SB Nation - Chris Pronger

Pronger: We just need to have fun again

Travis Hughes — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:52:04 -0000

It's been a while since we've seen a smile on the face of Chris Pronger.

Chris Pronger spoke with the media on a conference call today, and while most of the conversation focused on the upcoming Winter Classic, Pronger also spoke about how the team needs to just get back to the basics and start having fun in order to get back on the winning side of things. He said that this current road trip, accompanied by the Winter Classic on the 1st, is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

"I think when you're struggling like we have, it's nice to get back on the road and kind of get away from everything and try to bond on the road and really find ourselves, find our identity again," Pronger said. "I think we've lost it through this last little stretch. Going on the road, getting together, having team dinners and being around the guys and getting the group together is always a good way to kind of get over what ails you, and... this six game stretch here is very important to our hockey team."

Pronger was asked about the Winter Classic, and how the event can be used by the Flyers as a tool to make the game fun again.

"It is the perfect setting to be honest with you. What better way to get back to your roots and your childhood than playing in an outdoor game and playing in front of, I don't know, 35,000 people and enjoying yourself out in nature and the elements. It certainly should be a lot of fun. ... I'm hoping that the fun will already be back in our game before the 1st, but it would definitely be a step ahead and a step in the right direction as well."

As fans, we've been sitting here analyzing the problems with this team for weeks now, but could it really be something as simple as just going out there and playing hockey, not squeezing your stick too hard, and just letting the game come to you? Pronger seems to think so, and when he was asked about the changes Peter Laviolette has put in place, he said it doesn't really make a difference.

"We can talk about all the X's and O's and things like that, which obviously [Laviolette has] implemented his own systems and they're a little bit different, but at the end of the day, it's hockey. We've all played this game for a long time, and you've got to go out there and play the game and have fun and work for one another and work for the guy sitting next to you."

Is it that simple (and don't confuse simple with easy)? Can this time on the road be what cures that Flyers? At the very least, Pronger believes in the possibility.

Halak, Bergeron and Plekanec Help Habs Pull Off Ridiculous Win

Robert L — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:04:33 -0000

Call the Canadiens 4-3 overtime win against the Thrashers in Atlanta, this: a game of extremities in a season of the same!

All told, it was close to 63 minutes of hockey to baffle every expert, one filled with connundrums to confound, a riddle bag of polar opposites and a bevy of ridiculous notions unfolding before your eyes.

The Thrashers provided the Habs' dominatrix on the evening, but failed to administer the full humiliation. The Canadiens seem intent to place themselves in a position to be bent, chained and whipped, but as shown before, they've either mastered a Houdini slipknot or own the keys to their own handcuffs.

A bunch of things, even at a prolonged glance, simply fail to add up. Just as this team is about to get written off as goners this season, it displays fortitude from the murkiest road trench. It gets shellacked, but the shell shocked goal stands tall. It plays an often small game, but its smurfs and midgets pull off a Gulliver-ish mutiny, turning the master into a slave.

As evidence, the Canadiens are out shot 50 to 23 and goalie Jaroslav Halak is, unbelievably not named one of the game's three stars. This game would have been over about 12 minutes in had it not been for his second stellar performance in as many games.

The Habs have surrendered 90 shots in the first two games of this seven game road trip and are 2-0. Halak has stopped 87 of those and continues to make a case that he's a number one goalie, somehwere if not in Montreal. If GM Gainey is seriously considering trading him, the 360 degree smile on his face threatens to separate the top of his head from his jaw these days. The longer he hangs in, the more Halak's value rises.

Halak's two biggest accomplices in this "wrestled from the jaws of defeat" win were pint sized hero Marc - Andre Bergeron and the genitally reassigned Tomas Plekanec (check this!), indeed a pair of valuable commodities that will cost the Canadiens more dinero next season.

Bergeron's nightly resume included no less than scoring the tying goal in the game's final minutes on a cannon blast and adding the OT winner after receiving a beaut of a pass from Plekanec, steamrolling Thrashers' goalies Anders Hedberg while skating backwards, deking the goalie with a backhand into an open right side.

Earlier in third, Bergeron earned a two minute minor for bowling over the same Hedberg, sweeping in from the corner to flatten the goalie without apology.

A Hab fan seated behind the Atlanta bench, was wearing Guillaume Latendresse's number, possibly as a reminder than Bergy has assumed his spot on the fourth line.

MAB makes $750,000 on a one year, and GM Gainey cannot receive enough credit for this shrewd signing.

Bergeron, who dresses as a forward won't be confused with Chris Pronger anytime soon, but don't look now, he's tied for the NHL lead (with Dallas' Stephane Robidas) for goals by a defenseman with 9 and he's tied for 18th in points with 19. He goes to the net with aplomb as a forward, but can't find fit on the Habs starting 6 D despite the fact that since Andrei Markov's return, the team is surrendering an average of 45 shots a game.

The Trois - Rivieres, Quebec native was an NHL afterthought one week into the season, as 30 clubs passed on his services. The diminutive rearguard is occasionally a defensive minefield, but has made Gainey look like a genius for heaving him off the scrap pile after Markov went down. Now it looks as though Montreal have revived the killer two pronged power play point proficiency of the Markov - Mark Streit duo of year's past.

Who would have thought?

Plekanec minus Kovalev equals superstar?

Tomas Plekanec is far and away the NHL Comeback Player of the Year. In his 38th game, he has now surpassed his 39 point total of last season. After posting a sub par 20 goals and 19 assists in 80 games, he now has 7 goals and a whopping 33 assists in 38 games.

Plekanec has always been an honest and dedicated player, but this type of turnaround requires great examination. As there is little new that Plekanec is truly showing - meaning we've seen this quality before from him, just not in this quantity - one has to wonder how and why it has all come to fore as he blossoms into quite the (expensive?) player. The most astute theory you'll hear is that he has had the burden of playing with Alex Kovalev removed from his nightly duty.

The Kladno native is now tied for second in the NHL in assists, something a Habs player can't likely lay claim to since the heyday of Elmer Lach. Lately Andrei Kostitsyn have benefitted as Mike Cammalleri is covered more closely in recent games. Plekanec prior to gelling with those two, was making any player on his trio look good.

Without the responsability of having to cater his game to Kovalev's weighty style, Plekanec has been freed to use all on ice elements like he rarely has be allowed in the past. It's a revelation to watch him bloom.

How about this for an extremity? The more pressing it becomes for Bob Gainey to resign the pending UFA, the less likely is Plekanec to be in a hurry. Just weeks ago, it looked like a $4.5M a year renumeration would make for a fine salary fit, but now Plekanec is obliterating arguments that he's worth a cool $6M.

Bob should approach such a negotiation like this:

"Tomas, how much? Sign here!"

Plekanec does it all for the Canadiens. He's a more than dependable front line center five on five with strong defensive habits and awarenesses. He's the pivotal draw man on a first PK unit that has gained gallons in credibility over the past month. He's been the shrewd and alusive centerman on the power play, with no recognizable stigmas for the opposition to stiffle him with. He's taking a beating, but keeps on ticking. As dangerous as he's become with the puck, he's not to be left unguarded without it.

The resume of his night's work against the Thrashers was akin to a platter of served hors d'oeuvres that all tasted uniquely different. His goal and three assists were offered as individual displays of all the things he's been doing so well across 38 games.

On his goal, he streaked to the net with Kostitsyn as a decoy, the second feed option far from the play. He craddled the pass a split second, aimed, and then zipped a wrister into the opposite top corner, catching Hedberg moving the other way. If you blinked, you missed him let up on dashing to the net, just as Cammalleri caught his gaze. It was a subtle but atuned example of one little detail in his game.

He did the grinder horse work on the Kostitsyn power play goal, fighting for the puck along the boards, never caughing it up while being shoved, hacked and handled by an Atlanta defenseman. He hung onto it no longer than he needed to, and just as he was about to draw more attention, he slipped a soft feed to Cammalleri in the corner, who fed pass to Kostitsyn at the crease. The Atlanta focus time on Plekanec was such that Andrei had time for two whacks in scoring the goal.

On the tying goal by Bergeron on the power play, Plekanec was set up in Kovalev's old playground off to the right side board. He was economical in three quick plays, first cultivating the puck as it skinned round the corner board. He then took a split second to place himself, never allowing the Atlanta coverage to settle still. As soon as a Thrasher moved toward him, Plekanec dished off to Bergeron at the point. Just as quick, he received the puck back from the blueline, passing a one - timer cross ice to Markov who fed Bergeron for the blast. On the clock, this took all of six seconds. Kovalev would have used up a minute to paint such artistry, but on Plekanec's canvas, the paint is stil wet.

The overtime winner four on four was a textbook demonstration of what players without the puck must do to create pressure and goals. First, Plekanec took off, flying into open space in mid ice for a feed from Josh Gorges. Receiving the pass, he strode over the red line into the Atlanta zone, twice dragging a skate and pausing briefly to scan the landscape. Stopping inside the blueline, he fed a blazing Bergeron with a pinpoint feed just as he hit the crease's edge. Curiously, had that play broken down, Plekanec had both Gorges and Cammalleri as additional trailers streaking in, with himself poised to handle the back check.

Not making the highlight reel, was a shorthanded breakaway by Plekanec that could have altered the game earlier on.

A similar short handed play with Markov leading on three on one rush died a quicker death when recipient Scott Gomez fired three feet wide without even allowing himself a better look at the netting available to him. Call it Gomez squeezing the stick and being unaccustomed to Markov's space and time creating feeds, but once the Thrashers had come back to retake the lead, this bungled play haunted as a possible turning point. For a team being dominated as such, it can't afford to waste precious scoring chances. The game would have been 3-1 at that point, and the short handed KO would have set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Two final notes on the extremities theme.

It's great to see Andrei K looking like the better of his old selves again, but in a single game he's still quite capable of alertness and fog. On the Thrashers first goal late in the opening period, there must have been a dense mist encompassing AK46 as he was caught in the muck and mire three times in a split second span. As the first forechecker on a clearing play, he simply glided towards center, applying little puck pressure. From there, a coasting semi circle followed, not a gear engaged as a second pass sped by him. He'd lost his wing by this point, committed too far left and inside the Canadiens zone. Realizing he'd blown coverage, he stopped, did a sweep check and turned to find his defenseman Ron Hainsey streaking in behind him in the position he'd vacated. Hainsey skated in deep, unharmed and uncompromized, to feed Kovalchuk at the crease.

Other than that miscue, there have been more confidence inspiring moments from Andrei. He seems to get that in the offensive zone, he has three mandates to fulfill: hit opponents who have the puck in his vicinity; make himself availaable for passes in open spaces, and follow shots briskly to the net. He's a PPG player when he zoned in, no better than a pylon when he's not.

We've seen it time again this season, how the Canadiens own the ability to use their speed assets and turn games on a dime. Does it not make you wonder why, in the team's approach, such strengths are not employed in forechecking the opposition to death in their own end. Wouldn't a "two men deep" philosophy allow players such as Maxim Lapierre and Max Pacioretty, just to name two, to gain more puck time deep in the right end. Plainly said, doesn't puck pressure lead to more puck possession?

Maybe they want to employ such tactics in their game, but the lack of a second strong scoring line kills any momentum, and the many penalties taken zaps the thrust from sustaining any prolonged, shift to shift attack. Perhaps solving these two sore spots would heighten the Canadien's overall standing, being that goaltending is better than good, the penalty kill is feared and power play has recently added a second cannon.

Cripes, does that constitute a statement of hope after all?

Extremities!

Game shots courtesy of Montreal Canadiens.com

Canadiens vs Thrashers boxscore

Bird Watchers Anonymous

Lions In Winter - Montreal Stars Complete Unlikely Comeback

HIO - About Last Night.....

Rangers Recap: Rangers clip Flyers 2-1

Joe Fortunato — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:26:43 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

4 days ago: New York Rangers, including Michal Rozsival (33), congratulate right wing Ryan Callahan (24) after he scored the first of the Rangers goals in their 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders in the first period of their NHL hockey game at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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John Tortorella made headlines the other day by making the statement that he would enforce all of the changes that we were promised when he was hired less than a year ago. He employed his new roster two days ago against the Islanders and it resulted in a 5-2 romping, filled with energy and the type of play you hope to see from a good hockey team. That continued last night where the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 for their second straight win.

The first period started out well for the Rangers with Chris Drury notching his second goal in two games (2 in his previous 27 games before Thursday). The Rangers surrendered the lead shortly after on a Chris Pronger power play goal after an Enver Lisin boarding penalty. Although the Rangers took four penalties, they played a solid road period and kept the Flyers pretty much in check.

The second period was more of the same from the Rangers, relying on a few great Henrik Lundqvist saves before Artem Anisimov scored his second goal in as many games to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Marian Gaborik continued to be kept without much space, mainly due to some fantastic defending from Pronger (who really played a great game). The Rangers had their chances to break this one open in the second but Christopher "fanned on the puck" Higgins, well, fanned on a few scoring opportunities. And Ryan Callahan couldn’t find a way to bang his alone in the slot chance, shooting directly into Brian Boucher’s chest.

The third period was pretty much dedicated to tons of defense from both teams—which incidentally lead to tons of offensive chances. The game went back and forth and if wasn’t for some spectacular Henrik Lundqvist saves this game might have easily gone in a different direction. Overall though the Rangers played a pretty composed, and solid road game.

I would still have to say that the Rangers have been taking too many penalties; they just didn’t pay for it today. And while Marian Gaborik was kept off the score sheet he was still very noticeable. Defensively he broke up Flyers outlet passes, lifted stick to stop scoring chances, and didn’t take any crap from Flyers who were simply looking to get under his skin. Have I mentioned that I love him yet?

Oh by the way Gaborik has 24 goals the same amount that Markus Naslund had all of last year.

Empty netters:

Michael Del Zotto quietly played one of his better games this year. He was very physical against a big and tough Flyers team, plus he was all over the ice offensively and ran the power play pretty effectively.
Henrik Lundqvist played his best game of the year. Good to see him back to his old form.
Artem Anisimov is beginning to blossom before our very eyes. The 21 year-old was spectacular today and really seems to have figured out the speed of the NHL. He physically imposed the Flyers all night and was a monster in the offensive zone. Watch him shield the puck with his body, it’s beautiful to watch.
Drury also had one of his best games of the year. Think that goal against the Islanders boosted is confidence? Good for him we need him to get going.
Man Chris Higgins seems to do everything right. He gets the puck, he shields away defenders, he makes space and then he finds ways not to score. I feel for him but he needs to start scoring, he is starting to hurt this team.
We said it in the live thread but I have Chris Pronger with a fiery passion, and would give up quite a bit to have him in Ranger blue. Great move for the Flyers in my opinion.
As much as I hate to say it Micahel Rozsival played his second consecutive great game. Maybe benching Wade Redden was the right move by Torts.
Speaking of John Tortorella he better continue keeping Ales Kotalik and Wade Redden on the bench, things are working right now no need to rock the ship.
Ryan Callahan also played a great two way game, playing great defense and making a few offensive chances as well.
I also think that Ilkka Heikkinen played a great game tonight. He was solid on his own end, threw a few nice hits and didn’t seem out of place at all. I hate to say it but I think he is making more of a difference right now then Matt Gilroy was.

Also Brian Boyle was injured, we will keep an eye on it and keep you posted when we learn more. The Rangers got a huge win today and are finally playing their brand of hockey. Thoughts guys?

Friday links: T.J. Oshie superstar edition

averagejoe — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:00:21 -0000

Friday!

Blue news

Blues vs. Tampa tonight. Can St. Louis beat the Lightning? Let's hope so. [CBS Sports]
I hate question mark headlines, but this one does raise a point. When do the struggling vets get the Matt Walker tour of arena press boxes? [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
T.J. Oshie claims he doesn't think he's a star. Good, because he isn't. A star has more than 20 career goals. [Belleville News-Democrat]
One thing learned in this Jeremy Rutherford chat: he expects a trade before Murray gets the boot. [STLtoday]

Hockey news

Last night's results. [Yahoo! Sports]
Blues and five others are playing tonight. [Yahoo! Sports]
Canada is unhappy about not getting a Winter Classic yet. At least this guy is. [Toronto Sun]
A look at the 10-worst deals of the aughts. Shockingly, no Chris Pronger for Eric Brewer, Doug Lynch and Jeff Woywitka. [Puck Daddy]
Henrik Zetterberg suffered an upper-body injury last night. [ESPN]
Luke Schenn (sophomore slump) and Jonas Gustavsson (heart) are expected back for the Leafs on Friday. [TSN]

David Kock and Jarkko Ruutu received fines. [TSN]

Other links

This is extremely complicated, but cool nonetheless: The beerodic table. [Pic]
More year-end countdown stuff: The top 15 local news stories of the year. [Buzzfeed]
I've never written on a stall wall, but I've often thought about it. As a lefty, I'm usually pretty close to the wall and as a journo, I always have a pen in my pocket. Anyway, these people aren't like me and write on walls. [OMG Staff Wall]
I don't have many rules, but if you submit to this Web site, we can't be friends. [Rate My Pecs]

Video

Look, the video well has dried up. After doing this for like 10ish months, I'm about tapped out. So today, you're getting Muppets.

Lisa Simpson: Dad, what's a Muppet?

Homer Simpson: Well, it's not quite a mop, and it's not quite a puppet, but maaaan! (laughs) So to answer your question, I don't know.

Poor College Student has the weekend shift. I'll be in Kansas City helping a friend move. Go BLUES!

Optimism vs Pessimism: Flyers play well, still lose to Pens in SO

Travis Hughes — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:28:07 -0000

[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Pittsburgh Reaction]

Final - 12.17.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Pittsburgh Penguins	1	1	0	0	1	3
Philadelphia Flyers	1	1	0	0	0	2

Complete Coverage >

Well, at least they got a point.

Despite doing just about everything right, the Flyers still fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in a shootout. They controlled five-on-five play, looked solid on the power play, and showed up to the arena tonight with a lot of heart, but still walked away without a point.

There are two schools of thought on this. You can be a pessimist and say that it's the same old Flyers, and no matter how well they played, they still lost the game and that's all that mattered. The penalty kill looked terrible. The shootout looked worse. Moral victories don't matter, right? This team is just bad, and they lost another game.

Or, you can be optimistic. The Flyers played well enough to win tonight, and in a lot of ways, they just didn't get the luck. Marc-Andre Fleury stole yet another game away from the orange and black, and you can't blame the home team for that..

In reality, it's a mixture of the two. There are reasons to be pessimistic. The Flyers still took a few terrible penalties. They looked the opposite of good on the penalty kill. There are reasons to be optimistic. In a lot of this game, played better than the Penguins. The chemistry between Scott Hartnell and Jeff Carter was fantastic, and the team received positive contributions from all four lines.

Regardless of which logic you subscribe to, you can make a solid argument.

After the jump, a few more thoughts, questions with answers, and the comment of the night.

Some more assorted thoughts...

Chris Pronger made a few bad plays on the PK, but none was worse than a clearing attempt in which he put it right on Crosby's stick about 10 feet from the goal. Crosby roofed it to tie the game.
In the first period, Crosby took a high stick to the face, but embellished like the world was ending. On the ensuing power play, the Penguins tied the game at one.
"We know we can play with them." - Jeff Carter
The penalties still need to stop. While Crosby embellished on the first one, it was still a penalty. Throughout the game, the lack of discipline still continues to haunt.
The Penguins practice shootouts, and Dan Bylsma makes it fun for them. Should the Flyers, a team that's historically been terrible at picking up the Bettman point, take up similar preparation?
Dan Carcillo looked quite good as well.
There were a few questionable calls in this one, including one on Carcillo in overtime and a no call on Evgeni Malkin in the third, but they were in no way the reason the Flyers lost the game.

Comment of the Night

Come On Boys! Go out there and bite someone if you have to, lets get this thing turned around tonight. ...

>> M from Pdaddy

Questions With Answers

60 minute effort? 65 minutes, actually.
Can Boosh turn in a solid performance? Continually is coming up huge for the Flyers.
Can the Flyers beef up on the power play and the PK, which both didn't look too great on Tuesday? We didn't get much of a look at the PP, but the PK was the reason they lost tonight.
How does Dan Carcillo play, one game after being arguably the Flyers best player? Looked good on the PP again, as weird as that sounds. All around hard work from Carbomb.
How's Betts look in his first game back? Played about 14 minutes, went 8 for 14 in the faceoff circle. Looked like Blair Betts.

Marty Turco Trade Rumors Heating Up?

Brandon Worley — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:45:17 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Dyck - AP

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Mark Stepneski has a couple of tidbits from Philadelphia and Ottawa news sources, both stating that the Flyers and Senators are perhaps interested in inquiring about the availability of Marty Turco via trade.

What's interesting is that both stories essentially say that a trade really wouldn't make much sense for the Stars.

The Stars are looking for a top defenseman and again, the Flyers aren't going to part with Kimmo Timonen or Chris Pronger, so this doesn't make a lot of sense from the outside. What the Flyers need most right now is scoring help.

Expect this to happen about once a week or so as the trade deadline nears. Turco is in the last year of his contract, and the Stars could be looking to get value for him before losing him via free agency, and teams are constantly going to be checking in on his availability. Just don't expect a trade to happen while the Stars are still in the playoff hunt.

[Update by Brandon Worley] Here's the scoop on any trade that might happen regarding Marty Turco: Even if the Dallas Stars do tank in the next few months, and even if they decide to see what they might get for Turco on the trade market, it will take one hell of a return for them to ship him off. Some use Turco's large salary as a deterrent for any potential trade, but the reality is that he will have just $1.2 million left on his contract after the trade deadline. A lofty price for just a few months of work for sure, but not completely out of the question for any team that has cap space and in desperate need for a goaltender.

Make no mistake about it; despite Turco becoming a potential free agent over the summer, the Stars have all of the bargaining chips in any trade scenario. It is rare indeed that a goaltender of Turco's talent and track record are available for a team that is in desperate need of a goalie and still in the playoff hunt.

The Stars won't be looking to just get a veteran, aging defenseman or another potential free agent forward either; a trade for Turco would have to include players or prospects that would benefit the Stars after the 2009-2010 season. This makes a perfect storm leading up the trade deadline and while it's possible something happens, the chances of such a trade happening are very unlikely.

Now out of the comfort zone, Flyers face make or break stretch

Travis Hughes — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:09:30 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Claude Giroux and Mike Richards need to wipe the depressing looks off their faces and get this team going.

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Devils. Bruins. Penguins. Penguins. Rangers. That's the schedule for the Philadelphia Flyers over the next week.

It's officially make or break time. This team needs to string points together right now. Not only are all of these teams rivals, they're all pretty strong opponents. Yeah, you could argue against the Rangers, who have been stuck in neutral just like the Flyers. If you think they won't be up for the first game of the season against the orange and black, though, you're mistaken.

The key is for the Flyers to match intensity this week. The largest problem with this team right now is a simple lack of confidence. They lack it in basically every aspect of the game besides goaltending, and it's a major reason why they simply can't put the puck in the net.

The firing of their coach and friend John Stevens probably didn't help the fragile self-esteem of this group. After all, it's easy to forget that the core of this team is still quite young. They were one of the youngest in the league last year, and the additions of Chris Pronger and Ian Laperriere, along with the subtractions of Joffrey Lupul and Scottie Upshall, have only gone so far in changing that fact.

Besides, Pronger and Laperriere, two guys who were brought in largely to take leadership roles on the club, haven't done so, at least when it comes to an off-ice role, with Pronger saying things like how he doesn't want to step on Mike Richards' toes.

So far under Peter Laviolette, though, the Flyers have been taken out of their comfort zone. In comes a new coach, holding them accountable for stupid, undisciplined penalties right off the bat. Pronger has been, seemingly, a more vocal presence since Laviolette has come on. The new coach has moved morning game day skates from the Wachovia Center to the Skate Zone in Voorhees, where they were located for almost 30 years prior to last season.

That decision a year ago was made in large part to help the younger players, who live in Center City Philadelphia. Now, those young players will have to drive the extra 20 to 30 minutes over the bridge to the practice rink every morning while the veterans, who for the most part live in South Jersey, are given the luxury of the shorter drive on game day mornings.

Laviolette said the issue wasn't even up for debate. He also went into tactical reasons for the move, such as not wanting to be in the same building as the opponent so the team could go over secretive things like power play formations and the like without the other team seeing what he's doing. But whether it was the main reason for the move or not, the young, under performing core has been effectively taken out of their comfort zone.

Now, it's up to them to respond and show they have something to prove. They have to take this personally. Richards has to lead the charge, emotionally and on the ice. He can set the tone for this team early on, and he'll have to against the Devils for the team to have any success. It's not that Richards has to score a goal in the first ten minutes. But when he's at his best, he's zipping around the ice, doing anything possible to make a high-percentage play. He has to set that tone, but his linemates and the other goal scorers on the team have to follow. That means Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, James van Riemsdyk, and most of all, Jeff Carter, have to match his intensity.

The third and fourth lines will continue to get it done. They've been working hard this entire stretch, and that's not surprising given the make-up of those two units. You've got guys like Laperriere and Asham leading the charge on the third line, and those guys simply don't let up. And on the fourth line, you've got a bunch of guys fighting to make a name for themselves in what they know will be a limited time in the NHL.

We have to hope that going up against a few rivals this week, especially the Penguins in a home-and-home that caps off in Philadelphia, will give the Flyers big guns the spark they so desperately need. If you're going to prove that you're still capable of winning the Cup this season, you've got to win against your Cup-contending rivals. You've got to win this week.

Fun Facts From the Flyers Media Guide

Travis Hughes — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:18 -0000

The Flyers media guide never seems to disappoint when it comes to interesting or funny facts.

View full size photo »

As every pro and college sports team does, the Philadelphia Flyers put out a media guide each season. In addition to all those interesting stats TV broadcasters hand out, the book includes profiles of every player on the roster, every member of the organization, and other fun little tidbits. I took a chance to page through the guide recently, and I share some of the best facts with you below.

The bar at the AT&T Pavilion in the Wachovia Center is the largest in-arena bar in the world.
Assistant GM Barry Hanrahan has a labradoodle named Meatball.
VP of Sales Jim Willits might be the reason the Phoenix Coyotes fail in the desert. In his first four years as director of ticket sales for the Coyotes, the arena filled to 94 percent capacity. Since he left in 2002, that number has substantially dropped.
On February 6, 1997 against Montreal, the Legion of Doom -- John LeClair, Eric Lindros, and Mikael Renberg -- scored 16 points in a game, the most by a line in one game in franchise history. 20 days later in Ottawa, they repeated the feat.
The names of Arron Asham's kids: Dexter, Azilyn, and Oceane.
If Matt Carle could have dinner with anybody, he would choose to dine with Santa Claus.
Ed Snider has 14 grandchildren.
Fred Shero holds the highest win percentage of any coach in team history, with a .642 mark. Terry Murray holds the best playoff win percentage for a coach at .609.
Brian Boucher loves Spongebob and wont eat sushi.
The Flyers went undefeated against the Penguins at home in 42 consecutive games from February 7, 1974 to December 8, 1988.
Darroll Powe would like Norm MacDonald to play him in a movie about his life.
You know how you know Ian Laperriere is gay? He listens to Coldplay before games. Linked video NSFW.
Chris Pronger's first car, a 1983 Ford Ranger, was held together by rust.
Mike Richards dreams of being on stage at an Eminem concert.
Los Angeles couldn't beat the Flyers from October 22, 1974 until February 5, 1983 -- 32 games.
Among goalies with at least 1,000 minutes played, Roman Cechmanek holds the best GAA mark -- 1.96. At the opposite end of the spectrum (no pun intended), Bobby Taylor had a GAA of 4.05 in 44 games.
Ray Emery is allergic to cheese.

More after the jump...

The most points the Flyers have compiled against one team? 299 against Pittsburgh all-time, an 132-76-30-5 all-time record.
Simon Gagne's favorite numbers are 4 8 15 16 23 42.
Philadelphia has only played Columbus eight times. Ever. 4-1-3-0 in those games.
Craig Berube has a son named Nashota.
The orange and black scored two goals in seven seconds in the first period against St. Louis on December 27, 1988. They scored three goals in 35 seconds in the eighth minute of the second period against Boston on March 1, 1979. They scored four goals in one minute, 22 seconds against Pittsburgh in the third period on October 11, 1981.
Kimmo Timonen has a thing for Robert DeNiro. He'd like to have dinner with him and he'd also select him to play him in a movie about his life.
The Flyers have never allowed a goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs, despite four chances by opponents.
Ian Laperriere, movie star. He played Montreal Canadiens great "Boom Boom" Geoffrion in Maurice Richard, a movie about another Habs legend.
Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 1974/75, the Flyers scored just 61 goals at home that season, the low mark in team history.
Ole-Kristian Tollefsen is listed as "single" but he also "got married over the summer to his wife, Guro."
In his one game as a Flyer goaltender, Martin Houle had a GAA of 30.00. He allowed one goal in two minutes of ice time.
The Flyers are 29-4-3-1 all time against Atlanta.
Scott Hartnell's favorite cartoon character is Darkwing Duck.
Prior to this season, the Flyers had sold out 1,054 of their 1,621 home games.
Raw onions don't get along with Braydon Coburn.
The Flyers have a winning record against every team in the NHL, with the exception of the Boston Bruins, who they are 59-80-21-5 against all-time.
Danny Briere's first car was an Izuzu Impulse.

Senators bring down Flyers 2-0 as Foligno finally arrives

PeterR — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:30:11 -0000

More photos » by H. Rumph Jr - AP

11 days ago: Ottawa Senators' Nick Foligno, left, sets up for a score against Philadelphia Flyers' Brian Boucher in the third period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr)

Browse more photos »

Some people might say that the Ottawa Senators 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers was a boring, painful game to watch, but I enjoy a good defensive battle every once in a while--especially when teams are still exchanging scoring chances, just not scoring them. The teams went back and forth most of the game, seemingly alternating in shots, scoring chances, and penalties, but not scoring until Nick Foligno drove hard on Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher and potted his own rebound. Jesse Winchester scored an empty-net goal to cap off the scoring, as Brian Elliott earned his first shutout of the season.

Sens heroes: Brian Elliott, Nick Foligno, PK unit
You've got to hand it to Elliott, he had a strong game tonight--as opposed to some of his recent outings. He stopped all 23 he faced, came up big on Philly's six powerplays, and stopped a big breakaway in the second period. Philly had more scoring chances than Ottawa on the night, but Elliott was there to stop them all.

Foligno, meanwhile, may have had his best game of the season. The game-winning goal goes a long way--especially when it's on a solo effort as it was tonight, where Foligno took a shot, drove to the net, and put his own rebound in the net--but he also had a game-high six shots on net, and was on. Aside from his goal, he also made Chris Pronger look silly in the second, getting around him and just about opening the scoring at that point. It was the kind of game Foligno has been and will be counted on to provide, and maybe the historically streaky scorer will get himself going with tonight's effort.

Finally, the PK unit was very strong, putting the boot to all seven Flyers powerplays. Chris Phillips (7:17) and Anton Volchenkov (6:58), as expected, led the way in short-handed TOI, but forwards Daniel Alfredsson (4:55), Chris Kelly (4:57), and Jesse Winchester (4:13) pulled their own weight, too. Volchenkov had blocked three shots on the PK, and Phillips blocked two. Winchester's empty-net goal was technically short-handed (a 6-on-4, as a matter of fact), a result of a a good defensive play and a solid read.

Sens zeroes: Peter Regin
Seriously, where'd this guy go? You could give him a break because he's a rookie, but he played 11 games last season and started this season well--he was outstanding in the pre-season. These days, though, he's regularly the least-utilized player (5:17 TOI tonight, including only 45 seconds in the third), and for good reason; he's not doing anything. At this rate, he's the first candidate for a benching when Chris Neil returns.

Sens killers: Ottawa powerplay
The powerplay was just awful again tonight. Last game, against the Canadiens, you could say it was a result of playing against a hot goaltender, but against the Flyers the Senators were 0-for-6 and had only two shots on the powerplay. Two shots, in 10:11 of time with the man advantage. Ottawa's now goalless in their last 13 powerplay opportunities, over three games.

By the numbers: Ottawa missed 4 shots and had 17 blocked; Philadelphia missed 14 and had 25 blocked
Although Ottawa outshot Philly 25-23 on the night, when you factor in missed or blocked shots, Philadelphia put the puck to the net 62 times, while Ottawa only did so 46 times. You can take it one of two ways: Ottawa didn't put the puck towards the net often enough, or that Philadelphia couldn't hit the net effectively enough.

Shooting from the hip: Sens' shot map
You may remember my illustration of Ottawa's unwillingness to get into the slot and shoot from last game against the Canadiens; tonight, different story. Below is the shot map from Thursday's game, again from CBSSports.com:

You can see a distinct difference from last game, and that's based on where Ottawa's shots were taken from on the ice. There are still plenty of shots taken from the side (especially the left side, for some reason), but there are a bunch of shots taken from the slot, too. The leader in shots from right in front of the net? None other than Foligno, who took just about all of the shots you see at the top of the crease--including that goal he scored.

Take the good with the bad: Chris Campoli
There's no doubt that Campoli's under the knife when it Alex Picard returns from his injury, but he had a pretty strong game once again tonight. He drove hard to the net early in the game, bowling over Boucher and getting the Senators' started on their crease-drive, and he assisted on Foligno's game-winning goal. Then again, he took a couple senseless hooking penalties and had his shot blocked to give Scott Hartnell an easy breakaway, so he's still got things to improve in his game.

Back on track: Anton Volchenkov's hit parade
The A-Train took a couple of games to get his timing back after returning from injury, but it was right on time tonight. He had a game-high four hits, including a big one on Mike Richards,

Commercial of the night: Bonjour, madame!
Just plain terrible.

Another game, Another shutout: Flyers lose 2-0

Travis Hughes — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:31:30 -0000

[TSN Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Ottawa Reaction]

Final - 12.10.2009	1	2	3	Total
Ottawa Senators	0	0	2	2
Philadelphia Flyers	0	0	0	0

Complete Coverage >

Six games, three shutouts. Watch America's Most Wanted this weekend and maybe we can find out who kidnapped the Philadelphia Flyers offense. With the exception of one game against the New York Islanders, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk, and Danny Briere have been invisible over the last month.

I don't know what to think and I don't have answers, but this team just can't score. They have absolutely zero confidence. Maybe a trade is necessary to shake up the offense. Maybe they just need Simon Gagne, Blair Betts, and Darroll Powe back in the lineup. Maybe we overrated them and they're just bad. I simply don't know. With the amount of games coming up in the next few weeks -- really, up until the Olympic break -- they can't afford to continually give up points like this. It's frustrating, not to mention depressing.

They outworked the Senators tonight. They had more chances and they had an almost full length five-on-three power play. Their goalie performed like the starter he was in 2000. And yet, empty net goals not withstanding, they still lost a 1-0 defensive struggle.

Credit is due to the Senators. Brian Elliott played quite well. They did a great job of clogging the middle of the ice with bodies, not allowing the Flyers to do much on the power play. Still, Ottawa is not really a good hockey team. They've played over their heads thus far this season. They're relying on a goaltender right now who has only played 47 NHL games.

You've gotta win these games. The Flyers keep on proving that they're incapable of that.

After the jump, a few more notes on this one, lowlights, questions with answers, and the comment of the night.

Some assorted thoughts...

If I were Brian Boucher, I'd be furious. He's playing excellent hockey in the absence of Ray Emery, but he can't get a win because his team can't put the puck in the other net. At the same time, it's a reassuring sign that things aren't totally lost with Emery down. If the offense can get a damn goal.
The orange and black may have scored a goal at one point during this one, but the score sheet wont say that. The puck was lodged under Elliott's pads, and he seemed to be in the net with it. He was pushed by Scott Hartnell, though, so the officials, despite heading over to the table, didn't even send the play to Toronto for review.
The power play showed excellent puck movement, but unlike Tuesday against the Isles, the passing lanes across the middle of the ice didn't exist tonight. That forces the shots to come from the outside, and Elliott had an answer every time the Flyers challenged him down below the faceoff circles. When shots came from the point, especially via the stick of Chris Pronger, they rarely even made it through to Elliott.
Matt Carkner delivered a cheap shot to Mike Richards late in the third period, giving the Flyers some hope with a PP. On that ensuing PP, it was the same story.
Braydon Coburn's giveaway to Jesse Winchester leading up to the game-sealing empty net goal was just terrible.
The Flyers took several penalties tonight, but Peter Laviolette said after the game that they weren't the same kind of undisciplined penalties that he punished the team for during Wednesday's practice.
On the bright side, the penalty kill did a good job killing off Ottawa's PP chances.
This was, by far, the most boring hockey game in quite some time. Sens fans and Flyers fans agree.
Oddly, the CSN broadcast was the only one of this game tonight. It was simulcast on TSN 2 in Canada, as well as around the country on various CSN affiliates.
On that same note, Jim Jackson reportedly lost his glasses prior to the game (I didn't know he wore glasses?) and was forced to wear prescription sunglasses while calling the game. Jim Jackson wears his sunglasses at night.

Questions With Answers

Can the Flyers keep themselves out of the penalty box for prolonged stretches tonight? No, but it didn't hurt them like it did on Tuesday.
Will the power play sustain the success they had on Tuesday night? They held the puck well, but anything more than that is apparently too much to ask for.
Does the top line continue its sexy-looking play? Not even a little bit.
Can Boucher keep up his hot play? Definitely. Solid games are becoming the norm for Boosh.
How successful are the Flyers in keeping the Sens big guns off the score sheet? Fisher had an assist, but Alfreddson, Spezza, Michalek, and Cheechoo were all held off.
Does Jarkko Ruutu kill a guy? No, but he did receive a cross-checking minor in the second.

Comment Of The Night

At least he’s scoring somewhere

>> JpH89, on Carter getting some tail at the club

Lowlights