Lost in all the scuttlebutt of the Flyers’ 2-1 win in Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Canadiens was a man that goes by three letters.
That’s JVR of course —or James van Riemsdyk, the six-time 20-goal man.
Long before Carter Hart’s heroics bailed out a generally sloppy effort from the team in front of him, JVR’s lineup fate was designed to the fourth line to skate with noted dynamos Nate Thompson and Tyler Pitlick.
The results were predictable as JVR skated just 9:43 of ice time at even strength in the game while adding 1:54 of power play time though he did produce four shots in limited action —though we could easily argue he passed on easily his best scoring chance of the evening on a quick developing 2-on-1.