Tonight the Flyers take on the Anaheim Ducks in what will looks like a great matchup this early on in the season.  We have to thank the scheduling gods for this first week of the season.  We got to see New Jersey, Washington and Pittsburgh, before taking on one of the beasts from the West.  Considering how good the gods did for the first week, me thinks they might have had a brain fart for the 2nd and 3rd weeks…seeing as this game is our last one until next Friday.  With the bad taste still in the mouths of the Flyers, it’ll be a great game to see how this years team bounces back from a poor outing.  From all the postgame chatter on Thursday, it sounded like the team was angry enough to want to set the ship straight.  Bringing in guys like Emery, Pronger and Lappy will, I hope, ensure that the team is pissed at itself, and ready to pounce on the west coast fowl that will invade the Wachovia Center tonight. Speaking of Pronger, tonight is his first game against the team he helped win the Cup for.  It’ll be a special game for him, as he skates against the guys he fought so hard with for his years in Sunny California.  I look to him to have a big game, but probably will have some nervousness early on in the game.  Maybe he can just destroy Corey Perry in the first minute as a little retribution for what that clown did to Giroux last year.  For Pronger, the Flyers game up Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and some picks.  Both players are coming back to Philly for the first time this season.  Lupul has been playing on the 4th line and is putting up some nice stats in the early season.  Sbisa, the real part of the Pronger deal where the Flyers gave up long-term talent, is the Ducks 5th defensemen.  Both players will contribute to the Ducks this season, just hopefully not tonight.  The first time Lupul brings up an old joke with Hartnell and Carter, it’s gonna be wierd….wierd like when dude from college who when he gets drunk just reflects on those 4 years, knowing they were the best part of his miserable life.  Thats what Lupul reminds me of.  Since the Ducks played in Boston on Thursday, the team might have come to Philly earlier than today…in which case Lupul probably showed them all the hot clubs and his old flames…so maybe he’s doing us a favor by getting Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan all hungover for tonight.  Bobby Ryan, mind you, is from Cherry Hill.  The dude can flat.out.play.  I love this kid, and he’ll put up monster points for years playing with the likes of Getzlaf.  Ryan will be one to watch all over the ice.  He’s young, fast and talented.  The Ducks would be wise to lock this dude up for years to come.  On the Ducks blueline, Prongers ex, Scott Niedermayer will probably give Chris some sort of locket before the game.  You have to feel bad for Scott, seeing as he used to play with a future hall of famer, and now he’s stuck with Steve “I can’t skate backwards” Eminger.  Think about that for a second.  Pronger to Eminger.  Thats gotta suck for Scotty. For the Flyers, they have to keep clicking offensivly.  The Carter-Hartnell-Briere line has been really humming to start the season, and Papa Stevens decision to move Giroux up to Gags and Richies line should add to the offensive punch of the Flyers 5-on-5 play.  So far, the offense hasn’t been the issue, its be the defense, namely costly turnovers and some questionable goaltending.  I will be watching the blue line tonight very closely.  We need to see if Coburn bounces back after a pretty bad game.  Aside from the big personal game for Pronger, Kimmo will again be needed to shut down one of the leagues best lines.  How about Timmonen….3 straight games, covering OV, Crosby/Malkin, and now Getlaf/Perry.  Somebody better buy that dude a beer tonight.  I think Ray Emery needs a strong showing in net tonight as well.  This is another offensive juggernaut, so the task won’t be easy…but after 4+ goals in the last two games, I’d love to see Razor shut the door tonight, maybe only giving up 2?  It’ll be good to get him thinking straight going into the long break. Both Cote and Asham are playing again, so we may be in for a great heavyweight tilt between Parros and Riles.  These two monsters could give the Wach the first true gladiator battle.  Don’t sleep on a Carcillo-Brookbank tilt either.  Depending on the first ten minutes of this game, we’ll be seeing another high-scoring “anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better” game or a grinding, rough and tumble affair.  Both teams are built for both styles, so either way, the game will be great. We got a great matchup tonight against one of the West’s elite.  The first crazy week of the season wraps up tonight, and going 4-1-0 in those games would be extremely impressive.  Time to roast some duck.  Let’s Go Flyers

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