Archive: November, 2009
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Veteran forwards Danny Briere and Simon Gagne returned to the Flyers' practice Monday, bringing a sense of optimism to a club that has lost five of its last six games and has struggled offensively.
Briere has missed the last three games _ two on a league-mandated suspension, one because of the flu _ while Gagne has missed about a month after undergoing hernia and abdominal surgery.
Briere, who has 10 goals in just 17 games, will return to the lineup Thursday against visiting Vancouver.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
What's my take on John Stevens' future as the Flyers' coach?
The Flyers, who have lost five of their last six, are playing for his job.
Either they step up, or the gentlemanly Stevens might be asked to step down.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
When your backup goalie allows just one goal _ as Brian Boucher did Saturday night _ you should skate off the ice with two points.
Instead, the Flyers got zero in a 1-0 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers at the Philips Arena.
It was the fifth loss in the last six games for the Flyers, who dearly miss the offense usually provided by Simon Gagne (abdominal/hernia surgery) and Danny Briere (flu).
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
ATLANTA _ More bad news for the Flyers: Danny Briere, who is second on the team with 10 goals, will miss tonight's game in Atlanta because of the flu.
Briere had missed the previous two games because of an NHL-mandated suspension.
Barry Hanrahan, the Flyers' assistant GM, strongly denied a published report that said Briere was bothered by a groin problem that plagued him last season. Hanrahan said the Flyers are hopeful Briere can play Thursday against Vancouver, and that the veteran forward did not make the trip to Atlanta because they do not want him infecting his teammates.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers’ already-long injury list grew when right winger Ian "Lappy" Laperriere and center Jared Ross suffered first period injuries Friday afternoon in their 4-2 loss to Buffalo at the Wachovia Center.
The happy-go-lucky Laperriere lost four teeth and received between 50 and 100 stitches when he blocked Jason Pominville's slap shot with his mouth _ and returned to play in the third period.
After the game, Laperriere's mouth was so swollen that he looked like a cartoon character. Yet, he is expected expected to play Saturday in Atlanta.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Backup goalie Brian Boucher gets my vote as the Flyers' best player on their 2-3 road trip, which ended with their 2-1 win over the host New York Islanders Wednesday.
In three appearances during the trip, Boucher had a 1.61 goals-against average.
Boucher made 27 saves in the first two periods Wednesday and enabled the Flyers to be locked in a 1-1 tie. The Flyers allowed just one shot as they controlled the third period, winning it on a goal by Scott Hartnell with 5:27 left.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Goalie Marty Biron, one of the NHL's all-time good guys, will face his ex-teammates Wednesday when the improved New York Islanders host the Flyers at 7.
"He's a great guy who loved to be at the rink every day and loved to have fun," Flyers winger Scott Hartnell said. "Seeing him in between the pipes will be a little different. You shoot on him every day in practice so you think you may have his tendancies. It will be fun and we need to get ourselves back onto the winning ways."
"It will be nice to see him again," captain Mike Richards said. "Obviously we have been through a lot the last couple of years when we were teammates. I know that he is having some success out here, which is nice to see."
The Flyers have lost three straight on a 1-3 road trip that ends tonight.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Claude Giroux is known for his playmaking, not his fists.
Yet, with the Flyers facing a 5-2 deficit Monday, the little forward pounded Marek Svatos during a fight late in the second period and it seemed to spark his team toward one of its best 20 minutes of the season.
But it didn't matter.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
DENVER _ The Flyers need their two marquee offensive players _ Jeff Carter and Mike Richards _ to step up and lead the team out of their current funk.
Both have been glaringly unproductive in recent games.
Carter, who scored 46 goals last season, is scoreless in the last four games _ and has just one goal in his last eight contests. All told, he has seven goals; he had 15 at the same point last season.
After a fast start, Richards is also scuffling. He, too, has just one goal in his last eight games. After scoring six goals in his first five games, the Flyers’ captain has three goals in the last 15 contests. He had zero shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to Phoenix.
The Flyers are 1-2 on their five-game trip, one that finishes with matchups against two of the league's most surprising teams _ Colorado (Monday) and the New York Islanders (Wednesday).
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Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
There was a lot of complaining from the Flyers that the game-winning goal was scored because of a blown call in their 3-1 loss to host Phoenix Saturday night.
There may be some merit to their claim, but….
The fact is, the Flyers’ special teams have been awful the last two nights and have cost them back-to-back losses for the first time since late last month.
On Friday, the Flyers were outscored on special teams, 3-0, as they dropped a 6-3 decision in San Jose. The Sharks had two power-play goals and a shorthanded tally.
Phoenix was 2 for 5 on the power play Saturday, while the Flyers were 0 for 5 _ and looked totally disorganized with the extra skater, managing just five shots.
Before we get to the controversy, it should be noted that the Flyers took a major hit when Blair Betts suffered a dislocated right shoulder for the second time this season. He will miss at least four weeks.
On Friday, Darroll Powe injured his left shoulder, and GM Paul Holmgren said the injury was “significant.”
Funny how things can change so quickly. Two days ago, the Flyers had won seven of their last eight and were looking like Stanley Cup contenders.
Now, they have lost two key players and their special teams are in disarray.
Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle scored a controversial power-play goal with 9 minutes, 41 seconds left to snap a 1-1 tie.
Adrian Aucoin barely kept the puck in at the blue line _ the Flyers protested that it went out of the zone _ and fed Matthew Lombardi on the right side. Lombardi then found Yandle in the left circle and he fired a shot past Ray Emery.
After the game, coach John Stevens was baffled by the lack of a call.
“We thought it was offsides. One lineman had his arm staring up to call it offsides and the other guy waved it off,” Stevens said. “It’s unfortunate. If they would have just waved it off right away….but you still have to kill the penalty. It looked like the guys on the ice maybe relaxed for a second.
“It’s unfortunate it ends up being the difference in the hockey game.”
Notes. Phoenix was credited with a goal when it was ruled that Chris Pronger slashed at Shane Doan as he was trying to shoot into an empty net with 40 seconds left.
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When he dresses for games, Riley Cote is the Flyers’ heavyweight. Danny Briere has apparently become their welterweight.
In the second period Friday, Briere’s fight with San Jose’s Marc-Edouard(CQ) “Pickles” Vlasic was the third bout of his NHL career and first as a Flyer. It was actually more of a wrestling match than anything.
“I’m not one of those guys who prepares or sets fights up before the game,” Briere said “It was a spur of the moment, and we ended up being entangled in the corner. He didn’t like it. I didn’t like it, and it just kind of happened.”
Vlasic said the fight wasn’t spontaneous. He claimed it was triggered by hits Briere gave him in last month’s meeting.
“It built from Philadelphia – a couple shots I got when the ref wasn’t looking,” Vlasic told the San Jose Mercury News. “So, you know, back it up.”
In the online voting at hockeyfights.com, 72.1 percent of the voters called the Vlasic-Briere battle a draw, 14.8 percent gave the decision to Briere and 13.1 percent to Vlasic.
_ Sam Carchidi
