The Philadelphia Flyers will play the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at the Wachovia Center for the second and final time this season, with the previous game between these two clubs still fresh on the minds of the home team.
The result of the first game at the America West Arena on October 18 was a 5-4 Flyers victory in a hard, physical and sometimes nasty game. There should be more of the same tonight as Philadelphia tries to keep its unbeaten streak at home intact (11-0-2).
“It was nasty, so why would we expect it to be a polite game [tonight]? It’s going to be a hard game and our players know that it’s going to be physical,” said Ken Hitchcock. “They play hard and we’re going to have to play the same way.”
In the first game, Coyotes forward Shane Doan hit Simon Gagne with a cross check that sidelined the Flyers winger for two games.
“We didn’t like that hit, and there were a couple more we didn’t like,” said Hitchcock.
Todd Fedoruk, out since November 11, will return to the lineup and will add the physical presence he has become known for. He is as excited as anyone to play, after his layoff due to a fractured face.
“We had a real physical one in Phoenix, and we had [Brashear] out at the time so they were running around a little bit more than not,” said Fedoruk. “I think these games are the best ones, because they are physical and I think that’s something we’ve been lacking as a group. [Tonight] is going to be perfect for us, to get a little edge back.”
The Coyotes have been playing well of late, and are unbeaten in four games, including a tie in Boston and a victory in New Jersey. They won last night in Buffalo, 3-2, after Branko Radivojevic scored with 4:03 remaining and former Flyer Brian Boucher made 34 saves in net.
Phoenix’s recent success is something that is not lost on the Flyers.
“Sometimes the standings don’t reflect how a team is playing,” said John LeClair of the 9-9-6-1 Coyotes. “You catch a team when they are playing well, and even if they are low in the standings they can beat anybody because they’re playing well. It’s going to be a good test for us.”
“They are never a team you can sleep on,” said Mark Recchi. “First of all, they have great goaltending with [Boucher and Sean Burke]. They have some young enthusiasm, and you can see that when they beat New Jersey the other night. We know that they are playing well, and we have to be ready. We want to keep this home [streak] going as long as we can.”
The Flyers remain with the best record in the NHL, at 15-3-5-1. They have a four point lead on the New Jersey Devils in the Atlantic Division.
After tonight, Philadelphia will embark on a four-game road trip that begins tomorrow night in Boston. The team will make stops in Montreal on Monday and Columbus on Wednesday before a home and home with New Jersey beginning on Friday night at the Meadowlands and continuing next Saturday night, December 13, at the Wachovia Center
(Taking from
www.philadelphiaflyers.com)
I think our physical game will scare the off today and will cause them to make mistakes. I see the Flyers taking it to them for 3 periods and as a result, coming out of this game with two points.
Flyers 4 (Desjardins, Leclair, Pitkanen, Williams)
Coyotes 1 (Nagy)
Boosh has me in shock because hes playing very well, but tonight Burke gets the start. Boosh played last night.
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