IS FEELING THE VALENTINE'S DAY LOVE
UPDATED (7:15pm): Rinaldo has been suspended for two games by Brendan Shanahan, who posted a video explanation on his ruling which can be found below.
By our count, Rinaldo will forfeit $5,885 of his salary for the suspension. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Feb. 21 in Winnipeg.
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DETROIT -- Since September, Zac Rinaldo’s campaign to earn a spot in the Flyers’ lineup on a nightly basis has revolved around discipline.
Much like Dan Carcillo, the player he replaced, Rinaldo is a player who is only effective when he skates on the edge between nice and nasty, using his body to make the opposition think twice with the puck on their sticks.
For the most part, Rinaldo has played on the right side of the line.
He is second in the NHL in penalty minutes with 156, though 110 of those minutes are either a fighting major or a misconduct penalty.
And Rinaldo has never been suspended. But that may change on Monday.
The NHL announced on Monday that Rinaldo has a disciplinary hearing scheduled later this afternoon with the Department of Player Safety, headed by Brendan Shanahan, to discuss his first period hit on Detroit’s Jonathan Ericsson.
The hit occurred with 6:28 remaining in the period.
Rinaldo was assessed a charging minor on the play, but that doesn’t always dictate supplementary discipline.
As you can see, Rinaldo catches Ericsson as soon as he turns his head after making a backhand pass behind the Detroit net. It is not a “blindside” hit per se, in the sense that Ericsson’s complete body is facing Rinaldo’s direction.
The hit itself is relatively clean. Rinaldo does not use his elbows and the primary point of contact appears to be Ericsson’s chest.
As NBC Sports Network’s Brian Engblom says in the broadcast, Ericsson put himself in a vulnerable position for looking back to making his pass. But where Rinaldo may be in trouble is that he takes a good 4 or 5 strides, lining him up, before delivering the blow.
That’s where the charging call came in. And that’s where he could face a suspension.
Rinaldo will be on the conference call with Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. The decision may not be announced quickly, depending on Shanahan’s other workload for the day, since the Flyers don’t play again until Thursday night.
WEAK STREAK: Great column by our own stat guru Bob Vetrone about why the Detroit Red Wings’ streak, in which they tied the 1975-76 Flyers on Sunday night with 20 straight home wins, is fraudulent.
Why? Because the Flyers’ streak was actually wins, without the benefit of 3 shootouts and one overtime wins. In 1975-76, the Wings’ streak would have been an “unbeaten streak” instead of a “winning” streak.
PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1: Did you notice that Max Talbot was booed loudly at Joe Louis Arena when he scored in the second period to give the Flyers a lead? It wasn't because the Flyers scored, either.
The Red Wings fans haven’t forgotten when Talbot singlehandedly delivered Pittsburgh a Stanley Cup on their turf. Back of June 12, 2009, Talbot scored twice to give the Penguins a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Sunday was just Talbot’s third game back at the Joe since then.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
UPDATE: Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in goal tonight against Detroit, coach Peter Laviolette announced.
Laviolette said he did not like that Ilya Bryzgalov did not have a chance to practice. "He's still battling," the coach said.
Also, Eric Wellwood, called up from the Phantoms today, will be in the lineup, replacing Jake Voracek. Voracek is day-to-day with an upper body injury, general manager Paul Holmgren said.
EARLIER:
DETROIT -- Ilya Bryzgalov traveled with the Flyers to Detroit on Saturday, according to a team spokesman.
The Flyers did not have a morning skate on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena in preparation for their 7:30 p.m. game, so it is unknown whether Bryzgalov is even available to play tonight against the Red Wings.
Bryzgalov, 31, has missed the last 2 games with flu-like symptoms.
Sergei Bobrovsky started both games, allowing 8 goals on 53 shots (.849 save percentage).
Extra goaltender Jason Bacashihua, a former first round pick who was re-called under emergency conditions on Thursday, did also travel with the team in case Bryzgalov cannot dress. Bacashihua has not appeared in an NHL game since 2007.
More from the rink later.
DETROIT ROCK CITY: The Red Wings seek to tie the 1975-76 Flyers and 1929-30 Bruins with their 20th straight win Joe Louis Arena. They have the league’s best record (22-2-1) at home this season.
The most startling stat? Detroit has given up just 27 goals during their 19 consecutive wins at home. Goaltender Jimmy Howard won the first 17 games before Joey MacDonald picked up the slack when Howard sat out the last 2 wins with a broken finger. Howard, who leads all goalies in wins, could be back in net tonight.
"We don't give up much, that's the facts," Wings coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit Free Press. "We don't give up much at home. We seem to be aggressive. We seem to play with good tempo and move the puck. That's why we've had success."
The Red Wings weren’t particularly impressive at home last season, when they posted a 21-14-6 record at the Joe. The Flyers won there, 3-2, last January - also on a Sunday - which was their first win in Detroit since 1988.
The Flyers are 19-33-10 all-time in Detroit.
VORACEK UPDATE: Jakub Voracek, who played sparingly after a first period hit on Saturday, has an upper-body injury according to general manager Paul Holmgren. Voracek skated just 6:46 total and did not play at all in the third period.
Voracek did travel with the team to Detroit but it is unknown if he is available to play against the Red Wings. If Voracek were to miss the game, Jody Shelley would likely re-join the lineup after being a healthy scratch for 3 straight games.
BACK-TO-BACK: It hasn’t been pretty for the Flyers (3-4-2) in the second half of back-to-back games this season, which isn’t good news for their remaining February and March schedule.
Five out of their 8 remaining weekends in the season have games on both days.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Video: The Flyers discuss their uplifting 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, which ended a three-game skid. The Daily News' Frank Seravalli reports from the Wells Fargo Center.
UPDATE: James Van Riemsdyk was not on the ice for the Flyers' Wednesday morning skate. It seems the forward is not yet ready to make a return to the lineup after all, despite speculation that followed the team's decision to send Harry Zolnierczyk to the Phantoms on Wednesday.
Van Riemsdyk, 22, instead was at the Wells Fargo Center for practice but his equipment was hanging neatly in his locker.
Also: Andreas Lilja was not present at the optional morning skate ... Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start tonight against Toronto. Ilya Bryzgalov is sick ... Zolnierczyk and the Phantoms practiced at 11 o'clock at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on their way to Norfolk, Va.
EARLIER:
Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk could return to the lineup tonight for the first time since Jan. 12, after missing the last 11 games with a concussion.
Or, at least that’s the speculation heading into Thursday’s pre-game skate for the Flyers, since forward Harry Zolnierczyk was loaned to AHL Adirondack on Wednesday night.
One player would have had to be cleared from the 23-man roster in order to activate van Riemsdyk from the injured reserve.
Zolnierczyk could have remained with the team otherwise, as the Flyers are not troubled by the salary cap.
Van Riemsdyk, 22, has 11 goals and 11 assists in 37 games. It is believed that he suffered the concussion on Jan. 7 against Ottawa but played in 3 more games before alerting team doctors.
He skated in a full practice on Wednesday, his third straight day on the ice.
Stay tuned for an update after practice. Even if JVR was scheduled to return tonight, there is never a concrete plan with a concussion. You never know how a player is going to wake up in the morning.
DAILY RECAP: Two stories in today's Daily News:
MEANS MORE: On Jan. 17, the Flyers held a 7-point lead on 9th place Toronto in the East. Tonight, with a regulation win against the Flyers, the Maple Leafs can move within 3 points of the Flyers for the first time since early December.
According to James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail, the Flyers (109 points) and the Maple Leafs (88 points) were winning at a wildly different pace on Jan. 1. Now, the Flyers are on track for 104 points and the Leafs are up to a 94 point pace.
WHAT IF … the playoffs started tonight? Here’s how things would shake down:
Eastern Conference
1. New York Rangers vs. 8. Ottawa
2. Boston vs. 7. Toronto
3. Washington vs. 6. Pittsburgh
4. Philadelphia vs. 5. New Jersey
OUT: Florida, Winnipeg.
Western Conference
1. Detroit vs. 8. Minnesota
2. Vancouver vs. 7. Los Angeles
3. San Jose vs. 6. Chicago
4. St. Louis vs. 5. Nashville
OUT: Phoenix, Calgary, Colorado, Dallas.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Matt Carle said it has been more than a month since he saw old defensive partner Chris Pronger.
“Probably since the team’s Christmas party,” Carle guessed. “It’s been a while.”
Pronger, 36, is still out for the season with concussion-like symptoms, but he unexpectedly showed up at the Flyers’ practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., on Wednesday before practice to catch up with his teammates.
Pronger has not played a game since Nov. 19 in Winnipeg. He has publicly discussed his trying situation. And even his own teammates haven’t much communicated with him.
Pronger spent 90 minutes at the team’s facility on Wednesday.
“He wanted to know how we were doing,” Carle said. “He asked how I was playing with ‘Bizz’ [Marc-Andre Bourdon] and about our defensive rotations.
“He was more concerned with us than himself, it seemed like. So it was good to see him today. His spirits are up, it seems, so you just try to get better every day.”
The Flyers have not named a replacement for Pronger’s captaincy. Coach Peter Laviolette hinted that there was no reason for the Flyers to do so.
“We do feel like we have good leadership in the room,” Laviolette said. “I don’t feel like that’s been an issue for us.”
Laviolette added that the friendship part of being teammates is often lost in the equation. In a way, Pronger’s visit could have been therapeutic for him.
“I think it’s always good to see someone when they’ve been out due to injury,” Laviolette said. “You’re talking about friends and teammates that he’s coming in to see. I think that’s a positive.”
Laviolette and Carle both said Pronger didn’t look visibly different than the last time they saw him. On Dec. 15, he was declared out for the balance of the regular season and playoffs - a mandate that doesn’t seem like it will change.
Still, Carle said everyone in the Flyers’ locker room could sympathize with what Pronger has been experiencing over the past 3 months. Pronger told Carle he took a vacation during the All-Star break, which may have enabled him to charge his batteries enough to string together a few “good days” in a row.
“I’m sure you kind of get antsy,” Carle said. “I think that’s kind of what he’s going through. He’s home every day and he doesn’t have a whole lot going on. Hopefully [visiting us] helps him out.”
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
The NHL is looking into allegations that the Flyers’ Tom Sestito pulled Brandon Prust’s hair during Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, according to ESPNNewYork.com.
"That's something you don't do," Prust said, according to the report.
However, Prust seemed surprised that the league was looking into it and said he did not care whether Sestito was fined or suspended.
Sestito was involved in three fights in the game, including two with defenseman Stu Bickel. Sestito was given a game misconduct for his third fight, the limit for one player in a game. He collected 25 penalty minutes, nearly six times his actual ice time of 3:48.
NEW YORK -- There were punches. There were nasty hits. There was blood spilled on on the Madison Square Garden ice.
But for the Flyers, there haven’t been many wins. And wins, not fights, fuel rivalries.
Twice after the Flyers clawed back in the contest to erase one-goal deficits, Ilya Bryzgalov allowed soft goals and the Rangers continued their dominance over the Flyers with a 5-2 win that served as the appetizer in New York on Super Bowl Sunday.
The Flyers topped New York in 4 straight games to start last season and it’s been all Rangers since. Sunday marked the Rangers’ sixth straight win over the Flyers. New York has outscored the Flyers, 24-8, since March 6, 2011.
Sunday’s start was an ominous one for the Flyers, as Artem Anisimov’s redirection beat Bryzgalov just 64 seconds into the game.
The Flyers had registered just 7 shots in the first 28 minutes of the game.
But Brayden Schenn’s beautiful backhander on a breakaway out of the box in the second period, which shattered Henrik Lundqvist’s career-high shutout streak at 182:37, appeared to get the Flyers back into it.
That was until Marian Gaborik’s weak dribbler with 5.1 seconds left in the second period sent the Rangers to the locker room with a 2-1 lead. Gaborik, the Rangers’ leading scorer, was crushed along the boards by Andrej Meszaros and was slow to get up. He somehow retrieved the puck and leaked a backhander through Bryzgalov’s pads.
Somehow, Bryzgalov’s stick wasn’t in the right position as he tried to pokecheck Gaborik’s take from behind the net.
And that wasn’t even the Flyers’ backbreaker.
Wayne Simmonds scored just 57 seconds into the third period to knot the game on the power play - and Bryzgalov gave it back just 36 seconds later.
Michael Del Zotto left off a snap shot at the right circle on a 3-on-2 rush, which bounced off Bryzgalov’s pads and into the net to give New York a crippling 3-2 lead. Brandon Dubinsky iced it for the Rangers with 7:45 to play. Ruslan Fedotenko added an empty-netter.
The difference, as it has been most of the season, came down to the goaltending. Lundqvist has now held opponents to 2 or fewer goals in 26 of his 38 appearances this season.
The Flyers entered the weekend - with back-to-back games against Atlantic division rivals - with a chance to take over first place in both the division and the conference. They skated out of New York winless on the weekend. And winless against the Rangers.
SLAP SHOTS: Wayne Simmonds set a new career-high with 17 goals ... Brayden Schenn’s goal was his 3rd in his last 5 games ... Tom Sestito was dealt a game misconduct after fighting 3 times, twice with Stu Bickel and once with Brandon Prust ... There were 4 fights in all in Sunday’s matinee.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
With a slew of bodies fumbling for the puck behind the Flyers’ net, Zac Rinaldo came in and dropped the hammer with his shoulder.
It was only after he flattened the unsuspecting Nashville Predators’ forward that he realized who he had hit.
Rinaldo, 21, got revenge against the Predators’ Jordin Tootoo the right way, in really his first game back in the lineup since he hurt his neck trying to hit Tootoo in Nashville on Jan. 14.
VIDEO OF THE HIT IS BELOW
Rinaldo actually played a week later in New Jersey on Jan. 21 but re-injured the herniated disc in his neck. He had been on the injured reserve until yesterday.
“I didn’t know I hit him until I connected with him and I was like ‘Ohhh, that’s Tootoo,’ ” Rinaldo said. “I thought it was a pretty clean hit, so that’s cool.”
Tootoo played it cool, too, not trying to run around and retaliate for the clean shoulder check. (Ed. note: if we can find video of the hit we will post below.)
Rinaldo said he felt “great out there” and that it was almost like he “hadn’t missed a game.”
It showed. He provided the spunk in the Flyers’ lineup that even Predators coach Barry Trotz noticed.
“I thought the line of Rinaldo, [Brayden] Schenn and [Wayne] Simmonds were probably their most effective line,” Trotz said. “Against us tonight, they seemed to be getting the majority of the chances. The [Jaromir] Jagr, [Claude] Giroux, [Scott] Hartnell line didn't seem to be as dangerous as the other line.”
The Flyers won at home for just the first time in 4 games. Rinaldo is 5th on the team in hits this season but has played 13 fewer games than those ahead of him on the list. Even when he’s in those games, he rarely plays more than 5 to 8 minutes per game.
Rinaldo is one of the NHL’s leaders in hits per 60 minutes of ice time.
“I thought that we came out banging,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “Zac was back in the line-up. I mean that’s what he's capable of bringing. We talked about how in order to hit, you have to skate. When you're skating and you hit, you're usually near the puck. That creates turnovers and ultimately, offense.”
Rinaldo benefitted from that offense, adding his first point - an assist on Simmonds’ first goal - since Dec. 15. He now has 1 goals and 5 assists on the season as he continues to try and dispel the notion that he is a one-dimensional player.
“I try and be the complete package of a player, trying to bring energy,” Rinaldo said. “Sometimes, you don’t need those big hits every game. Hopefully I can try and put more pucks in the net.”
IMPRESSIVE NIGHT: Wayne Simmonds was a force for the Flyers on Thursday night against Nashville. He collected a career-high 10 shots, best a previous personal record of 7, with the Kings back in 2009.
It was the third two-goal game of his career. It was also Simmonds’ 4th point in the last 3 weeks against Nashville, since he also collected a pair in the Music City on Jan. 14.
“He gets the goals and the deflections because he deserves it,” goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov said.
RECORD SETTER: Edmonton’s Sam Gagner posted 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in the Oilers win over Chicago on Thursday night. It was the NHL’s first 8-point game since 1989. For a second, some thought Gagner was wear No. 99 instead of No. 89.
ALL-STAR RATINGS: The television networks have had a chance to digest the ratings from last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Ottawa. Not surprisingly, the numbers in Canada were mind-numbing.
Overall, CBC pulled in the highest rating since metered audience measurements began in 1989-90. More than 10.2 million Canadians - 30 percent of the country’s entire population - tuned into some part of All-Star weekend.
In the US, the All-Star Game averaged 1.3 million viewers and the Super Skills competition drew an average of 1.1 million eyeballs on the NBC Sports Network. All told, it was the second-most watched All-Star weekend in the United States since 2004.
DID YOU NOTICE ... that Matt Read skated on the Flyers’ fourth line for the bulk of the night? He scored an even strength goal on a breakaway, beating Anders Lindback for his 16th goal of the season, which is tops among all rookies.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
The Flyers prefaced Thursday night’s contest against Nashville with a minor league trade.
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced that the team has dealt defenseman Kevin Marshall to Washington in exchange for winger Matthew Ford.
Ford, 27, has never played in an NHL game. The California native was drafted in the 8th round in 2004. Ford put up 10 goals and 18 assists in 39 games with Washington’s AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, this season. Ford collected 42 points last year in the AHL.
Ford is set to be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Marshall, 22, skated in 10 games with the Flyers this season after making his NHL debut on Nov. 21. In 32 games with the Phantoms, Marshall collected 5 points.
It’s an interesting move for the Flyers, who traded a smooth-skating, potential 5th or 6th defenseman for the big club in exchange for a winger who has yet to really turn heads.
Holmgren was not available for comment on Thursday night.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
In a contest much different from their first meeting, the Flyers tied the Jets 1-1 in regulation, then failed to score in the overtime shootout. Frank Seravalli of the Daily News recaps the 2-1 loss from the Wells Fargo Center.
(Video by Samantha Corrado/Philly.com)
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