Archive: November, 2008
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
There will be a lot of talk about 36-year-young Mike Knuble's two-goal performance _ including his late game-winner _ in the Flyers' 4-3 victory over Dallas last night.
There will also be talk about the sizzling Jeff Carter, who notched his 15th goal _ tying him for the NHL lead _ and how he helped the Flyers increase their winning streak to five.
But don't overflook the importance of the Flyers' penalty-killing unit, which is one of the main reasons the club is 6-0-1 in its last seven games.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
BUFFALO _ Late last month, this space said goalie Marty Biron needed to step up, needed to win some games on his own to help get the Flyers out of their doldrums.
Consider it done.
The Flyers weren't brilliant last night.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The news was mixed on the Flyers’ injury front today.
Center Danny Briere (groin) skated for about 40 minutes before practice and did not sound optimistic about returning on Friday in Buffalo.
Defenseman Ossi Vaananen (finger) took part in practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, but is even more of a long shot to return for either game this weekend.
The most positive news came from enforcer Riley Cote, who is recovering nicely from a mild muscle tear in his left side, suffered during a warmup routine Nov. 6 in Ottawa. He practiced yesterday and coach John Stevens expects the winger to be able to return Nov. 29 in Toronto, the first game he is eligible to come off the long-term injury list.
“It kills me watching the games,” Cote said. “Just the way the injury happened is kind of embarrassing. It’s one of those freak things and just something you have to deal with it and come back stronger.”
Darroll Powe, recovering from a mild concussion, also returned to practice yesterday. He replaced Jared Ross, who was sent down to the AHL Phantoms.
Briere, who has five goals in eight games, hopes to be able to practice with the club on Thursday.
This injury, he said, is “more frustrating” than the abdominal surgery that sidelined him earlier in the season. “With the surgery, every day I came to the rink I could do something more than the day before,” he said. “The improvement from day to day was huge. With the groin, it’s frustrating….You’re sitting there two or three days without improvement.”
If he is able to practice Thursday without complications, “I might be able to play (Friday), but at the same time, if there’s a setback or it doesn’t improve, there’s no sense risking it _ even though it’s Buffalo (his former club) and I’d like to be in the lineup,”
Briere said.
As for Vaananen, he missed four games after having surgery on his right index finger, then tore the stitches in the finger Thursday in his first game back. He skated but avoided contact yesterday.
“Maybe we learned something,” Vaananen said. “Hopefully, we’ll let it heal properly so we won’t have any setbacks.”
Vaananen said “you don’t have to be a rocket scientist” to figure out he came back too soon.
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Breakaways.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
MONTREAL - No one in the Flyers' dressing room would call their 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens tonight their most impressive performance of the season.
So I will.
Goalie Marty Biron mentioned the Flyers' 7-0 victory over Atlanta last month as their best game.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Can defenseman Matt Carle solve the problems plaguing the 4-5-3 Flyers?
We'll see.
Carle was acquired from Tampa Bay last night, along with a third-round draft selection, for enigmatic winger Steve Downie, improving defenseman Steve Eminger and a fourth-round pick.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
After the Flyers' 4-1 loss in Ottawa tonight, defenseman Kimmo Timonen said free-agent winger Brendan Shanahan may be be the solution for what ails the 4-5-3 club.
“I don’t think we are where we wanted to be,” he said. “You start looking around the room and see if we can improve some way. Maybe he’s the key to do something for us _ leadership or whatever….(General manager Paul) Holmgren is trying to find something to help us.”
The smooth-passing Senators, who had an early goal disallowed (kicked in), scored two goals about five minutes apart and built a 2-0 lead in a dominating first period in which they outshot the Flyers, 13-3.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Though it' seems like a longshot, the Flyers are trying to sign free-agent winger Brendan Shanahan, who is being courted by the Devils and Blues, among others.
Shanahan, 39, who has scored 680 career goals, had a lengthy discussion with Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren today.
