Flyers postgame quotes (Oct. 15)

Here’s some lengthy postgame reaction from the Flyers’ locker room…

CHRIS PRONGER

Q: Is it tough, Chris, to get any kind of flow going in the game when there seems to be so many penalties right from the beginning?

PRONGER: “Yeah you’re not really in any flow, it is just a lot of stop and start from the game standpoint, whether you’re going in the penalty box, going on the power play, timeouts, all that stuff.  There was no real flow to the game.  No way to roll our lines, and get everyone into the game and into a sort of flow or rhythm, which makes it tough to get some consistency going.  It really limits the bench and you don’t get everybody involved.”

Q: Did Mike Richards play like the Mike Richards you got to see here?

PRONGER: “I don’t know, that’s probably for you to decide, I wasn’t matched up against him, so I wasn’t really paying too much attention”

Q: Did you notice the crowd reaction to Richards at all?  Did it seem like there was sort of an extra buzz in the building for him?

PRONGER: “Obviously yeah.  He spent six years here and was the face of the franchise.  So whenever you have a guy like that and get rid of him and he comes back to the team there’s bound to be some sort of extra buzz in the air.  The crowds happy to get another chance to see him, even if it’s with another team, and I think the fans showed their appreciation and then got over it quickly.”

JAROMIR JAGR

Q: That first goal. you set up. It seemed that there was going to be a lot more coming?

JAGR: “We had some chances in the first period. I thought we had a jump in the first period and I thought we played in their zone and cycled the puck well. It didn’t happen in the second period. The first was pretty good.”

COACH PETER LAVIOLETTE

Q: Was it tough to play a game with that many penalties from the beginning?

LAVIOLETTE: “Well, I mean when that many penalties happen throughout the course of a game it really takes the flow out of your bench.  Seems like one group gets exhausted, and then the other group gets exhausted, but I felt like the times that we did play some 5 on 5, I thought maybe it was the best we played all year.  But it was just so hard to keep it up in-between those 5 on 5 sessions.”

Q: Did you feel that Quick was a big difference maker tonight?

LAVIOLETTE: “Oh yeah, I thought he was really good tonight.  We don’t get the chance to see him too often, and tonight he was sharp.  He’s one of those athletic goalies that gets around pretty good, and I thought he did a great job.

Q: What did you think of Zac’s hit in the first period?

LAVIOLETTE: “I thought it was a good hit.  You know Zac didn’t get to play much tonight, but it seemed like the minutes he was out there were eventful.  With all the penalty situations I couldn’t use him as much as I would have liked to tonight, but I certainly thought he was effective while he was in there.”

Q: Can you talk about the play of Wayne Simmonds tonight against his old club?

LAVIOLETTE: “I thought Wayne was good.  What impresses me about him is his speed.  He’s got that straight away speed, he could take that puck into the zone and he’s talented enough to make plays.  It’s his straight away speed that is most impressive, but he’s been a terrific fit since he’s been here.  He’s a power forward, he’s physical.  We were looking to get bigger and stronger on the wings and he gives us that.”

ZAC RINALDO

Q: Were you surprised at the reaction to the hit on Doughty?

RINALDO: “I didn’t hear any coach complaining so…I mean but it was a clean hit, and that’s hockey, and I don’t mind fighting after a nice hit like that.”

Q: Westgarth went after you in the second period…

RINALDO: “Yeah.”
 
Q: And you didn’t respond…

RINALDO: “No, I mean, he’s a little too big for me…(laughter)…but I’ll try and stir some stuff up, that’s for sure. I kind of ended up in the penalty box, but it’s OK.”

Q: When you were at the bench there with him, did somebody jab you? Or pull you into the bench?

RINALDO: “He brought me towards the bench, yeah, and someone might’ve stuck me or punched me but I’m not sure, it just happened so quick.”

Q: Someone on the bench?

RINALDO: “On the bench? I don’t know, I honestly couldn’t tell you, it just happened.”