Mark Friedman wants to be a ‘rat’ and other notable quotes from the Flyers’ weekend in Lake Tahoe

STATELINE, Nev. — The last time Mark Friedman played a game against the Bruins was Jan. 21. It was his first time in the lineup and he didn’t last very long.

Midway through the second period, he tangled up with Bruins pest (and star) Brad Marchand and was violently flung face first down to the ice. He left the game and did not return.

Friedman will get a crack against the Bruins again today, in just his fourth start of the season, playing a hybrid role as both a forward on the fourth line and as a seventh defenseman. He promised to be more feisty, especially with 6-6, 200-pound thumper Sam Morin nearby.

“Good thing I got big Sammy on my line tonight to hopefully have my back in some situations,” Friedman cracked. “[I’m] just going to play my game, and that’s me being a little feisty out there. Almost like a little rat, so I’ll see if I can get under some guys’ skin.”

Friedman said he hasn’t played forward since he was 10 years old, so his insertion into the lineup is a curious one.

“He’s a smart young man who reads the game well,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “With that skating ability that he has, I think he’s going to fit in real well and give us some real good shifts.”

Ah yes, skating ability.

That’s going to be the challenge for both clubs as temperatures hovered in the upper 30s and the sun again dominated the sky. Keeping the ice playable, which the NHL was unable to do during the day on Saturday, will be a challenge again for the Flyers-Bruins.

The start of the game already has been moved twice. Vigneault has been warned to stay nimble for it to be adjusted again from the current 7:30 p.m. start.

Unlike most of the other players here, Florida native Shayne Gostisbehere does not have wistful memories of being a child walking out his back door and playing hockey on a frozen pond. But this will be his fourth outdoor game, counting one he played at Union College. ... The Bruins opened at -200, but that price has dropped at some places as action has come in on the underdogs. Spokesperson Pat Eichner said 69% of the money seen by PointsBet has been on the Flyers. DraftKings, on the other hand, said 62% of its dough has been on the Bruins.

Cleaning out the notebook with some of the more interesting things said the last few days.

“In this league, you’ve got to learn to adapt — to adapt to everything that’s thrown at you and not make excuses and get the job done.”

— Flyers coach Alain Vigneault

***

“It’s an embarrassment! Players need to get a feel of the ice. And to properly check out sight lines. If you’re going to do something like this then do it right!

— Former Flyer Chris Therien explaining why the Flyers and Bruins not being able to practice on the outdoor ice ahead of Sunday’s game was going to be a problem.

***

“This is absurd.”

— NBCSP Flyers’ analyst Al Morganti on the same topic.

***

“We’re [still] excited to play. We know the league is looking out for the players and sometimes the weather can be unpredictable.”

— James van Riemsdyk on the news Saturday that the game time for Sunday had been moved.

***

“We don’t have much to do. I was just looking out the window at the ski hills. It’s pretty cool.”

— Flyers goalie Brian Elliott on life in 2021 as the players quarantined in their hotel rooms 95% of the time they were in Lake Tahoe.

***

“When they announced this at the beginning of the season, we were pretty jacked up. It’s my first-ever outdoor game, so I’m pretty pumped up.”

— Joel Farabee after Thursday night’s shootout loss to the Rangers which feels like a month ago.

***

“Sometimes the ice is a little [expletive] ... I guess we’ll see.”

— French Canadian Nic Aube-Kubel explaining that the quality of ice can be diminished at outdoor games. The minute he dropped his colorful adjective, which rhymes with “grittier,” he and Michael Raffl broke out in laughter.

***

“We’re playing on the 18th fairway, bro.”

— OK, this is from January, but it’s still hilarious to revisit Colorado’s Andre Burakovsky explaining to teammate and popular former Flyer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare that their game against Vegas was not actually being played on Lake Tahoe.

***

“Obviously we try to do something different in an unusual time to give our fans something special. We’re going to continue to do these games, but we always knew, and will know going forward that when you play outside –and ice is important – the weather conditions can affect whether or not we can play the game.”

— Commissioner Gary Bettman following the suspension of Saturday’s Colorado-Vegas game after the first period.

***

“It was a unique one and a game that people will remember for a long time. Maybe not for the hockey game but for everyone falling in the first period this morning. Nonetheless it was a great experience and hope the fans who were able to stay up for this game were able to see how special a place this is.”

— Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said after Saturday’s win, which ended at 1:49 a.m. Eastern on Sunday.

Inquirer wire services contributed to this report.