Flyers keep opening streak alive with 5-4 win

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Even though it’s only been three games, things couldn’t look much better for the undefeated Flyers, who capped off their latest win Wednesday night against the defending President’s Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks. They battled, the Canucks, to a 5-4 win, and received offense from ten different players. The opening goal came from Claude Giroux, who finished the night with a goal and two assists, padding his totals, as the All Star centerman now sits at number six in the league in points. The second goal of the night came off of a Chris Pronger rocket, as his back-surgery doesn’t seem to have slowed his shot. The Flyers’ new captain finished the night with a goal and an assist. The first two goals on the night came on the power play, taking the re-energized man-advantage to 3-for-17, 17.6%, on the season, good enough to rank them eleventh in the league. The power play was one of the issues last season, as they finished an abysmal 49-for-295, at 16.6%, which was good enough to rank it number 19 in the league.The game winner came off of an Andrej Meszaros laser that hit the upper corner of the net. Meszaros, a defenseman who’s re-found his game in Philadelphia, is now second among Flyer’s defenseman in points with 3, and third on the team. This marks only the sixth time in franchise history the team has begun 3-0, and any doubts as to how the team would jell have been washed away with the success. It’s likely the team has a ways to go as far as bonding, but things are looking good so far. “The guys seem to fit into what we want to play right away and that’s huge,” James van Riemsdyk said.The Flyers are clearly the team of greatest turnover this offseason, and a lockerroom that used to belong to Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, is now the domain of Ilya Bryzgalov, Jaromir Jagr, Wayne Simmonds, and Max Talbot. There’s always a concern for finding players who play well together, and have chemistry, but this team seems to be running off the energy of a new vibe that’s carried over from the light and vibrant feel of the lockerroom. With all the joy of a great start to the season, there are a few concerning issues that may creep up as the season goes on. Pronger played a strong game offensively, getting a goal and an assist, but he finished the night minus-1, after giving up goals when he missed his coverage. It’s clear his back-surgery and inability to do his strength training over the offseason is still hindering his play. Flyer’s coach Peter Laviolette, still played him over 23-minutes, which was second only to fellow defenseman Kimmo Timonen. Pronger took a maintenance day Friday, and chose not to skate. It seems the veteran may need some recovery time, and seeing him over played this early in the season is concerning. It might be best to keep his playing time down for now, and gradually raise it throughout the season, so he’s hitting his prime when the race to the playoffs begins. The Flyers gave up seven power plays to a deadly Vancouver offense whohad been struggling to stay in the game after the first period. The Flyers held a two-goal lead for much of the game, but narrowly escaped with a one-goal win, after a parade of penalties late in the game. It’s a young team, and things could get rough down the road, if they continue to take bad penalties from youngsters Zac Rinaldo, van Riemsdyk and Jacob Voracek. They’ll need to get control down the stretch. The 18-year-old Sean Couturier has solidified his position as the third line checking centerman. His play up to this point has been dazzling in all three zones of the ice, and he looks to be everything a number eight overall pick should be, but he’s still young, and his body is under-developed. Is it too much to hope he can be the shutdown forward the Flyers need for all 82 games and playoffs? He’s smart and skilled, but his frame is light. The real test will come next week against the likes of the Capitals Alex Ovechkin. If he can stop a power winger like that, he’s the real deal. Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren is looking like a genius so far, as all of his moves this offseason are paying off. This Saturday, the undefeated record will be on the line against, former Flyers Richards and Simon Gagne, and the rest of the L.A. Kings at the Wells Fargo Center.
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com
Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
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