The Sound of Silence

Flyers @ Kings, Dec 30, 2010

It really was not a silent game.  At dinner before the game, I saw so many Flyer jerseys roaming LA Live that I sort of wanted to run up and hug them.  I knew it would not be silent at all in the Staples Center, no matter who was winning.

What was silent was the ice.  I could not hear the skating.   The sound of the skates on the ice is a a critical part of a game for me, but some fluke of physics muted that.  Completely bizarre. Nor could I hear players shouting to each other.  I might have believed they just were not doing so, if it were not for the odd muted ice as well. 

Aside from that, it was the perfect game- Leighton’s first back in.  He did some very good things, and some not very good things, but I cut him slack because it was his first game of the season and also, it’s Leights.  He can do whatever he wants and I’m happy.   32 saves works for me.  He did better than the Jonathans anyway!

Timonen was there too.  His last-minute call up replacement was listed as a scratch.  I guess we’ll see how Kimmo fared in this game.  I would not be surprised if he were out tomorrow.

Briere took some kind of a tumble which sent him to the dressing room, but he was back soon.

The Flyers took their time getting it together.  They were scrambling around in a tie game when the final score for the SJ-Chicago game came up: 5-3 Sharks.  That made me hop up and down and giggle a little.  When the  Flyers-Kings score got to 5-3 Flyers, some time in the second period, I wished it would stay right there.

It did not.  The Kings made another little challenge, almost tied it again, but that didn’t happen.  It ended 7-4 Flyers.

I had a chat with a Flyers fan on the smoking deck.  He was very disappointed to see Bob sit this one out.  He also believes Leighton is the most likely of the three goalies to be traded.  I agree it won’t be Bob but I can’t guess otherwise.  Boosh and Leights both have their strengths but the goalie market is still so clogged that I don’t see any reason to try and trade either away.  Of course, if you send one down you risk losing them for nothing.

His performance in last year’s playoffs is not likely to help- look where it got Nemo.  I think Nemo’s contract with SJ is almost the same as Leighton’s with Philly.  So as great as he is, I don’t know that the Flyers can easily trade him.  Of course they really don’t need anything but cap space right now.  So maybe they will just move one of the extras at a loss.

Leights seems very good at moving the puck.  I did not see him make any really gross gaffes in that department, and some of his decisions were really very good.  I might go so far as to say that, of the three, he is the best in this department.  I could be wrong, maybe Boosh just got unlucky in some of the games I watched.

So, Leights looked good, if not great, the important thing is that I SAW him!  Timonen seemed well (but hockey players are not always as they seem).  All in all, a good game.

The only problem I can think of is: now the Kings have been soundly trounced twice in a row at home and they might be in quite a state when the Sharks get here.  Yi-iii.