#15 Toronto Maple Leafs (20-32-12, 52 pts) at #6 Philadelphia Flyers (33-26-4, 70 pts)
Wachovia Center – 7:00 PM ET – Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, Sportsnet Ontario HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get Toronto reaction at Pension Plan Puppets
Another game, another goon called up. We really should start keeping track of these things.
The Maple Leafs come to town tonight with tough guy Jay Rosehill in the lineup. After making the team out of camp, Rosehill played a few games with the Leafs before being sent down to their AHL affiliate at the end of the month. Since then, he’s played in one NHL game. January 14 versus the Flyers.
He might be worthless as a hockey player (especially when you consider that his only impact in that game was a last minute cheapshot on Mike Richards while up 4-0), but you’ve gotta admit one thing: the guy has class. Check out this story from 2007.
Rosehill, 22, was released on bond from the Broome County Jail on a felony charge of third-degree grand larceny, the Press & Sun-Bulletin newspaper of Bunghamton reported. His release came shortly before the Admirals played the Senators.
The Broome County Sheriff’s Office said a vehicle had been reported stolen from the parking lot of Madame Oar’s, a Binghamton strip club.
A club employee said she had started the car and left it to warm up when it was taken.
Shortly after the report was made, about 1:25 a.m., a deputy spotted the car pulling into the parking lot of the Xhibition Gentlemen’s Club.
Steals a car from a strip club to get to another strip club. Excellent.
More on the actual game after the jump.
Right, so… hockey. It’s not that the Flyers are in desperate need of a win right now, having gone 1-1-1 since the Olympic break. But getting back in the win column against the worst team in the conference is certainly the preferred outcome. The Leafs are just not a worthy opponent on any side of the puck.
They’ve experienced a ton of turnover so far this season (half their team resides in Calgary now), they have maybe three decent forwards left and they’re not great on defense either. They’re atrocious on the power play and on the PK, too. Jean-Sebastien Giguere isn’t too shabby in goal, but I mean… really.
Still, this team beat the Flyers last time they met. Blind squirrel, nut and all that.
No sleep walking equals a win. Sleep walking might equal a win, but let’s not try that experiment, okay boys?
Flyers Line Combinations
Gagne – Richards – Carcillo
Briere- Carter – Hartnell
van Riemsdyk – Giroux – Asham
Powe – Betts – Laperriere
Pronger – Carle
Timonen – Krajicek
Parent/Bartulis – Coburn
Bartulis has been cleared to play, not sure if he will. Other lines likely to stay the same.
Toronto Line Combinations
Kulemin – Bozak – Kessel
Stalberg – Mitchell – Caputi
Lundmark – Wallin – Sjostrom
Hanson – Primeau – Orr
Beauchemin – Phaneuf
Kaberle – Schenn
Finger – Gunnarsson
Caputi goes from the AHL in the PIT organization to the second line in Toronto. Hil-arious.
Starting Goaltenders
Questions To Answer
- Does Rosehill’s insertion into the lineup mean anything? We all know this will likely be a big, fat no.
- Can Giguere keep the Leafs in the game?
- Will Mike Richards keep up his torrid post-Olympic pace (six points in 3 games so far)?
Can Leino, Carter and Briere show the same chemistry they did against Buffalo? Which Michael Leighton shows up – Pre-break Leights or Post-break Leights?
Tonight’s game is on CSN Philly (thank God). Listen on 610 WIP, and as always, join us here for the conversation. LET’S GO FLYERS!
