Posted: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 1:59 AM | 27 comments |
 

Flyers need to (finally) beat lowly Atlanta

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  The Fyers have had a tendency to play up or down to their competition this season _ witness their wins over heavyweights Chicago and Washington, along with their losses to bottom-feeders Toronto and Edmonton.

   Oh, and their two one-goal deafeats in their only games against lowly Atlanta, which had a scoring machine named Ilya Kovalchuk when they faced the Flyers earlier this season. Kovalchuk has since been traded to New Jersey.

   Saturday night, the Flyers get a chance to avenge one of those losses as they face the host Thrashers at 7.

    On Nov. 28, Brian Boucher played well, but the Flyers dropped a 1-0 decision in Atlanta because Thrashers goalie Johan Hedberg (34 saves) was flawless.

     The Flyers' 4-3 loss to visiting Atlanta on Jan. 28 was one of their worst of the season. The Flyers blew a 3-1 third-period lead; they had been 20-0-2 when carrying a lead into the third period.

     A win Saturday night would help the Flyers in their drive to secure the fifth spot in the East. They are tied with Ottawa for fifth with 79 points, but the Flyers have a game in hand on the Senators, who play at Dallas on Saturday afternoon.

    The Flyers will conclude the home-and-home weekend series by hosting the Thrashers on Sunday night. 
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 1:59 AM  Permalink | 27 comments
27
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:42 AM, 03/20/2010
    the 5th seed would be horrible. pittsburgh in the first round
    — Beartha
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:53 AM, 03/20/2010
    Definitely the 6th seed would be nice but don't mess around with qualifying. Win whenever you can.
    — burholme
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:22 AM, 03/20/2010
    FLYERS & SIXERS GOING NOWHERE GO PHILLIES
    — arizonajak
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:30 AM, 03/20/2010
    Beartha the Devils are the 4 seed. It would be the Devils in the first round at this time. Not only are the Devils ahead of the Pens but have a game in hand.
    — rockinrob
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:17 AM, 03/20/2010
    Holy Cow! Kovalchuk got traded? No way.
    — taintaugustine
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:20 AM, 03/20/2010
    anyone but Pitt! that being said you gotta play to win or you won't even make the playoffs
    — Stanley Cup
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:01 PM, 03/20/2010
    Go to playoffstatus.com. There is a 47% chance the Flyers finish 5th, a 1% chance they don't make the playoffs. Thus, i wouldn't say the Flyers "need" to beat Atlanta, as the Thrashers have a 87% chance of NOT making the playoffs and there is no "need" to make a statement against them. I've got March 27 circled on my calendar against the Pens. That is THE game the Flyers "need" to win and i say bring on the Penguins come playoff time. Winning the Cup without beating them will have less meaning, at least to me. I want ot be there when Crosby skates off the ice to a summer of golf and bubble hockey with Mario.
    — snipesmorris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:26 PM, 03/20/2010
    I'm with snipes. BRING ON THE PENGUINS!! Someone has to take em down, so it might as well be the Flyers. Can't you just see it?? The Flyers send the defending cup champs home & Cindy Crosby cries as he skates off the ice to go hang out with his adoptive daddy Mario.
    — thomaspfoolery
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:51 PM, 03/20/2010
    The Flyers have no goaltender. Cliff Lee would have been great in the net.
    — brent179
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:39 PM, 03/20/2010
    LOL Brent...that was actually pretty funny!
    — kjuggs77
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:26 PM, 03/20/2010
    Just don't see the Flyers being able to score high consistently in the playoffs to do any damage. Playoff hockey comes down to goaltending, and we've seen it year after year before, that if a team gets hot with big time goaltending and mediocre offense, they win. We aren't going to be able to avoid that each round, so tough luck will end up kicking the boys out, but after a decent season, should gel some into next year with an offseason to get use to Lavv's system.
    — Bleue
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:42 PM, 03/20/2010
    You know something people...If the we think the Flyer's shouldn't face anyone then we shouold bury our faces in the sand in AC and try not to qualify!! If we believe in the Flyer's as I do who cares who they play win or lose. Haven't Temple and Villanova taught us that? We can lose to anyone!!
    — hrlevine
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:49 PM, 03/20/2010
    soooooo flyer "fans"...and you know which ones i speak of...the pens lose to the canes...and dallas beats ottawa...does that mean ottawa and pittsburgh both suck now...and how does that make the fly boyzzz 3-2 victory the other night look NOW...hmmm?!?i wonder if pittsburgh fan and ottawa fan are both in panic mode NOW over their goalies!?!
    — phillyflyer31
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:53 PM, 03/20/2010
    and very well put hrlevine...we should feel like we can beat anyone once we get to the playoffs...way too easy to be that negative fan...we know and at times have seen the potential of this team...it's all about making it all come together when it counts the most...just get us in...it's anybody's chance then...we at this point should all know that there are NOOO shoe ins...just look at how many times the president's cup winner has gone out in the first round!
    — phillyflyer31
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:15 PM, 03/20/2010
    They're probably gonna have to beat Pittsburgh or Washington to get to the Finals, might as well be in round one as much as in round three
    — JSaq


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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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