We wrote yesterday afternoon about the news that Ville Leino was going to be sitting out tonight’s crucial game with the New York Rangers, and the quote CSN’s Tim Panaccio got from Leino on the situation.
“We need more fighters,” Leino said.
This sparked a bit of outrage, mostly due to the quote and not the sitting of Leino. Sure, he’s been good, but if Jeff Carter is ready to come back, he’s more important that Leino. That’s just fact. But if Big Ville Style was being shut out of the lineup for ‘more fighters,’ than that would likely mean Riley Cote would be playing. A problem, to say the least.
It appears Leino was wrong with his perception that “more fighters” were being inserted in place of him. According to CSN, Jeff Carter is expected to play tonight in place of Leino. The Flyers leading goal scorer only skated for a few minutes during the morning skate at Madison Square Garden today, throwing most of the NY media into a frenzy like a seagull on a hot dog at the beach in July.
There are a couple schools of thought on playing Carter, though. Most people are less than confident in the way the Flyers handle injury situations (and you can’t really blame those people either), and these people generally feel that Carter should sit until it’s absolutely necessary — read: until the playoffs.
Others think he should sit tonight and only play if the season is on the line come Sunday. Others think the Flyers should just ice the best team they can at all times, and whether that means Carter plays tonight or not, that’s how the decision should be made.
None of the opinions matter anymore, though. It appears Carter will be in the lineup tonight, and there’s no denying the boost that this could give a club that can clinch a playoff berth with a win this evening.
