Wow...there is an actual hockey team based out of Philadelphia, and tonight they play in a game-match(is that right hockey lingo? I forget).  Since the last Flyers game, our world has changed.  Captain Lou Albano died, a boy and his retarded family made us watch the shittiest looking balloon ever, and Chooch Ruiz continues to own October.  It's been so long in fact that my body went through Flyers withdrawal.  No amount of quasi-erotic, shirtless pictures of hockey players I cheer for in Florida could get me excited.  Thankfully tonight we got a game.  The Flyers are in Sunrise, FL to take on the Panthers, and try to start the season 3-0 on the road for the first time in over 15 years.

The Panthers are 1-4-0, and aren't looking anything like the team last year that flirted with a playoff spot.  They lost Craig Anderson and some dude named Bouwmeester to free agency, and they basically got shit for it.  Their forwards do include some promising young talent.  The likes of David Booth,  Nate Horton(who is almost as good looking as Tyler Kennedy) and Stephen Weiss can all snipe and should give Panthers fans something to cheer for.  The blueline is a different story. Besides McCabe and Ballard there isn't much there to beat.  Ex-Flyer Dennis Seidenberg is trying to get through the entire Southeast as his 3 years in Carolina are now over he's moved on to shittier pastures.  We'll probably be seeing Tomas Vokoun in between the pipes tonight, and while the guy can steal a game every now and then, I don't see him faring well against the Flyers onslaught. 

That brings me to the biggest point of this game.  If the Flyers, who haven't played in about a week, can match the game speed of the Panthers right away and can dominate the possession battle then they'll crush these chumps.  Rabbit is back in the lineup so expect Papa Stevens to roll the top 3 lines all night.  That means Rockin' Riles is scratched.  Oh well.  The powerplay will be important tonight, and if we can capitalize on some early chances the Panthers will be swimming in doubt.  It'll be interesting to see if the long layoff has cooled down Richards or Matt 'The Giving Tree' Carle ( because he gives out so many apples.....get it?). As Ryan mentioned earlier this week, let's get Gagne on the board tonight.  I'd love to see a dominant performance from him, and a laser snipe from the circle go flying past Vokoun.  Razor in goal, and much like the Ducks  game, I'm watching his play and the D around him to see if they can get it together and put on a shut-down clinic. 

So call out of work early, cheer the Phils onto their victory and then settle in for some hockey.  We're back tonight, thank Jeabus. Neuter the cats.  Let's Go Flyers.

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