Zac Rinaldo has been suspended… so now the Philadelphia Flyers are better.
Congratulations, Coyotes fans — the team is currently operating under their worst-case scenario, at home for a team currently operating under their best-case scenario.
Broad Street Buzz
The Philadelphia Flyers still aren’t a playoff-contending NHL team, but the loss of Zac Rinaldo — suspended Monday night for eight games on boarding and charging offenses — certainly helps them in the long run. They’ve lost one of their biggest penalty-causers, while the Coyotes are… well, still without the services of a recovering Mikkel Boedker, who had his spleen removed last week.
Things could get ugly, but remember: both teams have been struggling in a big way. Losing Zac Rinaldo is something that we joke makes the team better, but he’s been a potential top-line player for the Flyers all season; if they’ve been using him on the top line, you know they’re having offensive holes that are way too big to ignore.
Details for Tuesday night’s game:
DATE: Tuesday, January 27th
TIME: 7:00 P.M. (EST)
LOCATION: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ARENA: Wells Fargo Center
TV INFO: Fox Sports AZ, CSNP
Projected Line Combinations:
Forwards:
Tobias Rieder – Antoine Vermette – Shane Doan
Martin Erat – Martin Hanzal – Sam Gagner
Brandon McMillan – Kyle Chipchura – David Moss
Lucas Lessio – Joe Vitale – Lauri Korpikoski
Defense:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Zbynek Michalek
Keith Yandle – Michel Stone
Andrew Campbell – Connor Murphy
Extra Skater: Chris Summers
Goal: Mike Smith
Questions/Answers:
1. Why is Andrew Campbell in over Philip Samuelsson or Brandon Gormley?
Campbell gets call over Gormley/Samuelsson because he was better player in recent Portland games, Tippett said.
— Sarah McLellan (@sarah__mclellan) January 27, 2015
According to AZ Central’s Sarah McLellan, Campbell has had the better play recently.
Don’t be fooled, though — Campbell has been a career AHL player. If the other two players aren’t performing as well as him, keeping them in Portland isn’t to give Campbell an audition; it’s likely to give both Brandon Gormley and Philip Samuelsson some extra conditioning and development. These two are long-term projects for the Coyotes, so if they need the extra time to develop, this is the time to give it to them.
Interestingly enough, Brendan Shinnimin was stellar at the AHL All Star Game — and Lessio got the call-up regardless. Keep an eye on him, though; we could see him before long.
2. How long will Mikkel Boedker be out?
It’s a removed spleen, so probably a while. Lucas Lessio needs to step it up and be the depth forward we’re all hoping he can be.
While Boedker is out, some other players we might need to be taking a glance at? Tyler Gaudet is a good option, as is Brendan Shinnimin — but if Henrik Samuelsson starts to truly improve, sending him up for a game or two (or, well, let’s try for ten) could be a huge bonus.
3. Who’s in net for the Flyers?
Ray Emery. This is Ray Emery:
Jan 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery (29) covers the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Over the course of Ray Emery’s career, he’s played a couple really good seasons; this isn’t one of them.
This year, Ray Emery is allowing an average of 3.27 goals per game. His save percentage is a whopping .890 SV%; it’s terrifying that he’s in the same boat as Mike Smith, but as a backup.
God save the
Queen
Philadelphia Flyers
Arizona Coyotes
Everyone playing tonight.
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