IS STOCKPILING DEFENSEMEN
Usually, young prospects energize a team, but that wasn't the case last night. The Flyers, playing mostly youngsters, looked listless in their 3-1 loss in Ottawa. The Flyers were outshot 34-11, including 15-1 in the opening period.
Coach John Stevens will be looking for a better effort when the Flyers, now 1-1 in the preseason, play the Islanders tonight in London, Ontario.
* * * * *
Biron said teams that win Stanley Cups don't eke into the playoffs _ like the Flyers did last year _ and he issued a challenge to his teammates to avoid the up-and-down play that plagued the club in last year's regular season.
* * * * *
Left winger Simon Gagne, who missed most of last year with a concussion, is expected to play in his first exhibition game of the season Saturday afternoon when the Flyers play Carolina at the still-rocking-after-all-these-years Spectrum.
Eleven of the Flyers' former captains will be there for a ceremony honoring the venerable old building, which will be demolished next year.
As for the game, all eyes will be on Gagne, who scored a total of 88 goals in his two previous seasons before last year.
Someone from the Flyers' crack PR staff asked Gagne to compare his situation with that of Patrice Bergeron, who, like Gagne, missed most of last season with a concussion. Bergeron played in the Boston Bruins' preseason game on Monday and registered a goal and three assists in an 8-3 win over Montreal.
"First of all, I'm happy for him," said Gagne. "And yes, it helps having someone who went through the same thing and you see he had success right away. Hopefully it will be the same for myself."
 | Follow on Twitter |
