Flyers fans have been waiting years for a goalie of Ilya Bryzgalovs caliber to step between the pipes in Philadelphia.
On Wednesday, they got a first taste of their long-held desirealbeit in a game that doesnt count in the standingswhen Bryzgalov made his debut in orange and black at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers first home game of the young preseason.
Only a few thousand fans occupied the arena to watch a mixed FlyersPhantomsprospects lineup take on the Maple Leafs, and those who did saw Bryzgalov put on a solid, though not perfect, performance in an otherwise mediocre game that the Flyers lost, 4-2
I was excited to play tonight, Bryzgalov said. Its like Formula 1. You get on the track for the first time and check the system, see whats working properly, whats not. It was a good test for me. I have some understanding where Im at right now and what I need to fix.
Much of Bryzgalovs game was working properly Wednesday. He looked comfortable and confident early, using his large stature (hes 6-foot-3) to make saves without throwing his body around too much. He wasnt tested heavily, but did give up the games first goal of the night.
Of course, there wasnt a whole lot the Flyers new netminder could do to stop the puck from crossing into his net. Leafs defenseman Juraj Mikus grabbed a pass from Phillipe Dupuis and then crossed through the Flyers zone without any interruption. His goal at with 4:06 left in the first period gave Toronto a lead it carried through the games finale.
I thought that he played well, coach Peter Laviolette said of Bryzgalov. There was a couple of redirects that he had no chance onThe first one, we needed to be better defensively in front of him.
NHL
Like they did Tuesday in Toronto, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn again stood out among the crew on the ice. Read and Schenn, who played together on a line, injected most of the energy into the games lackluster first half.
Jakub Voracek, who also played well Tuesday, spent Wednesday night on a line with Danny Briereand, yet again, demonstrated that he could quite possibly best his points-high of 46 (last year with Columbus) this season with the Flyers.
But their strong play wasnt enough to wake up an uninspired Flyers squad.
Theres going to be games like that, Briere said. Its those little passes that you make that usually are right on the tape, over the stick, that are easy to make usually, right now were just not in sync, it seems.
The brightest star of the night was prospect Tomas Hyka, who wasnt even originally going to play in any of the Flyers preseason games. Hyka netted the Flyers first goal of the night, his first at the NHL level, and fueled the crowd to its feetfinally.
Jody Shelley, who had been looking for anyone to fight since the first puck drop, got his wish (also in the second period) when he tussled with Jay Rosehill after boarding Darryl Boyce. A bloodied Shelley left the ice to loud cheers
Yeah you know he was in my face all game, Rosehill said, running around. He put the guys face to the boards like that and I just instantly wanted to grab him and away we went.
Shelleywhose roster spot could ultimately be up for grabsknows he must remind the Flyers what hes capable of bringing to a game. He received a game misconduct, a five-minute major and a minor penalty for boarding. Theres a good chance he receives a suspension from the league for the boarding call.
Bryzgalov let in another goal shortly after Shelleys brawl, during four-on-four play. He got caught up behind the net, and though he returned to position before facing any shots, was a bit unsteady when a puck took an odd bounce off a player in front of him and flew past the goal line.
The new goalie, then, got his first real taste of Philly fans, when the half-filled Wells Fargo Center erupted into a chorus of boos. He gave up yet another goal, one that deflected twice before he ever saw itand that he stood no chance of stopping.
He seemed really calm in there, Briere said. If you look at the third goal that got deflected twice, theres not much he can do on that, that was just a bad bounce. Second goal, same thing, deflection in front of him. But overall, he looked solid, very calm and composed back there.
The Flyers added onto their tally as the games final minutes ticked down, when Kimmo Timonen took a slap shot from the point that was tipped in by Erik Gustafsson. The teams energy spiked, but Leafs winger Matt Frattins empty netter put the Flyers away for good.
After the game, Bryzgalovs teammates seemed content to lay blame on the outcome on bad bounces and unfortunate deflections.
The Flyers new goalie, however, had none of itan attitude fans can look forward to seeing more of this season.
Its a part of the game, you know, he said. Basically the team that wants to win, wins.
E-mail Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com.