Jagr leads Flyers in win against Leafs, 4-2

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – In a 4-2 win over the visiting Maple Leafs, the Flyers got themselves back in the win column with two-goal nights from both Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. It wasn’t all good news though, as loose sticks on the Leafs side, cost the Flyers their captain. Of all the Flyers’ offseason moves, the one that left most people scratching their heads was the addition of the 39-year-old future hall-of-famer, Jagr. He was a spark plug in his prime, but now 3-years removed from the NHL, having spent them all in the KHL, he’s returned to the biggest and toughest league in the world. And the reason the Flyers brass had their eyes on him was, for offense—specifically on the power play. With all of the offense the Flyers were able to muster during last season, they finished with the number 19 ranked power play. They went a miserable 49-for-295, good enough for 16.6%. It was one of the big concerns heading into the offseason, after their late season slide that saw them lose a number of one-goal games that could have easily been wins had they capitalized on their man-advantage chances.Fast forward to this season, and in 7 games, they’ve gone 9-for-35 on the man-advantage, giving them 25.7%, good enough for fifth in the NHL. That’s a huge jump, and one big reason for it, is the addition of the veteran Jagr. And against the Leafs, he added a spectacular power play goal, by splitting the defense and heading in alone against Toronto netminder, Jonas Gustavsson. He added a second, even-strength goal, later in the night to lock up a two-goal lead. In the preseason, the chemistry between the veteran winger Jagr, and blossoming star Claude Giroux was evident. The tandem cashed in on some brilliant goals, and even when they weren’t scoring they looked dangerous together. So far this season, Giroux has scored 5 goals, and looked to reclaim his place as a young rising star in the NHL, but until the game against the Leafs, Jagr seemed like his skills had been over-rated. That all changed when he scored two highlight reel goals that looked eerily similar to ones he’d scored in the eighties and nineties as a youngster. He looked primed to retake his place as the active NHL scoring leader.The line of Giroux, Jagr, and Hartnell dominated all night, combining for 4-goals and 8-points. They were the best line for the Flyers.
On another note, the visiting Leafs suffered a number of stick violations. The first came less than 30-seconds into the first period, as Mikhail Grabovski, taking a face-off against Giroux, clipped the Flyers’ centerman in the face for the first stick-foul of the night. More than half-way through the period, Joffrey Lupul would be the offender, at center ice, as he got in a good wack on rookie winger, Matt Read, and cut him open to receive a 4-minute double minor. The worst however, came about half-way through the first period, as Grabovski again, this time following through on a shot, had his stick slide up the shaft of the stick of Flyers’ captain Chris Pronger, and slam into the side of the veteran’s eye. Pronger clutched his eye in agony, screamed, and had to be escorted back to the lockerroom.While under the care of the Flyers’ eye specialist, Dr. Stephen Goldman, it was decided the eye wasn’t nearly as bad as originally thought. There was damage to the outer area and some swelling, but it didn’t look like the stick had damaged Pronger’s eye itself. The prognosis was that they’d keep him on bed rest and strict supervision for the next four days to be sure blood didn’t seep into the eye from the back, and if all goes well, the veteran defenseman can rejoin his team in practice situations within 10 days to a week. All things considered, it was a dangerous situation that could have been a lot worse. Dr. Goldman said, Pronger would likely be cleared to play within two weeks, but he won’t be cleared unless he is willing to wear a visor. Pronger hasn’t worn a visor for any part of his 18-year career. It’s likely he’ll play out the remainder of this season with one on, for the first time.Another plus for the Flyers, sophomore goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky is now 2-0 in two starts for the team, with a 2.00 GAA and .918 save percentage. He’s yet to register a shutout in the NHL, but as long as he continues to play well, and win, it’s an encouraging sign for the young netminder, who showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie season, only to slip as the season went on. It’s likely he’ll see more starts, and will hopefully continue his success.
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com
Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com