It would not be a reach to say that the Flyers are a different team since their Oct. 27 loss to the Washington Capitals.
It would be easy to look at their injury-ravaged roster - they have been without Simon Gagne, Danny Briere and Ryan Parent for stretches - and say that, just based on the lineup.
There has been a noticeable difference in the last 10-plus days. Winning four games in a row will do that. But this isn't the same inconsistent, unconfident and unproven crew that skated through the month of October at a 6-4-1 clip.
Let's not forget that we are only 14 games into an 82-game campaign. Perhaps, though, this team knew that months of .500 hockey wasn't going to cut it.
The Flyers have gotten back to basics and back to the net. They have outscored their opponents by 18-6 during the dominating four-game streak, which is their first winning streak of any magnitude since they won five straight last December.
Scott Hartnell deserves the lion's share of credit. He put in two consecutive three-point efforts to get the team back on track, and has scored eight points in his last five games. At Game 5 of the World Series, he even got rap star Jay-Z to autograph two $100 bills for him.
Simply put, Hartnell has been money.
"If you go back to the San Jose loss [4-1 on Oct. 25], we weren't quite at the net the way we needed to be," Flyers coach John Stevens said, "I actually sat down [Mike] Richards, Hartnell and Claude [Giroux] and talked about the line a little bit. Everybody brings something different to the line, but Hartnell is the net presence."
The Flyers have found a way to win in tough spots, like on the road against a solid Buffalo team after a week of light practices with a quarter of the team missing due to the flu. The next night, on Saturday, the Flyers beat a hungry St. Louis squad that played a strong road game.
The wins have taken some pressure off. It has taken pressure off Stevens and questions being asked about his job security, pressure off Ray Emery in net, and pressure off the defense, which has found a way to contribute offensively.
Thanks to the strong play of Danny Syvret and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, who have proved that they are capable NHLers, Chris Pronger's minutes are down for the first time.
That's a welcome change. But it's a long season. For now, everything has fallen into place. But it won't be too long before that pressure is back again.
Quick hits
-- Just when you thought things couldn't get worse in Carolina - winless in its last 12 games and double digits back of eighth place in the Eastern Conference - a freak injury happens. On Saturday, Stanley Cup champion goalie Cam Ward had a leg sliced open by Columbus' Rick Nash's skate on a drive to the net. Ward is still in a Columbus hospital, where the bleeding was stopped, but he needs to remain immobile for another day or 2. Doctors are worried about an infection to the area. The 'Canes are saying the injury is not season-ending, but he is out indefinitely. Until then, incapable backup Michael Leighton, who was torched by the Flyers for six goals on Halloween, will try to stop the other kind of bleeding.
-- When the NHL's 30 general managers meet Wednesday and Thursday in Toronto, one of the topics on the agenda is the contracts that were investigated by the league in the summer. The NHL has looked at deals like Pronger's 7-year, $34.45 million contract for "circumvention" of the collective bargaining agreement because it adds low-salary years at the end of a contract to lower the annual cap hit. The NHL calls it cheating, but it isn't spelled out in the rules. Sorry, but you can't penalize someone for breaking the "spirit of a rule." The smartest people find a way to get what they want.
Injury report
-- In Saturday's clash with the Blues, rookie James van Riemsdyk - who has 14 points in 12 games - suffered a "fleck" fracture on the tip of his left pinkie courtesy of a Jeff Carter slap shot. The blistering slapper also cut his pinkie, requiring a few stitches. General manager Paul Holmgren said he is day-to-day. Van Riemsdyk could be ready for Thursday's home tilt with Ottawa . . . Ole-Kristian Tollefsen has suffered a mild concussion. Holmgren said Tollefsen was feeling better and also is day-to-day. Neither van Riemsdyk or Tollefson will practice today . . . Danny Briere and Ryan Parent, out with groin injuries, could return to practice as soon as today.
Slap shots
