Flyers’ Van Riemsdyk Is OK After Armstrong Hit
VOORHEES, N.J. – Colby Armstrong’s dangerous hit on James van Riemsdyk Saturday night more or less ended the Maple Leafs’ chances of mounting a comeback against the Flyers. Fortunately for the left winger, it didn’t end his night or cause him any long-term ramifications.
Van Riemsdyk said Sunday he was OK after getting boarded by Armstrong, with whom he has a bit of a history.
“I feel fine. I was lucky enough to be close to the boards where I could kinda brace myself a little bit,” said van Riemsdyk, who continued to play and also practiced with no problems Sunday. “But yeah, I’m good to go.”
Armstrong was assessed a five-minute major for boarding, and the borderline dirty hit set off a melee between the Leafs and Flyers. And it wasn’t the first time Armstrong targeted van Riemsdyk.
In November last year when Armstrong was with the Thrashers, he took several strides toward van Riemsdyk before drilling him as he turned around. The head shot drew a five-minute major for charging and was followed by Arron Asham coming to van Riemsdyk’s defense by fighting Armstrong. (Video of the charge can be seen here).
Armstrong received a two-game suspension last spring for a forearm-to-the-head hit on Washington’s Mathieu Perreault.
Flyers begin busy stretch
The Flyers travel to Columbus Monday night to begin a stretch of five games in eight days, one that includes a pair of back-to-backs. They’ll return home Tuesday to face the Sabres; Friday they play at Pittsburgh and return to Wells Fargo Center on Saturday against the Islanders.
“Regardless of the schedule, whether you got time off or whether you got four games in six nights, whether you got back-to-backs – it doesn’t really matter,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “You gotta go out and play a certain brand of hockey. I think that’s the target.”
It’s certainly an adjustment for the Flyers to play five games in eight nights after getting four days off last week. But as always, players enjoy game action much more than practice.
“When you got that time off, you gotta stay on top of things, make sure you’re getting your workouts in and stay in shape,” Darroll Powe said. “When you got your big stretch of games, you gotta just get your rest when you can and be ready for the games.”
Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter (@SWhyno) for all your Flyers coverage.
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