Going into game number four of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers are still looking for their first victory. With two days of rest, they take on a well traveled Anaheim Ducks team tonight at 7:00pm at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers will be shuffling lines once again, as they announced Monday that center Vincent Lecavalier will be out for two weeks with a left foot injury. Blair Jones will get a chance with the fourth line, while the speedy 29-year-old Pierre-Edouard Bellemare will move up to the second line to center Brayden Schenn and leading goal scorer Wayne Simmonds.
After a disappointing 4-3 shootout loss to the Canadiens on Saturday night, the Flyers will look to put together a full sixty minute effort for their first win. Leading 3-0 after two periods, they allowed Montreal to get back into the game and then tie it in regulation, despite the stellar play of goaltender Ray Emery. Winger P.A Parenteau scored for Montreal in the fourth round of the shootout, the only goal allowed by either netminder. The one point in the standings was half of what the Flyers could have and should have had. That one definitely slipped through their fingers.
The Flyers take on an Anaheim squad that is coming off of a dominating 5-1 drubbing of the Buffalo Sabres on Columbus Day afternoon. They out shot Buffalo 44-12 and rookie centerman William Karlsson picked up the first two goals of his career. Tonight is the last of a four game road stretch for the Ducks, who head home to face the Minnesota Wild on Friday. This current Ducks team is the first since 2005 to not have Teemu Selanne on the roster. The future first ballot Hall of Famer retired in May after the Ducks’ playoff loss to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, the L.A Kings. The Ducks are now lead by captain Ryan Getzlaf, winger Corey Perry and another sniper, Ryan Kesler, acquired in the offseason from Vancouver for Nick Bonino, former Flyer Luca Sbisa and two draft picks. The trio of Getzlaf, Perry and Kesler have amassed 15 points in their first four games.
Goalie Steve Mason is scheduled to be back between the pipes for the Flyers. He lost both games to them last season, carrying a 3.61 GAA and a .891 save percentage. The Ducks are scheduled to counter with netminder John Gibson, who was torched for six goals on October 9th in his native Pittsburgh against the Penguins.
Where To Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Mike Watson is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. You can follow him on Twitter at @Mwats_99
