Introductions
The pregame retirement night ceremonies for Wayne Simmonds were low-key. He dropped the ceremonial first puck before the official faceoff. A video tribute was shown, with shots of many fans wearing his number 17 sweater in the stands. But he did not speak to the crowd, reinforcing his team-first, humble approach. Those who cheered for him during his career or had the opportunity to talk with him as part of the media were not surprised.
Simmonds signed a one-day contract this week to retire as a member of the organization. His eight-year career in Philadelphia began when he was acquired, along with Brayden Schenn, in June 2011 from the Los Angeles Kings for Mike Richards. He was traded to the Nashville Predators in February 2019.
On a personal note, I covered the Stadium Series at Lincoln Financial Field in February 2019. The Flyers hosted their cross-state rival that rainy night, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jakub Voracek tied the game with twenty seconds remaining in the third, and Claude Giroux won the contest (4-3) in overtime.
As part of a media throng, we spoke with Wayne about the game and the anticipated end of his time in the organization. Days later, he was dealt to Nashville.
The Flyers (37-32-11, 85 points) are in their second-to-last game of the season. They will play the Devils (38-37-5, 81 points) in the late afternoon, and Philadelphia needs assists from various other teams to qualify for the playoffs.
The Flyers recent eight-game winless streak ended in New York earlier this week with a 4-1 win over the Rangers. The Devils beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-5 that same night, Thursday.
Starting goaltenders – Sam Ersson for the Flyers and Kaapo Kahkonen for the Devils.
First
period
The video scoreboard noted the recent eighth anniversary of team founder Ed Snider's passing. With the risk he took, there is no way to know what hockey would look like in Philadelphia.
It
was a back-and-forth period with little action. Around the halfway
point, The Devils took two penalties in close proximity to each
other.
But the Flyers' bottom-ranked power play did not come through. There were no high-danger chances. What expectations are reasonable without the personnel to do so? Of course, the same could be said for the team this season.
Shots: Philadelphia – 11 New Jersey - 6
Score: Philadelphia – 0 New Jersey – 0
Intermission: The Mites on Ice show was, as always, entertaining. Many of us have great memories of playing hockey with family members and friends in our backyards or on the street. How great for the young kids to play a game, in between periods, of a National Hockey League game. Of course, if you fall onto the ice and score a fantastic goal, as one of the Mites did, that memory becomes indelible.
Second period
It is an understatement to classify the first half of this period as slow-moving. Credit to the Flyers for keeping New Jersey, the ninth-highest-scoring team, stymied.
A nifty backhand pass from Scott Laughton, who was cutting through center ice, was delivered to Travis Konecny (his 33rd overall goal of the season). He entered the zone and sent a wrist shot past Kahkonen at 10:50 into the period. It was also his sixth shorthanded goal of the season, with the magic he and Laughton produced reminding old-school fans of Dave Poulin and Brian Propp. Nick Seeler had the other assist.
Shots: Philadelphia – 6 New Jersey - 5
Score: Philadelphia – 1 New Jersey - 0
Intermission: The Mites again. This sequel did not include a fabulous goal, but it was entertaining.
Third
period
A loud “Let's Go Flyers' chant surrounded the stadium with about four minutes to go.
As was true at points earlier, Simmonds' rough-and-tumble game continued during this period. This was fitting, as he scrapped with the best of them during his career. Cutaways to Simmer in his suite, cupping his ear to hear the crowd, upped the electric moment higher.
Devils head coach Travis Green elected not to pull the goalie after a stop in the offensive zone with three minutes left. However, he did make the call with approximately two minutes left.
A third chant carried the team to victory with seconds left. The tight win kept hopes for a playoff berth alive.
Shots: Philadelphia - 4 (21total) – New Jersey 9 (20 total)
Score: Philadelphia – 1 New Jersey – 0
It was the Flyers' first shutout since Jan 13 when the Flyers shutout the Winnipeg Jets 2-0. Ersson was in goal that night during a five-game winning. The shutout was the team's fifth and his fourth of the season.
After the horn sounded
Flyers head coach John Tortorella said he was pleased with the team's performance during the postgame presser. The head coach also said the goaltending situation impacted the team, and Ersson, who played his fiftieth game today, was not projected to play anywhere near that number of games.
Carter Hart's departure from the team changed the trajectory of the season. That explanation will be used and arguably valid if the team is knocked out of the playoff picture before Game 82 is played on Tuesday. The Flyers host the Washington Capitals that night.
On a personal note – I saw former NHL referee Kerry Fraser on the press level after the game ended. It was good to catch up. My interview with him in 2011 was a memorable, wide-ranging conversation.
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