Flyers Fall Short as Blackhawks Win Cup

The Flyers lost to the Blackhawks last night and thus ended their amazing run at the Stanley Cup, and had to watch Chicago celebrate their Stanley Cup victory on our home ice.

Much like the rest of this postseason, the Flyers did everything they could to win this game, and left it all out on the ice; but in the end, it wasn’t enough. The Flyers were outplayed from the start of the game early, and Michael Leighton had to keep the Flyers in the game early. The end of the first period saw a 1-1 score. The Flyers got on the board first in the 2nd period, when Danny Briere continued his great postseason and roofed a shot over Niemi. However, the Blackhawks responded with 2 in the period to take a 3-2 2nd period intermission lead.

The Flyers really dominated the 3rd period, as they needed to in order to stay in the game. Finally, the Flyers were able to beat Niemi with about 4 minutes left in the game, as Scott Hartnell notched his 2nd goal of the game. Once again, the Hartnell-Briere-Leino line was easily the best line on the team, and was the most effective line of the postseason.

Once overtime started, the Flyers had the momentum and were outplaying the Blackhawks, getting most of the scoring chances at this point. However, all it takes is 1 shot on net, and Patrick Kane provided just that. On a very innocent looking play in the Flyers zone, Kane had the puck on the side, and really nowhere to go with it. He made a couple moves, got some room past Kimmo Timonen, and sent a puck towards Leighton, who was covering the post. The puck somehow snuck through Leighton, and into the net to give the Blackhawks their first Stanley Cup since 1961. It was a pretty weak goal to be honest, but that is also what great players do; they score big goals when it doesn’t look like they have anything or anywhere to go with the puck.

The Blackhawks were probably the better team, I would say overall they probably had more chances than the Flyers, especially in 5 on 5 situations, and when the game was tied. The Blackhawks seemed to come out at the start of games and really outplay the Flyers. The Flyers seemed to play their best hockey when they were down in games. That isn’t to say the Flyers didn’t play well or Chicago dominated the series, because I don’t think either of those are even close to true; it just seems like the better team overall won. Not the better team by much, but the better team nonetheless. If the Flyers had been able to steal 1 of the first 2 games in Chicago, it would have been a completely different series, and probably a different outcome. As the road team, you have to win 1 of those first 2 games.

Either way, it was a great season and everything. Even though the Flyers disappointed at points, and were very up and down, they still made it to the Stanley Cup Finals which can’t be considered a disappointment as a season. It is disappointing, and will be going forward, but the season as a whole is not a disappointment. Even before the season when the Flyers were considered one of the top teams in the East, you still would have put them behind the Penguins and Capitals in the pecking order.

We did get to see some unbelievable moments. The final regular season game win in the shootout. Beating up on the Devils handily, who routinely beat up on the Flyers the past 2 decades. Coming from 3-0 down against the Bruins – not only in the series – but also in Game 7, to advance. Watching Brian Boucher play great hockey, getting injured, and then watching Michael Leighton pick up right where Boucher left off. Whooping up on the Canadiens, while collecting 3 shutouts in the Eastern Conference Finals. And then finally hitting the wall and losing in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers did their best, and managed to not fold when they got down 2-0 in the series, and make it a series at least.

Most of the team will be back next year to try to make a run at another Stanley Cup appearance. It will be much tougher next season, as we still will go into the season behind the Penguins and Capitals, as teams expected to win the Eastern Conference. Either way, it was a great season, with a disappointing end, and we can look forward to hopefully winning it all next season.

Now a Best of 3 Series

The Flyers won Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals in front of a crazy home crowd at the Wachovia Center to take even up the series at 2, and now it becomes a best of 3 series.

The Flyers jumped all over the Blackhawks in this game in the first period, and even though things got close at the end, the Flyers held off the Hawks to win the game 5-3. The Flyers got a great solo effort from Mike Richards to get on the board early in the first period. Shortly after, Matt Carle kept a Blackhawks clearing attempt in the zone and fired a puck into the open net. Carle's goal went as unassisted, but James van Riemsdyk played a big role on that play, bringing the puck around behind the net and getting it out in front. After a Blackhawks Patrick Sharp goal, Claude Giroux snuck behind the defense, and Kimmo Timonen found him with a great pass, and the Flyers took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

After a scoreless 2nd period, Ville Leino banked a shot off a Blackhawks defender and passed Antti Niemi and gave the Flyers a 4-1 lead halfway through the 3rd. The Blackhawks would not go away however, and scored 2 quick goals to make it 4-3, and then had plenty of good opportunities down the stretch to tie it, but Jeff Carter put the game away with an easy empty netter, and give the Flyers a 5-3 victory. Ville Leino's goal allowed him to become the all-time leading Flyers postseason scorer for a rookie passing Brian Propp.

5 different Flyers had goals, and no one had more than 1 assist either. The top line that needed to step up, ehh sort of stepped up. Richards goal was on the power play, so it was not with his linemates, and was a solo effort anyways. Carter's goal was an empty netter that hopped over Blackhawks defender Duncan Keith's stick and gave him an easy breakaway goal. The top line did play better though, and Carter, although I still don't think he had a good game, did play better than Game 3. The top line really needs to get going though, and win a game in Chicago.

The Flyers did do what they should have and replaced Daniel Carcillo with van Riemsdyk, and although van Riemsdyk made some mistakes, he also has an assist, and a great play on the Matt Carle goal. van Riemsdyk solidified his spot, and should play on the Giroux, Asham line the rest of the postseason.

Michael "Lights Out" Leighton turned the lights out on the Blackhawks, and made 31 saves in the game. Leighton played very well, and there wasn't much he could have done on any of the 3 Blackhawks goals. The first one was deflected, again off a Flyers played, as Braydon Coburn deflected the puck into the net. The 2nd one was on a 5-on-3 advantage, so it's hard to do anything on that one. And the 3rd one was kind of fluky and just a matter of the Blackhawks sending the puck towards the net, and the puck kind of rid on Timonen and Toews going towards the net and went in. Leighton really has played well, and needs to do it on the road now to steal a game.

Chris Pronger has been fantastic this Stanley Cup shutting down the first line of Kane-Towes-Byfuglien. He has the Blackhawks players all complaining about his play, and he is pushing these 3 players around, and having his way. Pronger did not have a point last night, and actually only played 28 minutes, which is less than usual for him, but he always has an impact on the game, and in this postseason, it has been a very positive impact.

Now... there is still a lot of work to do. The Flyers do have the momentum, but all that momentum might stop come Game 5 when the puck drops in front of the Chicago crowd. The series is now a best of 3 series, and the Blackhawks have 2 home games to the Flyers 1. The Flyers need to find a way to steal a game in Chicago, and it really needs to be Game 5 since the Flyers do have the momentum. The Flyers do not want to let Chicago go up 3-2, and have to win 2 in a row, with the final one being in Chicago. The Flyers really need to come out and try to win Game 5. The top line has the capability of having a big game, and stealing a game. Michael Leighton has the capability to steal a game. The team needs to step up for Game 5, and come back to Philly with a win, a 3-2 series lead, and a chance to win the Stanley Cup Finals on home ice in Game 6. Of course, that is much easier said than done.

Flyers Face Another Must Win Tonight

The Flyers play the Blackhawks tonight in a must win game 4 at the Wachovia Center tonight. The Flyers took back some momentum and should have plenty of confidence going into tonight's game.

The Flyers won an amazing game on Wednesday night 4-3 in overtime. Claude Giroux put in the game winner about 6 minutes into overtime to give the Flyers the needed win. This Flyers team, as we know, had lived on the edge a lot in this postseason, and Game 3 was no different.

The Flyers did really control most of the game, including basically all of the 3rd period. However, the Flyers still found themselves down in the 3rd period after Patrick Kane put in his first goal of the series on a breakaway. The Flyers could have really packed it in at this point, and given up. They did just the opposite. The Flyers scored just 20 seconds later, as Ville Leino had the pick bounce to him with a wide open net.

The 2nd line continued their unbelievable play this postseason. Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, and Ville Leino were a solid line again, as all 3 players scored goals. Hartnell, who I have been very critical of, was one of the best players on the ice in Game 3, and had an unbelievable assist on the Briere goal. Matt Carle, Chris Pronger, and Claude Giroux also had very strong games.

The top line, mostly Jeff Carter, and Daniel Carcillo did not have good games. The top line has yet to show up this series, and Richards, Carter, and Gagne need to step up their games. Carter played one of the worst games I've ever seen anyone play. He looked horrible out on the ice, and there is no reason that Carter, at 6'4", 220 should be as soft as he is. That top line needs to step it up if the Flyers want to win this series, and if they do step it up, the Flyers could definitely win the Stanley Cup. I hate to seem like I am ripping Jeff Carter, because he is probably still somewhat injured, but if he plays well, that first line can succeed, and that would go a long way.

Daniel Carcillo is a guy who you really like to have on your team. He gets in opposing player's heads, he can fight, and is an annoying guy to face when you are on the other team. All of that said, he isn't very good at hockey. Carcillo needs to be scratched again, and go back to James van Riemsdyk. van Riemsdyk is young, and untested, and may never live up to his #2 overall pick status, but he still has a lot of skill, much more than Carcillo. Giroux has been playing on a line with Carcillo and Asham, and Giroux's skill level is somewhat lost with those 2 on his line. JVR hasn't put up many points this postseason, but he has a lot of speed, and puck handling skills, and needs to be out there. The team actually knows that Carcillo doesn't give them much, since Carcillo has yet to play in either of the last 2 games 3rd period. And these are 2 periods that the Flyers have dominated.

In fact, my sources are telling me that JVR will suit up, but I am not sure who will not play in his place. The only person who makes sense would be Carcillo.

Flyers Advance to Stanley Cup Finals

The Flyers put down the Canadiens on Monday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be the Flyers first Stanley Cup appearance since 1997, when they were swept by the Red Wings, and the Russian 5. The Flyers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975 when the Broad Street Bullies were around, and have been to the Stanley Cup 5 times since then, and lost all 5.

This version of the Broad Street Bullies enters the Stanley Cup playing their best hockey all season. They defeated the Canadiens, who were playing great hockey coming into the series, 4-2, to eliminate Montreal. The Flyers advanced, and will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, who swept the #1 seeded San Jose Sharks.

Eliminating the Canadiens in Game 5 is exactly what the Flyers needed to do. You didn’t want to have to go back to Montreal for a Game 6, or give them any momentum. The game didn’t start out exactly as planned, as Montreal scored 59 seconds into the game. They then went on the power play, and had an opportunity to take a 2-0 lead in the game.

They didn’t, and that particular Canadiens power play was the start of the Mike Richards show for the night. Richards plowed through a Canadiens player at the point setting up a shorthanded odd man rush that resulted in a good scoring chance for Braydon Coburn. About 30 seconds later, Claude Giroux cleared the puck out of the Flyers zone, and Richards chased after it. The puck slid into the Montreal zone, and Richards was in a race with Canadiens defenseman Roman Hamrlik to be the first to the puck. Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak then decided he wanted to be first to the puck and skated after it. What resulted was a 3 person sliding collision which sent Richards, the puck, and Halak’s goalie stick towards the net. Richards got up, avoided Halak’s stick, and put the puck into the back of the net.

This was just the beginning of Mike Richards playing the “I’m not going to let this team lose this game” role. That is what a captain should do in a big game like this, and Richards was up to the task. The Flyers added 2 goals in the 2nd, one on a nice pass by Matt Carle, which left Arron Asham in front of the net by himself. He made a nice move, and beat Halak. Just over a minute later, the Flyers showed great puck movement, including an unreal behind the net pass from Richards to Jeff Carter, who put a shot over Halak’s shoulder.

Of course the game had to be nerve racking though, as Montreal scored just 7 minutes into the 3rd period, and the Flyers had to hold off a desperate Canadiens team for most of the rest of the game. They did just that, as the defense played well, and Michael Leighton played well down the stretch, and another fabulous Mike Richards play led to a Jeff Carter empty net goal. Mike Richards played his best game in a while, and it was especially important for him to do this in such a big game. Richards is the captain of the team, and the leader, and he showed why on Monday. He was not going to let the Flyers lose that game, and was a beast on almost every shift of his.

Richards had a solid game, Arron Asham had a number of chances, and the defense and Leighton was solid. The first goal was a little bit of lazy defense, but also a goal that Michael Leighton could have saved. After this point though, Leighton was solid. The fans were amazing as always, as Philadelphia fans always are, and were rewarded with getting to watch the Flyers celebrate a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. If the Flyers can win this Stanley Cup, it would be one of the more memorable seasons in Philadelphia sports history, and one of the best coaching performances by Peter Laviolette in these playoffs.

This was a great win, but the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, so there is still plenty of work to be done. As good as the Flyers are playing right now, which they are, the Blackhawks have been a great team wire to wire. They were the #2 seed in the Western Conference, which is a stronger conference than the East, and could have easily been the #1 seed. Instead, they took it to the #1 seeded Sharks in the Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks feature 3 solid lines, come at you in waves, have star players on offense and defense, and also have a hot goaltender, much like the Flyers. It will not be easy, but it should be a very good Stanley Cup Finals.

Flyers Force Game 7

The Philadelphia Flyers are on the verge of making history Friday night by attempting to be the 3rd hockey team ever, and 4th professional team (NHL, NBA, MLB) ever to come back from a 3 games to 0 deficit. The Flyers won Game 6 at the Wachovia Center, in front of a raucous crowd, which included myself, and forced a game 7.

Teams have gone down in playoff series 3-0 in Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, and the National Basketball Association 281 times. Only 3 times has a team ever come back from such a deficit to win the series. It has happened twice in the NHL, and once in MLB. The last time it happened in the NHL was 1975. The Flyers still have their work cut out for them though, and obviously it goes without saying that to win any game in the playoffs on the road, in a Game 7 is an extremely difficult task.

The Flyers jumped out of the gates quickly in Game 6, and really dominated the play in the first half of the first period. Some great forechecking, and great work around the net to keep the puck alive by the Richards-Carcillo-Gagne line led to the first goal of the game by Mike Richards. Kimmo Timonen also did a good job pinching in on the play getting the puck out in front of the net to Gagne. The Bruins then had their chances as they took control late in the first period, and into the 2nd period. Michael Leighton was up to all the challenges though, including a first period breakaway that he saved.

Late in the 2nd period, the Flyers were about to have a long 5 on 3 power play when Chris Pronger knocked Zdeno Chara to the ice and got called for a weak penalty. However, on the 4 on 3 power play, Danny Briere blasted a shot over Rask’s shoulder and into the net. The two goal scorers in Briere and Richards continue to play really well in the playoffs.

Michael Leighton, making his first start since March 16th, played amazing. He made save after save in the 3rd period when the Bruins were really pressing. The Bruins did finally get a puck past Leighton with exactly 1 minute left in the 3rd period, but they didn’t get much pressure in the final minute, and the Flyers left the ice with a 2-1 victory, and all the momentum going into Game 7. However, momentum can change quickly, especially when you go on the road.

The Flyers need to jump out quickly, like they have the last 2 games, and get a first period lead. The last 2 games, the Flyers have scored in the first period, and it has forced the Bruins to play from behind, something they are not good at doing. The Bruins are not an offensive power; they are a physical, defensive team that likes the get the lead and sit on it. The Flyers need to make sure this doesn’t happen in Game 7. That will be easier said than done.

Flyers Need to Take Next 2

The Flyers get back on their home ice tonight in a must win game in the 2nd round of the playoffs against the Bruins, who currently hold a 2-0 series lead.

The first two games of the series, both in Boston, have been fairly evenly matched, with the Flyers playing well for stretches and the Bruins playing well for stretches. Unfortunately, the Flyers have been playing catch up in both games, and then unable to keep their momentum going at the end of games. The Bruins got a fortuitous bounce of the puck in overtime in Game 1 to win that game, and then got another bounce with the puck ending up in front of the net that they scored with less than 3 minutes left in Game 2.

Both games really could have gone either way, and the Flyers are unfortunate to be down 2-0, but they are down 2-0 nonetheless. Getting back in front of the home crowd should do a lot for the Flyers, and help them get back in the series. The Flyers won both home games in their first round series, also Games 3 and 4, and will need to do the same against the Bruins, or else they will have to come back from a 3-1 deficit.

The work starts tonight in Game 3. The Flyers need to get some contributions from players they wouldn’t normally get them from with the injuries. Carter, Gagne, and Laperriere remain out with injuries. Scott Hartnell also has yet to show up in the playoffs, but it’s not due to injury, it’s due to the fact that he sucks all of a sudden. Mike Richards, Chris Pronger, and Brian Boucher have been the 3 best Flyers throughout the playoffs so far probably. Boucher did not have a very good Game 2, and should have not let in a couple of the Bruins goals that game, but overall has been solid. Boucher will need to step it up back at home. Danny Briere really found his game at the end of the Devils series, and has continued it into this series. Claude Giroux has also been a beast, and Ville Leino had a very good Game 2 assisting on both Flyers goals.

The Flyers need to continue to rely on these guys, but also need Giroux to step it up in this series, as he did all of his damage so far in the Devils series. Also, even though he is young, JVR needs to step it up as well, as he has a lot of skill and is flying around the ice, just has not produced the point results. It is unfortunate that Scott Hartnell has been killing this team with his play, but he has just been awful. He looks like he forgot how to play hockey. I would be calling for Hartnell to be a healthy scratch, but that is not really feasible with all the injuries.

Either way, no matter who it is, the Flyers need everyone to elevate their game to win these next 2 games. You want to pull out a solid win tonight, you don’t want a game that is 2-2 towards the end and anything can happen. Also, the Flyers need to get the first goal tonight, and not play from behind. Both games, the Bruins have gotten on the board early in the first period, and that cannot happen tonight.

Surprisingly... Flyers Will Play Bruins

The Montreal Canadiens beat the Washington Capitals in Game 7 of their first round series, which means that the Flyers will face off against the Boston Bruins in the 2nd round. The Canadiens unexpectedly came back from 3 games to 1 down to the Capitals, and won the last three, two of which were in Washington.

With the Canadiens win, the #6, #7, and #8 seeds all advanced in the Eastern Conference. The only better seed to advance was #4 Pittsburgh. Since hockey re-seeds the teams in the 2nd round, the #7 seeded Flyers will play the #6 seeded Bruins. The Flyers will travel to Boston for Game 1 on Saturday at 12:30 pm.

I think this is very good news for the Flyers, as the Capitals are by far a better team than the Bruins. The Capitals and Bruins are almost complete opposites, as the Capitals had one of the best offenses the NHL has seen in quite some time, and the Bruins do not score many goals, but play very good defensively, and have one of the best young goalies in the NHL.

Even though the Capitals struggle defensively and in between the pipes, they are just too dangerous to want to face in a playoff series. The Capitals had the most points in the NHL by far, and scored the most goals by far. By playing the Bruins, the Flyers might even be the favorite, especially if Brian Boucher can keep playing the way he has been. The Flyers are the better offensive team in this series.

It won't be easy, since the Flyers will start the series without Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, and now Ian Laperriere. Laperriere has been declared out of the playoffs after visiting with neurosurgeon experts from the University of Pittsburgh. The Flyers will need to stay out of the penalty box against the Bruins. They did not do this against the Devils, and the penalty kill is one of the main reasons they Flyers advanced, and one of the main reasons the penalty kill was so effective was because of Laperriere. He will not be easily replaced on the penalty kill. Simon Gagne could return as early as Game 3.

If the Flyers want to win, they need to get continued good play from the leaders on the team Mike Richards, Chris Pronger, and Kimmo Timonen. Obviously, Boucher needs to continue to be solid in net. The Flyers will continue to need to get Claude Giroux, and Danny Briere to keep playing the way they did the last 2 games of the Devils series, especially without Carter and Gagne in the lineup. The Flyers went 2-1-1 against the Bruins this year, the 1 being an overtime loss in the New Years Classic at Fenway Park. Boucher played 1 of those games against the Bruins and picked up a 3-1 victory. As mentioned earlier, Game 1 will be Saturday at 12:30.

Flyers Take 2-1 Series Lead

The Flyers beat the Devils 2-1 in overtime Sunday night to beat the Devils and take a 2-1 series lead in this best of 7 first round series. The Flyers outplayed the Devils most of this game, especially as it went on, and finally solved Brodeur in overtime to put the game away.

This game was easily the most nerve-racking Flyers game all season, and one of those games we as fans are all too familiar with - watching the Flyers dominate the entire 3rd period, and then having them lose on a fluke goal. Well, the Flyers did not let that happen, and even though they couldn't solve Brodeur in the 3rd period, they finally put one past him in overtime.

Daniel Carcillo got the game winner, a little over 3 minutes into overtime on an open net stuff in. The goal came just 5 seconds after a Devils penalty expired making the goal an even strength goal. Mike Richards had the puck at the side of the net and just tried to stuff it into the corner. Brodeur had the corner covered, but the puck popped out in front of the net and Carcillo was there uncovered, and stuffed it in. Gagne was in front of the net also. That line had combined for the 2nd Flyers goal of the game, when Gagne made an unbelievable forechecking hit on a Devils defenseman who gave up the puck. Carcillo immediately swooped in, grabbed the puck and played it out in front to Richards who scored easily. Claude Giroux continued his stellar postseason with the other Flyers goal in the 1st period off a nice pass from Kimmo Timonen.

The Flyers really played well from the start, and benefited from being in front of the home crowd. It seemed to really give the Flyers a boost to play in their own building. The Flyers only got better and more dominant as the game moved along. The 3rd period was completely controlled by the Flyers, and the Flyers seemed to have a legit scoring chance every minute. Brodeur had to show why he is the best goalie of all time to keep the Devils in this one. Even in overtime, the Flyers came right out and had a few scoring chances before Carcillo put the game away.

The Richards, Carcillo, and Gagne line had a superb game. Richards continues to play well this postseason, as he has done the past 2 years. The Giroux, Van Riemsdyk, Asham line also continued to play very well. Giroux has been the best player on the Flyers thus far, besides maybe Pronger, and possibly Boucher. We still need for Jeff Carter to step it up and score a goal. The threesome of Carter, Briere, and Hartnell really need to start playing and give the Flyers something, because they haven't yet in the playoffs. The defense is playing solid for the most part, as Pronger, Timonen, and Coburn had strong games.

The work isn't done yet, the Flyers need to come out with the same intensity that they had at the end of Game 3, because you know that the Devils will be coming out firing on all cylinders. Also, if Brodeur plays like he did tonight, we are going to need to dominate the game just to have a chance to win, similarly to tonight.

Flyers Take 1-0 Series Lead

The Flyers took game 1 against the Devils in a very nerve racking game, as the Flyers basically sat back in the 3rd period and trying to hold on a 2-0 lead. They gave up a late goal to make the score 2-1, but held on to take a 2-1 series lead in this first round series.

Brian Boucher was the player of the game for the Flyers, as he made just about every save that came his way, including a few really nice ones. The only goal the Devils scored came off a deflection that he had no chance on. The Devils controlled the play in the first period and Boucher kept it at 0-0 after that period, and the Devils controlled the 3rd period, but Boucher was up to the task. This was Boucher's first playoff win since 2000, also against the Devils.

The Flyers got on the board halfway through the 2nd period on the power play, as the puck was out in front of Brodeur, and Chris Pronger muscled the puck into the net. With just over 3 minutes left in the 2nd period, Mike Richards unleashed a laser that found the upper corner and beat Brodeur on a slap shot. The Flyers took the 2-0 lead into the 3rd period, and then really just sat back and basically wanted to clock to tick down before the Devils could catch up. They came close, but they didn't.

Even though the Flyers won, they were outplayed. They should treat Game 2 as if they were outplayed in Game 1, and show some more energy and a sense of urgency. The Flyers only ended up with 14 shots on the night. The Flyers never really carried the puck into the zone, they were always getting to the red line and dumping it in. And when they did dump the puck in, they were not able to get the forecheck going and start cycling to get some chances. The Flyers did do very well on the penalty kill, as they had to kill off 6 minutes of power play time for the Devils in the 3rd period alone, including a double minor.

Great start to the series, but the Flyers should not be content with this victory. They need to play better in Game 2 and the rest of this series if they want to advance to Round 2, because it is only a matter of time before the Devils players like Parise, and Kovalchuk get going. The Flyers can't count on Boucher carrying them many more games.

Flyers Playoff Preview

The Flyers get underway with the 2010 playoffs this evening when they travel to Newark to play the Devils at the Prudential Center. The Flyers went through a very up and down season, and had to win the final regular season game in a shootout against the Rangers just to get into the playoffs. The Flyers are in as the #7 seed in the East.

This season will definitely be considered a disappointment if the Flyers get bounced in the first round. The Flyers have arguably as much talent as almost anyone in the NHL, and should be competing to win Stanley Cups. The defense did improve this season with the help of Chris Pronger, and the offense, while not great, is above average. The Flyers still have no go to guy in net, and the musical chairs that has been the Flyers goaltending of the past decade has continued. It started with the offseason signing of Ray Emery. Emery started the season in net, and played well. He then had some injury problems and was eventually shut down. Enter Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton. Both goalies got their shot, and Leighton outplayed Boucher. Unfortunately, Leighton also got injured, which left Boucher as the Flyers starter through the end of the season. Boucher did play very well in certain games down the stretch, but overall was not effective. Nothing explains the Flyers inconsistencies in goals more than Boucher vs. Brodeur in the 2010 playoffs… a rematch of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals that the Flyers lost to the Devils 4 games to 3. We all know the Flyers have had about 100 netminders in between that series and this one, while the Devils have the best goalie in NHL history in Brodeur.

While the goaltending edge obviously goes to the Devils, the Flyers might have the edge in some other categories. As I mentioned earlier, this Flyers team is not without talent. On paper, the Flyers probably have more talent than the Devils, not including goalies. The Flyers have a solid veteran offense made up of playoff veterans such as Danny Briere and Simon Gagne, and younger emerging stars like Glaude Giroux, and James Van Riemsdyk. The leaders of the team, guys like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Chris Pronger will need to have a very good series if the Flyers want to win. Richards and Carter need to step it up offensively, as they led the Flyers in points throughout the season, and will continue to need to do so into the playoffs. Pronger brings an element to the Flyers that they have not had in a while -- A punishing, intimidating veteran defenseman who has a ton of playoff experience, and success. The defense will need to play well in front of Boucher if the Flyers want to beat the Devils.

The Flyers do go into this series as the underdog, but this is not a typical 2-7 matchup. I think the Flyers have underachieved most of the season. If the Flyers continue to underachieve, then they will be out in the first round, and another disappointing season will pass. The Flyers may just be an above average team and nothing more. The Flyers also will not be afraid of the Devils, as they have won 5 of the 6 meetings this year with New Jersey.

Hockey playoffs are always extremely exciting; one of the best things to watch in all of sports is playoff hockey. The Flyers and Devils know each other very well, and get under way tonight in Game 1 at the Prudential Center.

Philadelphia Flyers All-Decade Team

The Philadelphia Flyers all-decade team is decent, but not nearly as good as their 1990s team would have been. Determining who should be on the first line between Keith Primeau and Mike Richards was hard, and we went with Primeau because of his leadership skills, and his amazing playoff run where he carried the Flyers to the Eastern Conference finals. Because of his leadership skills, Primeau is named the team captain for this team.

The goalie was the hardest to choose from. Personally my favorite goalie in this decade was Boucher, who had the great playoff run to the Eastern Conference finals the first year of the decade. Ultimately, Boucher didn’t have enough time though. It then came down to Roman Cechmanek, Robert Esche, and Marty Biron. The numbers and games played are very similar between all 3 players. Cechmanek has the best numbers of these goalies, and has played the most games in this decade. However, because if his attitude, and his horrible playoff performances, and quitting on the team, we went with Marty Biron. Biron has very solid numbers, and stepped his game up when it came to the playoffs.

Here is our Philadelphia Flyers all-decade team--

First Line
Forwards: Simon Gagne, Keith Primeau, Mark Recchi
Defense: Eric Desjardins, Kim Johnsson

Second Line

Forwards: Jeremy Roenick, Mike Richards, John LeClair
Defense: Kimo Timonen, Dan McGillis

Third Line
Forwards: Peter Forsberg, Jeff Carter, Michel Handzus
Defense: Joni Pitkanen, Braydon Coburn

Goalie: Martin Biron

Coach: Ken Hitchcock

Team Captain: Keith Primeau

Close Calls: Sami Kapanen, Roman Cechmanek, Robert Esche, Brian Boucher

Flyers Lose Emery... And More Games

Flyers goalie Ray Emery will miss 6 weeks, and will undergo surgery to repair torn muscle in the lower abdominal area. Brian Boucher is the starter for the time being, and the Flyers recalled goaltender Johan Backlund from the Adirondack Phantoms.

This is more bad news for the Flyers to go along with the fact that they have dropped to last place in the Atlantic Division, 13th place in the Eastern Conference, can't seem to find a way to win a game at all, and can barely seem to put the puck in the net. The Flyers have lost 5 games in a row, and 8 of 9, with the only win being a 2-1 win against the Islanders... who by the way are ahead of the Flyers in the standings. Along with the Sixers, the 2 winter Philly teams are currently on an 0-15 streak, and 1-19. The Flyers have only scored 15 goals in the last 9 games. In the early season, the Flyers were at one point among the leaders in goals scored in the NHL.

When you looked at this Flyers team at the end of last season, you saw a team that was very solid on offense, but not very good at defense, and average at the goaltender position. The Flyers addressed the goalie situation, and also brought in one of the best defenseman in the league in Chris Pronger. Going into this season, you still had to feel good about the Flyers offense. As I mentioned above, the Flyers got off a very good start, and were scoring a lot of goals, as expected. They have since hit a wall, and have been unable to get out of the current funk. The funk has cost John Stevens his job, and we need to hope new coach Peter Laviolette can get this team scoring goals soon. Guys like Scott Hartnell really need to step up their games. The offenseman on this team need to stop playing average and become stars. There needs to be a sense of urgency and not complacency.

The NHL season is a long one, and teams can go through stretches like this and still bounce back, but the Flyers are very close right now to falling out of contention. Chris Pronger, who has played great this season, understandably does not want to step on anyone's (Mike Richards) toes on this team being the new guy, and get in some people's faces, but I think it is time to let Chris Pronger do what he needs to do. Pronger is a natural leader, and I'm not sure Mike Richards is... off the ice at least. I don't believe however that you need to take the Captaincy away from Mike Richards. If you did that, it could have some serious negative effects on Richards progression as a player and a leader of this team. I am not trying to bash Richards, because I like him a lot, and he will be the captain and leader of the future, but to hold Chris Pronger back from being a natural leader, is a waste of one of his strengths.

Pronger should be given full range to speak to the younger players in the locker room, and get the players fired up. Richards is a natural leader on the ice with his hard, aggressive play, but he is sometimes quiet and hesitant off the ice. Pronger is not, and we need someone to step it up. The Captaincy is an honor, but at the same time, that doesn't mean other players shouldn't be able to step up and lead when need be, especially when you have a guy like Chris Pronger in the locker room.

No matter what they do, and no matter who does it, whether it be Richards, Pronger, or Laviolette - someone has to step it up and start leading this team to get out of this funk. The Flyers are a good team, and have a lot of talent on the team. It may only take one win, or even one fluky goal to get this team going. Let's hope they get that win soon, because between the Flyers and Sixers, it feels like we haven't seen a win in about a month.

Flyers Fire Stevens

The Flyers fired coach John Stevens today after last night's lackluster effort left the team with a 13-11-1 record, and 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are announcing his replacement as we speak as former Carolina Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette.

The Flyers are playing horribly right now, but I am not sure this is the answer. The Flyers have no problem changing coaches every few years, but the results are always the same. The Flyers are good... always a playoff team, and never good enough to win it all. No matter who the coach has been lately, the results are always the same. Bringing in Peter Laviolette doesn't make me any more confident in getting the players to play on the ice. Obviously the Flyers have a lot of talent, and can do some damage in the playoffs. But we are still seeing a lot of the same issues as we have seen in years past. Defensive breakdowns where the goalie has no chance to save certain goals, the offense going on hiatus for games at a time, and a lack of leadership.

The season is a long season. The Flyers are struggling right now, but that doesn't mean that Stevens needed to be canned. I really didn't expect this to happen at all, at least not so soon. I understand the expectations are high, but I feel you needed to give Stevens a chance to turn this season around, and get out of this slump. I'm not even trying to say Stevens in a great coach, but it just seems like the same old story to me. The Flyers have struggled in years past at points during the season, but have gotten to the playoffs the last 2 years under Stevens, and the only team that has knocked the Flyers off both years is the Penguins... who are flat out better than the Flyers, no matter who the coach is.

Either way, I hope this is a motivating tool for the Orange and Black, but I just don't see it. Also, there is talk of Mike Richards getting the Captaincy taken away from him and given to Chris Pronger. Obviously Pronger is the man, and is a natural leader, but I'm not sure how that will affect Mike Richards to have the 'C' taken away, when he is going to be a focal point of the team for a long time. I feel like Richards should keep the 'C' but at the same time, allow Pronger to speak his mind and get in the players faces if need be, which Richards won't do. Just because you are the captain doesn't mean no one else is allowed to speak up, especially when you have a natural leader on the team in Pronger.

Flyers Try To Avoid Elimination Tonight

The Flyers try to avoid elimination tonight against the Penguins in Game 5 of the first round series. The Penguins took a 3-1 series lead with a 3-1 victory in Game 4.

As bad an idea as it seems, there is nothing the Flyers can do other than continue to play the way they have played in the past two games. The Flyers won Game 3, and dominated the action in the Game 4 loss, but they want to keep doing what they have been doing. If that means playing another hard fought game, and losing, then so be it. The Flyers can claim they lost to the more skilled team, which is probably the case.

On offense, we need to see more from the top players. The Flyers had six 25-goal scorers in the regular season, but no one has really stepped up their game on offense, except for Claude Giroux. Danny Briere had a great assist in Game 3; unfortunately we expect more from Briere. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards both have one goal apiece, and we need more from both of them, especially when you get 8 power play opportunities in a game. The star counterparts on the Penguins have been doing their jobs. Malkin and Crosby are the reasons that the Penguins hold a 3-1 series advantage, along with Fleury, who has outplayed Biron in between the pipes.

A loss tonight would mark a disappointing end to the season. We expect more than a first round series loss from this Flyers team and this Flyers organization. The Flyers are an organization that has reached an elite status among NHL teams, yet have no recent Stanley Cups to show for it. We are always one of the better, more competitive teams, and thus first round losses are considered a disappointment. So hopefully we can put away our razors at least for one more game and grow our playoff beards a little longer.

Great Day for Philadelphia Sports

It was a great Sunday for Philadelphia sports teams, and surprisingly, it did not include an Eagles game, but an Eagles signing instead. The Eagles officially locked up all-pro left tackle, Jason Peters, formerly of the Buffalo Bills. The move makes the Eagles offensive lines one of the best in football, with 3 former pro-bowlers, and all players still in their 20s. The Eagles sent their 28th overall pick, their 4th round pick, and a late round 2010 pick. The Eagles still do have the 21st overall pick in this year’s draft. Peters signed a four year contract extension with the Birds for 4 years, $53 million. With Peters existing contract, he will earn $60 million over the next six seasons. The Eagles have done a very good job addressing the offensive line, and now can focus on other needs at the draft.

There were actual games going on in Philadelphia, which kicked off at 1:35 PM with the Phillies and the Padres from Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies went down early, 4-0, but fought back with HR’s from Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins to be down by one going into the 9th. Ryan Howard led off the 9th with a single, and then Raul Ibanez hit a walk off two-run HR to win the game for the Phillies 5-4. Ibanez has been the MVP of the team so far, and even though the Phillies are still not getting good pitching, and the games they have won have not been pretty, the walk off win is a good sign, and may be the type of win that the team can rally around and put a winning streak together.

While the Phillies were making their comeback, the Flyers got started across the street at the Wachovia Center at 3:00 PM. In traditional “orange out” style, the fans packed the stadium, and provided a great boost for the team. We all know Philadelphia fans are the best in the nation, and this was proven during this game, where the stadium was rocking. The Flyers fans do hold the distinction as being the most intimidating fans in the nation as voted by the players. The actual game was on the best games I’ve watched in a long time. The first period was non-stop action, lots of rough hitting, lots of battles with each other, and almost a brawl. The Penguins are more of a finesse team, and when it comes to the actual rough stuff, the Flyers own the Penguins. The Flyers also won the game 6-3, with Simon Gagne and Claude Giroux playing great games. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards also both got their first goal of the season, so hopefully the momentum will carry over to Game 4, when the crowd will be crazy again. Kimmo Timonen, who almost got his head taken off on a check coming around the Flyers net, played a great game, as did Ryan Parent on defense. Giroux scored a goal on a great assist from Danny Briere, and Gagne scored a goal on a great assist from Giroux. It still hurts that we lost Game 2, because Game 4 is another must-win, but the Flyers have been just as good as the Penguins in these past two games, and need to keep it up for Game 4, which should be another exciting contest.

After the Phillies walk off, and then the Flyers amazing Game 3 victory, you wanted to relax and take a nap. But the 76ers game kicked off down in Orlando at 5:30 PM. The Sixers held the lead for the whole 1st quarter, and the beginning of the 2nd quarter, but went into halftime with a 4-point deficit. The 3rd quarter looked like what everyone expected going into this series. Dwight Howard was dominating, and the Magic hit some threes to go up by 14 after the 3rd quarter. The lead was as much as 18 earlier in the quarter. The Sixers, however, would not be denied. They came out firing in the 4th quarter, with Royal Ivey, Lou Williams, and Donyell Marshall nailing big three-pointers to get the Sixers back in the game. With 1:07 on the clock, the Sixers had cut the deficit to one point with Iguodala at the line shooting two to take the lead. He missed both, and a Dwight Howard dunk followed with 49 seconds left in the game to put the Magic up by three. It looked like the Sixers comeback might have been all for nothing, and Iguodala would be one of the reasons, missing two free throws. That was not that case. Donyell Marshall nailed a three pointer with 34 seconds left, and Rashard Lewis missed a jumper to give the Sixers the ball and a final look at that basket. It was an isolation play for Andre Iguodala with Hedo Turkoglu defending. Turkoglu did a good job not letting Iguodala get to the basket, but not to be denied, Iggy hit a step back jumper with 2 seconds left on the clock to give the Sixers the 100-98 victory, and a 1-0 series lead against the Magic.

All in all, it was an exciting, tiring, and fantastic day for the Philadelphia sports teams and fans.

Flyers Penguins 1st Round Preview

The Flyers take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round of the NHL playoffs, with Game 1 getting under way tonight in Pittsburgh. The Flyers lost out on home ice advantage in this series by losing in the season finale to the Rangers.

Unfortunately, much like football and the NFC East, I am not too happy that the Flyers play an Atlantic Division foe in the Penguins. Going into the playoffs, I would have rather played any other team in the playoffs than the Pens, Devils, and even the Rangers. The Flyers are 2-4 against the Penguins this season, with one loss coming in OT, and another coming in a shootout. These two teams also met up last season in the Eastern Conference final, with the Penguins winning the series and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ohhh yeah, and these two teams don’t like each other too much. Anytime you play a team as much as the Flyers and Penguins do throughout the season, and meet up in two consecutive playoff series’, there is going to be a good rivalry. These two teams have forged one of the better hockey rivalries as of late, with the cross-state teams both being among the elite in the Eastern Conference.

If the Flyers want to have any chance in advancing in these playoffs, and this series, they need to start playing better hockey than they have been down the stretch. The Flyers have been playing average hockey to end the season, while the Penguins have been playing very good hockey. The Flyers are just 3-4-1 in their last eight games. The offense hasn’t been poor for the most part, but the defense hasn’t been great, and Biron has been very inconsistent. All of that said, the Flyers still could have had home ice in this series had they just beaten/lost in OT to the Rangers in the last game of the regular season. They had a 3-2 lead in the 3rd period on home ice, and ended up losing the game in regulation. Good teams don’t let that happen. Teams that will go far into the playoffs don’t let that happen. I’m not saying the Flyers can’t do it, because I believe they can, but they will need to rebound quickly in order to even hang with the Penguins in this series. They will need to rely on their offense to do so. The Flyers offense is dangerous, with six 25 goal scorers in Carter, Richard, Gagne, Hartnell, Knuble, and Lupul. Throw a healthy Briere, and rookie Giroux in the mix, and the Flyers offense is among the best in the league. The defense, beyond Timonen, and Coburn is just average, and Biron will need to have another playoffs like last season for the Flyers to be successful.

The Penguins on the other hand have a record of 18-3-4 since February 15th, when Dan Bylsma became the interim head coach. Bylsma is obviously getting the most out of his players, because when he took over, the Penguins weren’t even in the playoff picture. No matter how the Penguins are playing, they are still an extremely scary team, as they feature two of the top three players in the world on their roster. Evgeni Malkin, and Sidney Crosby are a lethal combination. Malkin finished the season as the NHL scoring champion, compiling 113 points, which Crosby was 3rd with 103 points. Marc-Andre Fleury, the Penguins goalie, always seems to own the Flyers also no matter when or where they play.

No matter what the outcome, it will be an exciting series for the fans to watch. These two teams always play each other well, and like I stated before, have a great rivalry going on right now. The Flyers can make it even more fun to watch by winning the series and advancing. Even if the Flyers play well and lose the series, a first round loss is not what we are looking for out of this team. The Flyers are too good, and have too many good players, that a first round loss is considered a disappointment, especially considering where this team went last season in the playoffs. The Flyers are still a young team, but do have enough talent to win this series against the Penguins.

Picks
Mr. Green: Flyers in 6
Roget: Flyers in 6
Queen Aoleon: Flyers in 5

Flyers Shuffle Lines

In an attempt to get more offensive firepower, and to get Briere not only back in the lineup, but back to being the productive player that he can be, coach John Stevens has shuffled the top 3 lines for the Flyers.

The top three lines now see Jeff Carter centering Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell on one line. The 2nd line features Claude Giroux centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble, with the 3rd line being Richards centering Daniel Carcillo and Joffrey Lupul. If Briere can get back to finding his game coming off of the multiple injuries, he should be able to with Carter and Hartnell, both of whom have had great seasons so far. All three of these lines are very good, and the Flyers should continue to score lots of goals. If Stevens can find any line combination that starts to click, it will be nice going into the postseason. It is especially important to get Briere going, as Briere had a great postseason last season, and the Flyers will need his productivity again this postseason.

The Flyers currently sit in a tie for 4th place in the conference with the Penguins with 84 points.

Flyers Looking Toward Stretch Run

Checking in on the guys in orange and black, and we see the usual consistency we are used to from them. The Flyers are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, currently in the 4 spot, and are in 2nd place behind the Devils, who apparently don't lose anymore, in the Atlantic Division.

The story with the Flyers is never getting to playoffs, and having a successful season. Since the mid 90's, the Flyers have consistently been one of the best teams in the NHL and have often gone far in the playoffs. The Eagles brass would tell you that they are the gold standard of the NHL because of this, however, the Flyers actually realize that they need to win Lord Stanley's Cup one of these years to be considered an ultimate success. With the offensive firepower the Flyers have on this team, with a lot of young talent, we hope that the Flyers stand pat when the trade deadline rolls around on March 4. The Flyers will be adding Danny Briere to the lineup shortly, which will only add to the great offense this team has, and assuming he stays healthy, Briere will be a big key to the offense in the postseason. Briere will fit in to a team that has one of the most cohesive, well-rounded top three lines in the league. The top line is on fire right now, with Richards, Gagne, and Knuble all playing well. The second line has carried the Flyers most of the season with Jeff Carter, 2nd in the NHL in goals, Hartnell, and Lupul. When Briere returns, he should center a 3rd line made up of rookie phenom Claude Giroux, and Scottie Upshall. Any of those three lines can carry the Flyers at any given time, and put up a lot of points.

The Flyers goaltending is another situation to look at. When Biron has a couple bad starts, Niittymaki plays well. Then when Niittymaki plays poorly, Biron plays well. Even though Nitty has better numbers for the season, if they are still playing fairly equal come playoff time, Stevens may elect to go with Biron because of his excellent play in the playoffs last season. Either way, both goalies have shown that they can get the job done, and both goalies have shows inconsistency. One of them will need to step up in this late season run and hopefully continue that into the playoffs, much like Biron did last season.

The defense for the Flyers is the unit that really needs to step it up and play well come playoff time. The defense is playing better as of late, and that needs to continue. We are not worried about the play of Coburn, or Timonen, but rather the guys like Alberts, Carle, and Jones will need to step it up come playoff time. The Flyers defense will be contending with a lot of strong offensive teams in the playoffs. It will not be easy to come out of the Eastern Conference this season. The Devils, Capitals, and Canadiens all have solid teams, among others.

So, the Flyers have for the most part a fairly young team, which currently doesn't even include youngsters like Sbisa, who will be a beast, and James Van Riemsdyk, who is the Flyers former #2 overall pick, which means they should be a good team for a while. However, as Flyers fans, we have been waiting a while for a Cup victory. We are not content with just being competitive. With the offense that the Flyers have, if the defense steps it up, and one of the goaltenders emerges come playoff time, this could be the year for the orange and black.

Flyers Win 5th Straight

Kotite's Corner was live at the Wachovia Center to watch our Flyers beat the Dallas Stars to pick up their 5th straight victory overall, and continue to gain momentum after a slow start to the season.

Just three minutes into the game, Scottie Upshall gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead after some great forechecking by the Upshall, Lupul, Metropolit line that was playing together all night. Upshall and Metropolit forced a turnover as the puck was played from behind the net, which Lupul intercepted. Lupul immediately played a pass to Upshall on the opposite side of the net, and Upshall gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Dallas would respond, and scored a goal halfway through the 1st period to make it 1-1. Knuble scored a goal for the Flyers late in the first period, his first of two on the night to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead after the 1st period. The Flyers dominated the first period, and looked good with their forechecking, and getting the puck through the neutral zone.

As good as the Flyers looked in the 1st period, they came out flat in the 2nd. Three goals were scored in the 2nd, two by the Stars as they tied the game at 3 after the 2nd period, with the Stars dominating the play. The 3rd period was fairly evenly played, the Flyers had to kill off two back-to-back penalties halfway through the period. With about six minutes left, Mike Richards make a great play in the neutral zone, and brought the puck into the offensive zone. He skated in, was patient, waited for Knuble to break to the net, and then played a perfect pass, which Knuble put into the back of the net. The Flyers killed off a 6 on 4 power play in the final minute to preserve the 4-3 victory.

Overall, the offense continues to score, and play well in the offensive zone, forechecking and cycling the puck. Jeff Carter, Mike Knuble, and Glen Metropolit most notably did a great job offensively against the Stars. On defense, the Flyers are still very up-and-down. They will look good for a period, block a lot of shots, and keep the opposing teams chances down. Then they will look lost for a period, and struggle to get the puck out of their own zone, while leaving Biron with no chance to save a lot of the goals that are scored against him. In goal, Martin Biron played well, and the goaltending is getting better as the season is going on.

The Flyers still are in the very tough Atlantic Division, but are gaining ground on the Rangers and Penguins in the division. They need to keep up the momentum they have going, and continue to play well.

Checking in on Our Teams Owned by a Cable Monopoly

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers beat the Toronto Raptors last night 106-96 to win their 1st road game of the season, and break their 3-game losing streak, moving them to 3-5 on the season.

There have been few bright sports this season for our 76ers, but it is still early in the season, and may take a month or so to come together as a team, with new members, and a new philosophy in the half-court offense. Newcomer Elton Brand has been one of the few bright spots thus far for this team. Brand is averaging a double-double with 16 points, and 11 boards a game. Thaddeus Young has also been a bright spot for the Sixers, and shown that he is comfortable at the 3 spot. Young has shown the ability to take the ball to the basket, and hit the jumper when he needs to.

Unfortunately, the Sixers have struggled at the guard positions. I am not too concerned with point guard Andre Miller, as he is a veteran, and should be able to start playing well soon. Miller is turning the ball over too much, and not hitting his usual mid-range ugly sort of set shot. Andre Iguodala has moved to the 2 guard this season, and has also struggled early. He is still very good in the open floor, but struggles with the half-court offense. He looks like when the Sixers run their half-court sets, and throws up too many contested outside shots. That is not his game. Last night Iguodala was one rebound shy of a triple-double, so this is a good sign that he may be regaining his form from last season. Sammy D has struggled as well, and really is limited beyond rebounding the ball, and scoring on a dunk.

The bench has been up-and-down so far this season. Willie Green has played real well, and then real bad. Louis Williams is the best bench player, and is one of the few players who can hit an outside shot. Rookie Marresse Speights has looked good when he had played, and should get more minutes as the season goes on. Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall have provided a nice outside option.

The Sixers have really struggled with turnovers, and entered last night’s game against the Raptors leading the league in turnovers. That’s not a statistic you want to lead the league at.

We feel as if the Sixers will turn this season around, it is still very early. The half-court offense needs to go through Elton Brand almost every time down. He is the best offensive player on the team, and has shown that he can find the open man outside when the defense doubles him. It’s just a matter of the other players hitting their outside shots.

Philadelphia Flyers

Sharing the Wachovia Center (soon the be named something else I’m sure) with the Sixers are the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers, like the Sixers, have started out a little slow, but have played a little bit better after the first few games.

The Flyers are 5-6-3 overall, which isn’t bad, but isn’t good. Just like the Eagles in the NFC East, the Flyers play in probably the toughest division in hockey, the Atlantic. This means the Flyers will have to play and beat the Rangers, Penguins, and Devils multiple times to get back into the race in the Atlantic Division.

As a bright spot for the Flyers, their young core group of players has all played pretty well. Mike Richards, the recently named captain before the season started, already leads the team with 17 points in 14 games. One of the other young stars, Jeff Carter leads the team with 9 goals this season. Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, and Mike Knuble have all played well so far this season. However, just like seasons’ past, the offense is not usually the problem with the Flyers.

The Flyers worked very hard in the offseason to improve the defense. They brought in Ossi Vaananen, Andrew Alberts, and their draft pick, Luca Sbisa, to go along with Braydon Coburn, and Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers definitely miss Randy Jones back on defense, and the defense will improve once he is back on the blue line. The Flyers just made a trade for Tampa Bay defenseman Matt Carle, another young defenseman.

The goaltending has been a little shaky, but both Biron and Nitty have also had good games as well and shown the ability to shut down the opposing team and win a game for the Flyers. Biron is a good goaltender, and the amount of goals scored against the Flyers this season, we blame on more lack of defense than poor goaltending. Admittedly, Biron will need to play better as the season goes on, but more importantly, the defense needs to do a better job in front of him.

Bottom line, the offense is a little hot and cold, but can usually score goals. The defense needs to improve, and the Flyers organization has done a good job of loading the team with solid young defenseman, who just need some time to improve. Just like the Sixers, look for the Flyers to start coming together and stringing some wins together.