Broad Street Hockey

Game 72, Game Thread: Atlanta Thrashers at Philadelphia Flyers

2010-03-21T22:50:25Z

#9 Atlanta Thrashers (31-29-11, 73 pts) at #5 Philadelphia Flyers (37-29-5, 79 pts)
Wachovia Center - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, SportSouth
Radio: 610 WIP
This is the open game thread.
Get the Atlanta perspective at Bird Watchers Anonymous

Preview up earlier. Here's the game thread. Let's go Flyers.

In which we recap the game while looking ahead: Thrashers 5, Flyers 2

2010-03-21T18:05:45Z

More photos » John Amis - AP

1 day ago: Philadelphia Flyers goalie Brian Boucher (33) reacts after allowing an Atlanta Thrashers goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday March 20, 2010, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Browse more photos »

[Box Score] - [Wire Recap] - [SBN Game Page] - [Atlanta Reaction]

[Corsi and Fenwick] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [EV Faceoffs] - [Shift Charts]

So, this is kind of weird. I must not have ever hit publish last night, because clearly my game recap never showed up. Anyway, with just a few hours until the back end of this home and home, we're in the awkward position of having to recap a game when the exact same teams will face off later today.

Last night, the Flyers defense was terrible. Braydon Coburn and Ryan Parent in particular. I saw a lot of anger on the Internets (not necessarily here) about Brian Boucher's play, but he was left out to dry literally all night long. It was pathetic. On offense, a few guys had really strong games -- Mike Richards, Simon Gagne. Overall, though, the effort just wasn't there. There's really not much to say.

Atlanta can taste the playoffs. They're just a point behind eighth place Boston after the win last night. They're desperate. As of this writing, Boston and New York are tied at 0-0, but if the Rangers win, Atlanta can jump into playoff positioning with a win tonight. The Flyers, meanwhile, are dangerously close to being leap-frogged by Ottawa and Montreal. A win is of utmost importance this evening, and it's going to take some god damned intensity for that to happen.

We'll have the game thread up about an hour before game time. Until then, check out the NCAA hockey bracket!

Game 71, Preview and Game Thread: Philadelphia Flyers at Atlanta Thrashers

2010-03-20T22:54:13Z

#5 Philadelphia Flyers (37-28-5, 79 pts) at #9 Atlanta Thrashers (30-29-11, 71 pts)
Phillips Arena - 7:00 PM ET - Atlanta, GA
TV: The Comcast Network HD, SportSouth
Radio: 610 WIP
This is the open game thread.
Get the Atlanta perspective at Bird Watchers Anonymous

Brief preview tonight because... well, it's nice outside and all that stuff.

In the fourth and final game of this road trip, the Flyers wrap up against a Thrashers team clinging on for dear life. Just three points out of the playoff picture, today's game and tomorrow's game with the Flyers in Philadelphia are potentially season defining for Atlanta. How can that be with more than 10 games left on the schedule?

Consider that the Thrashers are in ninth place, behind eighth place Boston, who they play on Tuesday night. If the Thrashers can take four points from the Flyers, they put themselves in prime position to leap over Boston on Tuesday night. A loss or two could seriously damage their postseason chances.

For the Flyers, it's essentially all for seeding now... believe it or not. Eight points in with about 10 games to play is a nice spot to hold, but the jockeying for positioning is clearly on. More important, however, is the need to enter the postseason on a strong note. The puck needs to keep going in the net from here on out and Brian Boucher has to be excellent in goal.

No lineup changes for the Flyers. After the jump, questions to answer and our in-game thread.

Questions to Answer

Can Brian Boucher build upon his strong performance against Dallas?
After losing six straight, the Thrashers are climbing the standings and have themselves in a position where hope is an option. The Flyers can ruin that this weekend, but can they match the intensity that Atlanta will obviously show up with?
Danny Briere averages more than a point per game with the Thrashers. Can he keep up that pace tonight?

The Comcast Network (damn), WIP. LET'S GO FLYERS!

Friday Morning Fly By: Flyers win, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!

2010-03-19T14:48:27Z

Today's daily discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Flyers news and notes...

Last night's NHL scores... Flyers 3, Stars 2 - PIT 3, BOS 0 - STL 4, NYR 3 - CAR 4, WSH 3 (OT) - ATL 6, OTT 3 - TOR 2, NJD 1 (SO) - BUF 6, TBL 2 - PHX 4, FLA 3 (SO) - NSH 5, MIN 0 - VAN 3, SJS 2 - CHI 3, LAK 0
Recaps of last nights win over the Stars from BSH, NHL.com, the AP, CSN, the Daily News, the Inquirer, and Defending Big D.
Boosh rocks. No link, just fact.
Michael Leighton is out for likely the rest of the season. He spoke with the media on a conference call yesterday. [Flyers] [CSN Philly] [The 700 Level] [Frequent Flyers]
The Flyers are third in Corsi percentage, no matter the period. [Behind The Net]
The Flyers signed Colorado College captain Mike Testwuide to a two-year contract yesterday. [Colorado Springs Gazette] ...
... he's 'In A Relationship' with Cornell backup goaltender Mike Garman, despite also listing that's he's 'Interested In: Women.' [Ronnybrook]
Speaking of college hockey, it's conference tournament finals weekend! Twenty teams, five conference titles. Semifinals tonight in the ECAC, WCHA, CCHA, Atlantic Hockey and Hockey East. [SB Nation]
James Wisniewski was suspended eight games. Good. [Puck Daddy]
Will Jacob De Serres be the guy the Brandon Wheat Kings turn to in the playoffs? [Luber's Lounge]

Flyers Get Dirty, Overcome Ott In 3-2 Win Over Stars

2010-03-19T03:34:54Z

More photos » Amy Gutierrez - AP

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[Box Score] - [Wire Recap] - [SBN Game Page] - [Dallas Reacion]

[Corsi and Fenwick] - [Head-to-Head TOI] - [EV Faceoffs] - [Shift Charts]

Welcome back Brian Boucher! In his first start since December 21, 2009, Boucher came back strong, with plenty of great saves in this one. He officially stopped 27 of 29, but there were more than a few great saves in there. He was a little rusty, but that was expected. All in all, a great game by Boucher. Which makes us all wonder, why was this guy unable to get a single start in 3 months?

The Flyers won in Dallas for the first time since 1996, and it came as a result of two pretty ugly goals. First, Simon Gagne plugged away in front, eventually poking one past Dallas netminder Kari Lehtonen. Mike Richards tied the game up later on a nice breakaway, only to be followed up with Scott Hartnell having a puck go in off his pants. That would prove to be the game winner.

Kimmo Timonen was unable to score a goal on his birthday, but he did lay a pretty wicked hit on Steve Ott in the third. That alone is well worth checking out on the sidebar.

While it's hard to say tonight was a great 60 minute effort - there were a few too many mistakes - it's easy to say the team played well. Now it's off to Atlanta in hopes of continuing this effort.

Jump for Updated Standings, Questions with Answers, and the Comment of the Night.

Tonight's Playoff Race Update

		GP	PTS	Tonight	gms left vs
2	Pittsburgh	71	89	win vs BOS	1: at PIT 3/27
3	Buffalo	69	84	win vs TB	none
4	New Jersey	70	88	SO loss vs TOR	1: vs NJD 3/28
5	Philadelphia	70	79	win at DAL	-
6	Ottawa	71	79	loss vs ATL	1: at OTT 3/23
7	Montreal	71	78	didn't play	1: vs MTL 4/2
8	Boston	70	74	loss vs PIT	none
9	Atlanta	70	71	win vs OTT	2: at ATL 3/20; vs 3/21
10	NY Rangers	71	71	loss vs STL	2: at NYR 4/9; vs 4/11
11	Tampa Bay	70	68	loss vs BUF	none

With tonight's win, the Flyers move into fifth due to their game in hand.

Questions with Answers

Obvious question: how does Boucher play tonight? FANTASTIC! Hyperbole aside, Boucher was pretty awesome.
The Flyers dominated the Stars on home ice last time they met. Any continuation of that? Definitely not a domination, but the Flyers played well.
Dallas is desperate. Seven points out, 12 games left. Do they appear to be packing it in or do they come out firing? Maybe it was just me, but they didn't appear to do either. They came out like a team who wanted to win, but they didn't look desperate. Basically, they looked like a bubble playoff team.

Comment of the Night:

In honor of Travis falling asleep mid-game:

One thing I miss about Leighton: Not being able to smother shots resulted in much faster games.

MarioD

Game 70, Preview and Game Thread: Philadelphia Flyers at Dallas Stars

2010-03-18T22:03:46Z

#7 Philadelphia Flyers (36-28-5, 77 pts) at #12 Dallas Stars (30-26-13, 73 pts)
American Airlines Center - 8:30 PM ET - Dallas, TX
TV: CSN Philly HD, Fox Sports Southwest HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 239
This is the open game thread.
Get the Dallas perspective at Defending Big D

We're going to keep this preview short and sweet, because there's one key to this game and one key to this game only. He wears number 33 for the Philadelphia Flyers. His name is Brian Boucher. He's your starting goaltender.

It's his first start since the middle of December, so who knows how he's going to play. Coming in out of the bullpen is a different situation and in most of those chances, Boucher has performed admirably. In fact, as a starter he's done well too, but most people aren't really looking at that.

They see his 4-12-2 record and automatically think the Flyers are doomed, but the fact of the matter is that Boucher was not even close to the reason the Flyers sucked through November and December. In fact, some may go as far as to say Boucher was the Flyers best player in that stretch.

In any event, this is a big night for Brian Boucher. The net is officially his now, and if the Flyers want to have any chance this season, he needs to own it. Let's see some 2000-era Boosh out there tonight.

Last time the Flyers played in Dallas: March 13, 2007.

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

Flyers Line Combinations

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

Pronger - Carle
Timonen - Krajicek
Parent - Coburn

Hartnell is sick, might not play. Leino would replace.

Dallas Line Combinations

Morrow - Ribeiro - Segal
Ott - Richards -Eriksson
Neal - Benn - Lehtinen
Barch - Petersen - Sutherby

Grossman - Robidas
Daley - Skrastins
Niskanen - Woywitka

Yes, that Woywitka.

Starting Goaltenders

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Brian Boucher	20	1019	4	12		47	2.77	467	420	.899	0

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Kari Lehtonen	4	182	1	1		11	3.63	101	90	.891	0

Questions to Answer

Obvious question: how does Boucher play tonight?
The Flyers dominated the Stars on home ice last time they met. Any continuation of that?
Dallas is desperate. Seven points out, 12 games left. Do they appear to be packing it in or do they come out firing?

CSN, WIP. BOOSH. Join us for the discussion, and LET'S GO FLYERS!

Michael Leighton Officially Out 8-10 Weeks

2010-03-18T18:54:59Z

More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

Browse more photos »

Well, this was a lot faster than we're used to. Unlike the standard "day-to-day" progressing into long-term injury talk in a month, Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren today confirmed that Michael Leighton is officially out for at least 2 months before Brian Boucher even starts a game.

While there is no word yet whether Leighton will be going on LTIR, one can safely assume he will be with him out 8-10 weeks. For those wondering, if the 8 weeks is accurate, Leighton will be ready to return on May 13th. Not sure exactly where that is in the playoffs, but at that point, forget about it.

The Flyers goaltending situation is well-known at this point, but with Ray Emery already done for the season, this injury - likely ending Michael Leighton's season as well - leaves the Flyers in a pretty desperate situation. Beginning tonight, the Flyers have 7 games in 11 days. Their first, second, and fourth string goalies are hurt. There is very little good news here.

However! If Johan Backlund's groin injury is as mild as we are told, the Flyers shouldn't be too bad. But it still wouldn't hurt for Paul Holmgren to call Manny Fernandez and tell him to put the donut down.

More after the jump

Before moving on, let's first say goodbye to Michael Leighton's 2009-2010 season.

Michael Leighton

#49 / Goalie / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 186

Born: May 19, 1981

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Michael Leighton	34	1799	17	9		85	2.83	899	814	.905	1

We looked at Leighton about a month ago, so there's really no need to go back into that. The journeyman netminder deserves a lot of the credit for turning the Flyers' season around in December, and he played exceptionally well for the Flyers. But his season is over.

That means the Flyers' will go as far as Brian Boucher allows them to. Like I said when talking about Leighton for the guys over at On the Forecheck, the team's hopes were never dependent upon their goalie to steal them games. It's what was asked of Ray Emery when he signed, it's what should have been asked of Michael Leighton should he have started in the playoffs, and it's what should now be asked of Brian Boucher: provide competent goaltending and let the team in front of you win the games.

The problem now is, who will be next in line behind Brian Boucher? Since anybody the Flyers sign would be ineligible to play in the playoffs, there are really only two goalies even worth mentioning: Johan Backlund and Jeremy Duchesne. While it would be nice to sign Manny Fernandez so Boucher can get some rest on back-to-back nights, he hasn't played all year and is unlikely to be ready to step in at the NHL level. Plus, why sign somebody just to play about 3 games? So, we'll start with the guy who will be wearing a Flyers jersey tonight in Dallas - Jeremy Duchesne.

Jeremy Duchesne

#67 / Goalie / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 201

Born: Oct 17, 1986

The 23-year old former 4th-round pick doesn't have a lot to go on. He has only played 4 AHL games in his career, two of which came this month. He made his ECHL debut in 07-08, putting up average numbers (2.97 gaa, .903 s%) in 31 games. This season, he had a 3.20 gaa and .904 s% in 19 games before being recalled to the Phantoms. There isn't much to know about him, except for the fact that he is basically coming straight from the ECHL to the NHL. And he's already balding. But hey, maybe he'll be the Kyle Kendrick of 2007. Or not.

Because of this, everyone should be hoping that Johan Backlund's groin heals quickly.

Johan Backlund

#30 / Goalie / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 198

Born: Jul 24, 1981

Backlund was signed this past summer by the Flyers at the ripe age of 28 and brought to North America. While his stats in Adirondack aren't too impressive (2.79 gaa and .906 s%), neither are the Phantoms. By all accounts, he's been phenomenal for the Phantoms. While he wasn't particularly sharp in his preseason action with the Flyers, he had never seen any live game action on this side of the Atlantic before.

I wish I could show you some video of Backlund's play, but the best I can do is send you over to these game highlights. There are a few other games worth looking at, but you can't tell much in these. It's safe to say though, that Backlund is the second best goalie the Flyers have healthy now.

Thursday Morning Fly By: Stars Gameday, Boosh Set Loose, Phantoms Lose

2010-03-18T14:29:19Z

More photos » Elise Amendola - AP

Browse more photos »

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

Last night's NHL scores... NJ 5 - PIT 2; CGY 3 - COL 2; ANA 4 - CHI 2
Previews of tonight's game: [NHL.com] [CSNPhilly] [Defending Big D]
The Phantoms lost 6-5 in a shootout last night. They had a 5-2 lead with 10 minutes left in the third period. [PostStar] I'm sure the Flyers brass in attendance were impressed with their work. [Tim McManus]
With Brian Boucher finally getting a start(!), a ton of stories have come out regarding his start: [CSNPhilly] [DelcoTimes] [Inquirer] [Daily News]
The Phantoms officially announced the signing of four players. [PostStar]
Travis took part in a point/counterpoint over Alex Ovechkin. [SBNation]
On the topic of questionable hits, there were two more last night in the Chicago v. Anaheim game last night. [Puck Daddy]
Lastly, Chris Drury calls the Rangers immature. Besides the fact that we already knew this, did you know Drury was their Captain? I didn't. [Puck Daddy]

Phantoms coach: Backlund should be ready by weekend

2010-03-18T02:28:21Z

Phantoms coach: Backlund should be ready by weekend

According to Tim McManus up in Glens Falls, Phantoms coach Greg Gilbert said after tonight's stunning 6-5 shootout loss to Hamilton that goaltender Johan Backlund is expected to be ready for action by the weekend. Will he be in the AHL or the NHL?

Get Braydon Coburn off the power play?

2010-03-17T23:08:23Z

More photos » Tom Mihalek - AP

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Dirk Hoag over at SBN's On the Forecheck has been running a little series on the NHL's most valuable and least valuable players. He's crunching the numbers to come up with his lists, and from his work, we had some good news yesterday in hearing that Matt Carle actually made the most valuable list.

Today, however, Dirk published his least valuable list. We have a guy on that one too, and his name is Braydon Coburn. Now, before you start thinking 'oh my God, Coburn sucks', let's take a step back. The reason Coburn made the list is his ineffectiveness on the power play, not his general play.

The one major stat Dirk dropped is the Flyers goals per 60 minutes of Coburn's power play time.

Part of what drags Coburn down is a direct comparison to Matt Carle and Chris Pronger, who ranked highly on yesterday's MVP list, but his power play work has been a train wreck. During his 2+ minutes of 5-on-4 ice time per game, the Flyers score 4.7 goals per 60 minutes, a rate which would rank 29th as a team. When he's on the bench during a Philadelphia PP, they score more than twice as often.

His 2:02 of power play ice time per game is ranked fourth on the team behind Pronger, Kimmo Timonen and Matt Carle. Who is just behind Coburn on this list? Lukas Krajicek, getting about 1:19 of power play ice time per game. Krajicek's goals per 60 minutes of power play time? 9.34, behind only Chris Pronger.

If the numbers confuse you, the basics are simple. Braydon Coburn is ineffective on the power play and Lukas Krajicek isn't. The conclusion, then, seems simple as well. Lukas Krajicek should be getting much more power play time than Braydon Coburn.

BSH Radio 8: Tim McManus of the Glens Falls Post-Star on everything Phantoms

2010-03-17T18:00:46Z

View full size photo »

Tim McManus, Adirondack Phantoms beat writer at the Glens Falls Post-Star, joins the show this week to talk about everything Phantoms. Unfortunately, at recording, we weren't aware of Johan Backlund's injury, but that doesn't take away from the discussion we had at all.

We talked about the inseparable defensive duo, Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon. We talked goalies, from Backlund to Jeremy Duchesne (now a Flyer?!) to Nic Riopel. We talked forwards, from Patrick Maroon to Stefan Legein.

Tim gave us updates on Mika Pyorala and Danny Syvret. Syvret is injured, by the way. We also checked on on Ryan Dingle (yeah, the throw-in from the Pronger deal) to see if he ever has a shot at making the NHL. Greeted with laughter.

Finally, we discuss the future of the Phantoms in Glens Falls and when we should expect to see them in the Lehigh Valley.

After Tim leaves us, we play back this week's trivia competition. William, aka CoburnsCuddleBuddy, came on to challenge Mr. Ben Rothenberg. Listen to find the results.

Get the show after the jump.

Follow our guest!

Follow Tim on Twitter at @PSPhantoms or at the Glens Falls Post-Star website.

Get on the show!

We'd also like to remind you of our new feature where you can leave a rant and get on the program. Have a crazy uncle who hates Sidney Crosby and everything to do with fluoridated water? Have him call in and leave a rant! Or, if you're just pissed off after a terrible call on the ice and you need somewhere to vent, call in and leave a rant. The line is open all week long and you can connect easily using the embedded button below.

Enter your number and your phone will ring. Pick up, and it prompts you to leave a voicemail. It's the easiest way to get yourself on next week's show.

Download this week's program: right click here, save file as...
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The goalie carousel continues: Is another prospect ready to jump on? Meet Jussi Rynnäs

2010-03-17T15:33:53Z

photo via Wikimedia

View full size photo »

Goaltending. It's always the problem.

We know this, and there's no reason to look back at all the goaltending failures we've seen over the last... 23 or so years. (For the record and on the subject, we've changed the slogan on the site for the first time this season!) On Tuesday night in Nashville, though, our little three-ring goalie circus got a little more absurd when Michael Leighton left the game in the first period with what's being reported as a high-ankle sprain.

As Brian Boucher came into the game with nobody to back him up, word first got out via the Daily News that Johan Backlund was injured up in Glens Falls. We had just spoken with Tim McManus at the Post-Star for 40 minutes in an interview for BSH Radio and he hadn't mentioned a word about Backlund's injury, so things were questionable. As it turns out, it appears Backlund did indeed look a little injured in overtime on Sunday and after an off day on Monday, he missed practice on Tuesday.

So then, everybody scrambled to figure out who would be the emergency call up instead of Backlund. It appears now that it'll be AHL backup Jeremy Duchesne instead of the other possibility, an emergency call up of QMJHL goalie Nic Riopel. His team, Moncton, is set to make a lot of noise and run at the Memorial Cup.

With the playoffs starting on Friday, that would've been less than ideal for Moncton and likely for Riopel's development. Also, as was pointed out in the game thread last night, signing Riopel to a deal with the Flyers may not have even been possible.

Because of this, Duchesne seems to be the ideal choice. He's not going to be playing anyway unless Boucher gets injured, and since he's been backing up Backlund in Glens Falls for a while now, I'm sure his door opening abilities are top notch.

As this carousel continues to spin around the Flyers in Philadelphia, Glens Falls, Nashville and Dallas, one of our scouts is across the pond in Europe on the look out for the next goaltending prospect to add to the system.

His name is Jussi Rynnäs, he's 22, and Flyers scout Neil Little is in Finland for the rest of the week watching him play. As reported by the reliable Teemu H, also known as @euroflyers on Twitter, Little confirmed that the Flyers are interested in his services.

"We are interested in Rynnäs", Little confirms. "Several NHL teams are. I believe he'll get an NHL contract but he's not NHL ready yet."

So who is Jussi Rynnäs? We'll try to answer that question after the jump.

Teemu calls Rynnäs a rookie of the year candidate in SM-liiga, the top league in Finland. He plays for a poor Ässät club, where in 31 games he's compiled a 2.50 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. He's 6'4", 203 pounds. HFBoards can be an unreliable source of information at times, but in a lot of cases, you can tell when somebody has watched a player play the game.

That seems to be the case here with an HF member named Tormentor. Here's a little scouting report on Rynnäs.

Rynnäs still has some problems with his rebound control, recovery quickness, lateral movement when being down, and covering angels in some situation, but I think that these areas will improve with hard work. At least Pekka Rinne is a good role model for Rynnäs, because he had similar weaknesses in his game when he still played in Finland.

Naturally Rynnäs still has a lot of work ahead of him, but there's a chance that this kid goes far.

NHL teams are noticing, and there are also reports that the Stars have interest. The Dallas report says that Rynnäs will be available to become a free agent this upcoming summer, and we should probably expect him to get a lot of looks. It's nice to see that the Flyers are showing a bit of interest as well.

Besides, with Mika Pyörälä in Adirondack, the Flyers are in serious need of umlauts.

Wednesday Morning Fly By: Recapping a Loss, Goalie Shuffle, and Bettman Points

2010-03-17T14:14:47Z

More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

Browse more photos »

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

Last night's NHL scores... Predators 4 - Flyers 3 (SO); ATL 4 - BUF 3; BOS 5 - CAR 2; MTL 3 - NYR 1; WAS 7 - FLA 3; TOR 4 - OTT 1; PHX 2 - TB 1; COL 5 - STL 3; MIN 4 - EDM 2; DAL 8 - SJ 2; NYI 5 - VAN 2
Recaps of last night's game: [BSH] [NHL.com] [On the Forecheck] [CSNPhilly] [DelcoTimes] [Inquirer] [Daily News]
Photos from last night's game: [SBN]
This week's edition of Broad Street Hockey Radio will be up later in the day. Tim McManus was our guest, and we spent 40 minutes talking to him. If only we knew Backlund was injured...
The big news from last night's game is Michael Leighton's injury. [Daily News]
Because of this, many speculated Johan Backlund would be called up. But apparently he too is hurt. [PostStar]
Which means the Flyers will call up Jeremy Duchesne to backup Brian Boucher in Dallas. Duchesne was only recently called up from the ECHL. [DNFlyers]
To take Duchesne's spot on the Phantoms, Michael-Lee Teslak was recalled from Wheeling. [euroflyers]
Joacim Eriksson made his pitch to join the Flyers by sporting some Philadelphia gear. [euroflyers]
The always popular Jersey Fouls. This one includes one of the worst YouTube videos I've ever seen. [Puck Daddy]
Predicting the Flyers to be the #5 seed in the playoffs and call them one of the "teams to definitely watch in the second season." [Puck Prospectus]
Alex Ovechkin commented on his suspension. [Japers' Rink]
A look back at all of Ovechkin's questionable hits. [Hockey or Die]
Should the NHL institute the headshot ban before next season? [Puck Daddy]
A unique look at the NHL's MVP race. Two Flyers are in the Top-5. [On the Forecheck]
With last night's shootout loss, the look at five teams benefiting the most from the Bettman point. [Hockey or Die]
And the five teams missing out on the Bettman points. [Hockey or Die]
A story about the recently signed Luke Pither. [Daily News]
Lastly, if you read any of these links, this is the one to read. Seriously. A great story about the Predators assistant equipment manager. s/t to Moridin417. [The Tennessean] [BSH]

Refs aid third period comeback, but Flyers fall to Preds in shootout, 4-3

2010-03-17T04:09:37Z

More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

Browse more photos »

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

After essentially owning the action for, oh, the first five minutes of the first period, the last five minutes of the first period, and the entirety of the second period, the Philadelphia Flyers still had nothing to show for their efforts. They were down 3-1 on a few unfortunate goals against an injured Michael Leighton -- who left the game in the first -- and a defensive breakdown in front of his replacement, Brian Boucher.

A whopping 17 first period shots didn't work. 12 second period shots didn't work. Completely outplaying the Nashville Predators just didn't work. But about halfway through the third period, something finally gave. Matt Carle should've been called for a hooking penalty, but the whistle stayed silent. Claude Giroux kept the play alive along the boards in the Nashville end, and before you knew it, the puck was bouncing around in front of the net. The Flyers couldn't finish all game long, but a bounce finally went their way when Simon Gagne banged the loose puck home to cut the deficit to 3-2.

From there, the Flyers really stepped things up. They controlled the play even more. They put the Predators on their heels. As a result, the referees wound up helping them as well. Several calls should have probably been made against the Flyers during this stretch, but when you're dictating the course of the hockey game, it becomes easy to get away with more things. On the other hand, it also forces the other team to make more errors, and that's exactly what Dan Hamhuis did with 12:43 remaining in the third.

With the Flyers swarming in the Nashville end, Hamhuis intentionally knocked the net off of it's moorings. That's a delay of game penalty and the officials called it properly. Chris Pronger, quickly becoming known as the clutch scorer apparently, blasted a slap shot by Pekka Rinne to tie the hockey game. You have to feel bad for the Nashville fans, but you also have to give credit where it's due to the Flyers for taking advantage of their breaks.

The good guys would dictate the play for most of the remainder of the game following Pronger's goal. They held the puck in the Preds end, they cycled well, they forechecked hard, the defensemen pinched effectively, and the forwards backed them up when necessary. It was, simply put, very solid hockey, and exactly the kind of hockey that Peter Laviolette wants this team playing.

Unfortunately, despite several chances once the game went into overtime, the Flyers couldn't put one home. They'd go on to lose in the shootout on one measly goal from Martin Erat, but it's tough to be too mad about this game. The Flyers seemed jinxed in the first period with the weak goals against and the Leighton injury, but the fact that they wound up putting 45 shots on Rinne and controlled the entire game is a very strong sign.

It's easy, of course, to sit there and say that this happens all the time. It does seem like the Flyers do this kind of often, losing games they should win. But how often do they literally completely control the game against a very solid team like this and still lose? Like I said, tough to be too mad.

After the jump, questions with answers and the comment of the night.

Questions with Answers

Does Scott Hartnell build upon the solid games he's put together recently in his Nashville homecoming? What about Kimmo Timonen? Both players were pretty solid, but Hartnell in particular looked good. He's really improved in the last three games and it continued tonight. Strong forechecking, never giving up on the play, all that stuff.
It's the token question, really: Michael Leighton? Yeah, uh, tough to answer. In the, what, 10 minutes he played, he allowed two goals. It's tough to say if either were his fault, but it was less than good. Hopefully he's not out too long.
The Nashville PP could hurt the Flyers tonight, according to reports from the Music City. Can the Flyers stay outta the box like they have in recent games? They took penalties but none were called against them. Last time they went a whole game without going on the penalty kill? January 11, 2006.

Comment of the Night

Hey, I was expecting him to pass.

>> KreiderDesigns, on Richards' shootout move

Game 69, Preview and Game Thread: Philadelphia Flyers at Nashville Predators

2010-03-16T21:43:23Z

#6 Philadelphia Flyers (36-28-4, 76 pts) at #7 Nashville Predators (38-26-5, 81 pts)
Bridgestone Arena - 8:00 PM ET - Nashville, TN
TV: CSN Philly HD, Fox Sports Tennessee
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 238
This is the open game thread.
Get the Nashville perspective at On the Forecheck

It's no secret that Scott Hartnell has been struggling all season long. After scoring against Chicago and showing a lot of fire against New York over the weekend, returning to the city where he was drafted for the first time since being traded away could be another spark that he needs to get his season back on track.

Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen will return to Nashville for the the first time after being traded away in 2007. By all accounts, players love playing in Nashville and the Flyers duo is no different. Of course, Ryan Parent came over from Nashville as well via trade, but he never played in the city.

We broke down the Predators to an extent earlier today here on the site, so there's really not much to go over. They're an underachieving team defensively with a weak penalty kill and a currently-strong power play. They spread around the offense quite a bit, so they can hurt you at any time. Throw this on top of the fact that they're just four points ahead of ninth-place Calgary in the Western Conference playoff race and you have a team that the Flyers cannot overlook.

Let's hope that with a lot of rest (Lavi cancelled the skate yesterday) and with the bad taste from Sunday in their mouths, the team comes out with guns blazing in this one.

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

Flyers Line Combinations

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

Pronger - Carle
Timonen - Krajicek
Parent - Coburn

Cote, Leino out. Powe, Asham in.

Nashville Line Combinations

Wilson - Arnott - Erat
Sullivan - Goc - Hornqvist
Tootoo - Boyd - Dumont
Ward - Legwand - Smithson

Suter - Weber
Hamhuis - Franson
Bouillion - Klein

Starting Goaltenders

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Michael Leighton	33	1790	17	9		83	2.78	894	811	.907	1

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
Pekka Rinne	46	2508	24	13		114	2.73	1176	1062	.903	4

Questions to Answer

Does Scott Hartnell build upon the solid games he's put together recently in his Nashville homecoming? What about Kimmo Timonen?
It's the token question, really: Michael Leighton?
The Nashville PP could hurt the Flyers tonight, according to reports from the Music City. Can the Flyers stay outta the box like they have in recent games?

Tonight's game is on CSN Philly and 610 WIP. As always, join us here for the conversation and LET'S GO FLYERS!

Powe In; Leighton Expected to Start

2010-03-16T18:09:58Z

Powe In; Leighton Expected to Start

None of this is really surprising, even if it is a bit frustrating. Wonder who will play: Ville Leino or Arron Asham.

Meet the Nashville Predators

2010-03-16T15:41:48Z

More photos » Charles Cherney - AP

3 months ago: Nashville Predators' Jordin Tootoo, center, celebrates after he scores the Predators' third goal late in the game as the Nashville Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 in an NHL hockey game, on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Cherney)

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We don't get to see much of the Nashville Predators around here, so when the Flyers waltz in to Nashville Arena ~~Gaylord Entertainment Center~~ ~~Sommet Center~~ Bridgestone Arena (we do have something in common!) tonight, a lot of us might not know what to expect. With the help of Dirk from On the Forecheck and his fine work covering the Preds, we bring you this primer on all that is hockey in Nashville. Dirk's stuff is in block quotes, logically.

While they lack a big-name offensive star (and might not have a single player reach 50 points), the Preds are 12th in Goals Per Game. They perhaps embody the "scoring by committee" tag better than any NHL team in recent memory.

A lot of us think the Flyers are down in the scoring department this year, especially compared to a year ago when the orange and black had about 200 different 20-goal scorers. But this year, the potency is still there for most of the guys. In Nashville, it's spread around like rice in North Korea (okay, bad analogy).

While the Preds could potentially have nobody cross the 50 point mark, the Flyers already have two players there and will likely have three or four come the end of the season. Nashville is still able to put the puck in the net, however, because they have ten players with at least 30 points on the year. Scoring by committee, indeed.

While they enjoy a wealth of talented defensemen, the Predators are not a very good defensive team, 20th in Goals Against Per Game. Despite employing the characteristic work ethic that Barry Trotz is famous for instilling in his players, defensive coverage breakdowns are worryingly common.

Likely the reason Nashville picked up Denis Grebeshkov from Edmonton right before the trade deadline, they just aren't solid defensively. It's a very solid group they have, but the one thing that sticks out is that they're young. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are 24 and 25 years old and logging 20-plus minutes a night. Dan Hamhuis (heh, remember him?) is the anchor at age 28, but on the whole it's a relatively young group of guys.

We'll take defensive coverage breakdowns for the night, though. That's fine.

The goaltending this year has been decent, but certainly not outstanding, as has usually been the case in Nashville, and the penalty killing has been downright dreadful.

That last note there could go a long way toward determining the game. They're 29th on the power play, above only Toronto, in penalty killing. The Flyers power play is really good, even if it frustrates us at times. There's no arguing with third in the league.

The power play, typically the Achilles heel of Predators teams, has sparked to life in recent weeks and has climbed to 17th in the latest team statistics.

I've read several times this morning from people down in Nashville that the Preds power play is their key to the game tonight, given that the Flyers lead the league in penalties. One thing clearly of utmost importance: the Flyers have taken very few penalties lately.

Excluding Avery-fest '10 on Sunday, they took one minor on Thursday, one minor on Tuesday, and just two the Friday before against Buffalo. I also ignored the Blackhawks game and the Leafs game because they didn't prove my point, but you see what I mean here. They can stay disciplined and have shown it several times lately, and if that can happen, it nullifies this advantage for Nashville.

But okay, enough about the team. What's it like to watch a game in Nashville? This excerpt from a series James Mirtle ran over on SBN's From The Rink back in March of last year highlights it quite well, I'd say.

It's a hockey locale unlike any other, and a pretty surreal experience for someone who grew up typically Canadian, playing shinny on the pond and watching junior hockey at the local rink.

Me, I loved it. And I can see why so many NHLers enjoy playing in Nashville.

For one thing, Music City, USA, didn't strike me as all that different from a lot of small Canadian towns — including the one I grew up in. There's great BBQ, friendly people, lots of Nickelback and all the cowboy paraphernalia you could want. The Predators' players and staff also have the advantage of being able to pretty much come and go as they please, showing up in local haunts after games — although they're far from anonymous. There are plenty of superfans who recognize the players, but they're treated for the most part as minor celebs in a town used to having famous acts come through.

The fans themselves, for the two games I saw, were terrific. Unique, sure, especially given all of their various chants (I've never seen a fan base get so excited when their team goes on the power play, for example, or thank the PA announcer for telling them there was one minute remaining in the period), but a lot of fun. Preds fans have built up their own traditions separate from those you see in arenas in Canada and the Northeastern U.S., and even have a band nestled above the zamboni entrance that plays during intermissions. They're also proud of the fact that the Preds were the first NHL team to employ cheerleaders.

This is football country, after all.

If you're interested in Nashville hockey at all, I'd urge you to go read the entire series James did on the team when he made a trip down there last February. It's lengthy but all very fascinating, an excellent window into what Nashville hockey is like. You know, breaking down stereotypes and stuff.

Tuesday Morning Fly By: Predators Game Day

2010-03-16T14:25:50Z

More photos » Frederick Breedon - AP

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

Last night's NHL scores... NJ 3 - BOS 2; CMB 5 - EDM 3; DET 2 - CGY 1
Previews of tonight's game against the Predators: [NHL.com] [CSNPhilly] [On The Forecheck]
In anticipation of tonight's game, Chris from OTF asked me five questions. Check them out here: [On The Forecheck]
An interview with Paul Holmgren: [Daily News]
The Flyers game against the Red Wings on Easter Sunday (April 4th) is now the NBC Game of the Week. [DelcoTimes]
Down Goes Brown investigates the NHL's other cold cases. Spoiler: the Flyers crease is included. [DGB]
As Monday Evening News! told us, Alex Ovechkin was suspended for two games. [BSH] [SBN]
A look at the Vezina Race. [Puck Daddy]
Lastly, an interesting story about Corsi percentage. The Flyers are tied for 5th in the league when the game is tied. [Behind The Net]

Join us tonight at 9 ET on Rink Side Radio

2010-03-15T23:44:46Z

Join us tonight at 9 ET on Rink Side Radio

It's an action-packed show tonight on Rink Side Radio, the official radio show of SBN Hockey. We'll talk about the Versus-DirecTV break through, as well as the cavalcade of dirty hits that took place around the league over the weekend.

Steven Pepper from Japers' Rink will join the program to discuss today's suspension of Alex Ovechkin. Should be fun. The call-in number is 646-595-2440, so let your voice be heard on the live program.

Monday evening news! Versus back on DirecTV; Ovechkin suspended two games

2010-03-15T21:26:20Z

After a ton of legal wrangling that has gone on for all of this hockey season, Comcast-owned Versus and satellite television provider DirecTV have finally (!) come to an agreement. Seriously, this time. Like, both companies announced it and everything.

Here's DirecTV:

DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. Versus should be up on Channel 603 no later than 7PM ET/4PM PT.

And here's Versus:

DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.

It's happening. Tonight. Everybody can watch New Jersey vs Boston together, now. Hooray! The Flyers aren't on Versus again until the playoffs (knock on wood).

In other news, the NHL suspended Alex Ovechkin two games for his hit on Brian Campbell. Over at Japer's Rink, they're all tinfoil hatty, with J.P. saying such things as:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: these hits (Ovechkin's, Steve Downie's, Matt Cooke's, etc.) are Rorschach tests; people see what they want to see in them, be it a chance to critique the game, promote a hero by unfairly ripping apart a "villain," or what have you. Me? I saw a two-minute minor for boarding. Apparently Colin Campbell (whose son, incidentally, will face the Caps tomorrow night in Sunrise) saw it differently.

There's an arguable point in there somewhere I think, but it's all quickly lost in that ridiculous theory spouted there at the end. The fact of the matter is that yes, Matt Cooke's hit was much, much worse than the one Ovechkin put on Campbell. At least initially. In the end, both players are likely out for the year so from that perspective they are the same hit.

In any event, it's simple. There's a rule on the books for hitting from behind. There is no rule currently on the books calling what Matt Cooke did illegal. Period, end of discussion.