The Phoenix Coyotes take their hot streak into Philadelphia to face the Flyers which will be a pretty good test for the team that's currently fourth in the Western Conference with 21 points. Philadelphia is fifth in the East with 23 points. Adding to the drama of a good match up is the meeting between goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and his former Phoenix teammates.
It's no real surprise that Bryz wasn't the most beloved Coyotes in the room among folks who follow the team closely. Even though there might have been some hard feelings it was surprising to see how candid the Coyotes players were when talking about Bryzgalov.
Fox Sports Arizona reporter Todd Walsh got the scoop and shared the audio via his Twitter feed. SB Nation's Flyers' blog, Broad Street Hockey, transcribed some of the key quotes:
Phoenix Coyotes on Ilya Bryzgalov: "He's known for letting in bad goals" - Broad Street Hockey
Q: What is this team's collective mindset as you take on your former goaltender?First of all we have to throw a lot of pucks at Bryz. He's known for letting in bad goals, you know, so I think our mindset is going to be get the puck down behind the net and hopefully he comes out and plays a few because he doesn't like to do that.
Q: There is a mental strength that is missing there, right?
We're actually glad -- first of all, I'm glad he's gone because the guy we brought in has done a great job and fitted in real well, made our team even closer. There was some animosity there with Bryz sometimes. We don't have that with [Mike Smith] so we have a good group and we're winning games because of it.
There's plenty more interesting quotes where that came from as well.
The Coyotes and Flyers drop the puck at 5:00 p.m. MT on Fox Sports Arizona.