Leighton: "Team saved my butt."
Daily News Flyers blog
Leighton: "Team saved my butt."
LOS ANGELES -- Michael Leighton can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
For the first time in 209 days, since Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, he is back in the win column. It may not have been pretty, but Leighton settled down after two goals against in the first 11 minutes as the Flyers rallied for a 7-4 win over the Kings at Staples Center.
“The team really saved my butt tonight,” Leighton said. “I’m really not too excited about the way that I played. It was good to get back. We got a win and they did a great job scoring some goals for me.”
Leighton said he wasn’t nervous in the first period, in his first NHL game since June 9, but rather that he was probably a little over-excited. He may - or may not - have chugged a few ‘5 Hour Energy’ drinks before the game.
“I wasn’t too nervous,” he explained. “I was just more excited to get out there. That obviously backfired a little bit. The first goal was pretty weak.”
Leighton had made four rehab starts with the Adirondack Phantoms earlier in the month, but beside one preseason start in Toronto, this was Leighton’s first start since “the goal” against Patrick Kane that still makes Flyers fans queasy.
“I think that when you’re off for a long period of time, and you’re coming off from surgery, and you’re coming back to the National Hockey League [his emphasis] without a lot of work, you’re probably going to have to feel your way around a little bit,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “And I’d say anyone’s got to do that. But then it really makes it tough on a goaltender.
“It was good for him to get through it, get us a win and get us back on track.”
After the first period, Leighton allowed a much more respectable two goals on 26 shots.
During the second intermission, with the Flyers holding a two-goal edge, goaltending coach Jeff Reese had a message for Leighton in the locker room. Leighton went back out to turn aside all 10 shots thrown his way as the Ville Leino turned a two-goal lead into a three-goal cushion.
“I definitely felt better in the third period,” Leighton said. “He told me I’ve got to start fighting for pucks more and that when the puck goes back to the point, I’ve got to try and find it. Because I wasn’t seeing the puck coming in.
“That really seemed to help. Hopefully I can build off of that.”
LUPUL TONIGHT: We caught up with former Flyer Joffrey Lupul back in October when his Ducks came to Philadelphia. You can read more about the rare blood infection Lupul suffered through in Anaheim since being traded by the Flyers.
Since then, Lupul has played 12 games with the Ducks and has picked up 4 goals and an assist.
Luca Sbisa, also sent to Anaheim with Lupul in exchange for Chris Pronger in June, 2009, has 1 goal and 1 assist with a minus-6 rating in 26 games. Sbisa, 20, is in his first full NHL season. He hasn't exactly looked as impressive as he did in 39 games with the Flyers in 2008 before being sent back to junior hockey.
LINE CHANGES: Expect the Flyers lines to remain the same tonight in Anaheim as they look to take two games in Southern California.
Last night was the first time all season that Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere and Ville Leino didn’t start the game together. That didn’t seem to matter.
“Sometimes you just need a little bit of a shakeup to get things going,” said Mike Richards. “Maybe a little bit of beginners luck with the lines.”
Here’s what clicked last night:
Briere - Richards - Van Riemsdyk
Hartnell - Giroux - Zherdev
Nodl - Carter - Leino
Carcillo - Betts - Powe
VAN RIEMSDYK PRAISE: Lost in the shuffle with a 4 point night from Richards and 3 assists from Claude Giroux, Laviolette said he was very impressed with James van Riemsdyk’s game last night.
Van Riemsdyk added a goal and an assist, just his second two-point game of the season. His goal came on the power play and he made a beautiful pass on a poised play, sidestepping a Los Angeles defenseman to find Richards alone in front of the net.
“The thing most noticeable about James right now, for me, is his speed,” Laviolette said. “He’s strong with his legs, he’s strong with his skating and that puts him involved in everything. He can get in on a hit, he can get in on a rush, he can get in on a rebound.
“The speed for me is the key to his success and he’s moving really well on the ice right now.”
ZHERDEV BENCHED: If you missed Nik Zherdev on the ice in the second period, you weren’t alone. Zherdev took a stupid penalty in the first period and paid for it by not skating again until the third period.
Laviolette wouldn’t confirm the benching, but his shift chart did.
Was he hurt? A report from another outlet before the game said Zherdev was hurt on Thursday in practice.
“I don’t believe so,” Laviolette said.
So you benched him?
“I was just playing lines,” Laviolette said.
Yes, Laviolette was just playing lines. Without Zherdev.
STATS OF THE NIGHT: The Flyers were not credited with a takeaway, which has not happened since Nov. 6, 2009 at Buffalo.
After being outshot, 36-28, the Flyers have now been outshot in 3 consecutive games, 4 out of their last 5 and 7 out of their last 10 dating back to Dec. 5. That 10 game run started after the Flyers outshot their opponent 6 games in a row.
ROAD TRIPPING: If you’re a Philly fan living in Southern California, you have a chance to make a rare road trip and see both the Flyers and Sixers in the same day. The Flyers play at 5 o’clock (PST) in Anaheim, which is 33 miles south of the Staples Center in Orange County, and the Sixers are at the Staples Center for a 7:30 pm (PST) tip-off with the defending-champion Lakers.
I can’t remember a time when both teams have been so far away from home and playing in the same area on the same day. Can you?
STAR SIGHTING: While Lakers games at the Staples Center are usually packed with fans, the Flyers had a special guest in the locker room after their game: actor David Boreanaz from the FOX hit show “Bones” and formerly “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer.”
Boreanaz, 41, lives in Los Angeles. He is the son of retired Channel 6 weatherman Dave Roberts. Boreanaz grew up in Philadelphia and attended Malvern Prep before going to Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., before ultimately moving to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting.
Boreanaz wore a Flyers shirt and met with some of his favorite players, including Richards and Jeff Carter. He has attended multiple NHL events before, including All-Star Games and the Winter Classic, but maintains a Flyers blog occasionally on NHL.com.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Since today is New Years Eve, what are the only two days a year when none of the major four professional sports are in action in the United States? Hint: it’s not a holiday.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
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TRIVIA ANSWER-The day before and the day after the MLB All Star game Frank. I have a better one Frank....why do I constantly fall in love with the girls at gentlemens clubs?— rockinrob- Leighton looked horrible- too many softies— psychockey
- Not sure what else one could have expected from him as his last game action was a couple of weeks ago in the AHL. That said, htnaks for the flashback. Soft goals from BAD angles...like I said yesterday, we all know what Boosh and Leighton bring to the table. Bobrovsky should start until he proves that he CAN'T and one of the other two (Boosh) should play on back-to-back nights or when the Flyers have more than three games in a week.— 67Flyer
- I kept hearing people talk about rust, but Leighton allowed the same kind of goals in the Final vs Chicago. He's a journeyman who got hot and really helped the team last year, but it hit midnight for Cinderella when they faced a good offense in the SCF. Leighton got better as the game went on, but if Bobrovsky can't carry the mail, they need to make a move at the deadline.— JSaq
I don't think Leighton is our answer between the pipes. Soft goals will kill us. The key is for the whole team to tighten up playing defence. They got the talent to score with any team in the league, but unless they improve their effort when they don't have the puck, then it won't matter who they got in net.- Its nice for Leighton to be humble and all, but the Flyers skaters were just awful in their own end for most of that game. The first goal was a stinker, but if the Flyers don't spend the first period getting manhandled, that shot never happens. Turnovers, blind passes, failed clears, being weak on the puck is what cost them at least three if not all four. The Flyers were good enough to capitalize on the Kings penalty meltdown and some sloppy play in front of their net. I just hope the people commenting on Leighton's game actually stayed up to watch it. Leighton should be fine with a few games, later Bouch.
No takeaways and they still put up a seven, I wonder if that's ever been done before.— potus- Leighton gave up some soft goals, it's true. But that goal given up on delayed penalty in first period. Had to be one of the worst exhibition of hockey skills I have ever seen.— mean gene
- Leighton was never that good - not even in the playoffs last year. You can't just point to a few great saves - you have to look at the whole game - and every game he lets his team down. We almost didn't beat boston last year because of through the wickets Leighton.— gob1234
- ...I tell ya,that first weak goal looked an awful lot like his last weak goal
...as mentioned in article, JVR looked good
...Carcillo played decent and the puck was following Richards around
...the puck didn't drop until 9:43 pm Central-earlier tonight thankfully— petemagoop - The Flyers hunbled the Flyers alumni team out west, and all the management who have former Flyer ties. From Hextall to Stevens to Murray, to players like Handzus and Justin Williams. Credit this win to the forwards, and especially Richards whose contributions and "chipiness" were obvious, to the unsung heroes like JVR who was a force all night.I never liked Leighton, and the Kane goal looked a lot like the first goal last night, the only difference being the Finals goal came skating down the left wing and at an impossible angle even with the goal mouth, and last night it came from behind the goal. Leighton is the original "Mr. Softie". I don't know why, other than $$$ committed, he is even playing. DO NOT PLAY LEIGHTON. BOBROVSKY is the goalie of the future with real talent. With him in goal you would have a 7-0 shutout. Still, the sieve forced the forwards to play harder, so Leighton wouldn't bury them. Enough of that experiment. "Bob" please for tonight.— PhillyboyinNYC
- Enough benching of Zherdev already!!!! I don't hear any problems with Richards and Briere's TERRIBLE penalties. What's is wromng with Laviolette, he is showing he has no class by doing this to a guy who obviously could put us over the top.— dahlster
It was great to turn on the red light seven times; but to be honest we played LA at the right time. It was a back-to-back game for them and their 4th game in 5 nights. It will be the opposite tonight in Anaheim since the Ducks rested last night. For this road trip to be a success the Flyers have to beat the Red Wings in Detroit on January 2. The last time the Flyers won in the Motor City - 1988.- Bobrovsky should play next. Too long between starts!
- Leighton is God-awful. Forget about the softies, he was moving in molasses last night and is no where even close to the skills, quicknees, and aggressiveness as Bob or Boosh. I thought we needed 10 goals to win last night, but I guess 5 ended up being enough. He is nowhere close to Bob or Boosh. I am just so confused by Lavy over the past 2 weeks. You are off 8 days after a bad loss, and he did NOT have his players ready to play. He starts Boosh in this game...when, he's not the "hot" goalie anymore, and Bob has been rested. Then, after the horrible performance in Vancouver, you start LEIGHTON when we desparately needed that win last night and you don't even DRESS Bob. If there is not a full-blown goalie controversey in Philly (ONCE AGAIN!), can someone please explain it to me? Stop with the freakin' mind-games Lavy! Go with the tried and true philosophy....PLAY YOUR BEST PLAYERS...AND LEIGHTON ISN'T ONE OF THEM!!! If this team needs motivation by playing god-awful Leighton, then we have some serious issues.
- Ken, your right. We caught LA at the right time just like Florida and Vancouver caught the Flyers.
It gets so weary reading all the goalie experts on this blog. You big Bob fans know nothing. He's a rookie. He won't make the difference you think he will. Who leads the NHL in points right now? Yeah, Pittsburg. How many shutouts does Fleury have? ONE. If the goalie was all it took, then Lundquist and the Rangers would be in first with his whopping FIVE. NO ONE loses all their games because of a soft goal. EVERYONE loses games because of weak team play. Get over the goalie thing. Bob is light-years away from becoming the next "Dominator".— icarus- totally agree leights...ur a mediocre average at best goalie who got hot last year..but now ur 15 mins of fame are up....good luck with the phantoms....— DON17
- This is the way the season will go (win one, lose one) until Prongs gets back. Just get used to it. HE is the guy who makes everybody else better. I love this team but we need him back and healthy.— LuckyDog
- Bring back Bob!— wlgj
- The Flyers do not have a goalie that can dominate and steal games. Period. Leighton will get better the more he plays, Boucher has always been streaky, and Bobrovsky is getting worse as the season goes along. I still believe that Leighton, who was 2 wins away from being THE story last season is the best option. He played poorly, and the team won. As far as the guy who stood up for Zherdev, and said Lavy has to stop benching him...well, his penalty last night had nothing to do with the team, and was purely selfish. It is one thing to take a penalty in the midst of the play, it is another to just pop a guy because you don't like being hit. To the bench you go!— Hexy4GM
- More Bahbrumsky......please?— hallux
There were just as many Flyers fans at the game as there were Kings "fans". Flyers jerseys were EVERYWHERE. Several times we were able to get chants going of "Let's go Flyers". Tonight we go to Anaheim for a game in which the Flyer expatriate community will probably again outnumber Ducks "fans". Despite the lopsided win, the Flyers were running around quite a bit and took two needless penalties, one by Briere in the offensive zone while trying to prevent an icing call against the Flyers. Carcillo seemed sufficiently medicated and only took one penalty which was only an infraction in the ref's imagination. Replays should he did nothing wrong. Mezaros was a Monster out there and Briere annoyed the Queens (oh, sorry, Kings) like one of those big flies at the shore. Leighton started as shakey as a one-day-sober junkie, but as the game wore on he got sharper and by the end looked good. Let's hope Flyers legs don't turn to Jello tonight in Quack-land. Ducks are without Getzlaf so this is a perfect time to nail them.- They named an ice cream shop after him: "Mr. Softee...as in I have a Mr. Softee headache," or "oh no Mr. Softee is playing goalie tonight." Flyers fans deserve a great goalie. Leighton is a Bobbie Taylor-like backup who should only see action in an emergency.— damnels
Comment removed.- leighton wasnt going to step into NHL game action and be a star last night. he did enough to get the win and he can build off of that. is he a superstar goalie? no. can he be a guy who can HELP us down the stretch. yes he is a serviceable guy who is capable of getting hot which we all saw last year in the playoffs. its time to cut boucher loose because he isnt the answer here, and he is always hurt. gimme bob and leighton for the home stretch.— jsavino
- Bobrovsky is clearly not the saviour, either. He let in another 5 tonight. Leighton was horrid, still only let in 4 goals, and the team won. Boucher gets the next start...then Leighton...then Bobrovsky....then whomever can actually make a stop plays the next one. If you ever get a chance to listen to a game online, and listen to the other team's broadcast...you may get a slightly less biased opinion of Bobrovsky.— Hexy4GM
- the day before and the day after the mlb all star game is the trivia question, answer...— Taxman
