The Flyers played their two most difficult games in their early season this week, first agains the Capitals and then against the Penguins. In both games, defense kind of went out the window and the goals just piled up.
Coburn has struggle as of late. His pants were taken down on by Alexander Semin on his goal. He never had a chance. And during the Penguins game, he struggled in the turnover department and even managed to put the puck into his own net, which proved very costly in a one-goal game. Braydon Coburn is still a very young defenseman, so he’s going to have his growing pains, but he’s better than he’s been playing. He’ll be tested tonight against a fierce Ducks team.
The biggest story of the game tonight will be the return of Joffrey Lupul and Luca Sbisa and Pronger’s first game against his former team. Joffrey Lupul rounds out a group of talented forwards on the Ducks, including players like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry (Will the Flyers remember his hit on Claude Giroux?), Teemu Selanne, and Bobby Ryan.
The Flyers will need to stay out of the box tonight against a potentially high-powered offense. But really, the Ducks will have to keep their composure as well. Both teams will want to dial it up physically, and there are bound to be a lot of penalties. If the Flyers can stay disciplined and have good reactions if the Ducks start taking liberties, they can skew the amount of power plays in their favor. If they get caught up in an eye-for-an-eye mentality, they’ll have to spend extra time shorthanded.
Posted by Cranium Carom! 
Cranium Carom! 