Showing posts with label peter laviolette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peter laviolette. Show all posts

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Behind the Hockey Scenes: Philadelphia Flyers Versus New York Rangers

 


(Pregame warmup photo - Sean O'Brien)

Introductions

Travis Konecny's upper-body injury made the Philadelphia Flyers (30-20-7, 67 points) task more challenging heading into the afternoon tilt versus the Eastern Division-leading New York Rangers (38-16-3, 79 points), who enter on a nine-game winning streak. The choice of both goalies implies that their head coaches want to win, as each team also plays tomorrow.

Flyers' head coach, John Tortorella, tapped Sam Ersson to play in the net. Peter Laviolette, who led Philadelphia to its last Stanley Cup appearance in 2010, picked one of the top goalies in the League, Igor Shesterkin.

This was a nationally televised game on ABC. It was originally scheduled as a streaming-only ESPN+ contest but was elevated to broadcast level.

As a side note – Today's game marks my one-hundredth, with approximately half of those games coming since the 2010-11 season when I received my first credential approval. The organization has always been and remains first-class, which a freelancer like me appreciates.


First period


An early “Let's go Rangers” chant elicited bad memories among the Flyers' faithful. Two seasons ago, an overwhelming number of Rangers' fans, more than was ever known to have been present in Philadelphia, dominated the Wells Fargo atmosphere. That 3-2 overtime Rangers' win on March 1, 2023, was seen as the bottoming-out of the pre-Danny Briere-Keith Jones era that began after that 2022-23 season was buried.

A classic, 1970's 1970s-style fight took place three minutes into the period as Nick Deslauriers and Matt Rempe (who had six inches on his opponent, standing at 6' 7”) fought for an extended period. Deslauriers eventually knocked Rempe down after his shirt was caught on his head—five minutes in the box for each.

A lot of back-and-forth action. There were some chances, but none that were successful.

Shots: Philadelphia – 18 New York - 9

Score: Philadelphia – 0 New York – 0

Intermission: The Mites on Ice entertained, as usual. It's always enjoyable to see young players on the half-ice.


Second period



Garnet Hathaway received a double minor for high sticking at 8:47. The play was under review, but the analysis did not change the initial ruling.

With 1:10 left on the penalty, Artemi Panarin was called for holding. But Alexis Lafreeniere (17th goal) wristed a shot past Ersson at 11:56. Assists to Vincent Trocheck and K'Andre Miller. Rangers' fans erupted but were drowned out by the faithful. An ear-estimate and with a view of various blue jerseys in the stands, which was hardly scientific, put the boisterous Rangers fans in the mid-single digit thousands.

Shots: Philadelphia – 5 (23) New York – 10 (19)

Score: Philadelphia – 0 New York – 1

Intermission: A chess-like game through two periods. This is a good test for Tortorella's team. Building culture and rebuilding an iconic franchise is bolstered through winning and learning how to respond to losses.


Third period


Tyson Foerster (11th goal) tied the game because he was positioned in front of the net and had his stick on the ice at 2:36. The work for this goal was done by Scott Laughton, who fought his way to supply a wrap-around assist from behind the net—a secondary assist by Travis Sanheim.

Ersson was screened and could not see a wrist shot that was thrown to the net by Barclay Goodrow (2nd goal). It appeared that Rempe tipped the puck in as he was stationed in front of the net and was seen receiving congratulations on the bench from his teammates. Assists Braden Schneider and Chris Kreider. (It was later switched to Rempe, who had his first goal in the National Hockey League.)

Sanheim led a breakaway while Sean Couturier was in the penalty box with slightly over nine minutes to play. Laughton trailed him on the two-on-none-play. But Sanheim could not tie the game. Arguably, a forward might have succeeded better or used the trailer to set up a higher percentage play or rebound attempt.

Philadelphia was given a chance to tie the game when Miller took a high-sticking penalty at 15:57. Tortorella pulled Ersson. At the same time, the Flyers had approximately 17 seconds left on the power play. After a stoppage, a timeout was taken at 17:42, with 15 seconds remaining on the man-advantage.

There were a few scoring chances, including one puck across the goal crease with seconds remaining, but no dice. The Rangers won a solid game by playing good defense and getting a savvy performance from Shesterkin. 

Shots: Philadelphia – 17 (40) New York – 5 (24)

Score: Philadelphia – 1 New York – 2

The game had a playoff feel. The Flyers played a competitive game and play the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road tomorrow, starting at 3:30 PM.


Friday, November 27, 2015

Behind the Scenes: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Nashville Predators

                                                                                        (My photo of post-game presser prior to head coach Dave Hakstol's arrival.)

The November 27, 2015, Black Friday contest featured a matchup of coaches Dave Hakstol and Peter Laviolette, who famously led the orange and black from early in the 2009-10 season through the third game of the 2013-14 campaign.

Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers entered the contest with a 7-10-5 record (19 points). Laviolette's Nashville Predators' mark was 12-6-3 (27 points).

Introductions

Flyers starters: Goaltender Michal Neuvirth. First line: Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn and Michael Raffl. Top defensive pairing was Radko Gudas, Michael Del Zotto

Predators starters: Goaltender Pekka Rinne. First line: Calle Jarnkrok, Eric Nystrom and Gabriel Bourque. Top defensive pairing was Shea Weber and Roman Josi.

First period

Flip Forsberg opened the scoring for the Preds with his third tally of the season at 1:44. His short side shot was assisted by Mike Ribeiro and James Neal.

Del Zotto countered with his first goal of the season at four minutes into the game. His cut to his left and sent a laser over Rinne's left shoulder. Schenn and Giroux earned assists.

TOI Leaders were Gudas, Del Zotto, Weber, and Roman Josi.

Second period

Back and forth action is the best definition of what took place in this frame. In keeping with what can mostly be described as varied, lackluster play during the month, the Flyers exited the first period in a 1-1 tie.

The Predators seasonal offensive advantage hadn't factored into the game as the second intermission began.

Voracek's continued presence on the third line with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Chris Vandevelde remains telling, of both the player and the team. His appearance on the second power play unit, with Matt Read and Michael Raffl, deepened that reality.

Third period

Colin McDonald scored his first NHL goal at 4:57, putting the Flyers ahead 2-1. Assists were offered by Evgeny Medvedev and Scott Laughton. The marker came on a short-side shot past Rinne off a rebound. Philadelphia had overtaken the Predators in shots (25-23) by this point in the game.

Laviolette pulled Rinne with just over a minute to go in the game. His forced strategy worked, as Mike Fisher lifted the puck over a fallen Neuvirth with 20 seconds showing on the clock until the final buzzer. Forsberg and Josi assisted on the game-tier.

Overtime

The openly embraced 3-on-3 overtime ensued with each team taking game-ending chances through the first few minutes of action. But, a too-many-men on the ice penalty was assessed to the Preds with 2:20 to go.

Shayne 'Ghost' Ghostisbehere's power play goal won the game with 52 seconds remaining in OT. It was his third goal of the season, with assists to the temporarily reunited tandem of Giroux and Voracek.

Ghostisbehere later said, “It’s a fun ride right now and I don’t have any plans of getting off it. I mean I’ve never scored that many OT winners in my life so I mean it’s a surreal moment but I’m going to keep going and I’m looking forward to New York.”

After the game, Hakstol commented on how he felt his team played with the lead today. "We did a much better job I thought then we did a few nights ago. We were playing tonight, you always know on the bench when guys are talking about the right things and trying to do the right things, that’s a good step.”

Laviolette's remarks about chance totals and his goalie were familiar, based upon his post-game demeanor during his Philadelphia years. “We probably had 25 chances tonight. Quality chances. So there’s 20-25 good chances so there was Peks.  He played a good game in net. He made a back door save on a nice turnover. A couple of point plays chances and he made a save on Wilson’s rebound in tight. We had a lot of looks.”

Takeaways

The win could be a nice confidence builder for the Flyers during the holiday weekend.

'Ghost' is a clear difference-maker, whose play could enable him to remain on the squad indefinitely.

Saturday's game at Madison Square Garden calls for a quick turnaround. The 1:30PM ET start not only means a shortened period of reflection until the next puck drop. The Flyers' opponent leads the Metropolitan Division with a 16-4-2 record (34 points), ranks first in the National Hockey League in goals against and fifth in the League in goals scored. The Blue Shirts entered play on Friday tied for second place with the Dallas Stars for most points in the NHL. The Montreal Canadians' performance (17-4-2, 36 points) led the pack through the day that honors commerce in the United States.

Let's connect on Twitter @SeanyOBthrough Facebook, or on LinkedIn


Monday, August 6, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies' Immediate Future

TY to over ---3.4 Million Readers--- of my Yahoo Sports, Interview and News articles since 2/1/11. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html
Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB


Phillies

Lee will be kept, at least through the offseason, because the Dodgers' waiver claim was not followed by a trade by yesterday's deadline. Thank goodness!

I look forward to seeing the three aces roll again next season. (Hopefully Ruben Amaro, Jr. doesn't get any creative Lee-themed ideas at the Winter Meetings.)

Flyers

Extending Laviolette's contract was the expected and right move. Hopefully the season starts on time and he has a more healthy squad to lead this season.


Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

A model's life: An interview with Kourtney Reppert

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent



Sunday, August 5, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies' News

TY to over ---3.4 Million Readers--- of my Yahoo Sports, Interview and News articles since 2/1/11. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB


Phillies

Halladay looked really good against the Diamondbacks last night. That is great news for the Phillies. If he can continue to prove that he's fully healthy, there will be one less worry, heading into the offseason.

The idea that they should shut him down is wrong. Unless his arm starts to hurt (due to a reoccurance of the injury) he must continue to build arm strength.

Worley has an elbow issue that may require surgery, so it's okay to shut him down. But, let 'Doc' keep operating.


Flyers

Extending Laviolette's contract was the expected and right move. Hopefully the season starts on time and he has a more healthy squad to lead this season.


Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

A model's life: An interview with Kourtney Reppert

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent



Saturday, August 4, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies to Make Another Big Trade This Month?

TY to over ---3.4 Million Readers--- of my Yahoo Sports, Interview and News articles since 2/1/11. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB


Phillies

Cliff Lee's waiver story yesterday indicates that yes, the big lefty could be dealt. Far from a certainty, we are now living in the days of whine and selloffs. Halladay has proven that he is healthy, so it would be a gamble to trade Lee right now (or in the offseason). But, increased payroll flexibility might rule the day.

Imagine what might happen to this team if a similar season unfolds next year? Well, okay, maybe we don't want to imagine that.


As stated before...Amaro opened some payroll space and probably needs to go even further if he wants to come back strong next season. It will be interesting to see if 2013 is viewed as a transitional year, or one of true playoff hopes.


Flyers

Extending Laviolette's contract was the expected and right move. Hopefully the season starts on time and he has a more healthy squad to lead this season.


Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

A model's life: An interview with Kourtney Reppert

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent



Friday, August 3, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies to Make Another Big Trade This Month?

TY to over ---3.3 Million Readers--- of my Yahoo Sports, Interview and News articles since 2/1/11. http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB


Phillies

Cliff Lee's waiver story yesterday indicates that yes, the big lefty could be dealt. Far from a certainty, we are now living in the days of whine and selloffs. Halladay has proven that he is healthy, so it would be a gamble to trade Lee right now (or in the offseason). But, increased payroll flexibility might rule the day.

Imagine what might happen to this team if a similar season unfolds next year? Well, okay, maybe we don't want to imagine that.


As stated before...Amaro opened some payroll space and probably needs to go even further if he wants to come back strong next season. It will be interesting to see if 2013 is viewed as a transitional year, or one of true playoff hopes.


Flyers

Extending Laviolette's contract was the expected and right move. Hopefully the season starts on time and he has a more healthy squad to lead this season.


Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember When Baseball Cards were King, the spring is always a special time of year.

Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of Topps cardboard gold never truly fade away.


Hockey


Here is a hockey story that all ice fans will like: The mystery behind these 1970s Topps hockey cards is revealed.


Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Model Management Agency - MMA Has Another Rising Star in Megan Irminger

A model's life: An interview with Kourtney Reppert

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans


My interview with Flyers' Hall of Famer Bernie Parent



Monday, April 16, 2012

Philadelphia Flyers Playoff Notes and Philadelphia Phillies Seasonal Points

Over ----2.1 Million---- hits since my first Yahoo story was published on 2/1/11.
The influence of positive social media friends matters.

All Yahoo Sports/News/Voices page can be found here:
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB

Flyers

Drop the Penguins in Game 4 and avoid further chance for injury.

Whenever the Flyers do win (which is never guaranteed until it happens), they must improve their defensive game. Laviolette's style is run-and-gun offensive pressure, but possibly a more defensive-minded future opponent will force better Philadelphia team defense to happen.

Phillies

If Halladay and Lincecum are both on tonight in San Francisco, there won't be a better show on however many hundreds of television channels anyone has in the entire world.

Baseball cards

For those of us who are old enough to remember when baseball cards were king
When Baseball Cards were King this week is always a special time of year.

The opening of any new season was always previewed by Topps newest edition of cards. Bygone days spent with elementary school days and family members opening packs of cardboard gold never truly fade away.

Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans





Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Philadelphia Phillies affected by Howard's Injury + Philadelphia Flyers playoff push

Over 1.4 Million hits since my first Yahoo story was published on 2/1/11.
The power of the internet and of Social Media Friends made that happen.

All Yahoo Sports/News/Voices page can be found here:

http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight

Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB

Phillies

Ryan Howard's open wound might set him back a bit. It will be interesting to see how he is physically able to handle this season, as his injury was very serious.

The Phillies need him in the lineup if they hope to win in the playoffs.

Flyers

Can't blame last night's loss to the Sharks on Bryzgalov, as the Flyers lost a 1-0 contest in the final game on their road trip.

This team is very inconsistent on all fronts. They still have time to smooth things out, with more than a month to play in the regular season. Laviolette is a great coach, which gives them an edge.

Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below:

Five traits old school Flyers fans possess

Five traits of hardcore Phillies fans





Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:

Behind the scenes of the modeling world: An interview with Ellen Wasser-Hrin - MMA/Model Management Agency





Saturday, February 4, 2012

Flyers weekend tests vs. Devils & Rangers

Over 1.2 Million hits since my first Yahoo story was published on 2/1/11. 
The power of the internet and of Social Media Friends made that happen.

All Yahoo Sports/News/Voices page can be found here:
http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/977720/sean_obrien.html

Add me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeansInsight
Follow me on Twitter @SeanyOB

Flyers

This Flyers group is having a resilient run through the regular season despite various injury issues and somewhat inconsistent goaltending.

Head coach Peter Laviolette should be strongly credited for keeping his ship steady. If his team is able to remain healthy, they may be able to make playoff progress.

An interesting test in the schedule comes today against the New Jersey Devils at home and then it's on to face the New York Rangers tomorrow.

Thank you for clicking on any of my Yahoo sports articles that are shown below: 





Thank you for also clicking on one, or more, of my Yahoo Voices articles that are shown below:





Blog Archive

Labels