SUNRISE, Fla. -- This place doesn’t exactly hold good memories for Matt Read.
Forget about the sun, the beaches, the ocean and the clubs off A1A. It’s not about that.
This is where Matt Read suffered a high-ankle sprain last November during a 2-1 loss against the Florida Panthers. He didn’t think much of it at the time, but his left ankle would only get worse as the season progressed.
It wasn’t until the mid-point in January he even acknowledged the injury was affecting him. At that point, he had already gone through a number of scoring slumps, and would eventually go 25 games without a goal to finish the season with just eight goals and 30 points.
“Obviously, I didn’t play the way I wanted to last season,” Read said. “I kinda took a step back and had to realize my importance to the team. Every individual has a footstep in this program to make a mold and win a Stanley Cup.”
Read said he had constant pain just trying to walk, let alone skate. He couldn’t make starts and stops on the ice and turn without being inhibited by the injury. He couldn’t gain separation on the ice, either.
“Everyone has to pull their weight,” he said. “I knew I had a tough year last year and had to come in with a different mindset this year. Just work extra hard to make sure I am ready to help this team out.”
NHL
Read seems more prepared to have an impact on a new line this season with Scott Laughton and R.J. Umberger. They combined for four points in Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Tampa.
Read scored a goal and hopes to continue scoring tonight when the Flyers meet the Panthers.
“They scored a big goal for us, but they also I thought gave us a lot of real good five-on-five shifts,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “A good shift doesn’t necessarily mean a shift that ends up in a Grade A opportunity. They grounded out well in the offensive zone.
“They did a good job of taking care of pucks with a real mentality coming through the neutral zone, and I think that gave them a good chance to be able to spend a lot of time in the offensive zone.”
It took Read seven games to get a goal last season and then the cycle of long stretches without one began. He’s hoping that situation won’t repeat this season.
“It’s good to get the monkey off your back right away and help the team out,” Read said. “That was a big goal to tie the game up in the second period. I thought our line played very well together. We had a lot of chances.”
This is his fifth season. Read said this is the best he has ever felt as a pro.
“I switched trainers [to Zack Rourk, in Minneapolis, Minnesota] this summer,” Read said. “Rather than lifting without a purpose, I began lifting to make sure my body was in the right state of mind.
“Make my muscles work out the way they should. I worked on form and proper strength training and not just heavy lifting. I did a lot of conditioning on the ice, more than I had in the past. I feel stronger.”
He played 12 minutes in the opener and again worked on the Flyers' penalty-kill units, something he was part of last season when the PK was in the bottom third of the NHL. The Flyers killed off two of three penalties against Tampa.
Hakstol has said the PK has to be dramatically better, especially on the road this season.
“Last year, we were out of sync on the PK for half a year,” Read said. “Every PK, the other team would score on their power play. We were a hair off every time. … I have no clue how many games it cost us.
“But it’s everyone being in sync, pressuring at the right time, taking away passing options at the right time, and just kinda learning from each other as quick as you can. Get in sync right off the bat.”
The Lightning got a decisive tying goal on the power play at the end of the second period and it changed the complexion of the game.
“We played defensive hockey in the third period,” Read said. “Who was going to make the first mistake. We just got pucks deep and didn’t do too much.
“It was the first game of the season. Obviously, you want to score a goal, but we didn’t get the two points. We have to figure out how to win those games.”
For Read, however, the most important thing is his ankle no longer inhibits him.
“I’m skating better,” he said. “My body is feeling at peace and I’m able to go out and give it all every shift.”