Lineup Roulette

Flyers Coach John Stevens has taken an unusual approach in his line-ups so far

The Flyers have looked discombobulated, for lack of a better word, this preseason. Part of that was the short amount of time before they started playing games, and part of it is the integration of the new faces.

I am a bit surprised at the process the coaching staff has used to do the latter, thus far.

Head Coach John Stevens had few scrimmages in the early part of the camp, noting that they team had a 3 game swing out to the midwest.

The problem is, that limits the time in practice where the team’s offensive lines can gel. One would suspect that would lead Stevens to get those lines work during the pre-season tune-ups. That hasn’t been the case.

I am loathe to say that Stevens used a dartborad when determining the line combos for tonight’s game in London, Ontario against the Maple Leafs, but how to explain slick second year scorer Claude Giroux playing between enforcer Riley Cote and agitator Dan Carcillo?

Some very odd line-up choices by the Flyers coach tonight.

STUFF I NOTICED
-Ole-Kristian Tollefsen had a really rough night. He was on for at least the first two Leafs goals(as I write this) and negated a 2 on 1 chance by stupidly engaging in a fight with Ben Ondrus.

-Johan Backlund is either having a rough time adjusting to the smaller North American ice, or the first guy that new Flyers goalie guru Neil Little endorsed is a dud.

-2007 number two overall pick James van Riemsdyk has thus far made a strong case to make this team’s opening night roster. Among the try-out/bubble guys, Blair Betts has been solid overall, but made a costly mistake in tonight’s game against Toronto. Mark Bell seems as serious about making this roster as Mel Brooks was in his telling of Dracula.