Flyers Gameday: If I found my way to Minnesoter

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Written by Fran

Saturday, 06 February 2010 11:32

Tonight the Flyers take on a rookie goaltender and the Minnesota Wild. If you have survived the snowpocolypse up until now and the raving lunatics are not trying to break your front door down for your stockpile of chilli and shotgun shells, then tonight at 8, you got yourself a date with Jim Jackson and company. With that 1-0 loss still stinging, the Flyers will look to end this short road trip on a positive note.

If the Edmonton game proved anything, its that this Flyers team loves playing down to opponents and that capitalizing on chances early in the game is extremely important. The Wild are a decent team and will be fighting for the playoffs all year. Unfortunatly for them, their #1 goalie Niklas Backstom has a bad back and will miss some time. This means the rookie Anton Khudobin gets the start tonight, his first ever. What that means is still up in the air. Does this Flyers team approach a rookie goalie the same way they approach the Oilers? Does the Wild grit their teeth and bear down the way the Flyers did for Leighton? Do the Flyers bring the pressure and dominate the first 30 minutes and get a comfortable lead on a suspect defense? How do special teams come into play. Flyers.com has some great stats about Philly's powerplay success and woes this year: When the Flyers score a power-play goal, they're 23-9-2; when they don't, they're 5-15-1. When they allow a power-play goal, they're 12-17-2. Yikes. So the first time that maniac Cal Clutterbuck tries to behead Simon Gagne, we better capitalize. Aside from the dynamic Clutterbuck (who would be a better Scottie Upshall in Philly) keeps your eyes peeled on ex-Blackhawk Martin Havlat. The twitter machine, along with Captain Mikko Koivu will be the bulk of the offense tonight. Guillaume Latendresse has a wicked clapper so watch for him to be a much better version of Scott Hartnell. Derek Boogaard is like a green and red shark in the Minnesota water, and probably won't have a dance partner since Rockin' Riles doesn't dress anymore. Is Carcillo crazy enough to drop 'em against the 6'8 boogieman? That being said, a Lappy-Clutterbuck fight could be epic.

For the Flyers, I bet Razor Ray will man the pipes tonight. Some home and homes loom and tonight's game will get Emery ready to battle the whole week before the Olympic break. Reports were out there that his groin was a bit sore, so keep your eyes on that. I don't mean 'stare at his dick', I just mean, watch his play....and get your mind out of the gutter. Flyers and Wild don't have much history or share a style of play. I think this will be a tight game with the opportunities coming on the power play. Simplify everything. I swear, this team sometimes seems stuck in the Peter Forsberg era. Shots from the point and then clean up the junk. That's what I want to see on the power play. (Let Giroux do his thing, obviously) If I'm Lavvy, I don't play Hartnell on any special teams tonight...I'd also kick him down to the third line, where this season, he belongs. On the blueline, the Flyers have been solid for 6 straight periods. Minnesota has a slightly better offensive punch than Wild of years before so they won't be comfortable with 2 goals. Shut down their top line and make a suspect 2nd & 3rd combo's beat you.

Shutout against the worst team in the league was pretty shitty. "But its not about how hard you can hit, it's about how hard you can get it, and keep coming back. That's how winnings' done." I want to see this Flyers team main the Wild. Destroy them. Sweep the leg. Fucking fuck their fucking fuck up. It'll be hard for them to get "up" against the Wild, but a good team, a playoff team should be able to prove to themselves and their fans that they can bounce back from embarrassing finishes. I'll be happy with a win, and nothing else. "The Call of the Wild" my ass. Jack London would get white fang'd by Carcillo. Let's Go Flyers.