Flyers itching to play after long layoff

LOST: NHL team from Philadelphia. Last seen wearing orange and black. Plays in the Wachovia Center, if we remember correctly. Has seemingly spent more time in the Florida sun than in hockey rinks. If found, contact Gary Bettman, commissioner, and tell him the team hates his early-season schedule.

Contrary to popular belief, the Flyers have started the 2009-10 season.

It just seems as if they've been in hiding lately.

Because of a quirky early-season schedule, the Flyers have played just once in the last 11 days.

During that time, they have had a bonding camp in South Florida, gone fishing, sailing, and jet-skiiing together, and practiced, practiced, practiced.

They are sick of it.

They want to play, want to regain the momentum that was built in the first week of the season.

"We're trying to find our rhythm. We haven't played all summer, so we'd rather be playing," veteran forward Danny Briere said. "At the same time, you try to use [the long layoff] to your advantage; you try to do a lot of game situations and have good off-ice workouts."

After starting the season with three straight wins, the Flyers have dropped three consecutive decisions. They haven't played since Friday's 4-2 loss in Florida.

Tonight the 3-2-1 Flyers will return to the ice as they meet visiting Boston on Dollar Dog Night.

"You play one game in 11 days, it's almost like a football game," coach John Stevens said. "If you can't be ready for this game, you can't be ready."

Added Stevens: "You might not be as sharp as you want to be when you're playing a lot of games, but that's when you keep it simple and keep your shifts short, especially early. You keep your game in order just by keeping it simple."

After such a long layoff, the Flyers tonight will start a string in which they play three games in four nights - and four games in six nights.

"It's just a matter of practicing hard, like we've been doing for the past 11 days, and soon enough we'll think we're playing too many games," forward Ian Laperriere said with a smile.

That certainly will be the case in March. After a two-week NHL break in February because of the Olympics, the Flyers will play 16 games in 27 days in March.

All of which makes all the open dates in October all the more puzzling.

Breakaways. Blair Betts (dislocated right shoulder) skated at practice yesterday but didn't have contact; Stevens is hopeful he can play Saturday against Florida or Sunday against San Jose. . .. Backup goalie Brian Boucher will make his first start this season in one of those games. . .. Boston, which played last night against visiting Nashville, will be missing two key players who are injured: Marc Savard and Milan Lucic. . . . The Flyers entered last night ranked fifth in the 30-team league on the power play (27.3 percent) and fifth on the penalty kill (86.7 percent). Boston has struggled on the power play (15.6 percent) and the penalty kill (69.7 percent). . . . Because of an injury to Ryan Parent, defensemen Danny Syvret and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen will be paired for the first time this season tonight. "We've had a full week of practice together, so I feel confident in us," said Syvret, who is the offensive-minded player of the duo. "I'm not going to sell the farm and go in [the offensive end] on every shift, but it's a luxury to have a defensive-minded partner, for sure." . . . Defenseman Kimmo Timonen will be shifted to the right side tonight. . . . The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau lists Nick Luukko, a Connecticut prep school defenseman who is the son of Flyers president Peter Luukko, as a potential draft choice in 2010. . . . Stevens when asked his reaction if a player was on a cell phone or twittering between periods: "I'd lose my mind."