Flyers impose, then lift, gag order on Bryzgalov

The muzzle has been removed, and chatty Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov again is allowed to talk to the media every day.

The Flyers made that decision Monday evening, scrapping two other silence policies they had announced earlier in the day. The team had said they wanted Bryzgalov, 31, to focus more on his game.

Early Monday, the Flyers said Bryzgalov no longer would talk with the media except after games. Later in the day, they amended it, saying he would not talk the day before a game or the morning of games.

The decision was made jointly by Bryzgalov and the coaches.

Bryzgalov, a free spirit who has enlivened the team's locker room with his hilarious observations, is off to a disappointing start: He is 4-4-1 with a 3.16 goals-against average and .880 save percentage.

"I'm just trying to give him a break a little bit," coach Peter Laviolette said after Monday's practice in Voorhees, explaining why the no-talking days were (then) going to be implemented. "We just talked. There's just too much coming out. We're trying to protect him."

Too much coming out?

"Just to let him focus on the game," Laviolette said. "This isn't a Bryz thing. It's something we talked about for the goaltenders," including Sergei Bobrovsky.

But the Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association filed a complaint with the Association's office about not having Bryzgalov available to the media. If the Flyers didn't comply, they could have been fined for violating the collective bargaining agreement.

After he allowed four goals on 10 shots in a 9-8 loss to Winnipeg on Thursday, Bryzgalov, without prodding, said he was "lost in the woods" and had "zero confidence."

The outburst seemed to be cathartic. In his next game, Bryzgalov was solid as the Flyers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, 5-1.

The Flyers would not allow Bryzgalov to speak to the media on Monday.

In his last five appearances, Bryzgalov is 1-4 with a 4.22 GAA and .836 save percentage.

Insiders say Bryzgalov was putting pressure on himself because of the nine-year, $51 million contract he signed.

On Friday, goalie coach Jeff Reese said that the media were "a little bit of a distraction" for Bryzgalov and that "he just needs to concentrate on stopping the puck."

Sabres matchup. The Flyers are preparing for Wednesday's matchup in Buffalo, where they will face former teammate Ville Leino, who signed a lucrative free-agent deal (six years, $27 million) in the summer.

Leino scored a goal in Buffalo's opener but has been goal-less in his last nine games. He has two points this season.

With the Flyers, Leino was a part of the team's top line with Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell.

Hartnell and some teammates plan to have dinner with Leino on Tuesday.

Hartnell said it will be strange "seeing him in another jersey, that's for sure - especially playing with him and being a good bud the last couple of years. We'll be fired up, and I'm sure he's going to be excited to play."

Does Hartnell miss having Leino on his line?

"Right now," Hartnell said, laughing, "I don't miss him at all."

That's because Hartnell has played a major role on the highly productive "Little Mario Line," with Jaromir Jagr and Claude "Little Mario" Giroux. The line has combined for 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) and a plus-8 ranking in the last four games. Hartnell has nine points (four goals, five assists) in that span.

Jagr honored. On Monday, Jagr was named the NHL's No. 3 star for last week, when he led the league with five goals - including the 113th game-winner of his career.

Jagr downplayed his early-season accomplishments.

"I know I don't play my best [so far], that's for sure," he said. "I have a long way to go . . . to the way I know I can play."

Goalies Carey Price of Montreal and Nikolai Khabibulin of Edmonton were named the No. 1 and No. 2 stars of the week, respectively.

Breakaways. Forwards Briere, Matt Read, and Zac Rinaldo missed practice because of what the team called upper-body injuries. They figure to be game-time decisions Wednesday.