Laviolette says 'Bob' is No. 1 goalie
Daily News Flyers blog
Laviolette says 'Bob' is No. 1 goalie
With Michael Leighton now back in the Flyers' fold after clearing re-entry waivers on Wednesday at noon, coach Peter Laviolette wasted no time in declaring his intentions.
And not just for the the Flyers' next contest in Buffalo on Friday night, but for the playoffs.
Laviolette said after the Flyers' practice on Wednesday that Sergei Bobrovsky is his "No. 1 goalie for the playoffs" and that Brian Boucher is his backup. It comes as no surprise, as Bobrovsky has started 8 of the Flyers' last 10 games.
"To start the playoffs, 'Bob' will be that guy," Laviolette said.
That put to bed a lot of rumors circulating that Leighton, who returns to the Flyers after posting back-to-back shutouts for the Phantoms last weekend, would see action immediately for the Flyers on Friday.
After stating his intentions for the playoffs, which are set to open on April 14 at the Wells Fargo Center for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Laviolette was asked if he would be open to starting Leighton on Saturday night against the Islanders.
"I haven't gotten that far," Laviolette responded. "We spent yesterday [Tuesday] trying to figure out if he would get through [waivers] and when he would get through. Having Michael and his experience here gives us that depth."
Leighton was not with the Flyers at practice on Wednesday but arrived later in the evening for a conference call with reporters, which you can read about in Thursday's Daily News.
ROSTER MOVES: Forward Ben Holmstrom was re-assigned to the Phantoms, which means either Danny Briere, Jody Shelley or Blair Betts will be ready to play on Friday to replace him.
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Can he grind it out in the corner and along the boards? Can he win a crucial face-off? Can he score a PP goal? If not, who really cares?— brio- Brio - I understand your skepticism but I am pretty sure those are all questions that we asked of Danny Briere last year when he was awful during the regular season... pretty sure he answered his critics during last year's playoff run... 30 points in 23 games. — broadstbu11y
- Look out Bob and Bob.— Joe at the shore
- Doesnt matter. This team is done. No heart, no guts......no glory.— Tripod
- way to keep the faith in your team. its "fans" like you that it is no wonder why people bag on Phila. sports fans for bein frontrunner's. keep up the good work, tool. — c3rp1ntaxt
- way to keep the faith in your team there buddy. — c3rp1ntaxt
- i agree with you brio
— flyersforlife - This should really help Bob's confidence. I never saw a 1st round exit coming two months ago, but here it is.— jaxforprez
- same to you pal. and i bet you saw a 1st round exit last year also. that is, if you probably didnt rule them out before that final game vs the rangers to get in. naw, you probably had t hem out of the post season last year. awesome, people like you make it tough for real fans to continue on with their support. go watch tennis. — c3rp1ntaxt
- Oh I'm sorry, should I be all happy and joyful with the way this team has played the last month? Saying they are playing like they are going to exit in the first round doesn't mean I want them to. — jaxforprez
- boom goes the dynamite— suckitpens
- Why would you play the 3rd goalie in what is now the most important game of the season? Except for the Caps game goaltending hasnt been this teams problem— fig
- I am seriously hoping that the reason for this epic failure of late is due to the team collectively playing not to get hurt for the playoffs. If not, they will be one and done.— acoren
- Make him the starter now!— philly thug
- This will go down as one of the biggest collapses in our team's history. The showed consistency that we have not seen in years and then Pronger goes down, then Versteeg joins the team, and suddenly all the magic is gone. Nothing against Versteeg but this entire downfall started around the time he came to the team. Despite his productivity, the team itself doesn't seem to be gaining much from him if we cannot win games. The headless play this team has displayed recently will give them a first round exit and it will give us fans yet another heartbreaking end to a long and hopeful season, See you guys in training camp...— shmu u 92
