Bourdon replaces Kubina
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Bourdon replaces Kubina
PITTSBURGH -- At one point, during the hustle and bustle of the team’s routine morning skate, Peter Laviolette called the Flyers’ six rookies over for a chat along the boards.
The meeting between Laviolette and Matt Read, Brayden Schenn, Zac Rinaldo, Eric Wellwood, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Sean Couturier was simple and to the point. It didn’t last long.
“He told us he has confidence in us, always,” Bourdon said. “He thought we played really well this season. He wanted us to know that he knows we can do a great job. It was nice to hear.”
For Laviolette, it wasn’t just chatter. He’s proving it with his Game 1 lineup on Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center. Bourdon will remain in the lineup and veteran, Stanley Cup winner Pavel Kubina will be scratched. Nick Grossmann, who missed the last three games of the season, will be back in the lineup.
Kubina skated as an extra defenseman again on Wednesday after the morning skate with fellow scratch Jody Shelley. He played on the extra pairing all week in practice in preparation for the series opener. Practice lines are often tough to judge, but Wednesday’s skate confirmed what once seemed unlikely.
Kubina, a veteran of 46 playoff games, was acquired on Feb. 18 in exchange for second and fourth round picks because the Flyers apparently thought guys like Bourdon could not do the job. Kubina earned $3.85 million this season.
“For me, this is not a roll of the dice,” Laviolette said. “We didn’t go ‘Oh my god, it’s your first playoff series.’ I don’t think that would help. Our younger players have been used in every situation imaginable up to this point - they got to be part of HBO, part of the Winter Classic. Never once has there ever been any lack of confidence from the organization, our staff, and their teammates.
“They need to do their job. They’ve done it all year.”
Bourdon, 22, played 45 games with the Flyers this year. If you recall, Bourdon had a little bit of a hiccup in his game in February before Kubina was acquired, and that could be due to the fact that he was playing through a concussion.
Bourdon was outspoken when he went to Adirondack after the Flyers acquired Kubina, saying he believed he could fill that role for the Flyers.
He returned to Philadelphia on March 29 and played the final 6 games of the regular season with the Flyers. He is expected to be paired with Andreas Lilja on the third pairing, which could see limited minutes depending on the matchups. Wednesday night will be his first playoff game.
“I’m going to go in there and play like I have played,” Bourdon said. “I’m not a flashy guy out there, so I just try to get the puck out and play simple. I need to make sure my reactions are hard and fast and I finish my hits.”
EXPECTED LINEUP:
Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jaromir Jagr
Brayden Schenn - Danny Briere - Wayne Simmonds
Jakub Voracek - Matt Read - Eric Wellwood
Maxime Talbot - Sean Couturier - Zac Rinaldo
Kimmo Timonen - Matt Carle
Brayden Coburn - Nicklas Grossmann
Marc-Andre Bourdon - Andreas Lilja
Ilya Bryzgalov
Sergei Bobrovsky
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Gutsy move by Lavi, Bourdon and the rest of the rookies will need to skate like demons and get on top of the Pens!— Fabulous- Kubina played terrible down the stretch and doesn't deserve to play, but I'm no fan of Lilja either. Bourdon plays tough but could be overmatched against the big guns on Pitts. and Pens have final line change at home, so you know they will want Crosby or Malkin out there against Flyers 3rd D pairing. That's a scary thought.— BobbyD
- Awful Lavs.. $1,000,000 Bourdon is on the ice for a 2nd period goal by the Pens. Im still going with the veteran on the road.— FABER
Kubina has been sloppy as of late, but...(wince)...I don't know about this move. I...I just don't know.
I certainly do NOT envy Coach Laviolette for the decisions he has to make regarding these rookies. GO FLYERS!- Bourdon has a pretty nice shot from the point. Scored a nice goal against the Pens in fact.— absinthetic8
- FABER - I would usually agree w/ you on that point - but Bourdon has shown he can keep his cool and hold his own when things get a little crazy in his own end. That said, I would side w/ BobbyD and scratch Lilja instead - who I though played terrible all year (regardless of the fact he is 5 or 6 Dman).— rock12
- Ultimately, I hope this move wakes Kubina up and he starts in game 2 (having realized Coach Laviolette is the BOSS).
I'm not in the locker room, on the bench, or on the ice; and I won't shoot my mouth off as though I know the leadership dynamic of the team. But the overall value of playoff experience can not be taken lightly with this many ROOKIES in the line-up. - "Maxime Talbot - Sean Couturier - Zac Rinaldo": Critical line for the Flyers. Tighten those chin straps and shut 'em down, boys.— raven13
- Kubina has to be hurt! I think this will be over in five.— EDDYEDEAGLES
- Not big on this move - I'd go with the veteran in the 1st few games & maybe try this later on if Kubina not holding up his end.— bigdaddyG
- Regarding the line-up:
If the (much publicized) intentions of having Couturier shadow Malkin are true; then can we expect Briere to center the 3rd line? And would Simmons and Schenn follow him there? - Go Rooks…go Flyers!— connorjr
- As unimpressive as Kubina has been, I would still play him above Lilja. I don't worry about Bourdon being out there....I worry about Lilja being out there. At this point Bourdon is our #5 D-man...Mezaros can't get healthy quick enough!— Phront_Runner
- Well it all starts tonight........Lets Go Flyers.....
— shmoo - I want to see Schenn turn to the dark side, and channel Mike Richards in this series. Some nice cheap shots would be good.— tdcuse
