Flyers set lineup for tonight's opener
RALEIGH _ Just got back from the morning skate, where coach John Stevens confirmed that he will use Darroll Powe on the third line against Carolina tonight instead of Arron Asham.
Flyers set lineup for tonight's opener
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
RALEIGH _ Just got back from the morning skate, where coach John Stevens confirmed that he will use Darroll Powe on the third line against Carolina tonight instead of Arron Asham.
Stevens said Powe matches up better against the fleet Hurricanes because of his speed. He will be at right wing on a line with Claude Giroux and James van Riemsdyk.
Asham, Riley Cote and Marc-Andre Bourdon will be scratches in tonight's season opener.
In the future, Asham will see lots of action, Stevens said. "It depends on performance and matchups," he said.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Chris Pronger on tonight's opener: "You spend the whole summer recharging and using training camp to kind of get your feet wet, and the beginning of the season is always an exciting time of year. Expectations on pretty much every team are high and we're no different. We obvioulsy feel we have a very good team and it's just a matter of continuing to get better and continuing to develop."
Getting off to a good start, he added, "doesn't make or break your season, but it goes a long way to get that confidence and feeling good about ourselves. With new line combinations and new (defensive) partners, there's always going to be a learning curve, but at the end of the day we have to go out and compete hard and play hard within our structure."
Danny Briere, another veteran, also was antsy to play tonight's opener.
"It's always an easy game to get up for," he said, smiling. "The adrenaline is always flowing and you're excited about the new year. Every team thinks they're winning the Stanley Cup on the first night of the season."
* * * * * * * * *
Van Riemsdyk said four of his childhood friends are driving to Raleigh to attend his NHL debut tonight. He added that he now expects at least 100 family members and friends to be at the game Saturday against the New Jersey Devils in Newark _ an easy drive from his hometown of Middletown South.
* * * * * * * * * *
Carolina, which reached the conference finals last season, has four former Flyers on its roster: Rod Brind'Amour, Joni Pitkanen (battling a knee injury), Andrew Alberts and backup goalie Michael Leighton.
***********
The Flyers' lines for toinight:
Hartnell-Carter-Briere; Gagne-Richards-Pyorala; JVR-Giroux-Powe; and Carcillo-Betts-Laperriere.
The D: Pronger-Carle; Timonen-Coburn; and Parent-Syvret. Ray Emery is in the nets.
i'm not a big fan of scratching asham
Go Flyers !— Joe R.- I like the lines. I would like Briere with Giroux however if JVR continues to get in front of the net Giroux will get the puck to him. Getting pumped for 7!!!— kingback
- been waiting months for the start of the season and they scratch my favorite player (aa). :(— SD doug
- Finals.— dscott
- AAAAAHHHHH....sookah-sooky now!!!!— MTbelly
- I just hope this team is not as thin at right wing as it seems they are looking at those lines. That's pretty scary.— ant8817
- Asham shouldn't be benched. He can flat out play.— ChrisM
- ant8817, I see where that could be a concern but I think they will be fine, can't remember last time I thought the D was as good as it is now, first two pairings are pretty stout and I think that third pair will bring a lot of excitement with them, looking forward to Syvret— tsump
- Scratching Asham for Powe? Why? There are 10 Powes and Betts on the Phantoms. I actually think Asham is a better player than Powe anyway. Hope this doesn't become a trend. I'd have scratched Carcillo before Asham.— guerislives
- Let's see what Pronger & Co. do before we get all hot & heavy. Every year begins with the usual hype and it ends being hot air and a bunch of excuses. Show me the cup! Go Flyers!— DennyP
- If our defense can stay healthy, this team can be awesome. Tough stretch of games to start the season-Carolina, Jersey, Caps. Man just like last year where it seemed every game in the beginning of year was against a pretty good team, remember the back to back against the Sharks last year, when they got 2 ties? Let's go Flyers! All other sports pale in comparison to the great sport of Hockey!— flyfantx
- I like the Timonen-Coburn reunion. Cote > Carcillo.— buzzkiller23
- I'm pumped! Tonights like New years eve, but better! I'm 28 and been watching the Flyers for about 18 years and don't remember a Flyers defenseman that has as many different skills as Pronger! He can score/pass/fight/check/lead! I guess thats where the term 5 tooled defenseman comes from?— stxprowl
- I don't know if there are another 10 Powes and Betts on the Phantoms. But I agree with guerislives that I would play AA before Carcillo. I think Carcillo has a lot to prove. I think he can play and provide some offense. But he's too much of a knucklehead and hurts the team more than helps.— JimmyFledPhilly
Comment removed.- What happened to lasts phenom Sbisa?— banned4nothing
- ah last years phenom that is— banned4nothing
- Carcillo must have photos of someone...— rothstein12
- cote is not better than carcillo in any facet of the game..cote cant win fights anymore where as carcillo can..carcillo CAN put the puck in the net where cote cant and carcillo can skate much better than cote can..rileys time with the flyers is almost over— PhillySports23
- sbisa was a part of the trade for pronger. he is on the ducks now— bob121484
- Comment removed.
- I think Asham is the better player now, but Carcillo has more of an upside. I look to Pronger to rein him in if he starts acting up. I'm a fan of Powe.— HandNik
The last time I was this excited about a player having a team-changing effect on the Flyers was 88's rookie year. Drop the puck!!— 1980- YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I AM PUMPED— PHILLYINNE
- Carcillo led the team in the playoffs in +/-. He deserves to play.— wlightning02
- Asham is very underrated...he has an awful lot of skill to go with his grit (particularly good hands). I understand that he may not matchup as well as Powe for this particular game, but I hope to see a lot of him this year.— Darren9
