Leighton takes over
in Flyer net
By J.R. Reed
Hockeytalk.biz
MARCH 8, 2010 -- BUFFALO -- The Olympic Break couldn’t have come
at a worse time for General Manager Paul Holmgren and his Philadelphia Flyers.
Before the break they were on a four-game winning streak and now that the
tournament is over, Philadelphia is 2-2 having beaten Tampa Bay and Toronto
while losing to Florida and Buffalo.
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| Michael Leighton |
Add to that the fact that oft-troubled-but-playing-well goalie
Ray Emery is lost for the season with a serious hip injury which could spell
trouble for the Flyers. Philadelphia will have to rely on journeyman goaltender
Michael Leighton to man the crease from here on out.
Emery’s injury, avascular necrosis, will require a bone graft and could end his
career. The surgery is scheduled to be performed in the near future.
Emery’s misfortune may have finally landed Leighton a home in the City of
Brotherly Love. Leighton has been waived four times in his seven-year career,
once after playing only 20 minutes with the Nashville Predators. He has been an
Anaheim Duck and played parts of three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. He
also spent parts of three seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, the team he
started the current season.
Leighton was waived in November and claimed by Philadelphia on December 15.
Since then he has a 14-7-2 record for the Flyers in 24 games. Even though he’s
been dubbed the number one guy for the rest of the season, Leighton has seen
firsthand how quickly a situation can change.
“We’re happy with the way he’s played for us,” said Flyers coach Peter
Laviolette. “He’s done a great job for us.”
How great a job has Leighton done? Remembering that the Flyers have struggled
since the Olympic Break, lets look at his stats going into the break: His 2.19
GAA and .925 save percentage were just below Olympic MVP Ryan Miller (2.19,
.930). He was ahead of team Canada goaltenders Martin Brodeur and Marc-Andre
Fleury as well as Florida’s Tomas Vokoun.
After a poor performance in Florida, Laviolette showed his confidence in
Leighton by putting him back in net against the Sabres, the number three seed in
the Eastern Conference. Even though Philadelphia lost, the play of Leighton was
solid.
“It was back and forth, and kind of like a chess game, waiting for someone to
make a mistake,” Leighton said of the Buffalo game. “We could have won this
game, but it didn't bounce our way."
Laviolette is prepared to put the post-season fate of the Flyers on a goaltender
with zero games of playoff experience, but no one seems to be worried.
“Not trading for another goalie showed they have confidence in me,” told
Hockeytalk Leighton after the OT loss to the Sabres.
“Now it’s my job to prove they made the right decision. Leighton has spent much
of his professional career not really having a home of his own to go to, but it
looks as if that problem may finally be behind him.
