09-16-2008, 12:06 PM
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#34 (permalink)
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HF-MOTM Winner - Apr 08
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 4,978
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Quote:
Briere moving to Richards' line
By WAYNE FISH
phillyBurbs.com
VOORHEES, N.J. — This season's short training camp should at least afford the Flyers a chance to tinker with a new first line: Namely, center Daniel Briere moving to right wing alongside Mike Richards.
Coach John Stevens tried this alignment late in the conference finals against Pittsburgh last May and the reviews were generally good.
Now, with Simon Gagne returning from concussion leave, a Gagne-Richards-Briere unit looks like a natural.
Richards and Briere already seem to have developed some chemistry from last year's power play, which finished a surprising No. 2 in the NHL.
Throw in the fact that Gagne and Briere were beginning to click before Gagne was hurt makes it a good fit.
Plus, sliding Briere over allows Richards, the team's leading scorer last season, to move to the first line and Jeff Carter to stay in the No. 2 center slot, where he can maintain 20 minutes of ice time rather than 14 or 15 at No. 3.
“We're going to look at a lot of different things,” said Stevens, referring to camp, which opens next Saturday. “We had a lot of forwards who could play with different centers and still had success.
“We made that change in the Pittsburgh series in the game we actually won (Game 4). Danny and Richie have great chemistry together on the power play. And Danny is a very versatile guy who can move around a little bit.”
Coburn ready
Going into camp there are several question marks, but one of them isn't Braydon Coburn.
The towering defenseman established himself as Kimmo Timonen's steady partner on the first pairing in the second half of the season and now he arrives brimming with confidence.
“Last year toward the end, I got a good taste of playing against the top guys every night,” he said. “You can't ask for anything more than that. It is something you relish, what guys take to heart.”
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http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/ne...8-1590133.html
This should make for an interesting first line. If Richards is centering that line, I wonder if he'll continue to play the point on the power play...
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Flyers Offseason...summer 2008
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