John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Flyers closed out their 2013 Training Camp on Saturday as they prepare for preseason games to begin. In fact, the team won’t even get a break as they will travel to London, Ontario to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in their first preseason game at the Budweiser Gardens on Sunday.
Both teams have changed since they last met. Whomever is in net for the Flyers will be sure to stand on their head to prove themselves in their first start. As of right now, the Flyers have not announced which goalie will get the start, and it probably won’t be announced until right before the game starts.
The Leafs also have a new goalie in the mix, as Jonathan Bernier is set to backup James Reimer. The Flyers tried to acquire Bernier from the Los Angeles Kings during the offseason, so if Bernier is in net on Sunday, the Flyers will be assaulting it.
Matt Read looks ready for the Flyers, so he will definitely be a player the Leafs need to watch for, along with the usual suspects like Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. As for the the Leafs players that the Flyers need to be wary of, JVR is an obvious choice, but they also need to watch Nazem Kadri. The 22-year old up and comer for the Leafs has just re-signed with the team for another two years, so he’s definitely going to be hot on the puck early on this season.
The Leafs get a lot of flack from other NHL teams for being notoriously bad, but the Flyers need to be careful when they go up against them. Last season, the Leafs went to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, and the Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time since 1996.
Although this game will be played in Canada, it is technically a home game for the Flyers, and it will be broadcast. Flyers fans can finally rejoice because now we can finally watch some real live hockey — the moment we’ve been waiting for all summer long is finally here.
Deanna Vasso is a Flyers writer for Rant Sports. You can follow her on twitter, like her on facebook or join her google network.
