Flyers Need To Capitalize on Caps' Injuries

The injury bug strikes every NHL team during the season. For the Washington Capitals, this is not the time they needed their star player to go down with a groin injury.

Alex Ovechkin along with defenseman Mike Green are both doubtful for tomorrow's tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers according to several Flyers beat writers via twitter. It is a pivotal game amongst the elite of the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers have a two point edge currently over the Caps. Additionally, the orange and black have two games in hand.

It's certainly odd that the Capitals are choosing to address Ovechkin's injury at this point in time. Reportedly, Ovechkin has been battling a nagging undisclosed injury (reports have indicated it's a groin issue) for a couple of months now. Why did he compete in the All-Star festivities or why was he not held out when the team was still struggling mightily in January?

Sure, one could argue that Ovechkin felt more pressure to show up to the ASG as a NHL poster-child with Sidney Crosby already being absent. Regardless, Ovechkin's health should matter the most and if he did not tell the Caps until after then there is not much they could have done about it so it is certainly a double edged sword.

It just seems baffling that this decision comes when the Caps have won 13 of their last 16 and have an opportunity to clinch home ice throughout the playoffs if they continue to play the way they have and the Flyers tail off enough.

Regardless, the Flyers cannot have pity for the Caps as they are dealing with injuries of their own, and must take full advantage of this situation. Ovechkin has killed the Flyers over his career. He has 20 goals and 15 assists, for 35 total points in 22 games, a remarkable total to say the least.

With Ovechkin out, the Flyers now have to key on players such as Brooks Laich, former Flyer Mike Knuble, and Nick Backstrom. Laich and Knuble are two admirable, blue collar players who will drive to the net and scrap for their goals, but are capable of scoring skill goals as well. Backstrom on the other hand can finesse his way through any space and either distribute the puck or take it upon himself to score.

Sergei Bobrovsky and Michael Neuvirth are expected to start in goal for both teams so it will be a battle of young, up and coming goaltenders. The game is on VS tomorrow which makes it even more compelling as a national audience will be looking in. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m.

Pronger Injured, Flyers Must Rally

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Media Overreacting

The media is overreacting to the fact that Chris Pronger is scratched for tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Pronger has an "upper body injury" according to Flyers GM Paul Holmgren. He was seen skating hard for 30 minutes after the morning skate today. That's when the media's controversy alarms went ballistic.

Just because Pronger is still probably suffering from the sore wrist injury he sustained blocking a shot a week ago, does not mean he is in the dog house because he is skating hard after practice. That's why it is an upper body injury, it does not stop him from pushing himself rather than glide around taking it easy.

In terms of tonight's game, I'm not surprised like some writer's were that Brian Boucher is getting the call tonight in net. According to Sam Carchidi of the Inky, Boush is 2-0 with a 1.50 GAA, and .935 save percentage. It will be interesting to see how Pronger's replacement, Nick Boynton, molds in with the defense to see if he can find a stable partner.

Flyers/Oilers Preview

Some readers of this blog may remember when both the Flyers and Oilers used to be dominant. The Oilers built their dynasty in the late 1980's with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, and Grant Fuhr were in the primes of their careers. The two teams had an epic Stanley Cup Final in 1987 that saw the Oil win in seven games. Despite the defeat, rookie goaltender Ron Hextall won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP.

Twenty four years later, the Oilers are at the rock bottom level of falling from grace. Since losing in Game 7 of the SC Final in 2006, their name and 15th place have been associated repeatedly.

The Flyers meanwhile, had their worst season in franchise history in 2006, but are now back in the top of the standings, still searching for the Holy Grail of sports trophies for the first time since 1975.

The orange and black are in the midst of their worst losing streak of the season which currently stands at four. To add insult to injury, the Flyers looked like they were playing pond hockey at Madison Square Garden yesterday, as they were shutout 7-0 by the New York Rangers.

Fans are hoping playing a team like the Oilers will get the Flyers back on track. While I'm inclined to agree this will be no easy task. The Oilers are a young, rebuilding team with players that have openly admitted they are not just trying to improve themselves. They are going out every night, going to compete, and trying to win for their own pride.

Head coach Peter Laviolette gave the team off today. Laviolette hinted at possibly pushing the team too hard in a tough stretch of the season. While this is justifiable, I could not agree more with GM Paul Holmgren's response to the matter.

"The players better not think they can use that as excuse," he said.

Expect Bob to be the starter tomorrow night. Brian Boucher did not look sharp against a team he has had tremendous success against in the past, but he did not have much help either. Puck drops at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Meszaros Does It Again

The Flyers did their best to throw two points away. They nearly succeeded. Andrej Meszaros had other ideas, as he scored the game winner with 17 seconds left in overtime to give the Flyers a 4-3 win at the Wells Fargo Center.

The dynamic duo of Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter were at it again tonight. Giroux had two brilliant assists, especially on JVR's goal while Carter contributed a goal and an assist. Giroux and Carter have been nothing short of spectacular since being paired together on a line. Considering their style of play, it is a perfect match. Giroux is the distributor, dangling all over the ice and finding the wide open man for a tap-in. Carter is the finisher, using his howitzer of a shot from any point on the ice (sometimes to many fans' aggrevation).

What is alarming from tonight's game is Chris Pronger's injury. X-rays were negative on his wrist after blocking a shot. This may force the Flyers' hand to go after a defenseman for insurance. With the waiving of Nikolay Zherdev (we'll get to that in a minute), the Flyers have about $3.7 million in cap room. That leaves Craig Rivet as the only legitimate option. Bryan McCabe of the Panthers and John-Michael Liles of the Avalanche would put the Flyers over the cap (their cap hits are $5.75 million and $4.2 million respectively) while Rivet's cap hit if claimed off re-entry waivers would only be $1.75 million. While the Sabres are a defensive team, Rivet has not been able to crack the lineup as a captain of that club. That speaks volumes so while it wouldn't hurt to pick up Rivet for his veteran prescence, he should not start over the current starting six defensemen.

In terms of Zherdev, fans seem to be split on the issue of his waiving. Quite frankly, Zherdev's toxic personality needed to be exiled from that locker room. His atrocious work ethic is not acceptable and while he is an offensive threat, he's a defensive liability and Laviolette would lose some respect in that locker room for holding a double standard. Players have to play both ends of the ice in Laviolette's system and if they don't, they sit, simple as that.

The Flyers are back in action Saturday in Ottawa, the puck drops at 7 p.m. (photo courtesy of phillysportscentral and google).

Bryzgalov Stands Tall as Flyers Fall

Peter Laviolette must feel he has tried everything. Mike Richards at the point, JVR at the point, Nikolay Zherdev (remember him) even got some power play time. Nothing seems to work. An 0-5 showing on the man advantage led to the Flyers doom in a 3-2 loss to the streaking and underrated Coyotes tonight.

Commenting from afar (Fairfax, Va.) it seems that the Flyers power play woes come from the fact that they are not generating enough shots. It is easier said than done. While the Flyers have tried being too fancy looking for the backdoor pass every time, it doesn't mean I want them to start firing through shooting lanes that don't exist. The effort is there, but the results are not. Having played in it, I know the umbrella system works and is effective. It does require patience to an extent, but lanes need to be created and screens set. Chris Pronger has said the Flyers haven't had enough traffic in front of the net lately. They need to find that hunger again to go to the net consistently.

The question is how far can the Flyers get in the playoffs with a nonexistant power play? It has been maddeningly inconsistent all year for a team that has a ton of firepower. Special teams become even more critical in the playoffs as penalities usually tend to lower, hence so do power play opportunities. This is a glaring weakness the Flyers need to start addressing on the ice rather than in their words.

I correctly yesterday that if the Flyers let the Coyotes hang around, they would force mistakes and cash them in . Well they certainly did that. A lot of people are going to point at the second goal. I haven't seen it yet and it sounds like Bob should have had it, but as I said, a 1-0 lead is not good enough against this team especially for a team that does not have a shutout through 60 games.

Now to give credit where credit is due, Ilya Bryzgalov was brilliant in net tonight for the Coyotes. He stopped 37 of 39 shots using his advantgous size to its utmost ability. While Sergei Bobrovsky gave up an atrocious second goal, he stopped 26 of 29 shots and stood on his head a majority of the overtime session.

The Flyers need to take advantage of their next three games against Eastern Conference bottom feeders (NY Islanders, Ottawa, and Toronto) especially with two of the three games being at home. With Oskars Bartulis being injured tonight, Sean O'Donnell maybe healed enough to come back Thursday, but I wouldn't be surprised if Danny Syvret is called up. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Islanders. Photo courtesy of prohockeynews/google.

Flyers to Face Upshall/Coyotes

Fresh off a four game road trip, the Flyers will play one of two straight home games tomorrow night against the visiting Phoenix Coyotes.

The Coyotes are not a rival of the Flyers in any way, shape, or form, but the return of Scottie Upshall since being traded by the Flyers to the Coyotes has gotten the attention of many fans and media members.

Upshall, 27, was very popular among his teammates (not always leading to the smartest decisions) and the fans. There is no question that he was a spark plug on the ice. He had speed, skill, and aggression. He will certainly receive a warm ovation from the faithful tomorrow night.

That being said, the Coyotes themselves are a very daunting task. They've won seven in a row and are now in third place in the west. The Coyotes don't have flashy players (Shane Doan back in the day). They grind it out, are well coached (Dave Tippett), and have one of the best goaltenders in the league (Ilya Bryzgalov).

The key against the Coyotes is to get ahead. If you let them hang around, they will force a mistake and make the Flyers pay for it. If Brian Boucher shows he is healthy after his injury yesterday, expect him to start. But don't be surprised if Bob does either, I haven't predicted a starting goalie correctly all year.

One other problem that needs to be addressed is the status of Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev has been a healthy scratch for five straight games. The report floating around the Philadelphia media is he was supposed to play Friday against Carolina, yet the team could not find him. Instead Jody Shelley had to fill in ten minutes before game time. Clearly Zherdev has become frustrated and disenchanted. GM Paul Holmgren came out today and said he would be reluctant to deal Zherdev since he sees him as an insurance policy for the playoffs if someone were to get hurt.

I certainly understand where Holmgren is coming from, but the reality is the Flyers are done with Zherdev and will let him walk after the season. Why not try and acquire some picks back (or to trade away again)? The most disappointing aspect of this is that Zherdev has a ton of talent, but he only uses it when it's most convenient for him. This is the chance the Flyers took though when they signed him over the summer.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. tomorrow, look for changes in the defensive pairings with O'D out for the next one to two weeks. (Photo courtesy of Google Images)

Versteeg Trade Comments

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Flyers/Habs Preview

Tonight the Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Montreal Canadiens in their last game before the All-Star break at the Wells Fargo Center. Fans are much more eager to watch this match up after the Flyers dominated the Habs in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

This is the fourth and final meeting of the season with the Flyers holding a 2-1 series edge in this year's contests. The Habs are looking to rebound after a 4-3 shootout loss to Anaheim on Saturday, on an emotional night that saw the return of former captain Saku Koivu, his first return to Montreal since leaving the team via free agency.

The Flyers meanwhile are coming off a strong 4-1 win in Chicago to get at least some revenge and satisfaction from last year's loss in the Stanley Cup. Regardless, both teams despise one another and as Danny Briere said, these are the kinds of games that motivation is not really needed, it's already there. With that here are tonight's keys:

-Bob: It may be getting redundant, but Bob had possibly his best game of the season Sunday in Chicago. He can really take a stranglehold of the starting job by putting into the coaches minds' throughout the break that he is the Flyers best and consistent option for the remainder of the season.

-Powerplay: I would have laughed if someone told me going into this year that the Flyers powerplay would be in the bottom third of the league. There are certain nights where the Flyers have relentless pressure, are getting clean and smart shots off, but the bounces aren't going their way. Then there are nights when they just dump the puck in, don't outwork the defense, and never set up let alone get off a shot. The powerplay is the biggest area I think the Flyers can improve on going into the final stretch before the playoffs.

-JVR's Absence: Dan Carcillo did an admirable job stepping in Sunday and filling his role. The fact of the matter is, JVR is a needed presence on the ice. Even when he's not scoring he has been involved and much more physical. However, it is the last game before the break so I cannot disagree with the Flyers holding him back so he can rest and be ready to go next week. Also, I believe a personal matter came up for JVR this week along with his groin so hopefully he can take care of that by next week as well.

The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. due to the game being on VS tonight. Good luck to Briere, Claude Giroux, and Coach Laviolette at the ASG, represent the organization well and do not get hurt!

Caps/Rangers Preview

The Washington Capitals host the New York Rangers tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Verizon Center. The teams are only separated by three points in the standings (The Capitals are 5th with 62 points while the Rangers are in 7th with 59 points).

With the Tampa Bay Lightning winning last night and the game being televised nationally (to people who have quality cable at least), the Caps need to look no further than these two factors for motivation to take two points from tonight's game. Both teams have played well of late so it should be a great tilt. Here are the keys to tonight's game:

-Ovechkin: It seems cliche to have Ovi as one of the keys to tonight's game. However, considering the year he's having, one we are not accustomed to seeing, he needs to build off his hat trick from Saturday night's contest. If the Caps are going to go anywhere in the playoffs, Ovi is going to have to keep playing at this pace. I'm not saying he needs a hat trick every game, but he needs to be involved and producing.

-Goaltending: I'm expecting Henrik Lundqvist and Semyon Varlamov in the net, respectively. Both have good numbers, but Varly is starting to play to the potential that the Caps' front office keep telling us about. We know what to expect out of Lundqvist, he's a quality goaltender, but when Varly is on his game he is virtually unbeatable.

-Caps D vs. Gaborik: Marian Gaborik is the Rangers' most potent scorer. He can use power coming down the wing, or maneuver his way to the slot to bury the puck in the smallest opening between the goalie and the net just to rub salt in the wound. Washington's defense corps is far improved from last year and it will be interesting to see which pair is matched up against him.

It will be interesting to see how the game unfolds tonight. Will the pace be tentative or will the Capitals come at the Rangers with a fury after being torched by them in their last meeting? I like the Caps at home, 4-2 final.

Video Blog 1/21

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Flyers/Sens Preview

While Chris Pronger's return is stealing the headlines after missing 13 games, the Flyers as a team have to weary about this game against the Ottawa Senators tonight at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are coming off an emotional overtime win against the Washington Capitals and are about to play three games in the next four days. This is a classic trap game and here is why:

-Spezza: Jason Spezza, arguably Ottawa's best player is out with an injury. A team that already struggles to score now know they have to work even harder to get production. The Flyers cannot take for granted that Spezza is out of the lineup or they will pay dearly for it.

-Bob: Sergei Bobrovsky has reverted back to his strong play from the beginning of the year and has had three strong starts in a row. He made 28 saves in an earlier 5-1 win over the Senators this season. Bob has to continue proving his consistency especially against basement dwellers like the Senators.

-Clouston: It's been no secret that the Senators head coach Cory Clouston's job security is in question. Despite how bad the Senators are statistically, they continue to go out and plug away for their blue-collar coach. This will be no different as nothing would make the Senators happier than to go into the best team in the Eastern Conference's building and beat them.

Look for how Pronger moves out on the ice tonight. He's looked good in the clips I've seen him in in practice, but this is real-time game speed now. I'll be at practice tomorrow and should have a video up by mid-afternoon. Until then, the puck drops in 45 minutes so in the words of the legendary Gene Hart, "Good night, and good hockey."

Flyers/Thrashers notes, NYR Preview

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Flyers Look to Bounce Back at Atlanta

The Philadelphia Flyers will look to bounce back after last night's loss in Boston tonight at Philips Arena in Atlanta against the Thrashers.

Sergei (Bob) Bobrovsky will be in the net after Brian Boucher conceded six goals last night. Bobrovsky is coming off a strong start Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. Skepticism still surrounds Bob's consistency since he's never played a full NHL season.

While Bobrovsky does have his flaws (he is vulnerable on high shots as a butterfly goaltender and not consistent cutting down the shooter's angle) his athleticism and superb skill set are no mirage and his stats reflect that (16-6-3, 2.55 GAA, .917 save pct).

Here are the keys to tonight's game:

Bobrovsky/Pavalec-This is such an intriguing goaltender matchup because of the youth and parallel success of these both goalies. Ondrej Pavalec has a similar record to Bobrovsky (15-9-5) along with a better GAA (2.33) and save percentage (.930). After a horrific, inexplicable collapse on the ice in the beginning of the year, Pavalec has emerged as a solid young goaltender this team can try to build around.

Dustin Byfuglien-Byfuglien was a force for the Chicago Blackhawks in their championship run last year. He has gotten more attention because of it, but is still underrated for his ability to play at both ends of the ice whether he is on offense or defense. He is the anchor for the powerplay. Look for him to be at the top of the umbrella on the powerplay or at the top of the left circle to unload his shot.

Defensive Zone Play-The Flyers were atrocious in their defensive zone last night. A blind wrap around the boards led to the game-winning goal. Yes the absence of Chris Pronger has played a part in the Flyers overall problems in their own zone, but it's doing the simple things by chipping the puck off the glass or taking an icing if necessary because it temporary haults momentum despite the same players having to stay on the ice. It all starts with a tape to tape breakout pass, then getting the puck deep to unleash their devastating forecheck. These little things make the difference in the NHL.

I probably will video blog tomorrow stay tuned, good night and good hockey!

Flyers/Sabres Recap, Boston Preview

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Flyers End Trip With Win Over Devils

The Flyers just completed their annual post Christmas road trip compiling a record of 3-2. It was a very inconsistent road trip to say the least. One game the Flyers looked like the team they have been all season dominating all phases of the game, while in others looking like the team they were at this point last year.

The Western Conference is always a big test for a juggernaut team in the Eastern Conference to go out on the road and perform since the west is a more superior conference (Five points separate the fourth seed from the 13th seed). Here's a quick game by game breakdown:

-Vancouver: The Canucks dominated this game from the start. The Flyers were coming off eight days of rest and having to fly all the way out to Vancouver. Not to mention Vancouver is the hottest team in the league compiling a 16-1-2 record in their last 19 games. Ryan Kessler continues to quietly rise to superstardom and showed it with two incredible goals in the game.

-Los Angeles: This was Michael Leighton's first game back since surgery and possibly his last as a Flyer. Thankfully, the Flyers caught the Kings in their worst slump of the season. Leighton looked shaky at best and while GM Paul Holmgren would not admit it, it certainly did not help Leighton's cause to justify his being waived to the AHL last week.

-Anaheim: The Ducks have talent, but without captain Ryan Getzlaf, it was an atrocity how the Ducks annihilated the Flyers 5-2. It's too early to say teams have figured out rookie sensation Sergei Bobrovsky, but he now has to start making adjustments to keep improving his dynamic skill set.

-Detroit: Winning for the first time in Detroit since 1988 (and in my lifetime) the Flyers responded with a strong defensive effort in beating a constant elite in the west, the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard continues to have up and down outings so despite the Red Wings return as an offensive powerhouse they have to be able to keep the puck out of the net.

-New Jersey: This was the story of two teams going in opposite directions. Even though the Flyers did not bring their best game, they still were able to erase two deficits and pull away in the third period. It shows the difference in a very good team such as the Flyers and an awful team such as the Devils.

Overall I'd give the Flyers a B for the road trip. They competed well against some of the west's elite, but also were exposed by another west elite and a west contender. I would like to see how the Flyers would have played Vancouver had they been on normal rest and that game be for example the third of a five game road trip rather than the first. The rust would have worn off and it likely would have been a much more competitive game.

The Flyers will complete the back end of a home and home with the Devils tomorrow at the Wells Fargo Center. The puck drops at 1 p.m.