Game Day Vs Philly, 3/3/09

Take a good look at your Boston Bruins tonight folks. They could look markedly different by the time you see them again (Thursday vs Phoenix). In the last game before tomorrow's trade deadline, the B's look to tackle the brawling Flyers.


Philly comes into the game losers of their last two, but they're 6-3-1 in their last ten. Much better than Boston's dismal 3-4-3 over that stretch. The Philly offense is lead by Jeff Carter, who is third in the NHL goal scoring race with 36. The Flyers are also bolstered by the return of center Danny Briere from IR.

But let's be honest, when you think of the Flyers, you don't really think about their offensive firepower. You think about.....

ROUGH STUFF:
The Broad Street Bullies are back in the city of brotherly glove dropping. Philly is second in the league in fighting majors with 59. They're also the most penalized team in the league. Riley Cote (18) and Arron Asham (15) lead the parade to the sin bin. Cote is one entertaining fighter. Defense? Who needs defense when you can just keep swinging until your arms fall off? I still don't get how Asham has piled up so many fights though....he just never struck me as a guy that would fight THAT much. I guess something happens when you move to Philly...you turn into an A-hole.

Which reminds me... Scott Hartnell needs a beating tonight. This guy has turned into one the absolute dirtiest, cheapest players in the NHL. Low hits. Blind hits. Hits on vulnerable players (think of his hit on current teammate Andrew Alberts last season). Worse, he runs his yap constantly. All while sporting a curly muppet-like mullet. How people can resist punching him in the eye is beyond me. That restraint better be lost tonight. Enough is enough with this dink. Even if Lucic does play tonight, I doubt he'll be engaging in any fisticuffs. Depending on who you believe, he either has a hand or jaw injury (possible minor concussion) from his last bout. And since I see a Thornton Cote battle in the cards, I think a less frequent fighter will challenge Hartnell.

Beyond the brawling, this should be a pretty physical game tonight. I know, I said that last time these two played and it was a major disappointment. I don't see that happening again. Let's face it, there are probably a few guys on each team trying to convince their GM one last time that they belong and deserve to stay.

PREDICTIONS:
As always, Philly's goaltending is their weakest point. As such, I fully expect the B's to pour in five tonight, while giving a motivated Tim Thomas (I'm assuming he gets the start) lots of help in their own end. So, I'm going to say it ends up 5-1 Boston (although a shutout wouldn't stun me).
Your scorers, Kessel, Wheeler, Chara, Ryder and Bergeron. All guys the need to get hot (except Chara) in the scoring column.
As for the bouts, I say Thornton-Cote is a done deal. Always fun when these two hook up. As far as the aforementioned less frequent fighter taking on Hartnell? I say Mark Stuart steps in and hands him a beating. Stuart is sure to have heard his name in a bunch of these trade rumors lately, so he probably fits the bill as one the guys trying to prove he should stay. But even on a "normal" day, I think Stu would hand Hartnell a beating. Sometimes, it's just the right thing to do.
Go B's-Kynch

*EDIT: Looks like Fernandez will get the start in net tonight. But screw it, I'm sticking with my 5-1 call. Call it optimism, call it laziness. You'd be right either way.