Flyers claim winger Thoresen from Oilers, send Giroux back to juniors

The move will not make a huge difference, but the Flyers added another young player to their roster yesterday, claiming 24-year-old left winger Patrick Thoresen off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers.

"He's a good skater, he works hard, and he's got good skills," general manager Paul Holmgren said. "He's another young guy that will fit into our mix."

The 5-11, 190-pound forward has played only 17 games with Edmonton this season, scoring two goals and an assist. He played 68 games in 2006-07 and scored four goals and 12 assists.

Holmgren said the Flyers were trying to get Thoresen in to play today against the visiting Florida Panthers.

"Depending on injuries and paperwork, he could play [today]," Holmgren said. "But so far, we haven't had any luck."

In another move, the Flyers returned 20-year-old Claude Giroux to his junior team, the Gatineau Olympiques, of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Giroux, who was an emergency injury call-up for the Flyers, played two games and, while impressive, he was scoreless.

More meetings

Another loss was followed by another team meeting, to be followed by another chance at ending the skid.

It's a pattern the Flyers have fallen into since starting a nine-game losing streak on Feb.6. So perhaps today, when the Panthers come into the Wachovia Center, it will end.

That was the hope yesterday after the Flyers regrouped in their practice facility and talked again about how they lost Thursday night to the San Jose Sharks, 3-1.

"Words can be said, everything can be said, but it's got to come from the players," center Mike Richards said.

"You can stress everything, X's and O's, have team meetings out the ying-yang, but if you don't have the will to go out on the ice and do it as a team, you're not going to get too far.

"We stressed that this morning. Everyone knows the position that we're in, and as long as everyone shows up tomorrow and does what they can, does what they do to get themselves prepared, we're going to have a good game [today], I feel."

As Richards said, talking is the easy part. The hard part will come when it doesn't go right. Such as Thursday when, after tying the game, they let in a bad goal and then collapsed emotionally.

Last season, when the Flyers sat at the bottom of the NHL standings, the players all called it part of being fragile. Richards doesn't think that's where the Flyers are right now.

"With the experience we have in this dressing room now, last year, we were a lot younger team and 'fragile' was thrown around a little, maybe a little bit reckless," he said. "This year, we have more experience, and I don't think we're 'fragile.'

"Right now, everyone has the urgency to get right back out there. At practice today, I thought we were a lot better, and the energy was up, and I had the sense that everybody wanted to get back out there and try and put an end to this thing."

Downie skating

Steve Downie skated for the first time yesterday since going out with a concussion suffered in Saturday's loss in Montreal. Whether he plays today will depend on how he feels this morning.

He will be a game-time decision, but if it were up to Downie, he'd play.

"I passed my baseline," he said. "But I still don't know yet if I'll play. I've got some talking to do with the coaches. But I feel good."

Downie said this was not his first concussion, but he has not had one in a while. He said this concussion came as a result of his losing his helmet during a scrum on the ice.

"My helmet came off and the ref came in, and I fell and I couldn't protect myself, and I hit my head on the ice," he said. "It was just an unfortunate play. If my helmet had stayed on, I would have been fine." *