Flyers goalie coach empathetic to Boucher's situation

TORONTO - Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese has walked a mile in Brian Boucher's shoes.

Boucher - who largely has been cast aside since Michael Leighton started his current 8-0-1 tear in 10 straight starts and former No. 1 Ray Emery returned from abdominal surgery - was a healthy scratch Tuesday night against Dallas.

For a month and a half during the 1993-94 season, Reese shared the Calgary Flames' goaltending duties with not two but three different goalies: Trevor Kidd, Jason Muzzatti and Mike Vernon.

"I know firsthand," Reese said. "They used to have two of us sit on the bench and watch practice and then we would work after practice. It takes its toll because they want their time in practice. It's not a great situation."

Emery said Tuesday as a guest on "Daily News Live" on Comcast SportsNet that he enjoys the extra rest during practice with three goalies because he likes "to take every shot like it's a game."

The same can't be said for Boucher, who practiced again yesterday with two other goalies gobbling up most of the shots.

"Sometimes your role is not what you envision for yourself," a frustrated Boucher said Monday. "It's tough. But whatever your role is at that given time, you've got to do it to the best of your ability. In the conversations I've had with [coach Peter Laviolette] he said he's going to do what's best for the team right now. The same applies for skaters who are out of the lineup and want to get back in. He's going to stick with what's best."

Laviolette correctly pointed out Monday that if Boucher was on the kind of hot streak Leighton is enjoying, Boucher would want to stay in net, too.

While Reese said all three goalies have "handled the situation very well" and "have had great attitudes," he mentioned that he has enjoyed working with Leighton and his levelheaded approach.

"I really like his demeanor," Reese said of Leighton. "He's never too high or too low. You never know about that when you get a guy. He was almost dead and buried [in Carolina]. He's done a nice job of fighting his way back to get himself on a nice little roll here."

Reese thinks Leighton's teammates have fed off his solid play in net.

"When he makes big saves early, the team responds," Reese said. "It kind of works both ways. When he gives up a goal, they go right back down and respond. It works hand in hand. We're scoring some goals and it's exciting. Winning is fun.

"But things can change awfully quickly. Boosh has been in this league long enough to know that. I kept working hard. I was traded later that season to Hartford and it all worked out."

Defenseman Danny Syvret will be out for approximately 1 month with a separated shoulder, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said yesterday.

Syvret was crunched into the boards by Dallas' Steve Ott just 1:17 into Tuesday's game, which put Ott in the box for 2 minutes.

"I think Danny put himself in an awkward position," Holmgren said. "He was trying to protect himself from Steve Ott, who is a good bodychecker in his own right. I didn't even think it was a penalty, to be honest."

Syvret will be replaced by Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, who was cleared to play Monday for the first time since Dec. 14 when he sprained his left MCL in Boston. Tollefsen admitted yesterday that he isn't completely back to "game shape" yet.

"I've been working hard off the ice but nothing is like game shape," Tollefsen said. "You have to be playing in games to get back in game shape. They probably won't put me out there for 20 minutes [tonight], but I've just got to get back in there and do my best."

Both Scott Hartnell and Chris Pronger missed practice yesterday. Hartnell left Tuesday's game on two separate occasions with what Holmgren said was an illness. Laviolette said yesterday was a maintenance day for Pronger. Both are expected to play tonight.

When the Flyers and Maple Leafs clashed 8 days ago, the two teams squared off in four fights and racked up 80 penalty minutes in a chippy, 6-2 win for the Flyers. And that was only their first meeting of the season.

Dan Carcillo, who fought and scored on Jan. 6, joked yesterday that assistant coach Craig Berube said the Flyers weren't allowed to fight when the two teams meet again tonight at the Air Canada Centre. Carcillo was fined $2,500 by the NHL for making a throat-cutting gesture at the Toronto bench during the last game.

"I'm sure it will be hard-hitting and I'm expecting a tough game," Carcillo said. "Maybe they'll be a little fired up."

The Flyers are 18-3-1 in games with both Darroll Powe and Blair Betts in the lineup . . . Defenseman Ryan Parent skated by himself again yesterday. Paul Holmgren said Parent could be ready to practice with the Flyers tomorrow when they return home from Toronto . . . The Leafs lost to 30th-place Carolina on Tuesday . . . The Flyers, who are just two points away from fifth place in the East, have scored the first goal in all 10 games on their current 8-1-1 streak.

For more news and analysis, read

Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.