Posted: Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 7:46 PM | 5 comments |
 

Can Flyers play with Bruins?
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     Based on their inconsistent play over the last five weeks, the Flyers have fallen from their perch among the Eastern Conference elite.
     Wednesday, they get a chance to show they belong with the big boys.
     The Flyers will host the Boston Bruins, the NHL’s surprising leader with 80 points.
     “I got a sense at practice today that it’s a big game and we really want to see where we’re at,” said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, whose team is 7-6-2 since their Christmas break.
     The Bruins lead the NHL in goals-against average (2.12 per game) and they are second in goals scored.
     Boston has the league’s best road record (18-5-3). They will be facing a Flyers team that is 13-1-2 in their last 15 home games.
     The Bruins have few weaknesses.
     “They forecheck five guys; they defend with five guys,” Timonen said. “We have to be at the top of our game to win.”
     They also have to get their power play untracked. The Flyers are 1 for 23 on the power play in their last four games.
     Wednesday starts a home-and-home series with the Bruins. The Flyers will play at Boston Saturday afternoon.

      Flyers goalie Marty Biron will start Wednesday and, in all probability, on Saturday. He is expected to face the sizzling Tim Thomas on Wednesday.
     BTW, Las Vegas made Boston a 25 to 1 longshot to win the Cup when the season started. Sixteen teams had better odds, including the Flyers (10/1). Detroit was the favorite at 3/1.
* * * * * * * *
     In an interesting side note to Wednesday’s game, all four of the teams’ goalies _ the Flyers’ Biron and Antero Niittymaki, the Bruins’ Thomas and Manny Fernandez _ can become free agents after the season.
     That has raised speculation that each team could trade one of its goalies if it feels it won’t re-sign them after the season.
* * * * * * *
     About 500 tickets remain for Wednesday’s game.
* * * * * * * * *
     Has it really been 35 years since the Flyers stunned the Bruins to win their first Cup?
_ Sam Carchidi


Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 7:46 PM  Permalink | 5 comments
5
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:17 AM, 02/04/2009
    niitty is a top notch goalie
    — potus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:34 PM, 02/04/2009
    Nitty is top notch back up. Just as Marty is.
    — Clarkeisgod
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:23 PM, 02/04/2009
    The Fly-guys were doomed to slip. All you need to look at is in the first half they ranked 22nd in the league at even strength... less than mediocre. Their penalty kills and PP's were in top 5. Now they can't kill a thing and there record shows it. Hope they figure it out soon. Their record in 1 goal games now is awful.
    — dinsdale
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:57 AM, 02/05/2009
    "Has it really been 35 years since the Flyers stunned the Bruins to win their first Cup?" Only in reality, Sam. In your eyes, it was yesterday. This is evident by the title of this blog & your constant attempts to compare this team to the Bullies.
    — JS27


5 comments
About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

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