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NHL Trade Rumors: Jagr Will Test Free Agency; Flyers Explore Options

May 16th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Now that the Flyers have been eliminated from the playoffs, the rumors are once again beginning to swirl.

According to a few sources of mine – one in particular that always seems to be solid – Flyers forward Jaromir Jagr will NOT return to Philadelphia. While I’ve heard a few different accounts as to why, it mainly seems to be that the Flyers don’t see him as a top line guy. His play during the playoffs likely had a lot to do with it, as he was nearly invisible on the ice at times. Jagr wants top-line minutes, which he probably won’t see again even if he does decide to return. One source told me that the Flyers want to go “in another direction” next season, while another source of mine says that the Flyers want a more “long-term solution” in regards to their top line.

Letting Jagr walk will be tough to swallow, but it’s a good business decision. Jagr likely only has another 2-3 years in him, and the Flyers have already begun shedding their older guys. By not signing Jagr, the Flyers can now focus on re-signing forward Jake Voracek, who is due for a well-deserved raise. This gives the Flyers the chance to lock up a talented young forward for years to come. That’s fine in my books.

So, who replaces Jagr on the top line?

Well, there are a number of possibilities at this point, and while the Flyers don’t have a ton of cap room, they will have enough to make a few moves. A source of mine close to the Rick Nash situation during the trade deadline recently told me that the Flyers “have kept their options open with CBJ, but Howson remains firm on his return”. What exactly that return may be, is unknown at this point.

Another possibility is Calgary’s Jerome Iginla. A trusted source told me that the Flyers will “re-visit their interest” in Iginla this year. He then went on to say the Flyers may make an offer that, if made, “Calgary would be crazy to refuse”. Not surprising to hear Iginla is of interest to the Flyers. They’ve always had a strong interest in him and this may be the year they make the move.

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The Kiss of Death, Flyers Fall Flat in Game 2

May 2nd, 2012 by ChrisLeo33 | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

The Kiss of Death??

by Christopher Leomporra

I have to say I am a little mystified by the pattern that has emerged during the Flyers playoff run this year.  I have affectionately called it “The Kiss of Death”, which as many people have noticed, whoever scores the first goal loses the game.  In 7 of the 8 games played so far this has been the case. I am almost at the point that if the other team scores first I am happy, and if the Flyers score first I am concerned.

In last night’s game it happened again.  This time the Flyers looked strong out of the gate and took a 1-0 lead just 2 minutes 53 seconds into the first period with a goal by Matt Read. After that and for the rest of the game it was all Devils. The Flyers were beat and outplayed the whole game and the Devils just looked like they wanted to win the game more.  Somehow the Flyers held on to that 1-0 all the way into the third period even though they were out shot 12-2 in the second period alone.  But that was it, the third period was an onslaught by the New Jersey Devils and that 1-0 lead quickly turned into a 4-1 loss by the end of the game.  It was hard too watch the collapse that was imminent by the way the Flyers were playing last night. The series is now tied 1-1.

Well, I decided too take a look on what scoring the first goal means in hockey in general and in the playoffs just out of curiosity.  The overall evidence points to a big advantage and win percentage to the team that scores first, hmmmm.  In the 2010-11 season the Flyers were 34-9 when they scored first. In 2009-10 season the Flyers were 33-10 when scoring first.  This data is consistent with all the teams in the NHL according to the stats on Hockeycentral.  So what attributes to this phenomenon of losing after scoring first in this year’s playoffs for the Flyers? I really can’t tell you other than it’s a fluke.

It should be interesting to see if this trend continues through the rest of the playoffs! As for now, all I can say is the Flyers need to come out with the mindset of beating the Devils to the puck and keeping focus on winning the game.

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Flyers beat Devils with Inspiring OT Win

May 1st, 2012 by ChrisLeo33 | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Briere the man in Game 1

by Christopher Leomporra

Yesterday the Flyers played the Devils in the first game of the second round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs and what an exciting game it was.  There has been a lot of buzz from fans that the match-up with the Devils is very favorable for the Flyers and after yesterday’s game I would have to agree.  The Flyers looked sluggish at the start of the game, being beat to the puck and overall skating like they were in second gear. It wasn’t long before the Devils took advantage of that and in typical fashion for this years playoffs the Devils scored first about 3 minutes into the first period with Zach Parise putting a wrist shot past Bryz.

It didn’t look good, but knowing that the first goal has almost been the kiss of death in the Flyers games so far, I was strangely optimistic about it.  After this the Flyers picked up their play and the first period was more a defensive battle with the Devils ahead at the end with a one nothing lead.

The Second period is when the Flyers came out to play and about 8 minutes in the Flyers tied the score with a Daniel Briere goal assisted by JVR.  The Flyers were flying and scored a second goal just 37 seconds later, this time it was JVR scoring with an assist by Eric Gustafsson for a 2-1 lead for the Flyers! A few minutes later a penalty on Matt Carle led to a power play goal by the Devils and the score was tied 2-2, remaining that way for the rest of the period.

The Third period looked like the Flyers were the fresher team and had the Devils on their heels for most of the time. About 4 minutes into the third, Claude Giroux scored a power play goal assisted by Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell for a 3-2 lead for the Flyers.  New Jersey wasn’t done yet thou and tied the score 3-3 with a Peter Sykora goal with 9 minutes left to the game. The Flyers dominated the rest of the Third with a flurry of shots but could not get one in and the third ended in a 3-3 tie and headed for OT!

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NHL Playoffs 2012: Flyers And Devils Will Square Off Once Again

April 27th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | No Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

The Game 7′s are over. Round 1 is finally over.

It’s finally time to move on. The Flyers finally know who they will be playing.

The New Jersey Devils.

We’ve been here before. We’ve seen plenty of this team in the playoffs. Why should this year be any different?

The Flyers will once again square off against their cross-state rivals, the New Jersey Devils in Round 2 of the 2012 NHL Playoffs.

In recent history, the Flyers have done fairly well against the Devils. The Flyers have seemed to “figure out” Marty Brodeur, especially in the playoffs. While goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky doesn’t have the best record against the Devils, Ilya Bryzgalov has shined against New Jersey. In the regular season, he’s won all three games that he’s played them.

Offensively, it’s safe to say the Flyers are the deeper of the two. Philadelphia has four consistent scoring lines, so there’s always a constant threat no matter who’s on the ice. Defensively, however, I’d say the Devils have the slight edge, even with the Flyers’ depth at that position as well. While the Flyers made Pittsburgh’s PK unit look like a joke, it won’t be as easy to do the same with the Devils, who boasted the best PK in the regular season.

If New Jersey plays with heart and determination, this has all the makings of another great playoff series that could very well go to 7 games. However, if the Devils allow Philadelphia to frustrate them to much, like they did with the Penguins, it won’t take long for the Flyers to steal this series away very quickly.

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Thanks Claude!

April 24th, 2012 by Christian | 2 Comments | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

Kudos to Claude Giroux for stepping up in Game 6 to propel the Flyers to a 5-1 win over the Penguins and move on to the next round of the playoffs.  When I saw Giroux break his stick on the ice after the Flyers Game 5 loss, I thought Wow -  this guy actually gives a shit!!

Watch the video below of his goal to open the game and his crunching check on Sydney Crosby in the game’s opening moments.  Giroux set the tone and his team followed his lead.    Coach Peter Laviolette said after the game that Giroux asked him for the first shift.  Way to listen to your player, Peter!

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CRUSH the Penguins!

April 22nd, 2012 by Christian | 1 Comment | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

CLICK Link.  Get Pumped!

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Flyers Get Another Chance to Redeem Themselves Tonight

April 20th, 2012 by Manayunk Mike | 1 Comment | Filed in Flyers, General, Hockey

After an embarrassing, and quite honestly, pathetic loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, the Flyers will look to bounce back and put this series to an end tonight at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The game starts at 7:30 P.M. EST on NBC Sports Network. Coverage begins at 6:30 P.M. EST.

The Flyers got off on the right foot in the beginning of the game, taking an early 1-0 lead. That didn’t last long, however, when a pair of quick goals by the Penguins put them up 2-1. Once again, the Flyers rebounded with the help of a few penalties and made it 3-2, to take a rare lead. That’s when the Flyers started to become careless, and play as if they already won the game.

The Penguins had nothing to lose, and boy did it show on the scoreboard. The Flyers had no answer for the onslaught that ensued.  The end result was a 10-3, good old fashioned ass whooping. They did all the right things, and while I certainly believe there was some obvious embellishment by the Pens, for the most part I believe the calls were accurate. The Flyers lost their control, and their temper. The Penguins even managed to take out Nick Grossmann, who’s been a key factor in this series. He’s officially listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury, but did not practice with the team this morning and is widely reported to have a concussion. Erik Gustafsson figures to get the nod tonight in Nick’s place, although they have recalled Oskars Bartulis as well. Not exactly good news for the Flyers, any way you look at it.

Some good news to take away from all this, however, is that forward James van Riemsdyk may finally be ready for some action. He’s been skating with the team for over a week now, and says he feels better and better everyday. The Flyers have not officially made it be known whether James will play tonight however, and I suspect he’ll be a game-time decision.

Also, GM Paul Holmgren denied a report that stated Ilya Bryzgalov was battling a hip injury, saying there is “no truth” to report, and that Bryzgalov “will play Friday” for the Flyers. Whether you want to believe it or not is another story. I’ve learned not to trust Paul too much when it comes to injuries, but for now I guess we’ll have to believe him.

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