Posted: Sunday, February 12, 2012, 11:31 AM | 36 comments |
 

Bobrovksy to start tonight in Detroit
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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
Posted by Frank Seravalli @ 11:31 AM  Permalink | 36 comments
36
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:11 PM, 02/12/2012
    Voracek - Concussion victim number 10...never saw a Flyers team in my life that would let the opposing team insult you in your house doing the Jagr salute, as the entire team looks at each other wondering which one of them is going to do something about it. Season was over that very next shift in the Winter Classic. They got heart more heart than us, simple as that.
    — JudgeReinhold
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:17 PM, 02/12/2012
    Wasnt Bryz shelled by the Wings in playoffs last year? Not sure I would want to play him at 100% much less sick.
    — shanehockey28
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:58 PM, 02/12/2012
    You could say that. He gave up the GWG in the last game on a clean shot from behind the goal line, out of the corner. That was his performance right before this front office decided he was worth $51-mil to replace goalies who gave up soft goals.
    — icarus
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:21 PM, 02/12/2012
    @Judge - I think you are blowing it a little out of proportion but I agree that this team needs to find itself and man up a bit. I just don't think this is the year. They are young, need a D-man, and the goaltending it still a mess. Then again I don't think people expected them to take it to Game 6 of the Final 2 years ago.
    — ragecage22
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:09 PM, 02/12/2012
    Shelley in for Voracek? To do what, work the door to the bench?
    — icarus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:25 PM, 02/12/2012
    You don't lose Pronger and replace him with two rookies in the lineup against the Rangers...PERIOD. You certainly don't replace Pronger, Kimmo, or Mezaros with Bourdon/Gufstasson. PERIOD. Holmer has backed himseld into a corner with the Cap again. Otherwise, you unload Bob because you are stuck with Bryzg (unless someone with deep pockets loses their top goalie). Trade Bob, trade anyone to clear up cap space and make three movies: Most Important - get a #1 D Man like Weber, not Schenn. Two: Give NYI whatever they want for Nabakov. Three: And make ANY trades to stock pile picks next year so you can move to the top of the draft and snag the #1 goalie that year. Oh yeah, pray Bryzg gets hot and can handle the pressure. Bottom line, even if Bryz, Bob, or even a Nabokov came in and played great, the Flyers need to put the same scouting efforts into finding their next 1-3 top goalie prospects that they did finding Matt Read, Giroux, and evaluating Simmonds.
    — MichaelZoe
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:35 PM, 02/12/2012
    Bryz should be good for about 6 quality goals tonight
    — shawnmac
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:39 PM, 02/12/2012
    Let's hope he does'nt ...
    — JudgeDredd
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:43 PM, 02/12/2012
    Put Whitney in net.
    — NYPHILLYPHAN
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:52 PM, 02/12/2012
    Put in a fair weather fan. He may do better!
    — Flyers_70
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:57 PM, 02/12/2012
    Shelly in!! 3 goons instead of 2! More Red Wing power plays with "Mr Big Game Confidence" in net! All the while Harry Z sits in the minors. Your brilliant Holmgren.
    — jking91
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:26 PM, 02/12/2012
    BTW, the record the Wings are allegedly attempting to tie tonight will still stand in reality, regardless of the outcome. Four of Detroit's last seven home "wins" were in the shootout, including their most recent home "win", #19. Without the shootouts, they wouldn't even be close.
    — icarus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:32 PM, 02/12/2012
    Bryz has been playing much better ...that game in NY was the team d...not Bryz. He let in one horrendous goal (Gaborik), but the others were tough. Two were from point blank range on his stick side. No goalie is going to have a good save %. The other was a blue line shot and deflected from.....point blank range. It is our team D that is letting this team down, and Lavy is incompetent to fix it.
    — dave1walsh
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:27 PM, 02/12/2012
    The Flyers have been coasting on unearned laurels since the HBO cameras popped up. They are phoning it in and lack heart. Where's the fire and grit? Lame- as usual.
    — mebphila


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About Frank Seravalli
Frank Seravalli is in his fourth year with the Daily News and third season covering the Flyers. He started at the Daily News as an intern writing about the boozing legends of the Lincoln Financial Field lots and hasn't left. Since joining the Flyers beat, he has covered everything from the Winter Classic to the Stanley Cup Final and everything in between. Prior to joining the Daily News, the Bucks County native did a large amount of freelance work for local media outlets, covering high schools, colleges and all four of Philly's major sports teams. He resides in Center City. E-mail Frank at seravaf@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter @DNFlyers.

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