So, the Philadelphia Flyers had the first game of the season last night, as they opened up their defense of the Eastern Conference Championship against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Everything was set to go Pittsburgh's way. The Penguins were one of the best teams in the regular season last year, they were opening up their new arena and the Flyers were starting an untested rookie in goal in place of Michael Leighton.
Well, things didn't exactly go the way that the Penguins wanted them to, did they? Despite getting 15 shots on goal against rookie Sergei Bobrovski, Pittsburgh couldn't find the back of the net, and three minutes into the second period, Danny Briere showed a bit of his playoff glory from last year with the first goal in Consol Energy Center history. That's right. A Philadelphia Flyer, not a Pittsburgh Penguin, has the first goal in the new Pittsburgh arena's history. Pittsburgh has to live with that forever, and that's so worth it even right there. However, the Flyers weren't done yet, and they even got away with a win.
It wasn't perfect last night, but it was a good win for the Flyers. Claude Giroux left the game late with an ankle injury, but he also had an excellent short handed goal that turned out to be the game winner. As long as Giroux is healthy, plays like the one he had last night should start to become even more common, which is just something more that Flyers fans have to look forward to in the next few years. The first line of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Dan Carcillo didn't do much, but when the next two lines can pick up their game like they did tonight, it's not always necessary for the first line to do everything. Besides, it was only the first game of the season and the Flyers won, so there's nothing to complain about on that end. Things well improve with them as the season goes along.
You also really have to like how well Sergei Bobrovski played last night. He shut down the Penguins for two periods and kept Sidney Crosby off the board for the entire game, and only gave up two tough goals in the third period. There's still room for improvement for the rookie, but for his first start against a rival, you can't get much better than how he played last night. Things are going to improve for him as he gets more experience and when Chris Pronger gets back, so that's something else to look forward too. He and Brian Boucher will more than likely split time in net as Michael Leighton recovers from his back surgery over the next two months. If Bobrovski gets more time in net than Boucher, hopefully he can show that he deserves it, but only time is going to tell about that. For now, at least, he's looking like a decent option in net. Things certainly aren't perfect in terms of the goalie position, but when have they ever been in Philadelphia?
All in all, you can't complain about how the Flyers started the season. They went to Pittsburgh and faced the Penguins in their home opener in a brand new arena. They started a rookie goalie, were missing their best defenseman and have the expectations of winning the Eastern Conference Championship last season. Instead of playing doormat for the Penguins, they came out and beat Pittsburgh, making them the first ever winners at their new arena. That's around forever, and that's what's going to stick with the Pittsburgh fans. Just like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles, the Flyers are always going to have that first win against the Penguins at their new arena. It feels so good.
Oh, did I mention that Michael Leighton is going to be out for almost two months? He is, by the way. I hope you're ready to see a lot of Sergei Bobrovski in goal. As long as he plays close to how he did last night, though, it's not going to be a bad thing.
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