Happy Halloween! Unfortunately, I don't have anything for those who came to this site looking for candy. I do have something better, though — several links about the Flyers and happenings around the NHL.
Flyers dismally begin road trip; fall 3-1 in Buffalo — [Flyerdelphia – Rob Riches]
The Flyers started their five-game road trip on a dismal note, as they fell 3-1 to Buffalo on Friday in a game where they could not manage to stay out of the penalty box. Mark Streit scored the Orange and Black's lone goal, while Ryan O'Reilly registered three points for the Sabres. In his first start since Oct. 21, Michal Neuvirth made 33 saves. The Flyers will head West to continue their road trip, as they face Vancouver on Monday.
Cousins leaves with injury, Phantoms fall to IceCaps — [Flyerdelphia – Brent Baldwin]
The Phantoms fell 3-2 to the St. John's IceCaps on Friday, as they wrapped up a two-game stretch in Allentown. Chris Conner scored two goals, while Anthony Stolarz saved 23 of 26 shots. Nick Cousins took an elbow to the head early in the third period (still setting up Conner's goal), and took one more shift before heading to the dressing room for the rest of the game. The Phantoms next head to Hershey for a Sunday matchup with the Bears.
3-on-3 overtime proving exactly what NHL hoped it would — [CSNPhilly – Tim Riday]
One month into the season, 3-on-3 overtime is proving to be an exhilarating way to end games, and has cut down on the amount of shootouts so far. So far, 29 overtime games have been played, with nine going to the shootout (31 percent) — compared to 170 out of 306 overtime games going to a shootout last season (55.5 percent). Four of the Flyers' 10 games have gone to overtime as well, with only one going to a shootout — which the Flyers won over the Rangers on Oct. 24. While some players have voiced negative opinions about the new format so far, the overall impression so far is that 3-on-3 is a much better way to end games.
ESPN Ends Grantland's Four-Year Run — [New York Times – Richard Sandomir]
Grantland, the popular sports and pop culture site formerly edited by Bill Simmons, ceased operations on Friday. One big implication for hockey fans is that Sean McIndoe, better known as @DownGoesBrown, is now without a platform to voice his witticisms. When it comes to satirical hockey writing, McIndoe is among the best out there, and his style will be missed — at least, until the next opportunity comes knocking for him.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
