“Lavvy's Team” Game 1: Let's See Who Comes Out of the Tunnel

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The Flyers take the ice tonight with some new suits behind the bench. As you've read and heard by now, there's a distinct difference in the way Peter Laviolette does business versus they way his predecessor did, we'll all be looking for the slightest changes, and hoping it's not a game of Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss. The fanbase seems fairly well divided over the firing of Stevens, which is a compliment to an outgoing coach, but I think we'd all agree that the results on the ice needed to improve regardless of who was at fault. 

A couple of things could change immediately, including the offensive system and the lines. John Boruk of CSN says that Laviolette put these lines together at today's skate: "Hartnell-Richards-Briere, JVR-Giroux-Carter [Boruk says Carter on the wing; Panaccio says Carter will center], Carcillo-Pyorala-Asham, Nodl-Kalinski-Laperriere." 

Lines have a way of changing even after a single period, so we're not placing too much weight into these first groupings, and the bottom two lines aren't much different than the Flyers had been running. The top two are clearly demarcated as scoring lines, whereas Stevens had often run three that were more balanced. With all the injuries lately, it's been hard to keep track. It'll be interesting to see how the center/wing swaps work, and how long Laviolette sticks with them. More important though, will be the team's reaction to the overall systemic changes Lavvy will want. 

In the presser introducing the new coach, he did mention more emphasis on offense. The Flyers haven't scored in 8 periods, so I'd say that's an important goal. This article by Panotch gives some clues as to what changes we may see, including a two-man forecheck, a lot of pressure in the offensive zone, and more cycling when the team has the puck. That could mean some odd-man rushes coming at the Flyers net, which will take some getting used to by the defensemen. Who knows how much of that we'll see tonight. There wasn't much time to work on a new system, and Panotch points out that Laviolette will be implementing the system in stages. 

The Flyers are facing the Capitals, who like to run and gun, and they're pretty damn good at it. However, they'll be without Alex Ovechkin, who is finishing his suspension. The Caps give up their fair share of goals, and without their best weapon on offense, they should be beatable despite the Flyers being in a full state of flux. 

Ray Emery is back between the pipes, facing Jose Theodore. Mike Richards is and will be your captain.   

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