After returning starter Michael Leighton went down with a back injury this preseason, Sergei Bobrovsky took advantage. The 22-year old will make his first career start against the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight. The rookie goaltender regarded as the future in net for the Flyers will be put in one of the toughest position in all of sports. Making his first start, against a team loaded with talent, in their new home arena, on national television.
Laviolette spoke to the media today saying:
“It's not just based on a day or two,” Laviolette said. “From the time he’s been here he’s been sharp. Every game, every situation, every practice, every scrimmage, he’s looked really good. I think Boosh came in and he played well. I think it’s nice to have two goaltenders, you’ll see both early in the season, but we had to have a starting point somewhere and I really like the way [Bobrovsky’s] put together a body of work the last month.”
Bobrovsky simply out played Boucher this preseason. He posted a 2-0-1 record and was stellar in his poise and positioning. This led Lavvy to pull the trigger and send 'Bobs' into the fire.
Tonight's depth chart looks like:
vanRiemsdyk Richards Carcillo ...Timonen Coburn ...Bobrovsky Boucher
Hartnell Carter Briere ...Carle Meszaros
Leino Giroux Zherdev ...O'Donnell Bartulis
Powe Betts Shelley
Scratches:
Healthy - Walker, Nodl
Injured - Pronger, Leighton, Laperriere
Players to Watch:
Nik Zherdev - 1st game back in NHL after playing in KHL last season. Led the Flyers in scoring through the Preseason.
Sergei Bobrovsky - A load of pressure, let's see if he can flourish.
On the Penguins side:
Jordan Staal will be out. That hurts their center depth and also their penalty kill. Former Flyer Arron Asham will paly his 1st game with the Penguins. Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin will be the Pens top D pairing, Gonchar left as a FA this summer.
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