BOX SCORE
When Zac Rinaldo doesnt play for a couple of games, it shows on the ice.
The energy, the hits, the timing to make something happen arent there. Truth is, the Flyers languish when hes not around.
Rinaldo returned to the lineup Thursday night after missing three games and re-ignited the Flyers flame with a couple of great hits, an assist and a screen for a goal during a 4-1 win over the sizzling Nashville Predators, who had lost only twice in their previous 15 games.
We came out bangin and Zac was back in the lineup and that was good, coach Peter Laviolette said. That is what he is capable of bringing. Tito Tommy Sestito was bangin and Brayden Schenn had a physical game
In order to hit, you have to skate. When youre skating and you hit, you are usually near the puck. That creates turnovers and ultimately, offense
The offense in this one came from Schenns other winger, Wayne Simmonds, who scored two goals. Rinaldo had a nice screen on Simmonds first goal late in the opening period.
NHL
What I want to bring is bang, crash, put pucks in the net, Rinaldo said. Pass to my teammates and be that all-around total player. Some games we need that energy, some we dont need those hits.
He even bowled into Jordin Toottoo.
I thought it was a good, clean hit, he said. They almost always are.
Unlike the shootout loss to Winnipeg on Tuesday, the Flyers skated hard, checked hard, fought for every inch of ice, while attacking the net consistently throughout the game.
Meanwhile, Ilya Bryzgalov looked comfortable in goal for the second time this week. He had a 2-0 shutout in the third period before Ryan Suter buried a crossing pass off the rush at 8:37 to make it tight.
Suter and partner Shea Weber worked against Claude Girouxs line with Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr the entire game. At the end of the game, Jagr unselfishly passed to Giroux, who scored his first goal in 13 games on an empty-net.
Bryzgalov again was a positive influence with 26 saves.
Even before the All-Star break I thought he was playing very well and tonight again, he made a lot of big saves, said rookie Matt Read, who picked up his 16th goal. There was one there late. I dont know how he saw it.
During meetings leading into this game, Laviolette made sure his players were aware that when the Predators score first, they almost always win.808 winning percentage.
Conversely, when the opposition scores first, theyre literally half that successful10-14-1.
The Flyers came out with some energy, their third line for this one with Read centering Sestito and Harry Zolnierczyk, generated a nice scoring chance on goalie Anders Lindback.
The good shifts didnt end there, either, as the Flyers kept it up throughout the period and finally scored first at 15:41 on Simmonds first goal.
Working with Schenn along the boards, Simmonds came out with the puck, high between the circles, and fired a spin-o-rama while falling down. Since he was falling it was likely tough for Lindback to see him or the shot because it appeared to catch him by surprise.
We had a good cycle shift going, Simmonds said. Schenner threw the puck down to me and I just stepped to the middle and looked at the net.
Reno Rinaldo had the goalie screened, so I just turned and tried to fire the puck and hoped that it would go in. The goalie didn't see a thing. Reno did a great job.
Rinaldo gave the Flyers a boost every period and a couple of decent scoring chances, as well.
With that goalhis first in four gamesSimmonds equaled last years total with the LA Kings. With his second goal (15th), he is now one shy of his career high.
While the Flyers' penalty killers did some nice work in the second period, their power play failed on a two-man advantage for 1:34 even though Laviolette called a timeout during it, sensing how important a second goal would be.
Didnt happen. Coming off the power play, there were a series of penalties both ways, resulting in a slightly-abbreviated Preds' power play, which the Flyers killed.
Seconds after successfully killing an extra minor to Hartnell, Read stole a puck off Kevin Klein, then skated furiously up the left side to beat Lindback from the circle, making it 2-0.
I had taken the shot away in the defensive zone and I tried to make the defense
make a move, Read said. I poked the puck from him and I think Harry Zolnierczyk was coming out of the penalty box.
I was looking at Harry and looking at the goalie. I noticed the goalie was outside of his crease and I tried to surprise him by going five-hole and luckily it worked.
The key, however, was the PK. After the letdown of not scoring on the 5-on-3, the Flyers gained momentum off the subsequent penalty kill against the No. 2-ranked power play in the NHL (22.4 percent).
Nashville went 0 for 4 in the game.
I thought the penalty killers did a nice job coming out, Laviolette said. The whole game they did a good job. The execution was good. Nashville had two slick power-play units. Either one of them were very talented.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net