Posted: Monday, January 30, 2012, 10:54 AM | 11 comments |
 

Flyers need to step up at home
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OTTAWA _ If the Flyers are going to make a run at Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference titles, they need to play much better at home in the season’s last two-plus months.

They will get that chance starting Tuesday against visiting Winnipeg, beginning a stretch in which they play eight of 10 games at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are just 11-7-3 at home; they are a league-best 18-7-2 on the road.

Only two NHL teams _ Phoenix (24 points) and Columbus (19) _ have fewer home points than the Flyers (25).

As the second half starts, the Flyers (29-14-5) are only three points behind the first-place New York Rangers (31-12-4) in the division and conference. The teams meet Sunday afternoon in New York.

The Rangers are 3-0 against the Flyers this season.

       * * *

The Flyers are hopeful veteran right winger Jaromir Jagr can return to the lineup soon after being bothered by nagging groin injuries in the season’s first half. The team will give updates Monday on Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk, who have been sidelined with concussions.

The Flyers will hold their first post-all-star break practice Monday in Voorhees at 2 p.m. Practices are free and open to the public.

           * * *

Claude Giroux, the Flyers’ all-star center, will be honored as the city’s top athlete during Monday’s Philadelphia Sportswriters Association’s banquet at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill. Flyers legend Bernie Parent will be among the guest speakers.

The dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., with cocktails at 5 p.m. For ticket info, go to pswadinner.com.

       * * *

After Sunday’s All-Star Game, Ryan Sutter reiterated he wants to stay in Nashville. Will the Predators honor that request, or will they deal him before the Feb. 27 trade deadline because they fear he will sign elsewhere after becoming a free agent on July 1?

Stay tuned.

        * * *

Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 10:54 AM  Permalink | 11 comments
11
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:26 PM, 01/30/2012
    Flyers need to step up at position called goaltender after 15 years
    — warbiscuit
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:20 PM, 01/30/2012
    I agree w/ warbiscuit - no goalies, no cup.
    — bigdaddyG
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:20 PM, 01/30/2012
    I agree w/ warbiscuit - no goalies, no cup.
    — bigdaddyG
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:29 PM, 01/30/2012
    Both of you don't have a clue..... We got the goalie, we just have a 31 year old blocking his playing time. Wasn't the best deal Snyder could have made. 9 years???? Go Bob!
    — Prausch
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:42 PM, 01/30/2012
    Breezy just came down off the all-star from the Milky Way....says he is ready to roll.
    — Romus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:15 PM, 01/30/2012
    'Flyers need to step up at home'. I've got to hand it to you Sam, no one states the obvious like you.
    — Hiding Behind My Keyboard
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:23 PM, 01/30/2012
    Bob for President. The kid is gonna make you proud I promise ya.
    — rockinrob
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:38 PM, 01/30/2012
    Still think Bob is Nitty Part Deux, and Bryz is the way to go.
    — Clarkeisgod
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:59 PM, 01/30/2012
    If Bob starts playing against playoff caliber teams, you'll be reminded why he fell off the radar late last season. Drops to fast, doesn't cover the top of the net. Teams like the Bruins and Rangers will exploit that. Bob covers the bottom of the net great, I'll give him that. But he's not a superstar yet.
    — vvvmetallicavvv
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:23 PM, 01/30/2012
    What happened to those updates on JVR and Briere?
    — 1980
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:24 PM, 01/30/2012
    Boy, Sam really nailed it. The Flyers have the same number of losses at home as they have with their league-leading road record. Where would we be without Sam to show us what an abject failure this team is at home, losing seven whole games just like on the road. Luv ya, Sam!
    — icarus


11 comments
About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

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