Jones Silences A Chorus Of “Boo”s In Boston

It’s no secret that Randy Jones gets very little love in Boston. In fact everytime he touched the puck during today’s Saturday afternoon game up north echoes of booing flooded the TD Banknorth Garden. It would be impossible to guess why there was such dissatisfaction in Jones’ presence in Boston without knowing an event from last season. One hit connects the entire city of Boston to the Flyers offensive defenseman. From tonight onward though he will be remembered in Boston as the cause of even more heartbreak as he nets the overtime game winner against the dominant eastern team.

The hit itself last season didn’t demonstrate any actual intent to injure, but the results seemed to tell a different story. Patrice Bergeron was hit hard, head-first into the boards behind the Flyers net on a play where Randy Jones was trying to stop the puck from being moved around late in the first period in a tie game. Anyone who has seen Randy Jones play extensively understands that he isn’t extactly Broad Street Bully material. He is far more dangerous when skating with the puck or shooting from the point than he is when checking an opposing player against the boards. The hit though did result in a serious injury, and the NHL made an example of Jones. Hits like this just shouldn’t be a part of the game. It’s unfortunate that injuries are the result of hits, but the reputation of Randy Jones in Boston will forever be determined by a check along the boards.

Randy Jones Hits Patrice Bergeron (07-08 Season)

Boston coming into tonight’s game had only lost a game when they were up by 2 slip out of their hands once this season. The Flyers get a much needed two points against the top team in the east even after a devastating loss against them at home on Wednesday. The win is even more remarkable seeing as how captain Mike Richards has missed both appearances due to the flu. Scottie Upshall played with the flu in Wednesday’s game but was out of the lineup tonight. Braydon Coburn, who was out Wednesday, played impressively today. The win was a team effort in which Simon Gagne, Scott Hartnell, Glen Metropolit, and Randy Jones all netted goals.

Biron’s performance though was less than spectacular as he let in 3 goals in the 1st period allowing for the Bruins to go into the locker room with a commanding lead. Backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki came into the game and did not let a single puck past during the Flyers rally. The next game for Philadelphia is against the Atlanta Thrashers and Niitty will likely be putting his current 12-0-0 streak against Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen on the line once again. He has always performed well against Atlanta, but the real issue is figuring out what happens after that. Niittymaki has looked impressive this season while starter Martin Biron has looked less than spectacular. With both becoming UFAs at the end of this season a major question is brewing in Philadelphia: who will start between the pipes for the Flyers next season? It could be Biron as talks between his agent and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren have already begun. It could very easily be Niittymaki if he performs well through the course of the season. There is also no doubt that there will be solid candidates available through trade or free agency this offseason. What happens from here is anyone’s guess. Only the players will decide who is with Philadelphia next season.

Posted by Chris Shafer on Feb 7 2009. Filed under Atlantic, Boston Bruins, Eastern Conference, Northeast, Philadelphia Flyers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.