Hartnell an all-star; Bryz: 'Same question, huh?'
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Hartnell an all-star; Bryz: 'Same question, huh?'
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Considering that goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has struggled, the Flyers are in a pretty good position. They are just three points behind the first-place New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division as they play in Florida on Tuesday, their last game before the all-star break.
When (if?) Bryzgalov regains his Phoenix form, the Flyers figure to make a run at the Rangers, right?
“Same question again, huh? When are you going to be on a roll?” said a smiling Bryzgalov after Monday’s practice in Voorhees. “I think, to be honest, our team did a tremendous job. We have lots of injuries, back and forth. And we never play with whole lineup. Somebody is always out…and guys have done tremendous job.
“Of course we can’t be outstanding every night because it’s human nature, but overall, with all the injuries, we got three points out of four (over the weekend) against that kind of rivals and good teams. It’s amazing, and I want to give all the credit to whole team for what they’ve done so far.”
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It's official: Winger Scott Hartnell has been added to the NHL all-star team, replacing the injured Jonathan Toews of Chicago.
Hartnell, 29, will be making his first all-star appearance in his 11-year career.
He should have been named in the first place. Hartnell has 25 goals _ five shy of his career high _ and leads the NHL with 13 power-play tallies.
On Monday, Hartnell, who had a total of five goals in two weekend games, was named the NHL’s second star of the week, behind the Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin.
“Pretty cool to get that kind of recognition,” said Hartnell, who scored four of those goals on the power play.
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Asked about the Flyers’ shootout woes, Hartnell had a solution.
"I think you just have to win in regulation," he said. "That’s probably the simplest form to beat that.”
The Flyers are 0-3 in shootouts this season and an NHL-worst 19-37 in the franchise’s history.
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GM Paul Holmgren downplayed talk of adding a defenseman before the Feb. 27 trade deadline.
“If we can make a move that makes sense now and for the future, we wou;ld look at that,” he said. “But for now, I like the way our kids have played.”
He was referring to rookie defensemen Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson.
“That was a real good experience, playing the Cup champions in a realy hard-fought game,” he said of Sunday’s 6-5 shootout loss to Boston. “”They both fared OK.”
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Max Talbot’s two-goal game against Boston Sunday was his first since he scored Pittsburgh’s two goals in Game 7 of the 2009 Finals. His last two-goal regular-season game was Oct. 13, 2007 at Toronto.
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In their last two games, the Flyers’ special teams have excelled _ 5 for 13 on the PP, and 10 for 11 on the PK.
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Back in November, when the Flyers scored a 3-2 victory in Florida, Matt Read deposited what proved to be the game-winner on a penalty shot. It was a shorthanded goal.
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Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Can the Flyers loan Breezy to a KHL team in 2012/13 and have it not reflect against the cap?— Romus
Comment removed.- Any truth to the rumor of Bryz and JVR to Buffalo for disgruntled Miller? Sounds too good to be true.— bigphillydad
- If Buffalo adds Derek Roy to sweeten the pot, then go for it...— HagFlyerFan
- Comment removed.
I would have to agree with most on here. This going after bryzgalov act is old hat and very "pannancio (sp)". Goalie and QB are so vital and detrimental that, as fans, don't you want them left alone to focus? I'm curious to see how Bobrovsky would do against Boston. I think next Boston game they put him in there. Hopefully they right the ship on all fronts. We can only hope this goalie starts to come through on the money. What's worrisome is if pronger doesn't come back and they eat that contract. The youth movement right now is in complete jeopardy in the next 2-4 seasons with players on rfa's and some ufa's. I give credit to Flyers over Eagles management for taking the risks. National broadcasts and even some on these message boards were screaming goalie, goalie, goalie! So the flyers in an act of feeling embarrassed took the gamble. @icarus you are correct but remember, the team with the Tippett at the helm, changed the style of play around Bryzgalov. Maybe I'm an optimist and think adjustments and team chemistry doesn't happen over night.— sw-sportsfan
