Flyers Notes: Flyers' Briere is heating up as postseason approaches
Flyers Notes UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Flyers forward Danny Briere set a franchise record with 30 playoff points last year (12 goals, 18 assists), and once again, he's getting hot as the postseason nears.
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Flyers Notes
UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Flyers forward Danny Briere set a franchise record with 30 playoff points last year (12 goals, 18 assists), and once again, he's getting hot as the postseason nears.
Entering Saturday's game at the Nassau Coliseum against the New York Islanders, Briere had nine points (four goals, five assists) in his previous eight games.
He began Saturday with 32 goals, the most he has had in his four seasons with the Flyers, surpassing the 31 he had in his first season, 2007-08.
Briere has scored at least 30 goals four times in his career. The 32 goals tie a career high he reached twice before.
"When things are going well you try to roll with it and keep it going," Briere said before Saturday's game.
Yet, he can clearly see the regular-season finish line.
"It's exciting when you get single-digit games left in the regular season," he said. "But you have to make sure you don't look too far ahead because we have some work to do to clinch first in the East."
The Flyers defeated the Islanders and stayed atop the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Capitals, who beat the Canadiens.
Fatigue factor
The Flyers' 2-1 shootout loss to the visiting Penguins on Thursday was their fourth straight shootout game. Conscious of the fatigue factor, coach Peter Laviolette kept his team off the ice on Friday. The Flyers lifted weights and reviewed some recent games.
Laviolette doesn't want his team dragging as the postseason approaches, especially after the Flyers had such a long run last year by reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
"This season has been long to the point that I want to make sure we have our energy, and it seemed like we were zapped a little bit," Laviolette said. "The Pittsburgh game we really weren't where we needed to be with our energy, so I hope a day off helped them."
Milestone game
Saturday was the 200th career game for Flyers right winger Claude Giroux. The 23-year-old Giroux had 49 goals and 93 assists for 142 points in his first 199 games.
- Marc Narducci