Suddenly, Flyers' Gagne has a shot at 20 goals

ATLANTA - During the Olympic break, Simon Gagne set a goal for himself. He wanted to finish off his second injury-riddled season in 3 years in style by reaching the 20-goal plateau.

Three weeks and 10 games ago, the goal seemed more like a pipe dream: Gagne had just seven goals and didn't seem close to being the 34-goal player he was last season.

Both Darroll Powe and Dan Carcillo had more goals than Gagne.

Now, heading into tonight's matchup with ninth-place Atlanta, that number doesn't seem so unrealistic. Gagne needs just five more goals over the last 12 games to hit that mark.

"Twenty is a good number for a player who likes to score goals," Gagne said Thursday in Dallas, after adding a goal and assist in a 3-2 win over the Stars. "Especially in my case, for a player who missed [24 games]. I just want to go out there and play my game.

"We all know how big those points [in the standings] are at the end of the night. I have to score goals to help the team win."

Gagne has been an entirely different player since the Olympic interruption. Thursday was Gagne's eighth goal in 10 games and he has added a couple of assists in that time.

In all, Gagne has 31 points in the 37 games since returning from his October abdominal surgery. But his minutes - four games since the Olympic break with more than 20 minutes played, compared to just one in the 26 before that - probably tell a lot about his increased production.

Gagne chalks that up to losing a step while his teammates played without him for 2 months.

"You can do whatever you want for 2 months, riding the bike or whatever," Gagne said, "But the only way to get back in shape is to play hockey. The biggest thing now is I'm stronger around the net and when you're in better shape, you're able to go in traffic and not be tired to do that.

"I can't remember the last time I felt this good. That's made a big difference."

General manager Paul Holmgren crossed another undrafted free agent off his list this week.

Holmgren and the Flyers agreed to a 2-year contract - beginning next season - with Colorado College forward Mike Testwuide yesterday, a player who was courted by the Rangers, Capitals and Avalanche this week.

The deal is worth close to the maximum NHL entry-level contract for top draft picks at $900,000 per year (NHL) and $65,000 (AHL).

Testwuide, 23, was one of the most sought-after college players because scouts believe he is close to NHL ready. He posted 21 goals and 10 assists in 39 games during his senior season at CC.

The Flyers narrowly missed out on fellow college player Casey Wellman earlier in the week. He signed with the Minnesota Wild after wrapping up two seasons at UMass. Wellman made his NHL debut last night in Columbus.

Unlike Wellman, the Flyers' new 6-3, 220-pound winger won't be playing pro hockey this season, opting to let an upper- body injury heal itself in the offseason.

"Mike will be given every opportunity to earn a roster spot in our 2010 training camp," Holmgren said.

Paul Holmgren said injured goalie Michael Leighton visited with Dr. Peter DeLuca yesterday and did not receive better news, as hoped. Leighton's severe high-ankle sprain will keep him out a minimum of 8 weeks. Holmgren said surgery is not an option . . . The Flyers have dropped both games against Atlanta this year by one goal, despite outshooting the Thrashers, 71-46 . . . Both teams will be back at the Wachovia Center tomorrow night for a home-and-home rematch.

For more news and analysis, read

Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.