Broad Street Hockey

Could the Flyers catch Ottawa? New Jersey? Buffalo? ... Pittsburgh?

2010-03-11T16:55:52Z

We're looking up now, but will we be much longer?

Is it possible, that just three months after the playoffs seemed like an impossibility, that the Flyers could wind up in fifth place in the East? Or fourth? What about third? Or even second?

Some of those are very reasonable possibilities. Others, not so much. But the more you look at it, the more it seems that sixth place probably isn't the Flyers destiny. At the very least, it's in their hands.

Let's take a look at each of the teams that are currently ahead of the Flyers in the standings. Washington won't be caught unless they lose every game the rest of the season, a highly unlikely proposition. Let's start at the bottom with the other team from a nation's capital, the Ottawa Senators.

Many consider the Sens a fluke team. They had a nice lengthy winning streak a few weeks back that propelled them up in the Eastern Conference race, and riding two mediocre goaltenders seems to be working for them at the moment. But when all is said and done, the Sens are four points ahead of the Flyers right now having played two extra games. If the Flyers are to win those games in hand, they'll sit tied with the Sens, and if you add that the two teams play one more game against each other on March 23, it becomes even more possible to catch them.

Ahead of the Sens, the Sabres sit tied with New Jersey at 81 points. They've gone through a rough patch recently but seem to be breaking out of it post-Olympics, winning three straight. It's all up to Ryan Miller for them, and considering that he's, um, unbelievable, Buffalo is in good hands.

Then there's the Devils, who have completely fallen apart since even before the Olympic break. Sure, they had a nice 6-3 win in New Jersey last night, but on the whole, they've gone 7-12-2 since January 14. Things are not going well, and you could even call last night's game a bit of a weird one considering there was virtually no defense on either side of the puck.

So, you have a reeling Devils team sitting seven points ahead of Philadelphia right now. If they continue to struggle, the Flyers can certainly catch them. They'll be helped if they can win the one remaining game between the two teams on March 28. If they can manage that, it's just a five point gap the rest of the way. That's manageable, especially if New Jersey continues their lengthy slump into April. Much stranger things have happened.

Catching Pittsburgh would be one of those much stranger things, for example. Is it possible? Yes, it certainly is. Will it happen? Likely not. Here's why: Pittsburgh is currently up 10 points on the Flyers, but we do have another game remaining against the Pens. If they can scratch two points out of it, they also have a game in hand over Pittsburgh. That's four points made up right there, and if making up five on the Devils is possible, making up six on Pittsburgh is as well. But, that's the major difference.

New Jersey is seriously slumping to the point where fans dont have answers, while the Penguins have just one loss in their last ten games. In other words, they're red hot and it's not likely they'll be caught.

The Flyers should focus on New Jersey. That means passing Ottawa and taking the fourth seed. It's more than possible, really. As Philly fans, we're kind of inherently negative. But you know what? This is reason for some optimism. The two teams ahead of the Flyers are playing mediocre-to-downright-poor hockey, and there's no reason that our team can't catch up.

Since January 1, the Flyers have earned 33 points in 25 games. New Jersey has just 22 points in that time. Buffalo: 25. Pittsburgh: 31. The orange and black are playing just as well as these teams are right now at the time it matters most, so why can't game one of the 2010 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals be at the Wachovia Center?

Thursday Morning Fly By: Cooke goes unpenalized, GM's look to change that

2010-03-11T16:19:27Z

More photos » Frank Gunn - AP

1 day ago: Boston Bruins right winger Mark Recchi (28) celebrates teammate Patrice Bergeron's goal during first period NHL hockey action against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday March 9, 2010.(AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Frank Gunn)

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Your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... BUF 5, DAL 3 - NJD 6, NYR 3 - WSH 4, CAR 3 (OT) - CHI 3, LAK 2 (OT) - PHX 4, VAN 3 (SO)
Previews of tonight''s game with the Boston Bruins from NHL.com, Sports Network, and The Boston Globe. Check out our SBN buddies at Stanley Cup of Chowder.
No BSH Radio this week, sorry. Trivia will be included in next weeks show, as well.
The Bruins are still furious about the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard. [Globe]
Meanwhile, Arron Asham still contends that Cooke is a gutless punk. Not in as many words, but you know. [Delco Times]
Cooke won't be suspended, and unfortunately, it's the right call. I totally agree here, sadly. [Down Goes Brown]
Here's a look at both sides of the argument, however. [From the Rink]
General managers voted unanimously yesterday to put a rule in place that would ban headshots... unless they're delivered from the front. [SBN]
A fascinating look at the situation: should we treat head shots like high sticking? [SBN]
Leighton will start again tonight. [Flyers] Thoughts on starting a 'FREE BOOSH' campaign, anyone? Similar to this... [Japers']
Offensive dominance via goal scored percentage. Look at the second list... [Behind The Net]
A quantified look at the Flyers' deadline screw-ups. [Puck Prospectus]
How a U.S. Senate candidate in Oregon stole the Columbus Blue Jackets' logo. [Puck Daddy]
T-SHIRTS! If you have any Flyers-related t-shirt ideas, let us know in ze comments.

Villanova fans: Welcome 'The Nova Blog' to SB Nation

2010-03-11T00:22:19Z

Villanova fans: Welcome 'The Nova Blog' to SB Nation

If you're a fan of Villanova athletics, there's a second home for you here on SBN. Chris Lane and his comrades have jumped on board at their new digs, The Nova Blog. They join SBN after providing excellent Nova coverage at their old digs, I Bleed Blue and White.

Wednesday Morning Fly By: Recaps, GM Meetings, and Cavemen

2010-03-10T15:59:30Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

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Today's open discussion thread, including your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... Flyers 3 - Islanders 2; TOR 4 - BOS 3 (OT); CGY 4 - DET 2; NSH 2 - ATL 1; MTL 5 - TB 3; FLA 3 - MIN 2 (SO); VAN 6 - COL 4; OTT 4 - EDM 1; CLB 5 - ANA 2
Recaps of last night's win: [BSH] [NHL.com] [Lighthouse Hockey] [Daily News] [Inquirer] [The700Level] [CSNPhilly] [DelcoTimes]
Photos from last night: [Philly.com]
Apparently Dan Carcillo required 27 stitches to close the cut on his leg. James van Riemsdyk needed "about the same on his chin." I thought he got hit on the hand... [CSNFlyer]
The GM meetings led to a few stories. Here's one showing what ideas are being floated: [Puck Daddy]
Obviously, headshots are being widely discussed. [Daily News] [CSNPhilly]
And there was an example of one last night when Ryan Whitney cross-checked Chris Neil in the neck. [Puck Daddy]
Another story on the Flyers' fourth-line. But Laviolette doesn't like numbering them. [Inquirer]
Remember that picture of Carcillo as the Geico Caveman? Here's video from the Winter Classic, where Carcillo shows evidence and proclaims both he and Ray Emery went as the Caveman for Halloween. The caveman also had something to say to Scott Hartnell. [The700Level]
Speaking of the Winter Classic, don't expect one in Yankee Stadium any time soon. [SB Nation]
From Monday night's game, Marty Turco had a pretty funny reaction to Alexander Semin's shootout attempt. I believe that's him laughing. [Puck Daddy]
Stats time! Who are the biggest under- and over-achievers in Corsi numbers this year? [Behind The Net]
Looking at points percentage for forwards - the number of points a player gets as a percent of goals scored while they're on the ice. [The Copper & Blue]
And for defensemen. [The Copper & Blue]
Who will the Flyers likely face in the playoffs? How about Buffalo or New Jersey. [Puck Prospectus]
Interesting quote regarding Sami Kapanen's brother. Rather than repeat it, we'll just link to it. It's definitely not appropriate. Or accurate. [euroflyers]
This day in history: The Flyers drop 11 on the Penguins in 1985. [The700Level]

Injuries scare, but Flyers storm back for 15th straight win over Isles

2010-03-10T04:22:58Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

1 day ago: Philadelphia Flyers' Simon Gagne, from right, celebrates with teammates Claude Giroux and Mike Richards after Gagne scored the go-ahead goal in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the New York Islanders, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, in Philadelphia. Philadelphia won 3-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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[Boxscore] - [Wire Recap] - [SBN Game Page] - [New York Reaction]
[Corsi and Fenwick] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [EV Face-Offs] - [Shift Charts]

Michael Leighton looked shaky. The team looked lazy. The opponent looked the opposite. Lukas Krajicek caught a puck in the face. James van Riemsdyk took a puck to the finger. Dan Carcillo left the ice with a knee injury.

The story of the first period. Luckily, the Flyers wouldn't let any of this dictate the rest of the hockey game.

Krajicek returned. JVR returned. Carcillo returned, and the Flyers completely took over the second half of the contest at Wachovia Center on Tuesday night before leaving with a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders. If you haven't heard, we officially own the Islanders with 15 straight wins. Unfortunately, that's basically equal to having hotels on Baltic and Mediterranean.

Down 2-0 in the second period, the Flyers decided to wake up, and for literally almost the rest of the hockey game, they kept the puck in the Islanders end. It was a complete contrast from the start, with a ton of puck posession, a ton of shots and a tired Isles defense.

Jeff Carter capitalized on this pressure just two minutes after Kyle Okposo put the Isles up two. It continued for the rest of the period, with the Flyers getting their chances but not capitalizing. That would change in the third, however, thanks in part to the lack of discipline displayed by the Islanders.

Mark Streit was called for boarding with 13 minutes left in the third, and on the ensuing power play, Mike Richards would feed Claude Giroux in the slot for a beautiful goal to tie the game. As Giroux cut to the net, he was impeded by Sean Bergenheim, who was whistled off for high sticking. Nothing would come of that man advantage, but the Flyers would quickly be up a man once more.

Trevor Gillies, the goon called up by the Islanders specifically for this game, got a little too physical with Scott Hartnell behind the play. He was called for boarding, and on this version of the Peco, the Flyers put together a work of art. Matt Carle started things with a gorgeous zone keep, and he would dish the puck down the boards where it would be picked out of the air by a glove-less Giroux. Giroux then cut to the middle and passed the puck over to Simon Gagne, who would bury the game winning goal behind Dwayne Roloson.

After the jump, questions with answers, a playoff race update and the comment of the night.

Questions With Answers

Does Michael Leighton put in another solid outing? The first goal aside, tonight was another serviceable outing for Leights. It wouldn't hurt to work on the rebound control, though.
Can Dwayne Roloson prove to the Flyers that they should've gone out and picked up another goalie at the deadline... like, I don't know... him? Roloson was very solid all night long, but I don't know if his play was much better than Leighton's.
Tavares has two goals in four games against the Flyers. Does he break his loooooong funk tonight? Of course he did. What did you expect? An young star on a division rival NOT scoring on the Flyers? Pleaaaaaaase...
What's the point cushion in 6th place for the Flyers at the end of the night, and are they any closer to Ottawa when it's all said and done this evening? Full playoff picture update below.

Tonight's Playoff Race Update

		GP	PTS	Tonight	gms left vs
2	Pittsburgh	66	84	didn't play	1: at PIT 3/27
3	Buffalo	64	79	didn't play	none
4	New Jersey	64	79	didn't play	1: vs NJD 3/28
5	Ottawa	66	77	at EDM later	1: at OTT 3/23
6	Philadelphia	65	74	win vs NYI	-
7	Montreal	68	72	win vs TBL	1: vs MTL 4/2
8	Boston	65	70	OT loss vs TOR	1: vs BOS 3/11
9	NY Rangers	66	67	didn't play	3: at NYR 3/14, 4/9; vs 4/11
10	Atlanta	65	66	loss vs NSH	2: at ATL 3/20; vs 3/21
11	Tampa Bay	65	65	loss vs MTL	none

Comment of the Night

I swear, if the Islanders ever beat the Flyers, the sky is probably going to turn purple like on Lost when they didn't push the button.

>> Ben Rothenberg, via text message

Game 65, Preview and Game Thread: New York Islanders at Philadelphia Flyers

2010-03-09T23:06:16Z

#14 New York Islanders (26-31-8, 60 pts) at #6 Philadelphia Flyers (34-26-4, 72 pts)
Wachovia Center - 7:30 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: Versus HD, TSN 2 HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get New York reaction at Lighthouse Hockey

Who own dee Isles? We own dee Isles. 14 straight games, 14 straight wins. It's the most dominant current stretch of wins that one team holds over another, and we'd like to see it continue once more. Not so fast, though. The Isles have called in their secret weapon.

Here's Lighthouse Hockey:

When the Islanders last played in Philadelphia, they called up Trevor Gillies for his second-ever NHL game on his 31st birthday, and Scott Gordon used the enforcer for an entirely predictable six shifts and 3:16 of ice time, none of it coming after the mid-way point of the second period.

[...]

I'm not going to rehash my rant about the pointlessness of employing players whose sole purpose is to fight (er, sorry, "protect"), but I just don't see how calling Gillies up for tonight's game helps much. Gordon doesn't skate his enforcers much (and I don't think he should), and though their implied "puttin' on the foil" presence on the bench may provide the confidence of security for the other Islanders, I've yet to see evidence of that helping gain wins. Improved special teams -- now that would help garner wins.

Yeah, one of these days we'll be able to write a preview without mentioning the goon the other team has called up for the game. Hopefully. Sigh.

Anyway, hockey: the Islanders have fallen off in the last few months, basically playing themselves out of contention for a playoff spot. One reason why? Rookie phenom John Tavares has completely fallen off the map. He's without a goal in his last 17 games and he has just one goal in his last 27 games.

I bet Chris Pronger got in his head.

After the jump, line combinations, starting goaltenders, and questions to answer this evening.

Flyers Line Combinations

Gagne - Richards - Carcillo
Briere- Carter - Hartnell
van Riemsdyk - Giroux - Asham
Powe - Betts - Laperriere

Pronger - Carle
Timonen - Krajicek
Parent - Coburn

New York Line Combinations

Moulson - Tavares - Park
Bailey - Nielsen - Okposo
Comeau - Schremp - Jackman
Tambellini - Weight - Sim

Streit - Gervais
Kohn - Hillen
Meyer - Reese

Starting Goaltenders

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Michael Leighton	29	1580	15	7		72	2.73	782	710	.908	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Dwayne Roloson	41	2374	20	14		116	2.93	1247	1131	.907	1

Questions To Answer

Does Michael Leighton put in another solid outing?
Can Dwayne Roloson prove to the Flyers that they should've gone out and picked up another goalie at the deadline... like, I don't know... him?
Tavares has two goals in four games against the Flyers. Does he break his loooooong funk tonight?
What's the point cushion in 6th place for the Flyers at the end of the night, and are they any closer to Ottawa when it's all said and done this evening?

Note the 7:30 start time tonight. The game is on Versus and 610 WIP. Join us here for the in-game discussion and LET'S GO FLYERS!

HBO Sports says its documentary on the 1970s Flyers (BROAD STREET BULLIES) will debut May 4.

2010-03-09T22:19:51Z

HBO Sports says its documentary on the 1970s Flyers (BROAD STREET BULLIES) will debut May 4.

-- Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch

Tuesday Morning Fly By: Islanders Game Day, Hartnell Stories, and Goaltending

2010-03-09T14:20:05Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

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Today's open discussion thread, including your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... DAL 4 - WAS 3 (SO); LA 6 - CLB 0
Yesterday, we called for Brian Boucher to start in net tonight. He won't. [On the Fly]
Previews of tonight's game against the Islanders: [NHL.com] [CSNPhilly] and check out Lighthouse Hockey.
There were a bunch of Scott Hartnell stories yesterday. One said he is "Missing His Swagger"... [CSNPhilly]
...Another says he's "stuck in the worst drought of his professional career"... [DelcoTimes]
...Another has Assistant Coach Craig Berube saying Hartnell's problems could reside between the ears... [Daily News]
...And the last one starts off saying Scott Hartnell can't find the net. (This after saying Jeff Carter can't miss the net. Pssshhh. But this writer was just trying to be clever.) [Inquirer]
Looking forward, we probably should start rooting for the Senators. [DelcoTimes]
Ever wonder who's getting the edge in penalties at home? Well Mike Richards isn't. He gets over 74% of his penalty minutes in the Wach. [Behind The Net]
A ton of goaltending stories for you. First, are expensive goaltenders worth the money? [Behind The Net]
Who are the five most inconsistent goalies in the NHL this season? [Hockey or Die]
What about the five most consistent goalies this season? [Hockey or Die]
And of course, a listing of all goalies in the NHL this season. [Hockey or Die]
Lastly, if we can assume 93 points will guarantee a playoff spot, a listing of what every team has to do to get to that point. [From The Rink]

Join me tonight at 9 ET on Rink Side Radio

2010-03-09T00:54:55Z

Join me tonight at 9 ET on Rink Side Radio

I'll be co-hosting SBN Hockey's official radio show, Rink Side Radio, tonight from 9 to 10 PM ET. We'll be joined by Mike Zippo, the organizer of the 'Fire Sather' Rangers fan rally this past weekend.

My co-host Joe Fortunato and I will be discussing the playoff race as we hit the home stretch and head shots in the NHL in the aftermath of the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard from yesterday.

9 PM Eastern. Click the link above.

Guess the Flyer! (via Joe Pelletier's Hockey History site)

2010-03-08T18:08:39Z

Guess the Flyer! (via Joe Pelletier's Hockey History site)

The Case to Start Brian Boucher on Tuesday

2010-03-08T17:30:22Z

More photos » Charles Krupa - AP

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Remember Brian Boucher? He's the guy who came on in relief of Michael Leighton last Wednesday and promptly gave up 2 goals on his first 3 shots. Maybe that's because he hadn't seen playing time in exactly two months - January 3rd. It seems completely reasonable that Boucher would be a little rusty after not playing in two months.

With Ray Emery on LTIR, the Flyers have decided that Michael Leighton is their number one goalie. That means Brian Boucher is their number two. The problem is that both John Stevens and Peter Laviolette have forgotten that goaltenders (not named Martin Brodeur) need some rest, and their backups need playing time.

To start the season, John Stevens ran Ray Emery out 16 of the first 17 games. The only start Boucher got was against his former team (and NHL powerhouse), the San Jose Sharks. He got another start in the 18th game - a 3-2 win over Los Angeles - but he understandably looked shaky. You remember the weak goal he gave up in the first period: maybe that was because he hadn't seen any action in three weeks. After that, he rebounded nicely, preserving the win despite a last-minute flurry by the Kings.

Once Emery went down with injury, Boucher started 9 games in a row before getting hurt himself. In those nine games, Boucher had below average numbers: 2.89 gaa, 0.895 save percentage, 2-6-1 record. But, only three times did Boucher allow more than 2 goals. Only once did Boucher allow more than two even-strength goals. Only once in those nine games did the team score more than 2 goals (not counting empty-net goals).

Look at those numbers again. Boucher kept his team in 8 of the 9 games (a 6-1 loss to Pittsburgh, where they scored 1 PP goal and 2 SH goals) but the team couldn't score. At all. Boucher did nothing to relegate himself to the bench, but rather Leighton performed so well that he earned himself a spot. Laviolette then started Leighton 11 straight games before Emery returned from injury. At that point, Emery promptly started 8 straight games before getting injured again.

Now that Emery is out for the season, Boucher is back opening the bench door again. Ten straight games have seen Leighton start in net and Boucher start as the doorman. Look at that again: Only twice the entire season has the team started their backup when both goalies were healthy. (The stretch on the road in November when Boucher got 3 out of 4 starts, Emery was clearly hurt. If you count Leighton starting against the Leafs after Emery returned from injury, then it's three.) Despite everyone noting a three-headed goalie situation in Philly, the coaches have repeatedly limited their crease to one man's, and one man's only.

But it's time to split up that crease; it's time to play Boucher. And we're going to argue why. Jump for it.

Brian Boucher needs to start on Tuesday because he isn't ready to play in the event that Leighton falls apart.

Boucher hasn't started since December 21st. Both times he has come on in relief of a faltering Michael Leighton (Jan. 3rd against Ottawa, and Mar. 3rd against Florida), he gave up two goals on four shots against Ottawa (a goal on the first shot), and two goals on three shots against Florida. He can practice every day, but until he's in an NHL game, the rust will show. Even in his next start, the first 3 or 5 shots on goal will be an adventure. This is what happens when a goalie sits on the bench doing nothing.

Imagine what would happen if Leighton gets hurt in the middle of a must win game, and Boucher has only played in one or two games up to then. Expect the other team to promptly score two goals. This is not Brian Boucher's fault. This would be Peter Laviolette's.
The best way to help Boucher shake the rust is against a team that is not very good.

As said above, Boucher is already rusty. This is evident by judging the first few minutes of each game he has entered. He will likely be rusty the next time he sees the ice, so you want to compensate by playing him against a team that is less likely to take advantage of this rust. In other words, avoid playing him against Washington, Pittsburgh, and San Jose. Instead, look for games against Edmonton, Toronto, and NY Islanders. Coincidentally, the Flyers just played Toronto and are playing the Islanders on Tuesday.

After seeing just how rusty Boucher was against Florida, he needs to shake it off sooner rather than later. The fact that the Islanders are next on the schedule makes this the perfect time to play him.
If Michael Leighton is your number one, he needs to be protected. He can use some rest.

After not acquiring a goaltender at the deadline, it's pretty clear that Michael Leighton will carry the load for the Flyers. He has never done this before during his career. His career high in games played is 34, occurring in 2003-04. Since then, his second most games played is 29, occurring this year. He will break his record for most games played. Seeing as how he's having a career year, the Flyers can't afford to tire him out.

The best way to give him some rest is against teams the Flyers should beat - with or without him. This includes the Islanders.
With the Olympic Break causing the stretch run to be jam-packed - they play 11 games in the next 20 days - the Flyers will need to play Brian Boucher a lot.

The team has three back-to-back games in the next three weeks. Brian Boucher will have to play at least two of them (should play three) and he is nowhere near ready to play Chicago/NY Rangers, Atlanta/Atlanta, and Pittsburgh/New Jersey. You don't want him getting his first start in three months against the Chicago Blackhawks. But he can be ready to play the Rangers if he gets some games in before that. This then circles back to point number 2, and concludes that Boucher should start against the Islanders on Tuesday.
So far this year, Boucher beats the Islanders. He's 2-0-0 with a 1.51 gaa and 0.943 save percentage in two games this season.

Not only does Boucher need playing time and need it against a weak team, the Islanders have only been able to score three goals in two games against him. This should be enough of a reason to wrap everything up nicely: Boucher needs to play, he should play against a weak team, Leighton could use some rest, the team needs Boucher to play over the next few weeks, and Boucher beats the Islanders.

Add all that up, and it is a no-brainer that Brian Boucher should start on Tuesday. Oh, and I'll be at the game and I want to wear my old-school Boucher jersey. There's 6 reasons he should start. Have any more?

The Maturation of Dan Carcillo

2010-03-08T15:00:33Z

via cache.daylife.com

View full size photo »

When the Flyers traded for Dan Carcillo a year ago, the book on him was that he was an out of control rebel, who often times crossed the line with regards to vicious hits, irresponsible play and just flat out dirty hockey. When he arrived in Philadelphia, Carcillo didn't do much to change those opinions.

He took dumb penalties. He played over the edge, seemingly without regard for the fact that he took his team off the cliff with him every time he did so. His reputation as a passionate yet wild, ineffective trouble maker grew as the season went on, ultimately culminating with the mother of all gaffes: dropping the gloves with Max Talbot in what would turn out to be final game of the Flyers 2008/09 season.

No, his decision to drop the gloves with Talbot wasn't the deciding factor in that Game 6, but it certainly didn't help matters either. Until that point, Carcillo never helped matters (except for maybe that one time in Game 4 where he scored a late goal and then proceeded to pump up the Wachovia Center crowd to record levels).

These characteristics followed him into the 2009/10 season as well, notoriously punctuated by his cheap shot punch to the face of Washington's Matt Bradley back in December. Carcillo was suspended four games for that incident, but since then he's turned his season and his reputation among Flyers fans around.

Of course, he had already shown glimpses of becoming a smarter hockey player before then, most notably by simply drawing more penalties than he was taking. But the Bradley incident proved that he still had an uncontrollable side that could be a severe detriment to his team and even to the sport.

That's all but gone now, however. Why might that be?

It certainly could have been the suspension, a four game sit down that would have forced Carcillo to contemplate the effects of his actions on his team. Given the fact that it wasn't Carcillo's first suspension, however, and the fact that suspensions rarely turn players into repentant saints make this scenario seem unlikely.

This should lead us to believe that it was due in part to Peter Laviolette's influence, as the Washington game was the first of his Flyers tenure. It's noted on the record several times from his days in Carolina that Laviolette has a low, low tolerance for the nonsense Carcillo displayed that night. Mike Richards forced Carcillo, who wasn't on the docket to speak to the media following that game, to trudge out into the cameras and speak about his actions.

It could have been a decree from Laviolette or Richards could have done that on his own, but either way, it's interesting that it was from that point on that Carcillo began to rein in his behavior.

Since, smart play has become a not-so-shocking staple of his game. It slowly but surely has become expected for Carcillo to draw penalties more often than he takes them, and the fights he engages in these days are often calculated, strategic endeavors instead of reckless, adrenaline-driven fits of rage.

He's even added a bit of the scoring touch, and his fine play has been appreciated by his coach in more than just words. Carcillo is a now serving on Laviolette's top line, playing with Selke-worthy captain Mike Richards and the always smooth-as-ice Simon Gagne. He compliments those two with a perfect mix of aggression and hockey sense, giving the two point producers room to work while sometimes even stepping onto the score sheet himself.

Carcillo's intelligent play came to a head on Sunday night, as he stood in and accepted abuse from Toronto's Colton Orr without retaliation. It was the perfect reaction to Orr's advances in that situation. Orr had been at Carcillo's back for about five seconds, shoving him several times as the Flyer skated toward his bench. An initial cross-check penalty had already been called on Orr and Carcillo certainly noticed.

As he reached the boards, he turned to face Orr, who then engaged him with a few shoves to the upper body. As the linesman stepped in to peel Orr off of number 13, a frustrated Orr took one final swing at Carcillo's head. Another two minute penalty for roughing was rightfully handed out to the goon who, as Carcillo pointed out post game, doesn't really have much else on which to fall back.

Here's Carcillo, speaking about Orr and the Leafs postgame:

That guy, I‘m just never going to fight him. I mean, he plays three minutes a night. He doesn’t really do anything unless somebody fights him. I kind of knew he was going to run me there and then I sucked him into a few, and luckily we scored a little bit later.

They do it every game, they're doing it every game we play them. Every whistle they're in there. I mean, that's all they've got right now. What do they have, you know? That's all they're going to do. They’re just going to try and get up under your skin and make us take penalties. And we knew that. That’s just the type of team they are right now, and we’re just not buying into it. We’ve got bigger things to worry about.

Those are the words that follow the actions of a smart hockey player. Carcillo didn't hurt his team at a time where taking a penalty would've negated a pending power play. Instead, he stood there calmly, intelligently taking the abuse from Orr, whose stupidity wound up costing the Leafs another penalty. Just the gravy on top.

Of course, in Toronto, they're not exactly viewing this under the same light.

Here's SBN's Leafs blog, Pension Plan Puppets:

The first period was a gong show in large part because of Colton Orr. After two regular season games and a pre-season game I think it should be very clear that Daniel Carcillo is never going to engage in fisticuffs. Flyers fans can pretend that he was just being smart but Carcillo then tried to fight Jeff Finger later in the game because he knew Orr was stapled to the bench.

First off, Carcillo made it quite clear why he's not fighting Orr: it's pointless. At the same time, to state that it's 'very clear' that Carcillo is 'never going to engage in fisticuffs' with the Leafs is pretty hilarious, considering he's done it three times since this preseason.

Meanwhile, we can just ignore the logic that says fighting a guy in a situation that would negate a power play and challenging a guy right after the opposing team has tied the game to give your team a boost is the same thing. Fighting Orr would have been unbelievably stupid, but fighting Finger to spark your team after the Leafs tie the game?

Calculated, strategic.

The rest of the league likely won't recognize the strides Carcillo has taken in his game. To them, he'll continue to be the worthless piece of... oh, what's the word?, that's right... chicken**** that he's been known to be his entire career. That's fine by us.

To the Flyers fans who know him best, Carcillo is rapidly becoming one of those guys who you'd hate to play against but absolutely love to play with, which might be the biggest compliment you can give a hockey player. He'll continue to become the fan favorite Paul Holmgren promised he'd become in this town when he traded for him a year ago.

Keep on hating Dan Carcillo, hockey world. He loves it.

Monday Morning Fly By: Recaps, Carcillo, and Goaltending News

2010-03-08T15:23:07Z

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

Browse more photos »

Today's open discussion thread, including your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Last night's NHL scores... Flyers 3 - Maple Leafs 1; DET 5 - CHI 4; PIT 2 - BOS 1; CGY 5 - MIN 2; VAN 4 - NSH 2; CAR 4 - ATL 0; BUF 2 - NYR 1 (OT); MTL 4 - ANA 3 (SO); EDM 2 - NJ 0
Recaps of last night's win: [BSH] [PPP] [CSNPhilly] [Inquirer] [DelcoTimes] [NHL.com]
Photos from last night's win: [Philly.com]
The Phantoms lost twice this weekend, 5-2 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday. From Saturday: "[Jeremy] Duchesne, like the five Adirondack goalies before him, was excellent. They aren’t the problem." [PostStar]
Adam Morrison had a bad game on Saturday, surrendering 5 goals on 20 shots in 40 minutes of play. The only redeeming news? They were all scored on the power-play. [Saskatoon Blades]
Joacim Eriksson finished the regular season with a 2.40 gaa, .926 save percentage, and 8 shutouts. That placed him 4th in the league, 3rd, and 1st, respectively. [euroflyers]
Video from Dan Carcillo's post-game interview: [Flyers]
Two stories on Carcillo's impressive discipline: [BSH] [Daily News]
With both Darroll Powe and Oskars Bartulis healthy, the question now is, Who sits? It appears to still be Ville Leino and Bartulis. [Daily News]
A couple of Simon Gagne stories: [Inquirer] [Daily News]
Another Mike Richards Olympic Gold story: [DelcoTimes]
In case you missed it, Matt Cooke sent Marc Savard off the ice on a stretcher. Here's video and reaction. [Puck Daddy]
Tim Panaccio's Week in Review: [CSNPhilly]
This story was talked about around here, but Jonathan Willis takes on Michael Leighton. [Hockey or Die]

Flyers rebound, kick off homestand with 3-1 victory over Leafs

2010-03-08T03:23:39Z

[Boxscore] - [Wire Recap] - [SBN Game Page] - [Toronto Reaction]
[Corsi and Fenwick] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [EV Face-Offs] - [Shift Charts]

Well that's better. After a frustrating performance against Buffalo (and a terrible performance against Florida before that), the Flyers started off their 4-game homestand with a solid 3-1 victory. Yes, the Maple Leafs are bad. Yes, they're very bad. But the importance of tonight's game cannot be trivialized. They needed a win, and they got it.

CSN named Dan Carcillo the player of the game and that's hard to disagree with. Drawing a four-minute powerplay out of Colton Orr showed just how far he has come since being acquired last year. He took at least 3 shots to the face (as Peter Laviolette told the officials from the bench) without retaliating. While the Flyers didn't score on the ensuing powerplay, he got involved in the game in a good way.

After Carcillo fed Simon Gagne in the slot for a 2-1 Flyers lead, he appeared to put the Flyers up 3-1 with a beautiful backhand over Jean-Sebastien Giguere's right shoulder later in the second. Unfortunately, the play was called offside, but Carcillo was able to take Dion Phaneuf off the ice for two-minutes of 4-on-4 action after responding to his shoves.

Beyond that, Michael Leighton was back to his steady but unspectacular self. There were rebounds and some scares, but the only goal against came off a blocked shot. Oh, there was also a blown defensive assignment on the goal too. Despite the desire to praise his play, it's important to remember once again that the game came against the Maple Leafs.

Jump for Random Thoughts, Questions with Answers and the Comment of the Night.

Random Thoughts:

I know this feature has gone away, but I only have two:

Didn't hear Ryan Parent's name a whole lot tonight. For him, that's a really good thing.
Colton Orr is either a Turd Sandwhich or Giant Douche. There isn't much to say about him, other than that. Imagine how much crap would be said about Flyers goonery if he was wearing Orange and Black. Just a huge disgrace.

Questions with Answers:

Does Rosehill's insertion into the lineup mean anything? We all know this will likely be a big, fat no. Big, fat no.
Can Giguere keep the Leafs in the game? Not sure if it was Giguere, exactly, but he did a decent job. Was badly screened on the first goal, then got beat on the second, and fell victim to a cross-ice pass on the third.
Will Mike Richards keep up his torrid post-Olympic pace (six points in 3 games so far)? He had an assist, but that's hardly "torrid." Seven points in 4 games is still good though.
Which Michael Leighton shows up - Pre-break Leights or Post-break Leights? Pre-break Leights.

Maybe it’s just me, but I would expect that if someone were planning to hold up a sign asking a player to marry them, they would at least put in the effort of making a real sign….

DragonGirl0583

Game 64, Preview and Game Thread: Toronto Maple Leafs at Philadelphia Flyers

2010-03-07T21:42:11Z

#15 Toronto Maple Leafs (20-32-12, 52 pts) at #6 Philadelphia Flyers (33-26-4, 70 pts)
Wachovia Center - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, Sportsnet Ontario HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get Toronto reaction at Pension Plan Puppets

Another game, another goon called up. We really should start keeping track of these things.

The Maple Leafs come to town tonight with tough guy Jay Rosehill in the lineup. After making the team out of camp, Rosehill played a few games with the Leafs before being sent down to their AHL affiliate at the end of the month. Since then, he's played in one NHL game. January 14 versus the Flyers.

He might be worthless as a hockey player (especially when you consider that his only impact in that game was a last minute cheapshot on Mike Richards while up 4-0), but you've gotta admit one thing: the guy has class. Check out this story from 2007.

Rosehill, 22, was released on bond from the Broome County Jail on a felony charge of third-degree grand larceny, the Press & Sun-Bulletin newspaper of Bunghamton reported. His release came shortly before the Admirals played the Senators.

The Broome County Sheriff's Office said a vehicle had been reported stolen from the parking lot of Madame Oar's, a Binghamton strip club.

A club employee said she had started the car and left it to warm up when it was taken.

Shortly after the report was made, about 1:25 a.m., a deputy spotted the car pulling into the parking lot of the Xhibition Gentlemen's Club.

Steals a car from a strip club to get to another strip club. Excellent.

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Michael Leighton	28	1520	14	7		71	2.80	754	683	.906	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Jean-Sebastien Giguere - w/ ANA & TOR	26	1472	6	11		72	2.93	760	688	.905	3

Leafs call up Brent and Rosehill for Flyers game.

2010-03-07T18:18:32Z

Leafs call up Brent and Rosehill for Flyers game.

-- TSN's Darren Dreger

I think we all remember Jay Rosehill, he of the two goals, two assists, and 203 PIMs in 45 games with the Leafs and Marlies.

Flyers fall to Sabres in OT, 3-2

2010-03-06T03:01:37Z

More photos » David Duprey - AP

5 days ago: Buffalo Sabres' Raffi Torres (17) battles for the puck with Philadelphia Flyers' Kimmo Timonen (44) of Finland, during the first period of the NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, March 5, 2010. (AP Photo/ David Duprey)

Browse more photos »

[SBN Game Page] - [Buffalo Reaction]

The Flyers fell to the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at HSBC Arena. We'll have a full recap up either late tonight or early in the morning with some reaction to this one. For now, leave your thoughts in the comments.

Because it's so late, we're just going to answer our questions from last night.

Can the Flyers control the offensive tempo of the game?

Off and on, yes. They didn't out of the gate but as the game went on they did spend prolonged stretches in the Sabres end.

Will Michael Leighton bounce back after Wednesday's loss?

Refer to the comments on this one. Lots of mixed opinion, but I would say that the answer is a little bit of yes and a little bit of no. This comment from DragonGirl0583 sums things up nicely, I think:

I feel like I’m all alone in my position of feeling hot and cold over Leighton’s performance last night. There were definitely some very good decisions and some very bad ones, so I can’t really condemn him nor can I say I’m happy. I wasn’t home so I hadn’t read any stuff before the game, and I admit when I was listening to the first period on the radio I ran off a few expletives when I heard Leighton was starting, I honestly felt at the time that they should have started Boosh. He wasn’t looking too bad at the end of Tuesday’s game once he started to get his stuff together, and I want him to play a full game before he gets rusty again so we can actually evaluate where he is.

How does Ville Leino look with an increased role?

Leino displayed some instant chemistry with Jeff Carter and Danny Briere. The trio looked as if they had a scoring chance on each shift. Very entertaining.

Can the Flyers as a whole not make the same careless mistakes that they made in Florida?

As with the first question, the answer is kind of a yes, kind of a no. They improved from the Florida game but by no means was this game perfect.

Game 62, Preview and Game Thread: Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres

2010-03-05T23:33:32Z

#6 Philadelphia Flyers (33-26-3, 69 pts) at #5 Florida Panthers (33-20-9, 75 pts)
HSBC Arena - 7:30 PM ET - Buffalo, NY
TV: The Comcast Network HD, MSG Buffalo HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 204
This is the open game thread.
Get Buffalo reaction at Die By The Blade

You want important hockey? You've got it tonight. With a win, the Flyers will be within four points of fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Keep that in mind.

You want a sense of how seriously the Flyers are taking this big game? Look no further than the lineup card, specifically the second line. Danny Briere, Jeff Carter and Ville Leino, baby.

All kidding aside, of course, tonight is a big time game for the Flyers. A win would not only bring us closer to the Sabres, but if the Leafs can somehow squeak a win out in Ottawa, the orange and black could be just eight points behind the Senators before the end of the night... with three games in hand.

Michael Leighton gets the start after a pretty terrible game against Florida on Wednesday. Well, that's not totally fair. He was quite good in the first period but his stuff definitely got away from him rather quickly as the game progressed. Some may say that Brian Boucher should get to see action in a second straight game since not having the chance to play in so long, but the argument can also be made that you want Leighton to get back in net quickly after having a poor outing.

Whatever your opinion, Leighton is in. His opposition? The offensively mediocre Buffalo Sabres, who are 16th in the league in goals per game with 2.68. (The Flyers allow 2.69 goals per game, so expect .685 of the puck to cross the line after Buffalo scores two, tonight.) Obviously, though, Raffi Torres is the cure to all of their offensive issues. They are certainly a defense first team, starting with Ryan Miller and a defense led by... Henrik Tallinder? Craig Rivet? Tyler Myers?

It doesn't matter who actually leads their defense -- it's good. The blueline and Mr. Miller in goal are the reasons the Sabres are such a solid team this season, but they're a team that you can control the pace against. They also give up 31.7 shots per game, so it basically just comes down to the Flyers being able to put a few of those behind Miller. You know, with the usual stuff: traffic in front, smart shot selection, a little bit of creativity and hard work.

It's a big game. Get it done, Flyers.

After the jump, starting lineups, questions to answer, and our in-game discussion.

Flyers Line Combinations

Gagne - Richards - Carcillo
Leino- Carter - Briere
Hartnell - Giroux - JVR
Asham - Betts - Laperriere

Pronger - Carle
Timonen - Krajicek
Parent - Coburn

Leino jumps up to the second line, Hartnell to the 3rd, Asham to the 4th. Bartulis still out.

Buffalo Line Combinations

Vanek - Connolly - Stafford
Torres - Roy - Pominville
Hecht - Kennedy - Grier
Mair - Ellis - Kaleta

Myers- Tallinder
Rivet - Sekera
Montador - Lydman

Starting Goaltenders

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Michael Leighton	27	1458	14	7		68	2.80	719	651	.905	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Ryan Miller	53	3137	30	15		113	2.16	1636	1523	.931	5

Questions To Answer

Can the Flyers control the offensive tempo of the game?
Will Michael Leighton bounce back after Wednesday's loss?
How does Ville Leino look with an increased role?
Can the Flyers as a whole not make the same careless mistakes that they made in Florida?

Tonight's game is on The Comcast Network. Damn Sixers. Listen on 610 WIP, and chat it up here in our game thread. LET'S GO FLYERS!

Examining The Flyers Playoff Hunt Following Deadline Day

2010-03-05T16:39:38Z

More photos » Lynne Sladky - AP

7 days ago: Philadelphia Flyers left wing Ville Leino, center, of Finland, is congratulated by center Ian Laperriere, left, and defenseman Chris Pronger (20) after scoring a goal in the third period against the Florida Panthers during an NHL hockey game in Sunrise, Fla., Wednesday, March 3, 2010. The Panthers won 7-4. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Browse more photos »

At SBN's Thrashers blog, Bird Watchers Anonymous, they've examined the last several playoff races following the deadline and they've come up with several conclusions about how the proceedings typically shake out following that day.

They broke down the standings each year in order to get some sort of idea how teams have historically fared when chasing teams already inside the playoff bubble from deadline day forward.

I'd recommend heading over and getting the full read before delving into what I'm to write below, just so you can understand the logic behind their post and behind coming to the conclusions they have. Note that all of the analysis is strictly historical and doesn't take into account this Flyers team. It's examining past trends.

The first conclusion:

It is extremely difficult for a team to make up ground after the Trade Deadline. If you're not within a point or two of 8th place on Trade Day the odds of making the post-season are very tough.

At the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Flyers held a five point lead over 9th place New York. A point or two? Yes, the Rangers were just one point out of the final spot, but that doesn't mean they're likely to catch the 6th place Flyers.

That, however, doesn't mean it can't happen. The next conclusion:

Only two teams have manged to overcome any sizable point deficit in the last 4 springs. The 2008 Washington Capitals made up 5 points and 2007 Rangers made up 7 points. Out of about 20 teams seeking to break into the top 8 only 10% have managed the feat over the last 4 springs.

That's impressive, and it basically says that teams who are in the playoff picture at deadline day typically stay there. 90 percent of the time, in fact. But, it also says that teams have gone on hot streaks to vastly improve their position. The Flyers certainly have a cushion of other teams below them to help out, though.

That brings us to this next conclusion, which should allow some of us to rest easily.

No team with a 4 point cushion on Trade Day has collapsed and fallen out of the playoffs (although the 2008 Ottawa Senators almost pulled it off)

Remember, the Flyers lead at the deadline was five points over 9th place.

In recent years the bubble teams have increased their W% post-trade deadline which pushed up the number of points needed to get into 8th place

This one seems a little disconcerting. Essentially, it means that bubble teams, which the Flyers are not considered in BWA's numbers because of the point cushion they held on deadline day, increase their win percentage at the end of the season. Taking this into account with the fact that teams essentially never give up their positions leads you to believe that the teams in 5th, 6th and 7th places typically increase their win percentages as well.

While the bubble teams are fighting it out and essentially making it harder on themselves because everybody is winning games, the pressure will be on the Flyers. They'll have to continue to win hockey games at the pace they have since the start of 2010 if they'd like to experience playoff hockey this year. Fortunately, the odds of getting that done are in their favor.

Friday Morning Fly By: Sabres Gameday

2010-03-05T17:06:22Z

Today's open discussion thread, including your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news...

Yes it's late. Sorry.
Last night's NHL scores... CAR 4- OTT 1; BOS 3 - TOR 2 (SO); ATL 6 - NYI 3; WAS 5 - TB 4; PIT 5 - NYR 4 (OT); NAS 4 - LA 2; STL 6 - DAL 1; PHX 3 - COL 1; SJ 3 - MTL 2
Previews of tonight's game: [Inquirer] [CSNPhilly] [NHL.com] And check out SBN's Die by the Blade
More deadline fallout: Snider sounds a little defensive and a bit tense in this article. [CSNPhilly]
Tim McManus has a great story on Jeremy Duchesne, Johan Backlund's once and future backup. [PostStar]
Gabe Desjardins did a story on what we were just talking about - even strength save-percentage: "Basically, Even-Strength save percentage, which is measured over a large number of shots, is a significant predictor of future performance, though it must be heavily-regressed to the mean save percentage. SH save percentage, on the other hand, is essentially random." [Behind The Net]
The title says "Fighting is hockey's problem", (which it isn't) but the story suggests otherwise. I'm perplexed. [Inquirer]
Do you have a Nike-Bauer Jr. Supreme One50 stick? Well, get checked for lead poisoning. [SB Nation]
Wonder how important goaltending is? Pension Plan Puppets show just how much their goaltending has cost their team. [Pension Plan Puppets]
Do you remember this day in Philly history? Think Ottawa Senators and Patrick Sharp. [The700Level]