Rathje's mistake proves costly for Flyers

With the Nashville Predators in for a visit at the Wachovia Center last night, the Flyers knew they could make few mistakes, if any. Although the younger guys made few errors, it was veteran defenseman Mike Rathje who made the biggest mistake of them all.

Mike Knuble, who had signed a two-year contract extension earlier in the day, scored his 8th goal of the season just under five minutes into the game. It was a rebound goal off an original shot from Peter Forsberg. Knuble followed the play to put the Flyers in front 1-0.

That lead held until Steve Sullivan got Nashville on the board. Like the Flyers' first goal, Sullivan's was off a rebound. The puck bounced back to Sullivan after Antero Niittymaki made a diving stop on the first shot. Sullivan got the puck back and fired it past Niittymaki, who was too far out of position to make a second save. Sullivan's goal, his 7th of the year, tied the game at 1-1.

After Alexander Radulov scored to put the Predators up 2-1 in the second period, R.J. Umberger potted his 7th goal of the year to tie the game at 2-2 with just over six minutes to play. The Flyers were hoping to at least drag the game into overtime, but Rathje's turnover proved to be the difference in the game.

Rathje was trying to make a play in his own zone, but gave the puck away to Paul Kariya right in front of the goal. Kariya quickly dished off to Martin Erat, who was in perfect position for a point blank shot. Erat fired it past Niittymaki, and the Predators celebrated a 3-2 victory as they held on in the final five minutes.

Rathje was booed each time he touched the puck in those remaining five minutes. When Philadelphia fans find a target, they'll stick with him for a while. In this case, they have a point. Rathje has consistently been the most inconsistent defenseman this season for the team, a reason for the boos for certain. This isn't the first time either. Rathje received much criticism for blocking the view of Niittymaki in a game a few weeks back against the Sabres in which Danny Briere beat the Flyers in overtime. Of course, Rathje is playing through severe back pains. Yet right now, the only pain for Flyers fans is watching Rathje on defense.

Rathje and the rest of the team will head up to Long Island tonight to take on the Islanders. Despite all the jokes in the offseason about hiring Garth Snow as the general manager and the large contract handed to Rick DiPietro, the Islanders have 27 points, and trail the Rangers by just two in the division. The Flyers, 12 points back, have a long way to go. If they keep making mistakes, it'll be a while before the basement is empty.

Knuble signs two-year extension, Houle called up

Things have been getting much better lately for the Flyers, who have recorded at least one point in five of their last seven games. Things are going to get a lot better for winger Mike Knuble, who today signed a two-year extension with the team. Knuble, 34, has 7 goals and 8 assists this year in 18 games. Knuble had 34 goals and 31 assists last season, and has been a great veteran addition to the team.

Meanwhile, if you had a bet that Antero Niittymaki would break down before December, you were wrong. Instead, it was backup goaltender Robert Esche who had surgery this afternoon to repair his adductor muscle. He will be out about two to four weeks. Martin Houle of the Phantoms was called up to take his place.

The Predators are the leaders of the Central Division with 32 points and are two points ahead of Detroit heading into tonight's game against the Flyers. Kimmo Timonen will meet his brother Jussi of the Flyers in tonight's game, and the two will also be watched by their parents, who are in town for the game. Kimmo, Nashville's captain, has 14 points in 22 games. Jussi has 2 points in 4 games for the Flyers and has accompanied fellow Finn Joni Pitkanen on the blueline.

Flyers slip up Canadiens in Montreal

Sometimes, you need a little luck on your side. The Flyers soon found this out as they knocked off the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at a raucous Bell Centre on Saturday night. Simon Gagne, who had to buy many tickets for friends and family members for the game, was the shining star for the Flyers.

It was a rocky first period for Philadelphia, as the Canadiens fed off the energy from their home crowd. They were coming off a big win Friday night over the Sabres in Buffalo when Sheldon Souray scored the game winning goal. But for the second straight night, Antero Niittymaki stepped up and stole a game for his team. Niittymaki stopped 29 of 31 Montreal shots, 20 of which were fired his way in the second and third periods.

Alexei Kovalev scored first for the Canadiens 8:04 into the game. There were a few bounces that went the Flyers' way in the period, including a shot from Janne Niinimaa, the former Flyer who had been scratched in the four previous Montreal contests. The puck tipped off a stick in front of the net and just a bit wide, and Montreal failed to extend their lead.

The Flyers came to life in the second period, scoring three goals on backup goaltender David Aebischer, who was giving a break to starter Cristobal Huet. Huet had won 7 of his last 8 starts, so head coach Guy Carbonneau must have tussled with the decision to start Aebischer for a while. The Flyers outshot Montreal 15-10 in the second frame, as Sami Kapanen, Mike Knuble, and Simon Gagne all lit the lamp for Philadelphia. Gagne's 12th goal of the season came with just 11.9 seconds left in the period, giving the Flyers an early jump on the third period momentum.

Montreal quickly disposed of that momentum by getting on the board quickly to start the third. After a tripping penalty on Eric Meloche, Saku Koivu tipped in a pass from Kovalev just eight seconds into the power play to make it a 3-2 game just three minutes in to the period.

After a missed call from the referees in which Kapanen was clearly cross checked in the face by Souray, the Flyers capitalized and sealed a victory. Shorthanded, the Flyers believed they should have been skating 4 on 4 after Kapanen was knocked down. Nonetheless, Gagne stole the puck in the defensive zone and skated up ice with Knuble on his wing. Gagne lost the puck, but regained control in front of the net as he was about to head back up ice. Aebischer, who was down on the ice, could not get back up, and Gagne went top shelf to put the Flyers in front 4-2. The final two minutes ticked down, and although Gagne was deprived of scoring on the empty net, it was a successful game for the hometown kid.

The Flyers will take on the Nashville Predators Wednesday night back at home. The Predators will continue to be without center Jason Arnott, who will be out 4-6 weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Even without Arnott, Nashville is a deadly team that can run four lines deep at the Flyers. They will have to be carfeul not to be caught up in the neutral zone either, because the speed of Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan is far and above league average speed.

Flyers knock off Jackets in Hitchcock's return

If there was ever a time for Mike Richards' first goal of the season, this was it. As former coach Ken Hitchcock watched on, Richards potted his first of the year in the third period to give the Flyers a 3-2 victory at the Wachovia Center on an eerie Black Friday in Philadelphia. Just ask Columbus' new head man on how eerie the game was. He couldn't even tell his players apart because he had so little time to work with them in practice. He had to go buy the numbers on their backs and on their helmets. Maybe that confusion on the Columbus side allowed the Flyers to walk away with their 6th win of the season.

If there is one thing that has been improving in the past few games, it's been the Flyers power play. Once dead last, they have moved all the way to 25th in the league. Peter Forsberg deflected home a Lars Jonsson shot from the point to put the Flyers in front 1-0. It was Forsberg's 7th of the season, who was returning from the sore back he suffered in the game Monday vs. Pittsburgh.

The Blue Jackets went on to outshoot the Flyers 19-7 in the second period, and it ended up costing them. Jason Chimera scored on a rebound in front of the net at the 7:29 mark to tie the game at 1-1.

The Flyers answered back late in the period as Mike Knuble found Freddy Meyer streaking towards the net. He delievered a perfect pass and Meyer ripped it past Pascal Leclaire, who got a piece of the puck before it crossed the line. Nonetheless, the Flyers had a 2-1 lead with 1:52 to play.

They could not hold that lead though, as Rick Nash capitalized on a Joni Pitkanen hooking penalty with 19 seconds to play in the period. Antero Niittymaki was out of position as a shot from the point took a weird carom off the boards and in front of the goal. Nash was right there and Niittymaki was not, and Nash deposited it to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the 3rd.

The Flyers kicked off the 3rd period in style, as Richards broke his 40 game scoreless streak just 2:02 into the final frame. Although he had 9 assists on the year, he had not scored since last March. It was a long time coming for the Flyers forward as Joni Pitkanen fired a cross-ice pass to a waiting Richards. From the circle, Richards fired the shot past Leclaire to put the Flyers back in front 3-2.

Despite a late flurry from Columbus, Antero Niittymaki held the fort with 39 saves and secured the 3-2 victory. There's a long way to go for new coach Ken Hitchcock, who is taking over the Blue Jackets in the middle of this season. Hitchcock is the 6th coach in NHL history to coach two teams in one season, and he has his work cut out for him. If he can ever get them to play like the Flyers of old, he may have made the right choice.

Hitchcock makes return to Philadelphia as Columbus coach

This afternoon at the Wachovia Center, irony will reign supreme as former Flyers head coach Ken Hitchcock makes his return to Philadelphia as head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. The irony of it all? It will be Hitchcock's first game behind the Columbus bench after being hired on Wednesday night by general manager Doug MacLean and the Blue Jackets. Hitchcock originally said that he would not coach this game if he were hired, but he was asked to be here by the Columbus front office.

The race was down to two candidates after head coach Gerard Gallant was fired on November 13. Gary Agnew became the interim coach of the team, but it was clear that Columbus would not allow him to be the head man for long. They wanted someone with experience to teach the young players. It came down to former Kings coach Andy Murray and Hitchcock. In the end, Columbus chose Hitchcock. It was an interesting choice, because one of the reasons the Flyers got rid of Hitchcock was because he was apparently too tough on the younger players.

Nonetheless, Hitchcock has the duty of turning around a team that is 5-13-2 and last place in the Western Conference. The Blue Jackets have just one regular player, Anders Eriksson, who is in the + range of the +/- scale. Even at that rate, Eriksson is still just a +2. David Vyborny is the team leader with 18 points. Columbus is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. Will things change with Hitchcock behind the bench?

That is a question we will have to wait and find out the answer to. The Flyers meanwhile, since firing Hitchcock and hiring John Stevens on October 22, are just 4-8-2. After a tough loss to Ottawa on Wednesday, they'll be looking to rebound in the classic day after Thanksgiving battle.

Game Information: 1:00, ComcastSportsNet, 610 WIP

Senators knock down Flyers in overtime

On the eve before Thanksgiving, the Flyers may have been thinking a bit too much about their Turkey Day dinners. After scoring the first two goals of the game to take a 2-0 lead, the team collectively appeared to go into a tryptophan-like coma as the Ottawa Seantors scored the final three goals of the game to win 3-2.

The Flyers started the scoring with a late first period goal from Petr Nedved, who has been impressive since rejoining the team. On this night though, he took two rough hooking penalties, one of which led to a Senators goal. Nedved's goal was reviewed, as the Senators believed that R.J. Umberger kicked the puck into the net. Replays showed that the puck never touched Umberger and that it hit off the back of Senators defenseman Wade Redden.

In the second period, Mike Knuble was in the right place in the right time as he found a puck out in front sitting on top of the left pad of goaltender Ray Emery. Knuble tipped it off the pad of Emery and into the net, putting the Flyers ahead 2-0 just over four minutes into the period.

The Senators cut the lead to one about haflway through the period when Mike Fisher got a ton of open ice at the right circle in the Flyers end. He fired the puck past a screened Antero Niittymaki to make it 2-1. Daniel Alfredsson gave the Flyers a little taste of their own medicine with 34 seconds left in the second period to make it 2-2. Alfredsson received a quick pass from Peter Schaefer in the slot and ripped it past Niittymaki to tie the game.

Derian Hatcher had his second straight very strong game for the Flyers, and believe it or not, is on the + side of the +/- for the month of November. Maybe taking Mike Rathje away from Hatcher on the penalty kill has been Hatcher's saving grace. Meanwhile, youngster Kimmo Timonen, playing in his second game, also looked very strong on the back end for the Flyers. Lars Jonsson, Randy Jones, Joni Pitkanen and Freddy Meyer rounded out the defensive corps for the Flyers.

After a scoreless third period, the game headed to overtime. Both Ottawa and Philadelphia had their chances, but Wade Redden capitalized with 21 seconds left to play in the extra frame by ripping a one timer past Niittymaki on a 3 on 2 breakout for Ottawa. The Flyers headed up the tunnel and into the locker room after suffering yet another very tough loss.

The Flyers will be back at it on Friday afternoon against the Columbus Blue Jackets. None other than Ken Hitchcock will be behind the bench for Columbus after being hired by Doug MacLean shortly Wednesday night's NHL action got underway. The Flyers can only hope it will not be a Black Friday letdown.

Forsberg-less Flyers match against Sens

If the Flyers want to beat the Ottawa Senators tonight, they'll have to do it without the captain. Peter Forsberg, along with Mike Rathje, will miss tonight's game against Ottawa. Forsberg and Rathje will be sharing a common ailment tonight as both players will be out with back injuries. Forsberg's injury is much less serious than Rathje's though, as the Swedish superstar will nurse a back strain he suffered Monday vs. Pittsburgh after a rough collision with Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik. Combine that with the fact that Forsberg's right ankle is still giving him problems, and it's a recipe for a night off for the Flyers captain.

Rathje, meanwhile, is trying everything he can to play through the pain. The trainers will not let him play through it tonight. Rathje will receive Botox shots (that is not a typo) in his lower back to relieve the stress being placed on him. Rathje already received the maximum amount of cortisone shots, and Botox was something suggested to Rathje a few weeks back.

The Senators come in to the Wachovia Center tonight trying to keep the label of most disappointing team in the Eastern Conference with the Flyers. What the Senators cannot hide is the fact that they have just 19 points, which is third worst in the Eastern Conference. The Senators just got out of the Northeast Division basement as they won 3 of their last 4 games. After finishing with a Conference-best 114 points last season, the hopes were still high for the Sens this year despite losing Zdeno Chara, Martin Havlat, and Bryan Smolinksi. Jason Spezza is the high man in points for Ottawa, with 25 of them.

On the other side, the Flyers are looking to rebound from a poor start against the Penguins on Monday. They trailed 3-0 after one period and never caught up. If there was one positive to take from the game, it was the fact that the power play that has been dead last in the NHL this season went 3 for 8. Geoff Sanderson extended his scoring streak to 5 straight games, the best streak in the NHL as of now.

Game Information: 7:00, ComcastSportsNet, 1210 WPHT

Flyers fall to Penguins once more
Flyers are 0-4 vs. Pittsburgh this season

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Just last season, the Flyers had 101 points and finished 5th in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins had just 58 points, worst in the Eastern Conference, and just one point better than the cellar dwelling St. Louis Blues.

This year has been a different story to say the least. The Penguins are three points back of first in the Atlantic Division, while the Flyers are last in the division. On Monday night, the problems for the Flyers continued as the Penguins beat the Flyers 5-3.

John LeClair started the scoring for the Penguins in the first, and Pittsburgh never looked back. On Pittsburgh's second goal of the first period, Sidney Crosby made the possible play of the year so far. On a break into the Flyers zone, Crosby spun and pulled a 180 degree turn, finding Dominic Moore, who one-timed it home to make it 2-0. They lead 3-0 after one period.

The Flyers got on the board for the first time in the second period when Simon Gagne scored. But, the Penguins came right back with tic-tac-toe passing and Crosby finished to make it 4-1. Geoff Sanderson continued his scoring streak as he scored to make it 4-2. Sanderson has scored in 5 straight games for the Flyers. But, the defense failed once more as the Penguins came back less than 2 minutes later to score on a Sergei Gonchar power play goal to make it 5-2. The Flyers were chasing the Penguins all night long, and were never able to catch up. If the Flyers have to keep chasing all season long, it will be a dreary Wachovia Center come April.

Penguins try to score for four against Flyers tonight

If the Flyers are to stop the Pittsburgh Penguins from going 4-0 against them this season, they will have to play a complete 60 minutes of hockey. They can play those 60 minutes of hockey with a sense of confidence, as their head coach John Stevens inked a 2-year extension this afternoon. The Flyers are 4-7-1 under Stevens, who took over the coaching reigns on October 22.

Meanwhile, on the ice tonight, the Flyers will face the Penguins for the fourth time this year. Much unlike a year ago, when the Flyers went 6-1-1 against Pittsburgh, the Penguins have turned the tide on the Flyers to go 3-0 so far. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins with 28 points, and rookie Evgeni Malkin has 16.

Before tonight's game, the Flyers called up defenseman Jussi Timonen from the Phantoms. To make room for Timonen, forward Ryan Potulny was sent back down to the Phantoms. Timonen had two goals and six assists in 17 games for the Phantoms this season, while Potulny was scoreless in two games for the Flyers. The Flyers are coming off a rather successful 2-1 road trip. Of course, that's all relative. The Flyers did suffer a rough 6-1 defeat on Saturday at the hands of the Sharks and barely pulled out the victory against the Kings. They will have to work hard and play hard tonight for 60 minutes in order to stop the Pens.

Flyers fall to Sharks to finish trip

The Flyers could not quite finish the task of a 3-0 California road swing, as they lost to the Sharks late Saturday night 6-1. They trailed 2-0 before getting on the board, as Geoff Sanderson scored his 7th goal of the season to make it 2-1. Philadelphia then went on the power play moments later, but a loose puck took a bad bounce off the wall and Mike Grier capitalized on a shorthanded breakaway score to make it 3-1 as the Sharks did not look back.

Alexandre Picard left the game early in the 2nd period after receiving a crushing hit from Mark Bell. Picard's face appeared to have hit the ledge along the boards, and he was forced to leave the game. His condition is still unknown, and he should be evaluated sometime soon here in Philadelphia.

Robert Esche stopped just 12 of the 18 shots he faced, and was pulled in the 2nd period in favor of Antero Niittymaki did not allow a goal on the 7 shots he faced. Vesa Toskala stopped 17 of 18 shots for the Sharks, and the Flyers had an uneventful ending to a promising road trip.

Flyers finish trip against Sharks

If the Flyers are to return to Philadelphia 3-0 on this road trip, they will have to get through the obstacle that is the San Jose Sharks. The task won't nearly be as hard, as last year's top goal scorer Jonathan Cheechoo will miss tonight's game with a leg injury that will keep him out day-to-day. With the Sharks being 14-6, there is no reason to risk Cheechoo this early in the season. Nonetheless, the Flyers will still have to deal with Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek. Marleau already has 23 points, and Michalek and Thornton each have 22.

The Flyers will have the tough task of shutting down the league's number one power play tonight as well. The Sharks, at 23.8% on the man advantage, have distanced themselves from 2nd place Minnesota by 2.2%. So what do the Flyers have going for them? The league's 5th best penalty kill. Last year, the Flyers were 27th in the league in the kill.

The Sharks are coming off a victory on Wednesday night against the Avalanche on the road. Evgeni Nabokov stopped 40 of the 43 shots fired on him en route to the 4-3 win for San Jose. Vesa Toskala, who has played in the other 11 games this year for the Sharks, is 9-2 with a 92.7% save percentage and a 2.16 GAA, will get the call tonight. If the Flyers can somehow get out of the HP Pavilion with a win tonight, they will truly be Calfornia Dreamin'.

Flyers show heart in stunning win over Kings
Flyers score 3 goals in 3:10 to win

If there was ever a time for the need to start playing good hockey, it was on this cruical three game road trip for the Flyers. Last night, the Flyers rose from their slumber in the third period, scoring three goals in 3:10 to beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3.

One night after scoring three power play goals in Anaheim, the Flyers went back to their struggles on the man advantage. They went 0-4 on the power play, including an 0-3 in the first period. Geoff Sanderson was able to find the back of the net when he pulled a wrap-around move on goaltender Dan Cloutier, putting the Flyers in front 1-0.

The Kings wasted no time coming out of the locker room, flying around the ice with the clear jump over the Flyers. On a loose puck in front of the Flyer net, Alexander Frolov lifted it above a sprawled out Antero Niittymaki for his 9th of the season. Heading into the third period, the score was tied at one a piece.

The Kings kicked off the third period with a bang, as forward Brian Willsie received a pass from Dustin Brown in the high circle. Willsie fired it past Niittymaki to put the Kings in front 2-1. Just 59 seconds later, Mike Weaver believed he had tied the game for Los Angeles. Instead, the goal was called off because Alexandre Picard touched the puck in front of the net on a delayed penalty call. The Kings argued the call, saying Picard may have touched it, but never had control. The call stood though, and the Kings stayed ahead by just one. The Kings ended up going ahead 3-1 on a 2 on 1 breakaway with Alexander Frolov being the recipient of a beautiful pass from Craig Conroy. Frolov punched it home and the Kings were now up 3-1, this time for real. So, turn out the lights and head to bed, right? Wrong.

For once, the Flyers fought back. Mike Knuble tipped a loose puck behind defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky, and Simon Gagne skated in on a breakaway. Gagne beat Cloutier to pull the Flyers within one with 6:47 to play.

On a faceoff to the right of Cloutier, a loose puck came to the stick of R.J. Umberger. Umberger fired a shot past the Kings goaltender to tie the game at 3-3. Umberger's goal, his 5th of the season, came just 40 seconds removed from Gagne's goal. Then, on a 3 on 2 breakout at the neutral zone, Mike Richards fought off a check and flipped the puck to a darting Umberger. Umberger, who appeared to be hooked on the play, finished things off on the backhand for his 2nd goal of the night to put the Flyers in front 4-3.

And for once, the Flyers didn't choke the game away. They didn't collapse under the pressure. They didn't feel the heat. It may have gotten chippy late in the game, but this time, they put the game away. Hey, only 9 points back of the division. There's a long way to go.

Time to keep the ball rolling
Flyers meet Kings in L.A.

After what was certainly a surprising victory against the Anaheim Ducks last night, the Flyers take to the ice again this evening in Los Angeles against the Kings. It's funny how quickly things can change. On Monday night, the Flyers were down in the dumps after losing their sixth game in a row against Pittsburgh. The Flyers got what the Penguins probably felt were two cheap goals, but they battled all night long. With the game on the line, rookie Evgeni Malkin delivered with a shot from the high slot to put the Pens up 3-2. Game over.

Two nights later, the Flyers put a barrage on the Anaheim net in the first period, scoring five goals en route to a 7-4 win. So which Flyers team will show up in Los Angeles tonight? It's tough to tell, but we can only hope the team that showed up in Anaheim last night shows up tonight. And stop me if you've heard this one before, but we might have a goalie controversy on our hands. Robert Esche was not spectacular, but solid last night. He stopped 37 of 41 Anaheim shots to give the Flyers a lift in net. We will wait and see if John Stevens goes back to Esche again tonight.

Sure, the Flyers were outshot 41-16 last night, but for once, some lucky bounces went their way. Sami Kapanen started the scoring just over a minute and a half in with a dump-in that deflected off the skate of defenseman Francois Beauchemin and past goaltender Jean-Sebastian Giguere. Just 22 seconds later, the Ducks did get one friendly hop in front of the net as Chris Kunitz fired a shot off the body of defenseman Derian Hatcher and past Esche. But from there on out, and for maybe one night only, every bounce went in favor of the Flyers. They even forced the Ducks to pull Giguere in favor of backup Ilya Brzygalov near the end of the first period. Peter Forsberg returned to the lineup and scored a goal and dished out an assist, and it was a successful 7-4 victory over a team that had not lost a game at home until last night.

Waiting for the Flyers are the dangerous Los Angeles Kings. Sure, in the win-loss column, they are just 6-10-4, but they possess weapons that the Flyers defense may have a tough time stopping. Michael Cammalleri and rookie Anze Kopitar each have 17 points for the Kings, and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky has 12 points this year on the blue line for Los Angeles. Maybe if the Flyers play well tonight, those lucky bounces will be going their way once more.

Flyers prepare for Pens
Holmgren makes first move as permanent GM

As the Flyers were busy getting ready for tonight's game against Pittsburgh, GM Paul Holmgren was busy on the phones. Holmgren, who had the interim tag removed from his name on Saturday evening, dealt a 4th round pick to Anaheim. In return, the Flyers received an old friend, Todd Fedoruk. Fedoruk last played for the Flyers pre-lockout, in the 2003-2004 campgain. He played 42 games for the Phantoms in the AHL in 2004-2005. This season, Fedoruk has 3 assists in 10 games for the Ducks. He has been out since October 27th when Minnesota's Derek Boogaard cracked the orbital bone in his face in a vicious fight.

Denis Gauthier will undergo surgery sometime tomorrow with Dr. Peter DeLuca in South Philadelphia at Methodist Hospital. Gauthier had the same surgery in the offseason to repair his right shoulder. Now, it'll be the left shoulder keeping him out anywhere from 10-12 weeks. Meanwhile, Peter Forsberg was in Cleveland today to try and find a fit to his right skate boot, which has been causing problems for him all season. Team trainer Jim McCrossin explained that Forsberg found a skate boot that fit him and that the ankle did not roll around in the boot. If it works as well on ice as it did off ice, Forsberg should be 100% for the remainder of the year.

The Penguins have certainly been the toughest team for the Flyers to play all season long. They'll have to find a way to stop the 22 points that Sidney Crosby boasts, plus the 14 that Evgeni Malkin has in just 11 games. The Penguins beat the Flyers on opening night 4-0, then defeated them 8-2 on October 28th.

Game Information: 7:30, Versus, 610WIP

Sabres knock off Flyers in OT

If Flyers fans were looking for effort from their club, they got it tonight against the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, the Flyers' luck ran out in overtime as Daniel Briere beat Antero Niittymaki just 21 seconds into the extra frame. Nonetheless, the Flyers gave a strong showing tonight for three periods before falling to the Sabres. With Peter Forsberg out of the lineup with a mild right ankle sprain, the team rallied around little-known forward Randy Robitaille. Robitaille paced the Flyers with two goals tonight, but eventually hurt the team with a late-game penalty for too many men on the ice.

Despite the negatives, the Flyers produced plenty of positives. Robitaille scored first to put the Flyers in front 1-0. When the Sabres scored three straight goals to go up 3-1, they went to the attack... literally. Before all was said and done, three fights went down in the game, something unheard of in the new age NHL. Triston Grant duked it out with tough guy Andrew Peters. Mike Richards went at it with Nathan Paetsch. Ben Eager and Paul Gaustad exchanged fists as well. The Flyers won two of the fights, while the last scrap was one that left much to be desired. Gaustad got the first shot in on Eager from behind, and nothing really materialized as Eager drove Gaustad to the ice. Eager complained that it should have been an instigator on Gaustad, but the refs decided otherwise.

With the score 3-1, Alex Picard received a pass from Petr Nedved and ripped the shot past Martin Biron, who was filling in for the injured Ryan Miller. It was Picard's first goal of his NHL career, and it cut the Sabres lead to just one goal. The Flyers continued to pressure until the final horn of the second period, and got something they hadn't heard in a while: a standing ovation from the fans. It was well deserved, as the Flyers were hanging with the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and possibly in the entire NHL.

The momentum parlayed into an early third period goal as R.J. Umberger fired a wrist shot past Biron to tie the game at 3-3 just 20 seconds in. With the fans buzzing over the goal, the Flyers continued attacking Biron. With 11:29 gone by in the third, the Flyers caught a lucky break. Geoff Sanderson made a diving attempt at a loose puck to keep it in the zone. Kyle Calder was patient with the puck at the low circle, and then zoomed a pass across the ice to Robitaille, who one-timed it past Biron to put the Flyers in front 4-3.

Then came those dastardly Buffalo Sabres. After the Flyers failed to score on a 3 on 0 (you are reading that right) the Sabres came back with 2:59 to play. On a point shot from Brian Campbell, Briere found a rebound in front and pushed it past Niittymaki to tie the game at 4-4. With just a half minute to play, the controversy arrived. Robitaille hopped off the bench and made an attempt to play the puck. Robitaille, unfortunately for the Flyers, was the sixth man on the ice. He was sent to the box for the penalty, and 21 seconds into overtime... Briere won the game for Buffalo with a slapshot past Niittymaki. That quickly, all the fun was gone. The effort from Petr Nedved, who had 3 assists, was gone. The first good game in a long time from Kyle Calder was thrown to the wayside. Robitaille went from hero to goat and the team lost a very winnable game. The good news? It's one point in the column, and this team will take it. Hopefully this is step one to getting back on track, but we've all heard that line before.

Flyers prepare for the worst against Sabres

When the Flyers lost to the Sabres 9-1 a few weeks back, the team had hit rock bottom. Bob Clarke and Ken Hitchcock were fired 5 days later, and the team moved in a new direction. Since then, things haven't gotten much better for the orange and black. The team is now 3-11-1, and they face the task of stopping a team that has not yet lost on the road this season. That's right, Buffalo is in town tonight, and the Flyers need to play 60 minutes of hockey if they even want to have a chance to win this one.

Buffalo has lost one game this year, while the Flyers have lost twelve. Just think about that for a second. Settled in yet? Good. We can easily throw all the stats out there, but we'll try to keep it to a minimum. Maybe the most startling stat: the Sabres have 8 players in double digits in points already. The Flyers have just one, Simon Gagne. The Sabres have 68 goals this season, while the Flyers have just 30. Buffalo's power play is nearly 10% better than the Flyers, which is at a league worst 8.8%. It only gets worse from there.

For the Flyers, Antero Niittymaki will be in goal. Peter Forsberg is questionable with flu-like symptoms. Ryan Miller may be out tonight for the Sabres with a "lower body muscle strain" as termed by head coach Lindy Ruff. If he cannot play, backup Martin Biron will start for Buffalo. Biron won in the Sabres' game last night in Florida. The Flyers also announced today that Marty Murray was claimed on waivers by the Kings, and that Ryan Potulny was called up once again. Despite it being reported here that he would play on Thursday vs. the Islanders, he was acutally sent down again to the Phantoms shortly after it was announced of his call-up. Potulny may or may not play tonight. Great reporting there, eh?

The Flyers' walking wounded also include Denis Gauthier, Mike Knuble, and Randy Robitaille. Gauthier was absent from practice on Friday and may not play tonight. Robtaille has been out since November 3rd after he nicked up his left ankle in a hard crash into the boards against Tampa Bay. Knuble will definitely not play tonight, as he is still recovering from a broken finger.

Tonight's game is somewhat like an impending storm. There's about a 95% chance of something bad happening tonight at the Wachovia Center. Too bad the Flyers only have a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

Gagne is much like former maligned Philadelphia star

In watching this entire debacle that is the 2006-2007 Philadelphia Flyers season, there have been a few thoughts that have come to me. No thought is more prevalent than this one, though. Through these first 15 games, something has become blatanly obvious. As Simon Gagne scored with 2:14 to play in the third period a goal that was essentially meaningless, it became even more obvious. Over these years, Simon Gagne has been brought up in the Flyers organization as the team's bright young star. Yet it is clear that Gagne is almost like, the, yes... Bobby Abreu of this Flyers team.

Now it is of course clear that Abreu and Gagne play two different sports. It's also clear that hockey is much more of a team game than baseball, which relies on individual performance more than anything else. The differences though can be stopped there. Gagne is much like Abreu in the fact that he is a fantastic talent. In fact, it can be said that Abreu was one of the best players the Phillies ever had. Gagne's career is shaping up to be much like that, but both players have faced harsh criticisms from their respective fanbases.

The past tense cannot be used on Gagne's career, but it surely can on Abreu's. Abreu was a superb player, but always seemed to draw ire from fans because of one thing: lack of mental toughness to play in Philadelphia. It really seems that Gagne may be suffering from this as well. What both players have in common is that they both put up huge numbers but never come up with the clutch plays. Every once in a while, a blind squirrel can find a nut. Yes, Simon Gagne did score the game winning goal in overtime of Game 6 vs. Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Finals two years ago, and yes, Bobby Abreu has hit himself some walkoff homeruns. What makes both men so similar though is the fact that they cannot seem to come up in the clutch consistently.

Another similar trait that the two share is the fact that they have both refused to take on a leadership role when it was clearly there for them. Last season, when it was determined that Keith Primeau would be out for an extended period of time, the Flyers offered the captainship first to Gagne. He declined. Abreu had been with the Phillies since 1997, when they traded for him and sent shortstop Kevin Stocker to Tampa Bay. Certainly has been a long time if I'd say so myself. In his nine years here, what Abreu also failed to do was lead this Phillies squad. Most recently, the embattled Abreu had the team leadership stolen from him by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Abreu should have been the consumate veteran in this time. He should have stepped up and torn into the team when they weren't playing well, and praised them when they were. In these tough times for the Flyers, this is what Simon Gagne needs to do. Because, honestly, this team cannot afford to lose to the Islanders, which is what transpired last night at the Wachovia Center. With the Sabres coming in tomorrow, it will only get worse. Someone needs to stop the insanity that is the Flyers' futility now. Paging Mr. Gagne...

Wild Isles face Flyers

Back in the summer, when the Islanders were changing GMs after just one month and handing out $67.5 million contracts to mediocre goaltenders, it seemed like this was a team destined for the basement of the Atlantic Division. Come November 9th, the Islanders have double the amount of points as the Flyers and trail the Devils by just three points in the division. Much of the early success for the Islanders can be attributed to the hot start from captain Alexei Yashin, who has 5 goals and 12 assists in just 14 games this season. Jason Blake leads the team with 8 goals. This will be a pivotal matchup for the Islanders, who won just 2 games against the Flyers in 8 attempts last season.

Meanwhile, the Flyers take to the ice tonight with another different lineup look. Petr Nedved, who had 8 points in his short stint with the Phantoms, will most likely be back tonight. Also expect rookie Ryan Potulny to make a cameo. Potulny played in just two games last year for the Flyers and posted an assist in his time with the team. A starting goaltender has not been announced, but it is expected that Antero Niittymaki will get the call tonight from coach John Stevens.

Stevens, meanwhile, was a busy man yesterday. He took a trip to Home Depot to buy plywood. He cordoned off half of the net with Antero Niittymaki, then placed the plywood along the ice so the players would shoot for the upper part of the net in practice. Missing from practice was captain Peter Forsberg, who was in North Carolina visiting with Dr. Robert Anderson, a foot specialist. Forsberg has felt discomfort while skating, and is searching for the perfect boot to fit his foot. Forsberg actually visited Dr. Anderson just as a follow up from his surgery on his right ankle, which required surgery over the summer. Forsberg stressed that there is no problem with the ankle and that it is merely a skate problem. Then again, he's not the only one with problems in this organization nowadays.

In trade news... the Flyers made a huge deal today with the Tampa Bay Lightning by acquiring right winger Darren Reid for center Daniel Corso. Okay, so it's not exactly a huge deal. Reid is expected to give the Phantoms some right wing depth in the AHL.

Carter out six weeks
Nedved set to make return

Just when things couldn't get any worse for the Flyers, they did. Yesterday, trainer Jim McCrossin was on hand to announce that forward Jeff Carter will miss six weeks with a broken bone in his left ankle. McCrossin explained that Carter had an MRI that showed a crack in his left tibia. The swelling in Carter's ankle had left him, but the pain remained. After the MRI was taken it was determined that he would be missing an extended amount of time.

Carter has 1 goal and 4 assists in 12 games this season. He is expected to be replaced on the roster by an old friend who will make his return to the lineup on Thursday vs. the Islanders. This is of course none other than Petr Nedved. Nedved cleared re-entry waivers today and should be in the lineup tomorrow. The Flyers also announced the re-calls of Martin Greiner, Matt Ellison, and Ryan Potulny. Potulny was a runner up for the 2006 Hobey Baker Award, which goes to the best collegiate hockey player in the nation.

Flyers fail to turn over a new leaf
Team falls to 3-10-1 on the season

Heading into the 14th game of the train wreck that is the 2006-2007 Philadelphia Flyers season, the team was just 7 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Sure, it's still early, and sure, the Flyers haven't been eliminated from the division title race. Yet, with the sense of urgency (or lacktherof) that this team is showing, they might as well be.

In another disappointing and frustrating game against the Maple Leafs, Andrew Raycroft picked his game up in goal for Toronto and led the team to victory. Raycroft was on fire all night long, as the Flyers' sticks were ice cold. It was once more not a lack of shots on goal on offense, but instead the dearth of offensive prowess and the ability to finish on the rebound attempts. The Flyers also struggled once more on the power play, going 0 for 7 and lowering their season percentage on the man-advantage to an incomprehensible 8%. This team needs Brian Leetch on speed dial, or they will see this power play have an incredibly tough time all year long.

Bates Battaglia got Toronto on the board at the 5:25 mark of the first period with his 4th goal of the season. Antero Niittymaki came up with save after save in the first stanza, stopping 14 of 15 shots and keeping the ragged defense in front of him on life support. The Flyers were lucky to only be trailing by one after the first period.

In the second, Ben Eager got things started on the right foot for the Flyers. Eager received a pass from Eric Meloche in the offensive zone, and went one-on-one with Raycroft. Eager beat Raycroft stick-side to tie the game at one a piece. For Meloche, it was his second assist in as many games for the Flyers. For Eager, it was his first goal of the season just over two and half minutes into the period. Philadelphia continued the barrage on Toronto's net, sending 17 shots Raycroft's way in the second. They could not capitalize on any of them except Eager's, and headed into the third tied at 1-1.

With 7:18 to play in the third, Bryan McCabe took a shot from the point. The puck came loose in front of the goal and Nik Antropov scored on the power play to put Toronto in front 2-1.

With the score 2-1 and the Flyers pressing to tie, a puck came loose at center ice. Alexei Ponikarovsky hopped on the loose disk, and charged into the Flyers zone. Ponikarovsky fired it up and over the shoulder pads of Niittymaki, putting the icing on the cake for the Leafs. They added an empty net goal from Tomas Kaberle with 1:13 to play to go up 4-1. In the end, it was another wasted trip to Toronto for the Flyers, who have not beaten the Leafs in their last three games against them. These days, it's tough for this Flyers team to beat anyone.

Flyers visit Leafs in key battle

Tonight, the Flyers are up north to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs in a big Eastern Conference battle. The Flyers are coming off a 5-3 loss to the Capitals, while the Leafs handed the Sabres their first regulation loss on Saturday. These are two teams heading in similar directions right now, as the Leafs are building youth around the aging Mats Sundin, while the Flyers are doing the same around Peter Forsberg.

Toronto is currently 2nd in the Northeast Divison, with 16 points. Toronto though has already played 16 games, compared to just 13 for Montreal, who trails Toronto by two points. The aforementioned Sundin is leading the Leafs with 18 points, while Darcy Tucker has scored 10 goals and has 6 assists. Tucker has not lost his edginess on the ice though, as he is 2nd on the team in penalty minutes with 25.

The Flyers meanwhile will be looking to rebound from Saturday's loss against Washington. They trailed 4-1 after just one period, and pulled goaltender Robert Esche after just 20 minutes of play. Antero Niittymaki will get the start in net tonight for the Flyers. Jeff Carter's health is in question for tonight's game. He skated on Sunday in practice, but will be a game-time decision. Mike Rathje will miss his second straight game with a back injury that may require surgery. It is reported that Rathje will receive Botox shots instead of cortisone shots because he has used up the allotted amount of cortisone. The Botox will apparently relax the muscles in his back. At this point, he's just trying anything to stay away from surgery.

Game Information: 7:00, ComcastSportsNet, 610WIP

Ovechkin and Clymer lead Caps past Flyers

On a night in which the Flyers played before a half-empty arena, the team gave a half-hearted effort in a 5-3 defeat to Washington. Alexander Ovechkin proved that he is worth the price of admission, and Ben Clymer proved that even a blind squirrel can find a nut every once in a while.

Ovechkin scored 3:53 into the first period to put Washington in front 1-0. With Washington's power play coming to an end the Flyers deflected a puck at the blue line and Simon Gagne skated off on a breakaway. Gagne went to the backhand, beating goaltender Brent Johnson to tie the game at one a piece.

Just 26 seconds later, Brian Sutherby's shot flew in the air, and Ben Clymer was right there to bang it home and put the Capitals up 2-1. Shane Morrison continued the Washington onslaught when he tipped a puck past Robert Esche, extending Washington's lead to 3-1. While the Flyers were trying to get to the locker room down by two, the Capitals were trying to continue the attack. They did just that, as Chris Clark and Ovechkin broke out on a 2 on 1 on Robert Esche. Clark passed to Ovechkin, who one-timed the puck past the outstretched Robert Esche. After one, Washington led 4-1.

The second period began with a goalie change, as Antero Niittymaki replaced Esche to a resounding cheer. His first save was cheered quite loudly by the Wachovia Center faithful, making known who they want in net as the starting goaltender. The second period went scoreless, and the Flyers left the ice to a loud chorus of boos.

Before the seats were even warmed up to start the 3rd, it was Clymer scoring his second goal of the night. He received a pass from behind the net and drilled it past Niittymaki to put the Caps up 5-1. The Flyers did not go down without a fight, though. Eric Meloche picked up his first NHL point of the season on a shot past Johnson that Geoff Sanderson deflected home to cut the Washington lead to 5-2. With 5 minutes left and the Flyers in dire straits, R.J. Umberger deflected a Mike Richards shot to make it 5-3. It would not be enough on this night though, as the Capitals won their first game on Philadelpia ice since 1998.

Ovechkin and Caps visit Flyers

Two days removed from the Peter Forsberg explosion, the Flyers take the ice tonight against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. This year's edition of the Capitals isn't exactly the same as last night. Gone are the days of Ovechkin having to carry the team on his shoulders. He has a new running mate in rookie Alexander Semin, who has 8 goals and 4 assists this season for Washington. Ovechkin has brought balance to his game, with 6 goals and 8 assists on the year.

A pair of former Flyers visit the Wachovia Center tonight. Dainius Zubrus, who has of course been down this road before since leaving Philadelphia, and Donald Brashear, making his first return to Philadelphia since leaving as a free agent in the offseason. Brashear has 2 assists in 12 games, and is a +3 for Washington.

The Flyers made some moves before the game today, calling up defensemen Martin Grenier and Alexandre Picard and winger Mark Cullen. Triston Grant has been sent back down to the Phantoms. Cullen will take the place of Randy Robitaille, who is out 7-10 days with a sprained ankle. He took a nasty fall on Thursday on a play that looked like a potential season-ending injury. If Jeff Carter, who suffered a left ankle injury on Thursday, is unable to go, then Picard will most likely take his place and the Flyers will use 7 defensemen. Robert Esche will be in net for the Flyers. Esche stopped 26 shots in a shutout against Chicago on Monday night.

Game Information: 7:00, ComcastSportsNet, 610WIP

Forsberg snaps in Flyers loss

Peter Forsberg was hired as Flyers captain this summer. It was said he would be a man that would lead by example. He wouldn't kick, yell or scream at his teammates. He wouldn't get in the face of the coach or fire anyone up with a passionate speech. And of course Foppa would never get thrown out of a game for arguing with the referees. Not the mild-mannered Peter Forsberg, right? Wrong. In another frustrating effort in front of the Flyer faithful, Forsberg certainly wore his heart on his sleeve to say the least. Was Forsberg's ejection justified? Probably not. Were his actions as the team's captain harmful to the team? Certainly.

Yet what Peter Forsberg showed last night was a strong dedication to his team and the fans who pay to see the greatest player in the world put on a show each night. Dedication and passion is something this team has been lacking from top to bottom since the year began.

It started with Bob Clarke, who resigned his post as general manager because he was burnt out from the arduous task of building a hockey team. It trickled down to the players, who have shown little emotion in their 3-8-1 start to the season. If this team needed a boost, it was Forsberg who gave it to them last night.

It's a shame that this Flyers team didn't have 20 Martin St. Louis-type players on the squad. It was St. Louis who scored 2 goals last night, his 8th and 9th goals of the season to put the Lightning in front early. The complaints from Forsberg began after Lightning captain Tim Taylor scored to put his team in front 3-0. Forsberg argued that the puck was not visible underneath the pads of Antero Niittymaki and the whistle should have blown the play dead. He certainly had a point, as video reviews showed that the puck was not visible from any angle and that referee Dan O'Halloran must have had x-ray vision to see it. Forsberg received an unsportsmanlike conduct minor for this and the Flyers headed into the locker room down 3-0 after two periods.

In the third period, the Flyers awoke from their slumber and put pressure on goaltender Johan Holmqvist. R.J. Umberger and Randy Jones scored just 21 seconds apart midway through the third to cut the Tampa Bay lead to 3-2. With all of the energy and emotion flowing on the Flyer side the Flyers went to the attack needing just one goal in the final 8 minutes of the game. It seemed like an unsurmountable lead just moments earlier.

With 4:10 left to play, Forsberg was battling behind the goal with Lightning defenseman Nolan Pratt for the puck. Forsberg threw an elbow Pratt's way that missed him for the most part. The arm went up, and Forsberg went to the box. It was a shame he didn't stay there. He was also assessed a game misconduct for complaining about the call, sending him to the locker room for an early shower. It wasn't just the fact that the penalty, or the lackthereof one, set him off. It was the fact that he was thrown out of two key faceoffs in the Tampa Bay zone late in the game in the third period. It was the fact that he was called for a hooking penalty along the boards that was a mystery to him and the fans. It was the fact that Tim Taylor got four chances to score a goal that shouldn't have happened. All in all, it was a frustrating night for the Flyer captain.

Vincent LeCavalier and Eric Perrin scored empty net goals to put a capper on a night that won't soon be forgotten. If this Flyers team can follow their leader and get out of the duldrums of this Atlantic Division, maybe we can forget this game. For now though, it is the harsh reality that this team is not good enough to make the playoffs. If Peter Forsberg has the last word though, that can all change.

Flyers Update

So while I was away from the blog, a lot happened to the Flyers on the ice and off of it. To recap:

The Flyers beat the Blackhawks on Monday night 3-0. Robert Esche pitched a 26-save shutout and Peter Forsberg scored two goals on former Flyer Brian Boucher to lift the Fly-guys to victory.

On Tuesday night it was reported that Ed Snider offered the general manager position to NHL executive Colin Campbell. It is believed that Snider and Campbell are very close friends and worked hard together during the lockout as Snider was on the rules committee and Campbell was on the executive board. After mulling his options for 24 hours, Campbell respectfully declined the job. Some other potential candidates include Los Angeles assistant GM Ron Hextall and former Flyer Dave Poulin. For now, interim GM Paul Holmgren will keep his job.

Although Ken Hitchcock may be pursued by other teams, he will remain with the Flyers for now. Snider announced the hiring of Hitchcock as a pro scout. As pro scout, Hitchcock's job will entail advance scouting of teams and scouting of players that the Flyers may be interested in trading for. It will be interesting to see how long Hitchcock has this job, as there are already rumors of him possibly replacing GM/Head Coach Jacques Martin in Florida. Martin would most likely remain the general manager, but could take the head coach tag away from his name soon.

Meanwhile, the Flyers today announced the demotions of Lars Jonsson and Alexandre Picard to the Phantoms. Jonsson is still not 100% recovered from his ankle injury, and the Flyers feel he is not experienced enough to play in the NHL yet. With the Phantoms, Jonsson can get a considerable amount of ice time and Picard can as well. It appears that the Flyers will go with a defensive unit consisting of Mike Rathje, Joni Pitkanen, Derian Hatcher, Freddy Meyer, Randy Jones, and Denis Gauthier.

Tonight, the Flyers will take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Wachovia Center in the fourth game of the five game homestand. Antero Niittymaki will get the start for the Flyers, a team that has not beaten the Lightning in the regular season in their last 9 tries. In both starts in his career against the Lightning, Niittymaki has been the losing goaltender.

One point to watch tonight will be Vincent LeCavalier's hot streak. He has scored in 5 straight games and has 12 points on the season. Martin St. Louis, who signed a 5 year extension this offseason with the Lightning, has 7 goals and 10 points this year for the last place Lightning.

Changes on the way

Well, this blog is about to undergo a change. After a quick vacation from blogging, I am back and ready to rock and roll. From here on out, this blog will focus solely on the Flyers and no other Philadelphia team. It really was getting to be a little much, so I decided to choose my favorite team, the Flyers... and move on with them. There will now be more comprehensive coverage of the Flyers and a weekly piece on Saturdays that will recap news and notes and everything important around the NHL.