Drop The Puck

Flyers Season is Officially Over

2013-04-27T22:21:00.001-04:00

Akeson celebrates 1st NHL goal

The Philadelphia Flyers closed out their season last night with a solid victory against the playoff bound Ottawa Senators winning 2-1.

Philadelphia caught fire at the end of the season winning their final 4 games and emerging victorious in 6 of their last 7 contests but it was too little too late.

The Senators were fighting for playoff positioning yesterday and ended the game in 8th place in the East meaning they would play Pittsburgh. Ottawa will play their final game tomorrow to determine if they face the 1st place Penguins or the 2nd seed (either Boston or Montreal) in the first round of the playoffs.

With the win, Philadelphia ended up in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 49 points. Last night's victory put the Flyers over the .500 mark for the very first time all season, and that's where they'll stay, with a 23-22-3 record.

Voracek scores the GWG

As far as the rest of the league, Philadelphia is currently in 20th place, meaning they currently hold the 11th pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft. However, this year has a new twist to the draft: all teams that missed the playoffs will be entered into a lottery to see who is awarded with the 1st overall selection. As the 11th to last placed team, the Flyers hold a 1.5% chance of winning the lottery.

Perseverance was the key to final 2 weeks for the Flyers as they never gave up. Even after being eliminated from playoff contention, many teams fold, the Flyers instead won 4 straight. And they will use that moving forward.

Steve Mason was another bright spot not only in this game but his entire time in Philadelphia. Mason won his last 4 starts and yesterday may have been his most impressive outing, not just with the Flyers but all season. Ottawa peppered Mason with shot after shot and Mason didn't flinch, making save after save. Picked up on a deadline deal by the Flyers, Mason stopped 43 shots on 44 attempts and won his 100th career NHL game.

Mason making 1 of his 43 saves

Steve Mason, who is 4-2 with a .938 save percentage in games started with Philadelphia, will give the Flyers brass a lot to think about this off-season.

Jake Voracek, who has been arguably the Flyers best and most consistent player all year, finished his season on a high note, scoring the game winning goal for Philadelphia in the 3rd period. Voracek's 22nd goal of the season is his new career high which eclipsed his previous mark of 18 set in an 82 game season; this was Jake's 48th game. He was 1 of only 2 Flyers to play in every game this season, the other being Claude Giroux (Ruslan Fedotenko would have been the third had he not been scratched on the last game).

Replacing Fedotenko was new guy Jason Akeson, who played in his first NHL game becoming the 5th Flyers player to make his NHL debut this season and the 11 player to make his Flyers debut. Akeson started his NHL career off with a bang scoring his 1st career goal in just his second shift. Claude Giroux provided the assist in what was his 200th career helper.

Akeson poses with '1st NHL goal' puck

If nothing else, the Philadelphia Flyers went out with some pride as they depart with a winning record and a never-say-die attitude. And with so many young players playing extremely well down the stretch, it will certainly be a very interesting off-season for Philadelphia.

The NHL Playoffs will get underway on Tuesday. All matchups in the West are determined, while all the matchups in the East will be final after the Boston/Ottawa game tomorrow night.

Drop the Puck:
The 2013 NHL Entry Draft will commence on June 30th, where the Flyers will draft 11th (20th place), 12th (if a team above them wins the lottery) or with a little luck, 1st (if they win the lottery).

Flyers Win Final Home Game

2013-04-25T23:52:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers won their penultimate game of the season tonight against the New York Islanders 2-1.

Flyers salute their fans

For the second straight night, Oliver Lauridsen scored the game winning goal for Philadelphia. Tonight's goal was much prettier than his goal in Boston, in which Zdeno Chara scored on his own net. Lauridsen's goal tonight was a rocket from the point giving the Flyers a victory which pulls them to an even .500 record of 22-22-3.

Lauridsen scores the game winner

The Flyers will try to get to above .500 for the first time all season on Saturday when they face the Ottawa Senators for their last game of this season.

Philadelphia played a very solid hockey game tonight as they won their 3rd straight and 5th game out of 6.

Danny Briere got the Flyers on the board early ending his 19 game goalless drought. Briere scored on the PowerPlay in front after receiving a nice pass from Brayden Schenn scoring his first goal since February 18th. Tonight may have been Briere's last home game as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers as many believe he will be bought-out this offseason.

Briere has 2 more years left on his contract which holds a hefty $6.5 million cap hit and the Flyers need cap room especially if they want to make some changes to their lineup. After the game, Briere answered reporters who asked him about this potentially being his finally game in front of the fans and he responded that his focus remains on the last game of the season on Saturday, but in his mind he has a contract and wants to stay here in Philadelphia where he has made his home.

Briere breaks 19 game goalless drought

John Tavares tied the game at 1 in the 2nd period, but it was Oliver Lauridsen who was the hero tonight. Lauridsen, who played a career high 20:14 minutes had an outstanding game tonight. Oliver took 3 shots, blocked 4, delivered 4 hits and scored the game winner.

With just over 6 minutes left in a 1-1 game, Lauridsen wound up and fired a shot from the point beating Islanders goalie Kevin Poulin. His go-ahead goal would turn into the game winner.

Lauridsen was the player of the game, but who was the player of the season?

Voracek wins Bobby Clarke Trophy

The Flyers gave out their annual awards before tonight's game and here is the list:

Bobby Clarke Trophy (MVP):

Jake Voracek

Barry Ashbee Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman):

Kimmo Timonen

Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (Most Improved Player):

Jake Voracek

Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award:

Scott Hartnell

Gene Hart Memorial Award (Player who exhibits most heart):

Zac Rinaldo

Toyota Cup (most 'Star of the Game' points):

Claude Giroux

View Full List and details: HERE

For Highlights: CLICK HERE

From One Tough Town To Another

2013-04-24T00:54:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers did their part tonight as they payed tribute to Boston before and during the game against the Bruins for the devastating and tragic events that took place at the Boston Marathon last week.

Before the game, the Flyers showed a montage of pictures that showed all the acts of heroism that took place on one of the saddest days in our nation's history. But instead of letting it bring us down, we endured, and stayed strong. Boston Strong. And Philadelphia's message was, 'From One Tough Town To Another' meaning we stand together no matter what. And sports have proven to help us stay strong and mend wounds. Whether it is a tribute through pictures of Boston's finest, or a 50/50 raffle that set record high numbers (previous record was $67,800 while today's numbers reached $85,500) or the collective singing of 'Sweet Caroline' in the Wells Fargo Center, the messages is still the same: we will overcome.

Flyers Tribute Video to Boston

The Flyers ended up winning the game, but the 3 stars were as followed:
#3- the Boston Police; #2- Boston's First Responders; #1- the City of Boston.
And that is what matters in the end.

Following the game, Simon Gagne told the Courier Post, "That video I think was really touching for everyone to watch it. There was a hockey game after that, but it was just a hockey game at the end."

The actual game didn't disappoint. The Flyers played tonight as if they were a team fighting for a position in the playoffs as opposed to waiting to see if they win the draft lottery (on April 29th). Since being eliminated from the playoff race (April 19th) the Flyers have won 2 straight and have also won 4 of their last 5 games, beating playoff teams such as the Canadiens, the Rangers and the Bruins outscoring their opponents 21 to 13 in those 5 games. They are also playing without 6 defenseman, yes 6: Braydon Coburn (shoulder), Andrej Meszaros (rotator cuff), Nicklas Grossmann (concussion), Bruno Gervais (stomach muscle), Kent Huskins (concussion), and now Kimmo Timonen (foot). Despite the huge influx of injuries they still played pretty well defensively especially since their average age on the blue-line is 24 (before recalling Andreas Lilja, 37).

Boston Strong Patch on Giroux's jersey

After a solid 1-1 opening period that saw a nice wrist shot goal from Scott Hartnell, the Flyers started to run away with the game midway through the 2nd period.

Matt Read and Oliver Lauridsen scored 7 seconds apart to shock the 2nd place Bruins, who a fighting for their division title, taking a 3-1 lead. Lauridsen's goal was the first of his NHL career and it came in bizarre fashion. Lauridsen simply dumped the puck into the Bruins zone and Zdeno Chara retrieved it in the corner. He then recklessly through it in front of his net and it bounced off Boston's back up goalie, Anton Khudobin and into the net. Regardless, it was Lauridsen's first NHL tally.

Jake Voracek added to his impressive goal total on a breakaway giving the Flyers a 4-1 lead. It was Voracek 21st goal of the season, a career high, which is even more impressive taking place in a lockout shortened season.

Boston cut the lead to 2 on a nice move by David Krejci but the Flyers responded immediately. Claude Giroux perfectly set up Simon Gagne on a 2 on 1 and the 3 goal lead was restored just 13 seconds later.

Steve Mason, who has recently been bright spot in a dark season made 39 saves on 41 shots winning his third game in a row. Mason stopped 105 shots out of 110 in those 3 games accumulating a terrific .955 save percentage.

But again the night was about Boston and our great country, the United States of America, united. After the game, the Flyers donated the 50/50 raffle, while also auctioning off their signed specialized jerseys that the Flyers wore with Boston Strong patches tonight. All of the proceeds will go to The One Fund Boston, which helps people affected by the Boston bombings.

Regardless of the outcome of the game, both cities won tonight as we remain strong, stand united and will overcome.

Simmonds Nets First Career Hat Trick as Flyers Topple Hurricanes

2013-04-21T01:00:00.001-04:00

Simmonds first hat trick

The Philadelphia Flyers played their first game since being eliminated from the playoff hunt last night and defeated the also eliminated Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 tonight.
Wayne Simmonds played his best game of the season as he registered his first career NHL hat trick, while putting up a 4 point game, helping the Flyers beat the struggling Hurricanes.

Carolina has only won 2 games in their last 18 and were eliminated from the playoff race even earlier than the Flyers. Both teams were expected to make the playoffs this season yet both greatly underachieved in this shortened season.

So this game was chalked up strictly for pride.

The contest didn't disappoint, like both of their seasons, as it was a back an forth affair throughout most of the game.

Jake Voracek opened the scoring by notching his 20th of the season on a breakaway.

Jeff Skinner would match for the Hurricanes leaving the game knotting at 1 apiece after the 1st period.

Wayne Simmonds scored his first goal of the game early in the 2nd period, before Justin Faulk tied it again for Carolina. Simmonds wasn't finished in the period as he tallied his second on a bullet one-timer.

Heading into the 3rd period, Simmonds wasted no time waiting to get the coveted hat trick. It took Wayne only 48 seconds to score his third goal of the game putting the Flyers up 4-2. Hats rained down on the ice despite playing in Carolina as Simmonds, who was playing in his 363rd NHL game recorded his first ever hat trick.

Eric Staal was quick to turn the tables scoring his 18th goal of the season just 2 minutes later.

But Wayne Simmonds still had more to offer. Simmonds registered an assist on Matt Read's goal giving the Flyers their 2-goal lead right back. A lead that they would turn into a victory.

Game Notes:

Simmonds registered 4 points for the first time in his career.
Steve Mason, who started for the Flyers made 26 saves on 29 shots.
16 of the Flyers 18 skaters took at least 1 shot on goal. Oliver Lauridsen and Jay Rosehill were the only Flyers not to register a shot tonight.
The Flyers attempted 68 shots tonight: 38 on goal, 20 missed and 10 blocked shots.
The 38 shots on goal by the Flyers was their 4th highest total all season and highest since March 2nd.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers get back into action on Tuesday night when they face off against the Boston Bruins.

Flyers Eliminated From Playoffs

2013-04-19T22:15:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers are official out of playoff contention. The New York Rangers, 50 points, won tonight pulling themselves 9 points ahead of Philadelphia, 41 points.

The Flyers only have 4 games remaining with 8 available points, therefore the Flyers are mathematically eliminated from the playoff race.

Philadelphia currently sits in 12th place in the East and 23rd in the NHL.

This is only the 2nd time in the last 19 seasons that the Flyers will miss the playoffs.

Flyers Fall to Devils, Now 1 Point From Elimination

2013-04-18T22:28:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers playoff hopes are now on life support after losing to the New Jersey Devils tonight 3-0.

The New York Rangers also won tonight, therefore they now lead the Flyers by 7 points in the standings for the 8th and final seed. The Flyers only have 4 games remaining or 8 available points meaning the Rangers must lose all their games while the Flyers have to win all theirs.

Brodeur makes 1 of his 23 saves for the shutout

The Devils outplayed the Flyers throughout most of the game despite having lost 10 straight coming into tonight's contest. The Devils playoff hopes were dashed after their losing streak and even after the win they are still 6 points back with only 5 games to go.

After being shutout in two straight games, the Devils finally scored when Ryan Carter beat Ilya Bryzgalov in the 2nd period.

Martin Brodeur wouldn't need anymore as he registered his 121st career shutout and 11th versus Philadelphia.

The Devils put the game away late in the 3rd period when the Flyers turned the puck over leading to a breakaway in which Matt D'Agostini scored on Bryzgalov, who made 28 saves on 30 shots faced, giving the Devils a 2-0 lead with just 5 minutes remaining.

Adam Henrique added an empty net goal officially ending the Devils 10 game losing streak.

The Flyers are now 1 point away from elimination. If the Flyers lose or the Rangers win, Philadelphia will officially be eliminated from the playoff race.

Game Notes:

Tonight was the fourth time the Flyers have been shutout this season and second time in their last four games.
This was also the second time the Flyers were shutout by the Devils this season.
New Jersey won the season series 4-1.
Erik Gustafsson led the Flyers in ice time with 25:52 minutes.
The Flyers went 0-2 on the PowerPlay while the Devils went 0-3.

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers face off against the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday night.

Flyers Top Rangers, Win Second Straight

2013-04-16T22:48:00.001-04:00

A moment of silence for the victims in Boston

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers 4-2 tonight.

Philadelphia played a great game yesterday scoring 7 goals against the second best team in the East, the Montreal Canadiens, then followed it up tonight with a solid win against their Atlantic division rival New York Rangers.

The Flyers got off to a 2 goal lead, also similar to yesterday and were once again able to hold on, even after the Rangers cut their 2 goal lead in half, twice in the game.

Brayden Schenn got the Flyers on the board first scoring his 8th of the season. It was only his second goal in his last 23 games.

Timonen scores his 5th of the season

Then for the second consecutive game, Erik Gustafsson scored a goal. The man they call Gus has been playing minutes as the Flyers 3rd defenseman after injuries sustained to Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, Nicklas Grossmann, Bruno Gervais, and Kent Huskins. In his last 3 games, Gus has played 24, 24, and 23+ minutes respectively and has scored in back to back games for the first time in his career. The Flyers are 11-1 when Gustafsson registers a point.

Mats Zuccarello scored for the Rangers cutting the lead in half but that didn't break the Flyers. They got their 2 goal lead right back on the PowerPlay when Kimmo Timonen blasted a shot from the point off a faceoff win by Claude Giroux.

The Rangers came out storming in the final period as they too are fighting for their playoff lives. The Rangers entered tonight's game clinging on the the final playoff spot ahead of the Jets by only 2 points. They outshot the Flyers 17-4 in the period, but Steve Mason, who got his first start in Philadelphia, played exceptionally.

Voracek scored career high 19th goal

Derek Stepan, who has more points in his career against the Flyers than any other team (17 points in 16 games), brought the Rangers to within 1, but that would be as close as they would get.

Jake Voracek sealed the deal with his empty net goal in the final minute. Voracek's goal was his 19th of the season, a new career high for him. This feat is all the more impressive because his previous career high of 18 goals came in an 82 game season, while his new high occurred in this shortened season, in which he has played 43 games.

The Winnipeg Jets won their game against the Lightning tonight so they are officially tied with the Rangers for the 8th seed.

The Flyers find themselves 5 points back of the Rangers and Jets with 5 games remaining. For the Flyers to make the playoffs, they have to win all their games while the Rangers need to go 2-4 at best and the Jets must go 2-3.

Game Notes:

After losing 4 straight games in which they only scored 3 goals, the Flyers have scored 11 goals in their 2 game winning streak
In their 4 game losing streak, the Flyers were 0-10 in their PowerPlay. In their new 2 game winning streak, they are 3-8 on the man-advantage.
Voracek reached a career high in goals now his sites are set on points. Jake has 43 points in 43 games; his career high is 50 points. He needs 8 points in 5 games to surpass that number (which again occurred in a full season).
Brandon Manning played his first game of the season for the Flyers after being called up from the AHL. Manning registered an assist on Schenn's goal, the first point of his career.
The Rangers outshot the Flyers 40-22, tying the most lopsided shot disadvantage this season for Philadelphia.
It was also only the third time all season the the Flyers surrendered 40 shots against. They are 2-1 in those 3 games.
Mason, who made 38 saves, picked up his first win as a Flyer.
The Flyers and Rangers tied their season series at 2.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers face the slumping Devils on Thursday night.

Flyers Snap Losing Streak, Score 7 Against Canadiens

2013-04-16T02:35:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers finally got back into the winning column as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-3 tonight.

The Flyers, who had scored 3 goals in the last 4 games, exploded for 7 tonight, including a hat trick from Scott Hartnell.

Scott Hartnell's 7th career hat trick

Philadelphia played relentlessly tonight. They had a 2 goal lead, which they lost, but fought back and scored 2 more gaining it right back. Then when Montreal cut the lead in half again, it still didn't phase the Flyers. They ultimately scored 4 goals in the 2nd period, completely shutting down any chance the Canadiens tried at a comeback.

But the win comes too little too late. The Flyers are 7 points out of 8th place with only 6 games remaining.

The win came on a somber day around America after the city of Boston was attacked during the annual Boston Marathon. The tragedy hit very close to home for head coach Peter Laviolette, whose family lives their. His sister even attended the event, but she was unharmed.

Randy Miller of the Courier Post has more...

He grew up near Boston. His sister attended the Boston Marathon.Hearing news of the bombings that left three people dead and more than 100 injured in his hometown changed his normal pre-game routine to following the news. His sister is OK, but Laviolette was shaken.

“It’s terrible,” Laviolette said after the Flyers’ 7-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. “It really is. My family’s from there. My sister was there. It’s just devastating. You read the reports, and I’m sure it’s probably going to get worse and more gruesome as it unfolds. It’s just a real tragic event that happened.”

To read the rest: Click Here

To view highlights of tonight's game: Click Here

Drop the Puck:
The Philadelphia Flyers face the NY Rangers Tuesday night.

Flyers Losing Streak Extended to Four

2013-04-13T17:38:00.001-04:00

The Buffalo Sabres handed the Philadelphia Flyers their 4th straight lose this afternoon when they won 1-0.

The Sabres scored their lone goal on a fluky play after the puck bounced off the boards the off Flyers goalie Steve Mason and into the back of the cage.

That would be all the Sabres needed.

The Flyers fall to 17-21-3 on the season.

Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes,

The Flyers have lost four straight in regulation for the first time this season. They have managed a total of three goals in those four games.

Last month, general manager Paul Holmgren said he would evaluate coach Peter Laviolette after the season, and it is not known how much the plunge out of playoff contention will affect the GM's thinking.

To read the rest: Click Here

To view highlights of today's game: Click Here

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers face the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.

Flyers Drop Third Straight

2013-04-11T21:36:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers have lost their third straight game as the Ottawa Senators defeated them 3-1.

After a four game winning streak, the Flyers follow it up with a 3 game losing streak.

They are now 7 points back of the 8th seed with only 8 games remaining.

Tim Panaccio of Comcast SportsNet writes,

In a lethargic game that lacked for excitement and entertainment, yet remained tightly defensive, that’s exactly how the Flyers lost Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.

Two Flyer mistakes was all Ottawa needed in a 3-1 victory that further dimmed the Flyers' fading playoff hopes, though they remained seven points behind the eighth-seeded Rangers in the Eastern Conference.

To read the rest: CLICK HERE

The Flyers fall to 17-20-3 on the season.

Highlights:
Click Here

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers will face the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.

Islanders Destroy Flyers Playoffs Hopes

2013-04-09T21:49:00.001-04:00

Mason allows 3 goals on 31 shots in debut

The Philadelphia Flyers playoff hopes just became much bleaker as the New York Islanders defeated them tonight 4-1.

5 points behind the Islanders coming into the game, the Flyers absolutely needed to wins tonight's contest, but instead they were outplayed by a team that wanted it more. The Islanders haven't made the playoffs in 6 years. So as their fans chanted 'We want Playoffs' over and over, the team that deserves to make the playoffs won tonight's hockey game.

Philadelphia is now 7 points behind the Islanders, who moved up to 7th place with the victory tonight, and 5 points behind the New York Rangers, who are now 8th place.

As in numerous game this season, the Flyers played tonight's game without heart and any drive to win. They looked sloppy at times, lazy, tired and just out of place at other times. Steve Mason made his first start as a Flyer and did everything he could to keep his team in the game even stopping a point blank shot on a breakaway in the 2nd period, keeping the score tied at 1. But instead of becoming inspired, the rest of the team failed to gain any momentum and surrendered a goal only minutes later.

Moulson scores for the Islanders

The second goal for the Islanders summed up the Flyers season. After a great shift by New York, the Flyers were forced to ice the puck then call timeout to rest their players. Philadelphia won the draw and moved up the ice. Now instead of getting the puck deep and making a change to get fresh skaters out, Brayden Schenn took the puck up the ice with Wayne Simmonds to try to make something happen. Instead the Islanders halted the play and went in transition the other way. Now because all the forwards were dead tired because they didn't get a change, they couldn't back-check. New York took advantage and scored the go-ahead and eventual game winning goal as a result. So instead of making a smart hockey play, Schenn and Simmonds' selfish decision ultimately cost the Flyers a very important goal.

The Islanders extended their lead late in the 3rd period on a lucky break. Mason made a great save on John Tavares, but then Erik Gustafsson came sliding in and accidentally put the puck in his own net, giving the Islanders a 3-1 lead.

New York tacked on an empty netter moments later to finalize the score at 4-1.

Each team scored a goal in the first period. The Flyers struck first when Jake Voracek scored on a breakaway after receiving a great stretch pass from Claude Giroux, then the Islanders tied it up on a 2 on 2 from Matt Moulson.

With the loss, the Flyers fall to 17-19-3, 5 points out of a playoff spot with just 9 games remaining.

Game Notes:

In Steve Mason's first start as a Flyer, he made 28 saves on 31 shots.
Flyers went 0-2 on their PowerPlay and now haven't scored a PowerPlay goal in 4 straight games; 0 for 11.
The Flyers went 1 for 1 on the penalty kill and have now gone 4 straight games without allowing a PowerPlay goal against; 8 for 8.
The Islanders outshot the Flyers 32-27. It was the first time the Flyers were outshot in their last 4 games and only the 3rd time in their last 10.
Of the Flyers final 9 games, 6 of them are against playoff teams. 5 of those are home games while 4 are on the road.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers get back into action on Thursday night when they face the Ottawa Senators.

Jets End Flyers Winning Streak

2013-04-06T17:40:00.001-04:00

Jets score 4 in the 2nd

The Philadelphia Flyers winning streak was halted at 4 when the Winnipeg Jets defeated them this afternoon 4-1.

The 2nd period was the story of today's game as the Jets completely dominated scoring all four of their goals in the period. Winnipeg was trailing 1-0 entering the 2nd when they exploded for 4 tallies in under 7 minutes.

After the game, Wayne Simmonds told CSNPhilly, "We reverted back to our old ways."

Playing 60 minutes was the Flyers weak spot all season, in which they seemed to have corrected lately, winning 4 straight; however, they failed to play all 60 minutes, and the Jets took full advantage.

Philadelphia actually got the start they wanted in the 1st period. Ruslan Fedotenko got the Flyers on the board first when he deflected Kent Huskins shot from the point. After the 1st period the Flyers had the 1-0 lead and a 13-4 edge in shots as they controlled the period.

Luke Schenn's stitches

It was a tale of two periods as the Jets turned the tables on the Flyers very quickly. Winnipeg dominated the 2nd period while the Flyers were just trying to hold them off. Then the worst happened. Luke Schenn blocked a shot with his face, and down he went. With blood gushing from above his eye, he got up quickly and went off to the locker room. The Flyers were already playing with an injured Kimmo Timonen while being without Braydon Coburn, Andrej Meszaros, Nicklas Grossmann. Now Luke Schenn.

While Schenn was being tending to, the Jets struck twice. First from Grant Clitsome and then 27 seconds later from Kyle Wellwood.

And in the blink of Schenn's eye, the Jets now led 2-1.

After being stitched up, Luke Schenn retuned to the game, unfortunately it didn't bring the Flyers any momentum as Winnipeg would score 2 more in the period. Evander Kane made it 3-1 and then Bryan Little extending it to 4-1.

Mason gets his first action

Coach Peter Laviolette pulled Ilya Bryzgalov, who only made 12 saves on 16 shots to start the 3rd period. Newcomer Steve Mason made his debut as a Flyer and stopped all 9 shots thrown his way.

The Jets sat on their lead and the Flyers were unable to gain any ground on them in the final period.

Sitting at a .500 record for only the 2nd time all season, the Flyers failed to become an 'over .500 team' for the 3rd time this season (including the first game of the season). With the loss, Philadelphia falls to 17-18-3 on the season, still 3 points behind the 8th seed.

Game Notes:

Luke Schenn, who was hit just above the eye said he took layers of stitches to patch it up. He had at least 5 on the first layer.
Despite missing about 7 minutes of action, Schenn still led the Flyers in ice time with an incredible 24:54 minutes.
Luke Schenn also led the Flyers in shots with 5.
Oliver Lauridsen and Bruno Gervais were a combined -5 today.
Fedotenko's goal extended his point streak to 4 games.

Highlights:
To view highlights of today's game : CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers look to start a new winning streak when they play the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Flyers Extend Winning Streak Against Maple Leafs

2013-04-04T21:47:00.001-04:00

Rosehill scores GWG, first goal as a Flyer

The Philadelphia Flyers winning streak is now at 4 games following tonight's victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3.

The Flyers played very well offensively in the first two periods scoring 4 goals while outshooting the Leafs 27-18, then shut it down in the final period clinching points for the 5th straight game.

New guy Jay Rosehill scored the game winning goal for Philadelphia while Luke Schenn provided the empty net goal, both against their former team.

The only negative in tonight's game was another injury. The Flyers were already without Nicklas Grossmann, Andrej Meszaros, Braydon Coburn, Max Talbot, Danny Briere and Zac Rinaldo, and now Kimmo Timonen gets added to the list. Timonen left tonight's game in the 3rd period with an undisclosed injury. Kimmo blocked a shot in his last shift, which could have led to the injury. Reporters after the game in the locker room noticed that Timonen was walking with a bad limp. Timonen refused to take questions.

Rosehill fights ex-teammate Orr

The opening period was a wild one that saw 22 shots, 22 penalty minutes, 4 goals and a fight.

The Flyers struck first when Simon Gagne redirected a shot from last night's hero, Erik Gustafsson, just 79 seconds into the game.

Toronto scored the game's next two goals. The first goal was scored by Nikolai Kuleman on a huge rebound off a Dion Phaneuf shot, while the second was scored by John Michael Liles on a shot from the point.

The Leafs lead was short lived as it lasted less than 2 minutes. Sean Couturier, who played one of his best games of the season, perfectly set up Jake Voracek in front for his team leading 16th goal. Couturier has 5 points during the Flyers 4 game winning streak; he had just 7 points in his previous 31 games. The Flyers are 8-2-1 when Couturier registers a point.

The second period was a much different game. Both teams played more disciplined as there weren't any penalties. But the Flyers wouldn't need the PowerPlay. Brayden Schenn broke his 16 game goalless drought when he beat Toronto goalie James Reimer just 54 seconds into the 2nd period giving the Flyers a 3-2 lead.

Flyers celebrate Voracek's goal

Jay Rosehill, who the Flyers just acquired in a trade for Harry Zolnierczyk on April 1st, made his presence felt immediately in his first game in a Flyers uniform. In the 1st period, Rosehill dropped the gloves with Colton Orr, then in the 2nd period, he was credited with Philadelphia's fourth goal, when Couturier's shot deflected off his pants. It was Rosehill's first goal of the season, first goal as a Flyer and first game winning goal in his career.

Philadelphia carried their 2 goal lead into the 3rd period hoping to turn it into a 'W'.

Ex-Flyer James vanRiemsdyk had other plans. VanRiemsdyk, who hasn't scored in 10 games broke that drought scoring his 15th goal of the season on Ilya Bryzgalov cutting the lead to 1.

That would be as close as the Leafs would get. Luke Schenn, who was traded for vanRiemsdyk last summer, countered vanRiemsdyk's goal with a long empty net tally, helping seal the deal for the Flyers.

With the 5-3 victory, the Flyers improve to 17-17-4 on the season for 37 points. They are currently 2 points behind the 8th placed Devils and 3 points behind the 7th seeded Islanders.

Game Notes:

Brothers Luke and Brayden Schenn scored goals in the same game for the first time in their careers.
It was the first time brothers scored in the same game for the Flyers since Rich and Ron Sutter did it on December 28 1985.
Luke Schenn lead the Flyers in hits (6), shots (5), blocked shots (4) and ice time (25:42).
Schenn played 6 minutes more than next highest Flyer (Giroux had 19:42 minutes).
Erik Gustafsson registered 2 assists tonight. It was his first career 2 point game.
Both Gustafsson and Luke Schenn were +3 tonight.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers get back into action Saturday versus the Winnipeg Jets.

Flyers Win 3rd Straight for First Time This Season

2013-04-03T23:28:00.001-04:00

Flyers celebrate Gustafsson's go-ahead goal

The Philadelphia Flyers have accomplished a 3-game winning streak for the first time this season as they came back to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-3.

Character is finally showing on the ice for Philadelphia. The drive to win and the motivation to make the playoffs has finally set in and the Flyers are playing some of their best hockey. The list of injuries continues to pile up for the team as they are still without Danny Briere, Max Talbot, Nicklas Grossmann, Braydon Coburn, and Andrej Meszaros, yet they're stepping up as a team when it matters the most.

Despite the score, the Flyers dominated Montreal, the 2nd best team in the East, throughout most of this hockey game. Montreal only registered 6 shots in the 2nd and 3rd periods combined. Philadelphia outshot them 26-6 in the final 40 minutes.

Couturier scored 1st goal in 27 games

The Canadiens came into tonight's contest having the second fewest regulation loses in the NHL and a 12-1-2 record when leading after 2 as they were up 3-2 tonight. But again the Flyers looked into the face of adversity and came out even stronger, with a 3-goal 3rd period effort.

During the Flyers current 4-game point streak, they have scored 7, 3rd period goals compared to the 21 goals in 32 games prior. And during this point streak they have mounted 3, 3rd period comebacks and beaten 2 of the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference.

It's safe to say their confidence is back.

Tonight they fell behind 1-0 after a slow 1st period that saw 3 Flyers minor penalties. However, their penalty kill stepped up and kept them alive. After the 1st period, Philadelphia didn't give Montreal any more man-advantages and outshot them greatly.

Sean Couturier tied the game for the Flyers early in the 2nd period snapping his 27 game goalless drought. Simon Gagne gave the Flyers their first lead scoring his third goal of the season. Yet that lead was very short lived.

Montreal came back with a vengeance. 46 seconds after Gagne's goal, Brandon Prust knotted the game again on a 3 on 2. Then just 20 seconds later, David Desharnais scored giving the Canadiens the lead, shocking the Flyers. They had scored 2 goals on 2 shots in 66 seconds.

Gagne scores his 3rd of the season

Two weeks ago, the Flyers would have packed up and walked away with the 3-2 loss as they were 1-16-2 when trailing after 2 periods. But not now. Not anymore. This team wants to win. And they know they can win.

So in the 3rd period, the Flyers outshot the Canadiens 14-2 and outscored them 3-0 securing their 3rd straight victory.

First it was Wayne Simmonds with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game. Then it was Erik Gustafsson just 90 seconds later, as he made a nice move past the defender on his way to the net. Gustafsson tried to set up Matt Read in front but the puck instead deflected off a Canadiens player and into their goal, and the Flyers were on back on top.

Jake Voracek closed out the game with an empty net goal solidifying the victory, 5-3.

The Flyers fight for the final playoff spot is still a steep uphill battle. But if nothing else, they proved that they are not going down quietly. Philadelphia improves to 16-17-3 on the season as they complete their 5 game home stand 3-1-1. They are currently 4 points behind the 8th seeded New Jersey Devils.

Game Notes:

Claude Giroux registered 7 hits today, a career high.
Zac Rinaldo left the game early with a lower body injury. He did not return.
Wayne Simmonds led the Flyers with 7 shots on goal. He was an assist away from another Gordie Howe hat trick.
Simmonds, Gustafsson and Couturier accounted for 16 combined shots. The entire Canadiens took 17 shots.
12 different Flyers registered at least 1 point tonight.
Cal Heeter was the Flyers backup goalie tonight because Philadelphia traded Michael Leighton this afternoon for Steve Mason.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.

Trade Deadline Alert!

2013-04-03T05:08:00.000-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers traded G Michael Leighton and a 3rd round draft pick for G Steve Mason.

Steve Mason was a goalie that had a lot of promise and potential. Mason, 24, had his best season in his rookie campaign. He played 66 games winning 33 of them while posting a 2.29 GAA and a .919 save % for the Blue Jackets. However, since then he has struggled in his last 3 seasons averaging a 3.16 GAA and an .898 save %. Mason carries a $3.2 million cap hit, yet will be a RFA (restricted free agent) next season.

The Flyers claimed F Adam Hall off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday.

The move was meant to replace the recently injured Max Talbot. Hall is a great penalty killer and decent faceoff winner.

Dramatic Win Over Capitals in Overtime for Flyers on Easter

2013-03-31T20:58:00.001-04:00

Timonen scores the tying goal with 9.5 seconds remaining

The Philadelphia Flyers came from 2 goals down to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime in dramatic fashion tonight.

The game was knotted at 2 in the final period when the Washington Capitals scored 2 goals on consecutive PowerPlays in the 3rd period, giving them a 4-2 lead. However, the Flyers battled back scoring a PowerPlay goal of their own, before Kimmo Timonen scored with just 9 seconds remaining in the 3rd to send the game into overtime.

Then in overtime it was Ruslan Fedotenko who became the hero for the Flyers scoring game winner.

Fedotenko scores the overtime winner

The Flyers pull to within 2 points of the 8th placed New York Rangers with their dramatic victory tonight.

Overall Philadelphia played a very decent hockey game, yet the breaks didn't go their way. Leading 2-1 in the 2nd period, just after the Flyers failed to score on their man-advantage, Mike Greene was sprung on a breakaway out of the penalty box, beating Ilya Bryzgalov to tie the game at 2.

Fedotenko waves to the fans

Then tied in the 3rd period, Claude Giroux took a heavy hit from Steven Olesky. Jake Voracek confronted Olesky who engaged him in a fight. Voracek was then given 19 penalty minutes on the play when Olesky only got 5; 2 minutes for instigation, 2 minutes for fighting with a visor, 5 minutes for fighting and a 10 minute misconduct, giving the Capitals 4 minutes of PowerPlay time. And the Capitals delivered scoring 2 PowerPlay goals: one from Marcus Johansson and another from Alex Ovechkin. Johansson's goal was a direct result of a poor turnover from Giroux who spun back into his zone to kill time, then gave the puck right to Johansson.

Despite the poor turnover, the unfortunate penalties and the new 2 goal deficit, Giroux was now fueled and determined to make up for his mistake. So his hard work drew a penalty, and on the ensuing PowerPlay it was Claude who made it a 1 goal game on a laser one-time shot.

With under a minute to play and the goalie pulled it was Giroux again causing havoc for the Capitals. Giroux eventually set up Timonen who blasted it from the point stunning the Capitals as he tied the game at 4 with just 9.5 seconds remaining in the contest.

2 points were imperative to the Flyers who were 4 points out of a playoff spot with fewer and fewer games remaining. With the new found point, the Flyers were eager to grab the second one. So they used their momentum that they had built up in the end of the 3rd period and carried it into the overtime session.

Voracek standing up for Giroux

94 seconds into the extra session, Kimmo Timonen and Ruslan Fedotenko were playing give and go in the Capitals zone when Fedotenko crashed the net. Timonen fired a pass back to the man they call Rusty, in front of the net, to which he promptly redirected past Capitals goalie Brayden Holtby sending the Flyers and their fans leaping out of their seats in elation.

The fight that the Flyers showed tonight and yesterday against the Bruins was something they have been looking for all season. And with 13 games remaining, 2 points out of a playoff spot, they are going to need to bring this effort more often. The Flyers have picked up points in 3 straight games and will look to win 3 in a row for the first time all season on Wednesday night.

Philadelphia improves to 15-17-3 on the season.

Game Notes:

Max Talbot and Matt Read scored for the Flyers in the 1st period.
Talbot left the game in the 2nd period with an apparent leg injury and did not return. Flyers announcer Jim Jackson speculated that Talbot may have been cut with another player's skate blade; however, management denied this just saying Talbot has a lower body injury.
Newly acquired defenseman Ken Huskins played his first game with the team wearing number 23. Huskins was a -1 with 3 blocked shots in 16:02 minutes.
Oliver Lauridsen played his second game in the NHL tonight after playing his first yesterday versus Boston. Lauridsen was a +1 with 2 hits in 11:16 minutes.
Claude Giroux registered 3 points tonight (1 goal and 2 assists) and now has 9 points in his last 6 games and 35 for the season.
Giroux also had 7 shots, 3 blocked shots, 2 hits and won 56% of his faceoffs in 23:54 minutes.
Kimmo Timonen registered 4 points tonight (1 goal and 3 assists). It was the first time Timonen scored 4 points in a game since 10/27/11.
Jake Voracek's fight was the first of his NHL career in the regular season (he had a preseason fight in 2010).

Highlights:

To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:

The Philadelphia Flyers look to keep their winning ways going when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.

Flyers Snap Losing Streak, Defeat Bruins

2013-03-30T15:37:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Flyers snapped their 4-game losing streak today when they defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1.

The Flyers played very well today as they scored a goal in every period, while shutting down Boston, who has the 3rd most points in the Eastern Conference.

Mike Knuble, Matt Read, and Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Flyers.

Anthony SanFilippo from the Flyers.nhl.com writes,

The Flyers had just won a game for the first time in two weeks, a 3-1 upset of the Boston Bruins.

He (Jake Voracek) had also found out that the New York Islanders had lost their game, meaning that if the Flyers got a little help from the Montreal Canadiens later Saturday night, his team could be playing for a shot to be just two points out of a playoff spot on Easter Sunday.

And considering how things have gone lately, that’s a chance the Flyers are hoping for.

To read the rest: CLICK HERE

To view highlights of today's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
Happy Easter to ALL!
The Flyers play on Easter Day at 6 PM vs the Washington Capitals.

Flyers Give Up Two Goal Lead, Lose to Islanders in Shootout

2013-03-28T22:02:00.001-04:00

Islanders celebrate their go-ahead goal

The New York Islanders handed the Philadelphia Flyers their 4th straight lose tonight as they won 4-3 in the shootout.

The Flyers played well in the first half of the game and earned a 2-0 lead. Yet in the second half they disappeared. The Islanders then scored 3 straight goals erasing the lead.

Philadelphia tied the game in the final minute on the PowerPlay with their goalie pulled, but ultimately lost in the shootout.

Scott Hartnell played one of his better games of the season scoring 2 goals including the tying goal with 30 second remaining. After the game, Hartnell told CSNPhilly that after they got their lead they just just froze.

Hartnell got the Flyers on the board early in the 1st period on a one-time shot assisted by Claude Giroux on the PowerPlay.

Mike Knuble, who played his first game since March 5th, added to that lead late in the 1st period, scoring his third goal of the season. Giroux set up Knuble in front and he went forehand to backhand beating Evgeni Navokov.

Hartnell scoring 1 of his 2 goals

The Flyers cruised through most of the 2nd period enjoying their lead, until John Tavares turned the game around in the final minute of the period. Tavares innocently threw the puck in front of the Flyers cage which double deflected off both Flyers defensemen and past Ilya Bryzgalov cutting the lead in half.

Tavares' goal fueled the Islanders, who finally woke up in the 3rd period. They outshot the Flyers 9-4 and scored 2 goals in the first 15 minutes of the period, shocking Philadelphia, who played as if their lead was secure.

Philadelphia did battle back in the final minute. They were awarded a PowerPlay and pulled their goalie giving them a 2-man advantage. They crashed the net relentlessly and then a scramble ensued in front of Nabokov until Hartnell batted the loose puck into the net trying the game at 3.

Overtime wasn't enough so a shootout was required. Giroux scored on a beautiful move that he's pulled off in the past, but then Brad Boyes and Josh Bailey beat Bryzgalov defeating the Flyers 2-1 in the shootout.

Watch Giroux's nifty shootout move

The Flyers have now dropped 4 straight games and have lost 8 of their last 10. They did, however, pick up 1 point on the 8th placed Rangers, who lost today in regulation, and are now 6 points back with 15 games remaining.

Flyers fall to 13-17-3 on the season.

Game Notes:

Braydon Coburn left the game in the 2nd period due to an upper body injury. He did not return. The Flyers were already playing without defensemen Nicklas Grossmann (upper body) and Andrej Meszaros (shoulder).
Giroux, who register 2 assists tonight, has points in 4 straight games and 6 of his last 7.
Luke Schenn led the Flyers in shots (6), blocked shots (5), and icetime (28:04 minutes).
Wayne Simmonds had 2 points tonight. It was his first multipoint game since March 5th.
Flyers fall to 1-2 in the shootouts this season.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Philadelphia Flyers host the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon at 1PM.

Nash Scores 300th Goal Helping the Rangers Defeat the Flyers

2013-03-26T23:57:00.001-04:00

Flyers honor Timonen by wearing him jersey in pregame

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the New York Rangers 5-2 on a night in which they celebrated Kimmo Timonen's 1000th career NHL game.

The celebration was full of passion, emotion and excitement, which is more than can be said for the actual game.

The fans were pumped up after Timonen's ceremony which included his parents, wife and children; however, the players inexplicably, were not.

Philadelphia came into tonight's game 5 points behind the 8th placed Rangers with a chance to pull within 3 points and make a run at the playoffs. Instead, the Flyers fell 7 points back and now sit alone in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with just 16 games remaining.

Timonen thanks fans and organization

The Rangers came out with much more energy and passion than the Flyers, whose season was basically on the line. Rick Nash got the Rangers on the board scoring his 300th NHL goal of his career in the 1st period.

The Flyers defense was dreadful throughout most of the game tonight. They had 13 turnovers to New York's 3. Nash's goal was direct result of a turnover from behind the net from Timonen. Philadelphia's top 3 defenseman Timonen, Andrej Meszaros and Luke Schenn were a combined -6.

The Rangers built a 3 goal lead in the 2nd period that would prove too much for the Flyers to comeback from. Philadelphia has only scored 3 goals or more once against the Rangers in the last 12 games or over 2 years. So the uphill battle seemed like Mt. Everest.

The Flyers did get 2 goals back on a PowerPlay from Wayne Simmonds and then a deflection goal off Jake Voracek. However, the comeback was quickly thwarted only 74 seconds later when Nash scored again. This goal was a back-breaker. The fans finally had something to cheer for, the players finally showed some emotion and then a weak wraparound goal buried them.

Nash scores 300th career goal

New York tacked on another goal later in the 3rd period giving them their insurmountable 3 goal lead back.

It was not the Rangers who ruin Timonen's celebration, it was the Flyers. Poor defense plus an offense that goes missing for periods at a time and average goaltending equals a loss in the game and most likely the season.

The Flyers fall to 13-17-2 on the season becoming the 3rd worst team in the NHL.

Game Notes:

Jake Voracek's goal in the 3rd period deflected off his face. Claude Giroux took the shot which banked off Voracek's chin and past Henrik Lundqvist.
Claude Giroux had 2 assists.
Giroux was the only Flyers player to win more than 50% of his faceoffs, while every Rangers players who took a faceoff was over 50%.
Rangers won 41 of 66 faceoffs.
Timonen took a team high 6 shots while Schenn had a team high 5 hits.
Nicklas Grossmann (upper body) and Danny Briere (concussion) both missed their second straight game tonight.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers host the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Penguins Extend Winning Streak to 12, Defeat Flyers in OT

2013-03-24T23:05:00.001-04:00

Pens extended winning streak to 12 games

The Philadelphia Flyers squandered another lead as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat them 2-1 in overtime.

The Flyers have currently lost 3 of their last 5 games in which they have held a lead, and tonight was no different. A lot of those troubles have stemmed from 3rd period period problems.

These 3rd period issues have become a major crux for the Flyers this season. They are -14 in 31 games in the 3rd periods. In fact, they have scored the 2nd fewest 3rd period goals (20) in the entire NHL, while giving up the the 7th most 3rd period goals (34). In their last 10 games, they have been outscored 9-1 in those final periods; 3 of those were go-ahead goals, turned game winners, while 1 was a tying goal.

The 3rd period woes continued for the Flyers tonight. Philadelphia had a 1-0 lead heading into the final stanza and they lost their lead after giving the Penguins a 2-man advantage. Wayne Simmonds was called for a slash, then Kimmo Timonen for a hook.

Sydney Crosby took full advantage, scoring on the one-timer tying the game for Pittsburgh with 6:14 minutes left in the game.

Kennedy scores game winner

During an 11 minute stretch in the period, the Penguins outshot the Flyers 11-2, while outscoring them 1-0. This is the point in which the game is on the line, and it was Pittsburgh who came out to win. And that's exactly what transpired.

The first two periods saw a tight checking, good defense and great goaltending. The Flyers scored their lone goal on the PowerPlay from Claude Giroux. Giroux, who scored his 10th goal of the season, attempted a pass, which was blocked and ended right back in his stick. He then quickly fired the shot beating Marc Andre Fleury, who wasn't set due to the blocked pass.

Crosby's PowerPlay goal ultimately sent the game into overtime where Tyler Kennedy scored the game winner on a nice shot from the high slot putting it right under the crossbar.

The victory for the Penguins extends their winning streak to 12 games.

The Flyers, who are 2-6 in their last 8 games, gain a point yet fall to 13-16-2 on the season, still 5 points behind the 8th seeded NY Rangers, who they will face on Tuesday.

Game Notes:

The Flyers were without forward Danny Briere and defenseman Nicklas Grossmann both out with upper body injuries. More will be known tomorrow.
Scott Hartnell, who has played on the 1st line with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek most of the season was demoted due to his poor play of late to the 3rd line with Max Talbot and Zac Rinaldo.
The Flyers surprisingly dominated on faceoffs tonight winning 29 of 51 draws.
Claude Giroux won 60.7% of his 28 faceoffs.
Luke Schenn led all players in ice time with 28:29 minutes. Schenn also had team highs with 4 blocked shots and 7 hits.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers will look to steal 2 points from the NY Rangers on Tuesday in when they face off in Philadelphia.

Why the NHL Shootout Needs To Go

2013-03-20T13:47:00.001-04:00

From my article on the Collingswood Patch ...

The shootout was added to prevent the game from ending in a tie, a concept that was vastly popular and very exciting to watch. The fans in most stadiums still stand up through the entire shootout.

But to the hardcore fans, the shootout needs to go. It is not because it's not exciting, it's not because it's not fun, and it certainly isn't that we want ties. It is simply not part of the game and still has become so pertinent to the standings year in and year out.

To Read the Rest... CLICK HERE

Stamkos Scores 200th Goal, Lightning beat Flyers

2013-03-18T23:40:00.002-04:00

Stamkos scores 200th career goal (as is shown on scoreboard above)

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 tonight.

The Flyers hoped that the shootout win on Friday night versus the New Jersey Devils would help spark a winning streak; however, they followed it up with yet another loss. Philadelphia is now just 4-9 in games following a victory.

The Flyers are struggling to find any grove at all this season. After winning 3 of 4 games towards the end of February and start of March, they followed it up by losing 5 of their next 7 games. And some of those games were crucial, such as loses to the Devils, the Rangers and now the Lightning, all of which are fighting for their playoff lives, just like the Flyers.

Philadelphia now falls to 12th place as the Lightning have passed them in the standings. They are 5 points out of a playoff spot and have played more games than all 4 teams they are trying to catch. As reported by the Philadelphia DailyNews, the Flyers need to pick up at least 27 points in their final 19 games to have a decent probability to make the playoffs. Now it's down to 18 games with the same amount of points needed. Realistically the Flyers need to win about 13 of those 18 games, despite the fact that they haven't had a 3 game winning streak all season. They have only picked up 27 points in their first 30 games, now they need another 27 in their next 18.

Tampa Bay came out tonight fighting for their lives just like the Flyers should have. The game went back and forth for the most part but Tampa Bay never trailed in the game. Lightning rookie Ondrej Palat got Tampa Bay on the board first scoring his second of the season.

Giroux scores his 9th of the season

The Flyers responded on a beautiful goal by Max Talbot, who split the defense then went 5-hole on Lightning goaltender Anders Lindback. Talbot had by far his best game of the season as he took a career high 6 shots on goal tonight, playing with Simon Gagne and Matt Read.

It didn't take long for Tampa Bay to respond. Just over 3 minutes later, the Lightning were back on top from a goal by Taylor Pyatt.

Claude Giroux sniped his 9th goal of the season, tying the game again, this time at 2 apiece. It was only Giroux's second goal in his last 8 games.

The 3rd period began and the Flyers fell flat once again. Philadelphia has only scored 20 3rd period goals in 30 games this season. Only 3 other team in the NHL have scored less. In the first two periods the Flyers amassed 24 shots, yet in the 3rd when the game was on the line, they only took 6 shots on goal.

Third time was the charm for Tampa Bay as they finally held on to their lead. Teddy Purcell made a nice deflection past Ilya Bryzgalov halfway through the final period giving the Lightning the lead for the 3rd straight time.

In the final 10 minutes following the go-ahead goal, the Flyers had no fight in their game and barely threatened Tampa Bay only taking 2 shots.

Steven Stamkos tacked on an empty netter, scoring his 200th career goal, to close out the game.

Flyers fall to 13-16-1 on the season.

Game Notes:

Kimmo Timonen played in his 1000th career NHL game. It was also his 38th birthday. Therefore, he became the first NHL player ever to play his 1000th game on a birthday.
Timonen played a team high 24:06 minutes.
Tampa Bay leads the season series 2-1.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 23 saves on 26 shots while Anders Lindback stopped 28 of 30.
Both teams went 0-4 on the PowerPlay.
Sean Couturier received a season low 8:10 minutes tonight as he was benched throughout most of the 3rd period due to his poor play.
Scott Hartnell was also benched a few times in replacement of Zac Rinaldo, who played with Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek on the first line for several shifts.
Rinaldo led the team with 4 hits.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop The Puck:
The Flyers have a long stretch before they play again. Their next game is on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Flyers Defeat Devils in Shootout

2013-03-15T21:46:00.001-04:00

Flyers mob Bryzgalov after shootout win

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New Jersey Devils tonight 2-1 in a shootout.

In more of a defensive battle than the last game played on Wednesday (5-2), the Flyers prevailed. Good goaltending, tight defense and great penalty killing held the Devils to just 1 goal in 65 minutes.

GM Paul Holmgren addressed the team yesterday following the loss to New Jersey, sending an intense message of urgency, as the Flyers only had 20 games left and needed to start winning.

And the Flyers appeared to respond.

Philadelphia's penalty kill came up huge tonight as they went a perfect 5 for 5, including a minute and a half two-man advantage and a kill in the final 1:42 minutes of the game.

Read scores in the SO

After 65 minutes, and 50 shots (28 for New Jersey and 22 for Philadelphia) the game was still tied and a shootout was needed. The Flyers entered the shootout with an 0-1 record on the season while having lost 8 of their last 12 shootouts in the past 2 seasons. On top of that, Philadelphia has never beaten the New Jersey in a shootout, posting an 0-7 lifetime record against the Devils.

Despite the odds against them and the immense pressure behind their GM, coach and screaming fans, they stepped up and got the job done.

Matt Read went first and beat New Jersey goaltender Johan Hedberg through the 5-hole. Then Ilya Kovalchuk tied the shootout at 1 as he beat Ilya Bryzgalov on a nice shot over the glove.

Claude Giroux then put the Flyers back on top when he made a nice fake move then beat Hedberg between the wickets. Then after both goalies traded saves on David Clarkson and Danny Briere, it was up to Patrik Elias, who has been a Flyer killer, scoring 80 points in 79 career games. And Elias skated in, fired, and missed the net giving the Flyers a 2-1 victory and an all important 2 points in the standings.

Full Shootout

More importantly, this is a character win for the Flyers. They played tight defensively and blocked 16 shots, while keeping a strong physical presence out hitting the Devils 37-23. They came out and said they needed a win tonight and they got it. Bryzgalov even went as far as saying that if they lose both games to New Jersey, they were 'done.'

Giroux score SO winner

But they are far from done now. Philadelphia is only 3 points out of a playoff spot right now, and the teams ahead of them aren't excelling either. The Leafs have lost 4 straight, the Rangers have lost 2 in a row, and the Devils have won only 3 games in their last 10. The Flyers will look to use this game as a stepping stone towards the right direction and put together a nice winning streak.

Max Talbot scored his second goal of the season for the Flyers in the 1st period as he helped his team improve to a 10-4 record, when scoring first. David Clarkson tied the game for the Devils in the 2nd period when deflected he the puck off past Bryzgalov.

The Flyers improve to 13-15-1 on the season and will only play 2 games in the next 10 days.

Game Notes:

Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 27 of 28 shots faced tonight.
Matt Read registered an assist on Talbot's goal. It was Read's first point since returning from his rib injury (in 5 games).
Luke Schenn, who missed Wednesday's game due to flu-like symptoms, returned tonight in a big way. He had 9 hits in 22:37 minutes.
Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek combined for 11 shots (4 for Briere, 4 for Giroux and 3 for Voracek) while the rest of the team only had 11.
Flyers went scoreless on their PowerPlay going 0-4. It was only the 3rd time in the last 10 games that they didn't register at least 1 PowerPlay goal.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop The Puck:
The Flyers face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night.

Devils Take Home and Home Opener

2013-03-14T02:04:00.001-04:00

Devils scored 5 goals on 32 shots

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the New Jersey Devils 5-2 tonight.

This game was massively important to Philadelphia because they came into New Jersey just 4 points behind the Devils to start this home and home. A sweep could mean a tie in the standings, yet multiple losses would be back-braking, or as Ilya Bryzgalov said, if they lose both games, they are 'done.'

So with the season on the line, the Flyers laid another egg. New Jersey came out with more jump in their skates and scored within 2:02 minutes into the game. Andrej Meszaros made a sloppy turnover behind his net which led directly to a Patrick Elias goal putting the Devils in charge immediately.

The Flyers showed some fight as they were able to tie the game on the PowerPlay halfway through the period. However, this was all the fight Philadelphia had tonight. Jake Voracek scored after a nice passing play from Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux.

36 second later, the Devils were on top again when Adam Henrique's shot deflected off Matt Read and past Bryzgalov. Despite the back luck goal, the Flyers still found themselves in the game and were awarded a PowerPlay opportunity late in the opening period. However, instead of scoring the tying goal, they surrendered a short handed goal off the stick of Ilya Kovalchuk, which became the unofficial back-breaking goal of the game. Read failed to keep the bouncing puck in the zone which led to a Kovalchuk breakaway and a 3-1 lead.

After the shorthanded goal, the Flyers had closed up shop and thrown in the white towel.

Kovalchuk scored the back breaking shorthanded goal

New Jersey outshot Philadelphia 13-7 in the 2nd period and added to their lead on a 2 on 1 goal from Andrei Loktionov. The Devils had 7 odd man rushes to the Flyers 1, after 2 periods.

Philadelphia then lost their 'cool' and became frustrated and undisciplined. They took 5 straight penalties thwarting any miraculous comeback only giving the Devils more of a chance to add to the onslaught. And they did just that. Henrique notched his second goal of the game one of those PowerPlays giving the Devils a 5-1 lead.

Scott Hartnell, who took 3 of those penalties, scored a meaningless goal with just over 3 minutes remaining.

The tough loss brings the Flyers to a 12-15-1 record now 6 points behind the Devils, still sitting in 11th place. They will need to take a long hard look over things and need a desperation win when they face New Jersey again in Philadelphia on Friday night; or they just might actually be 'done.'

Game Notes:

Luke Schenn was scratched tonight due to the flu. Kurtis Foster played in replacement.
The new line consisting of Danny Briere, Sean Couturier and Simon Gagne were a combined -8.
Flyers were 1-4 on the PowerPlay while The Devils were 1-6.
The Flyers have now lost 3 straight against the Devils this season.
The Devils outshot the Flyers 32-25.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop The Puck:
The Flyers finish the home and home versus the Devils on Friday night in Philadelphia.

Flyers Snap Losing Streak, Beat Sabres

2013-03-11T02:41:00.000-04:00

Gagne gets the Flyers on the board first

The Philadelphia Flyers finally got a win as they defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 tonight.

The Flyers snapped their 3 game losing streak tonight against the struggling Sabres. Prior to tonight's game, Buffalo had lost 3 straight and 7 of their last 10 games. So both team were fighting to get out of their respected losing streaks and it was the Flyers who fought the hardest emerging victorious.

After the shutout loss to Boston, the Flyers held a closed door meeting to discuss the status of their team. Several of the Flyers said afterwards that the meeting was about remaining positive while sticking together as a team.

The meeting clearly got through to the Flyers as they came out tonight and played a complete game. And as Claude Giroux, who scored the game winning goal for the Flyers, said on NBCSN, "We had confidence in our play and were positive on the bench and the room, so we had fun."

Talbot scores a shorthanded goal

Philadelphia took advantage of special teams play tonight registering 2 PowerPlay goals and scoring their first shorthanded tally of the season.

Simon Gagne got the Flyers on the board 4:31 minutes into the 1st period on the PowerPlay. Kimmo Timonen made a great stretch pass to Gagne who blasted the puck past Sabres goalie Ryan Miller giving the Flyers the early 1-0 lead.

After the game, in an interview with the NHLNetwork, Gagne also spoke about their confidence, "The first goal on the PowerPlay helped us to get a bit more confidence on our side which was something that played against us our last couple games."

Max Talbot extended the Flyers lead to 2 while shorthanded. Talbot and Ruslan Fedotenko went in on a 2 on 1 and Fedotenko made a perfect saucer pass to Talbot and Max scored the first shorthanded goal for the Flyers this season.

Philadelphia played very well both offensively and defensively to start the period. The Flyers outshot the Sabres 9-0 and outscored them 2-0 in the first 10 minutes. However, Buffalo finally got their first shot on goal in the 11th minute and then Brian Flynn immediately scored on the rebound cutting the lead in half.

Giroux after scoring the game winner

The Flyers outshot the Sabres 12-4 in the 1st period and they came out in the 2nd period wanting more. Starting the period on the PowerPlay, Flyers captain Claude Giroux brought the puck up the ice skating right through the Sabres, then fired the puck past Miller just 17 seconds into the period giving them their 2 goal lead right back.

Confidence was the key for the Flyers tonight. And confidence became a bit of an issue in the 3rd period when the Flyers had to face some adversity. Philadelphia was on the PowerPlay looking for a 3 goal lead when Buffalo jumped on a turnover from Giroux and went in on a 2 on 1, ultimately scoring on Ilya Bryzgalov, cutting the lead to 1. Instead of enjoying a 2 or 3 goal lead, the Flyers had 15 minutes to hold a 1 goal lead.

After the game, when asked about this, Simon Gagne told the NHLNetwork, "We didn't panic and we found a way to win the game."

Gagne was right. In the final 15 minutes of the 3rd period, the Flyers shut down Buffalo allowing only 5 shots preserving their 1st victory in the last 4 games.

Philadelphia improves to 12-14-1 on the season.

Game Notes:

Wayne Simmonds checked Tyler Ennis in the back sending him into the boards in a controversial play in the 1st period. Ennis did not return to the game. There was rightfully no call on the play because Ennis turned his back immediately prior to contact. Simmonds then engaged in a fight with Mike Weber and won the fight helping keep the momentum on the Flyers side.
Claude Giroux scored his second game winning goal of the season, took 3 shots and won 60% of his faceoffs in 21:32 minutes.
Flyers went 2 for 6 on the PowerPlay and 3 for 3 on the penalty kill.
The Flyers have scored 2 or more PowerPlay goals in 5 of the last 8 games.
Zac Rinaldo led the Flyers with 5 hits and 14 penalty minutes.
Ilya Bryzgalov made 19 saves on 20 shots.

Highlights:
To view highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop The Puck:
The Flyers have off until Wednesday night when they play the NJ Devils.