve Mason recorded his 29th career shutout and his second career blanking of the Islanders. It’s his third shutout of the season.
Per the Flyers' media relations department: Matt Read recorded his eighth career game of three or more points and his first since Dec. 4, 2013. Three of those eight games have come against the Islanders. Read has had 11 shots on goal over the past two games. And, Steve Mason recorded his 29th career shutout and his second career blanking of the Islanders. It’s his third shutout of the season.
