Philly.com Sports Flyers

Phil Sheridan: Flyers win - by just shooting the puck

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

It seemed like a little thing at the time, not even worth bringing up. On the off day between Games 1 and 2 in Pittsburgh, Flyers center Danny Briere was asked about taking just one shot the night before. Briere bristled a bit at the implication that a lack of shots meant a lack of production.

Sam Donnellon: Hartnell pours his heart out for Flyers

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:18 GMT

HE WAS the savior you didn't see coming, unless you put much stock in words spit out in disgust and amid utter futility.

Flyers coach Stevens pulls the right switch

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Before John Stevens put his top two centermen on the same line for a last-ditch effort to extend the Eastern Conference final series, the Flyers' coach met with Mike Richards and Danny Briere to talk over the shakeup.

Turco looking forward to next chance at Joe Louis

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Marty Turco has quite an opportunity in front of him. The Dallas goalie is 0-9-2 in the NHL at Joe Louis Arena, where he will have a chance to stop nagging questions and extend the Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings.

Disappointed Coburn misses Game 4

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:18 GMT

After a day of hope, the decision came down yesterday morning that Braydon Coburn, who took a 50-stitch cut around his left eye in Game 2, would not be able to play in Game 4 last night.

Flyers get up close and personal with Penguins goalie Fleury

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:11:42 GMT

For the first three games of the series, the referees could have given the Flyers 2 minutes for politeness. After making life miserable for the opposing goalies in the first two rounds, the Flyers seemed to treat the Penguins' crease as if it were being guarded by Martha Stewart watering petunias.

Rich Hofmann: Flyers' best hope still rides with Biron

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:18 GMT

PLAYOFF GAMES are decided by moments and by momentum. It has been true in the National Hockey League since Conn Smythe. Moments and momentum - and pucks that bounce oddly in the night.

Flyers avoid elimination, beat Penguins, 4-2, in Game 4

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

MOMENTS BEFORE the start of what could have been the Flyers' final game, injured defenseman Kimmo Timonen was led into the locker room by coach John Stevens.

Flyers-Penguins: Game 4 recap

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:18 GMT

Flyers 4, Penguins 2 How it happened: The Flyers made their lives easier last night by scoring first. Joffrey Lupul's deflected shot midway through the first period gave the Flyers their first lead of the series since the first period of Game 1. Later, they would make it adventurous.

Timonen may return for Game 5

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

After the Flyers finally broke through for their first victory of the Eastern Conference finals last night, they got some good news that gave them hope of extending the best-of-seven series a little bit longer.

Penguins take the defeat in stride

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Businesslike and composed as they gathered their belongings for the return trip to Pittsburgh, the Penguins treated last night's 4-2 loss to the Flyers at the Wachovia Center as if they'd just run up against a blinking yellow light on their highway to the Stanley Cup final.

NHL: Turco hopes to end jinx at Joe Louis

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

DETROIT - Marty Turco has quite an opportunity in front of him. The Dallas goalie is 0-9-2 in the NHL at Joe Louis Arena, where he will have a chance to stop nagging questions and extend the Western Conference finals against the Detroit Red Wings.

Flyers stay alive by beating Penguins

Fri, 16 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

If there's one thing we've learned about the Flyers this spring, it's that they are an unwavering group when faced with adversity or daunting odds, such as being down by three games to none in a playoff series.

Flyers-Penguins: Three stars

Fri, 16 May 2008 10:25:18 GMT

1. Joffrey Lupul, Flyers: His first-period goal ignited the team. Also had empty-netter. 2. Jordan Staal, Penguins: Two goals in third put scare into Wachovia Center.

Flyers stay alive, head back to Pittsburgh

Fri, 16 May 2008 02:30:25 GMT

Stevens shuffles the deck in search of a turnaround

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Having failed to shoot, carry or bully the puck inside the Pittsburgh Penguins' zone in the Eastern Conference finals, perhaps the Flyers should consider a radical strategy tonight to stave off elimination.

Success in faceoff circles often shapes victories

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

EVERY FACEOFF now becomes bigger than ever. When you are down three games to none the way the Flyers are, you have to scratch and claw your way back at every opportunity. The equation could not be any more uncomplicated: Win more faceoffs than your opponent and you end up with more puck possession, which should lead to more shots on goal. Shoot more, score more - theoretically.

Rich Hofmann: Offensive Penguins surprising Flyers on defensive end

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:42:59 GMT

A LOT OF truths tend to get told when game follows game follows game, every other night, for as long as the mathematics allow. Flaws are exposed and excellence is revealed, but it isn't that, not exactly.

Shero's gamble on Hossa paying off big

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

In the salary-cap world of the NHL, patience is not a virtue. An up-and-coming team can be down and going in a blink when a general manager has to shed players to clear cap space on a bloated payroll. With free agency, players change teams like underwear.

Coburn has good practice, might see action tonight

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Defenseman Braydon Coburn practiced yesterday and may play tonight as the Flyers face playoff elimination by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

NHL: Stars alive for at least one more

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

DALLAS - Detroit's goal with a guy barely in the crease, if at all, didn't count. Dallas' goal with a guy clearly in the crease did count.

Stopping knockoffs an elusive goal for Flyers

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:20:15 GMT

As Flyers fans have been flocking to games of the Eastern Conference finals and, perhaps, the Stanley Cup playoffs, so do wannabe entrepreneurs selling counterfeit sports memorabilia.

Flyers coach Stevens makes line changes, Coburn possible for Game 4

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

THE COACH was in an upbeat mood, cracking jokes at the dour media pundits around him. Lines had been shifted around and there was a sense of excitement among the players.

Yo Flyers, it can be done

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:42:59 GMT

ONLY TWO NHL TEAMS have ever come back from the same 3-0 deficit the Flyers and coach John Stevens face beginning tonight. The 1942 Maple Leafs were the first.

Flyers-Penguins: Oh-four

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:42:59 GMT

This is the sixth time the Flyers have lost the first three games of a best-of-seven series, and it's not a good omen for tonight. They've lost Game 4 on each of the five previous occasions, getting outscored, 20-7:

Flyers-Penguins: Quick draws in the faceoffs

Thu, 15 May 2008 10:42:59 GMT

Eastern Conference finals FLYERS: W-L, PCT. Jim Dowd, 17-9, .653 Mike Richards, 29-17, .630 Jeff Carter, 30-30, .500 Danny Briere, 17-23, .425

Without further review, Stars defeat Red Wings to avoid sweep

Thu, 15 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Detroit's goal with a guy barely in the crease, if at all, didn't count. Dallas' goal with a guy clearly in the crease did count.

Penguins sweep of Flyers an extinct possibility

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

SCOTT HARTNELL was talking about cliches, about the things teams do and the emotions players draw on when they know that their season is down to one final loss.

Sam Donnellon: For the Flyers, the heart's there but the legs aren't

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

THE HEART still beats. The legs may be dead. The Flyers skated off their own ice bent over and beat last night, conquered again by a Pittsburgh team that is now 11-1 in this postseason, a team that has made a parody of the parity the Eastern Conference standings seemed to suggest.

John Smallwood: Flyers' goal: Don't get swept by Penguins

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

TOO BAD THE FLYERS aren't a basketball team. In this year's NBA playoffs, there has been a dramatic difference in how teams perform at home vs. playing on the road.

Flyers pay tribute to fallen officer Liczbinski

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Before public-address announcer Lou Nolan could ask the fans to observe a moment of silence for slain police officer Stephen Liczbinski, the Flyers faithful gave their own spontaneous tribute.

Rich Hofmann: Miscue by Downie a downer for Flyers

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

AT THE AGE of 21, so young, the Flyers' Steve Downie has been through hockey hell already - suspensions, embarrassments, all of the rest. This might be the worst, though.

Even without a goal, Crosby a leader for Penguins

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

The walk from the Penguins' dressing room to the postgame podium was a long one for Sidney Crosby. The floor was wet with water drained from the Zamboni and Crosby was wearing rubber sandals. But the unsure footing was the least of his problems.

Flyers-Penguins: Game 3 recap

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

Penguins 4, Flyers 1 How it happened: The Penguins grabbed a two-goal, first-period lead and kept their figurative skates on the Flyers' neck.

Flyers' Coburn says he will play once swelling goes down on left eye

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

It is a long, grotesque cut that caresses the top and side of Braydon Coburn's left eye, accompanied now by a line of stitched railroad tracks and a bounty of nature's colors. The eye remained swollen shut, more than 36 hours after a deflected puck did its awful work.

Whitney says his dad is a friendly foe

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

NEARLY 20,000 people were shoehorned into the Wachovia Center for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals last night, but not all of them were Flyers fans.

Phil Sheridan: Team knows how far it has come and how far it still has to go

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

The Flyers asked the question 20,000 times on the 20,000 orange T-shirts they gave their fans last night. The Pittsburgh Penguins answered it just once.

With 4-1 win, Penguins push Flyers to brink

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Three games into the Eastern Conference finals, the Flyers seem to have run out of lifelines. All the magic that had enveloped this team since April began is becoming a mere memory after the Pittsburgh Penguins pushed the Flyers to the brink of elimination with a 4-1 victory last night at the Wachovia Center.

Gonchar scores crucial stop on Richards

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Like the penalty shot in Game 3 of the first round against Washington or the shorthanded goal in Game 2 Sunday against Pittsburgh, this looked so much like another Mike Richards moment.

Flyers' Prospal insists he's not tired

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Perhaps the biggest mystery before last night's Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals is what had become of Vinny Prospal. He seemed invisible on the ice. He was not moving his legs, and the enthusiasm in his game was missing.

Downie's miscue ends Stevens' positive vibe

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

One day after Flyers coach John Stevens tried to pump some confidence into rookie winger Steve Downie, he tore it down with a flourish.

NHL: Overpowered Stars down 3-0, looking for lost pride

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

DALLAS - Being down three games to none in the Western Conference finals isn't even the worst part for the Dallas Stars.

Turco has to be the man

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

DALLAS - The Dallas Stars got nearly everything they were seeking when the Western Conference finals shifted back to Texas on Monday.

Flyers-Penguins: Three stars

Wed, 14 May 2008 10:31:29 GMT

1. Sidney Crosby, Penguins: Had two assists and was more than difficult to handle. 2. Ryan Malone, Penguins: Scored Pittsburgh's third goal to put game out of reach.

Pens beat Flyers to go up three games to none

Wed, 14 May 2008 02:22:56 GMT

Three games into the Eastern Conference finals, things are looking rather dire for the Flyers. They may have run out of lifelines.

Red Wings defeat Stars to take 3-0 series lead

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings got the best retaliation against Mike Ribeiro and the Dallas Stars - a record-setting victory.

Former Flyers coach Fred Shero would have been proud of his son, Penguins GM Ray Shero

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:01:00 GMT

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS general manager Ray Shero walked into Tom N Jerry's, a bar on McDade Boulevard, in Milmont Park, Delaware County, brandishing a Sidney Crosby jersey. He had his 12-year-old son, Chris, in tow.

Sam Donnellon: Flyers don't need to engage in call talk

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:27:36 GMT

"WHY NOT Us?" It's a great slogan to place on a T-shirt, a great axiom for a team whose best-known superstar, Danny Briere, said yesterday, "I've never really considered myself a superstar."

Penguins know Flyers fans will bring popcorn, opinions

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:27:37 GMT

Evgeni Malkin let it be known a while back that he doesn't really care for playing in the City of Brotherly Love.

Block party to go with CSN coverage

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:27:36 GMT

"Daily News Live" on Comcast SportsNet will be broadcast at 5 p.m. today from the AT&T Pavilion at the Wachovia Center in advance of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final.