Two Wins. What Do You Want, a Parade?

So, last weekend was great for fans of the orange and black.

Two wins over the New Jersey Devils, on back-to-back nights, no less. The
first two wins of the season after six in the tank.

I bet you think they've turned the corner. That enough heat has come off John
Stevens and that his job is suddenly secure.

Think again.

It was inevitable, the wins. Whether it happened on Friday in New Jersey or
Tuesday against perennial punching-bag Atlanta or next Sunday against
Edmonton, there would be a 'W' posted, maybe several in a row. That's
just the nature of a bloated 30-team league. Ebb and flow at unexpected times.

I have to laugh at the suggestion that two victories over the Devils,
including one that snapped an oh-for-four-year streak on the road, is any
positive referendum on John Stevens' ability.

Remember, last year's club was just as deceptively streaky. The only
difference thus far is that this year's model chose to start the year with six
in the loss column rather than waiting until just before Christmas to hit the
skids.

Sure, there's a better than average chance that win number three is going to
happen at Philips Arena tonight.

After 10 consecutive wins over the Thrashers, no reason to believe that the
11th isn't forthcoming. That would create the deceptively egalitarian record
of 3-3-3 for the Flyers with one more game before October concludes.

But the fact remains that the team's "star" forward is gone for a month. Two
of the defenseman counted on to carry some significant minutes are out long
term. And, of course, the coaching staff is the kind which most likely will
not be able to squeeze much blood from a shrinking stone for long.

We've already seen the first couple chapters of "Coaching for Dummies" cracked
open. There have been demotions to the minors and radical line switching.
Any further losses and then the benchings follow. After that? Nothing. Paul
Holmgren steps in to do what his hires cannot.

Isn't that a clear indictment of the coaches, that the general manager has to
step in before the first month is over?

The threat was there as of Thursday night, that if a win was not forthcoming
changes would be made. Now two wins in succession are enough to call off the
dogs?

Moreso than the numbers, is the club's repeated inability to play a full
contest. Sleepwalking through last Tuesday's first period cost them the San
Jose game. On Friday, at least they got the bad period out of the way in the
first, and turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 result.

Jersey came back and controlled the game for long stretches in the second and
third period after Philly went up by one. Had it not been for a fluke
deflection, we'd most likely be talking about one point on Saturday for a
loss.

It's clear by now that the M.O. of the club will not change as long as
Stevens, Craig Berube, Joe Mullen and Jack McIlhargey are in charge. You can't
try to solve your problems by simply working harder within the system. Ask
Bill Barber.

All that's left is to take each win as it comes, whenever it comes, and hope
that Holmgren is allowed to make the right choices at the right time.

Break 'Em Up!

Two games against the Devils on back-to-back days...and TWO WINS!!

Jeff Carter's deflection goal late in OT gives John Stevens' embattled boys a 3-2 win over Los Diablos at the soon-to-be-renamed arena on South Broad.

The best part of all this, is the Flyers somehow managed to vault from 14th in the East all the way to a temporary five-way tie for seventh.

Sarah Palin, Bad Luck Charm to NHL Teams

The erstwhile Republican VP is spreading her smiles, sunshine and hip flexor injuries to the nation's midsection, and a St. Louis Blue goaltender is caught in the crossfire.

Can't we arrange a visit to Madison Square Garden or the Verizon Center in DC next?

Well, That Was Interesting...

Call off the search for a new head coach!

The Flyers won last night in Jersey for the first time since March, 2004!

Read all about it here and here, and get the boxscore here.

It's never easy, though, as the club learned it will be without Briere for a month. Eerie shades of 1993, where shortly after the Phils lost the WS to Toronto, Eric Lindros missed six weeks with a knee injury.

Sharks Put Final Bite on Flyers in Shootout Win

Joe Pavelski was credited with the winner while Jeremy Roenick notched the deciding goal in the shootout, as the San Jose Sharks kept the Philadelphia Flyers winless on the season with a 7-6 victory at the Wachovia Center.

Pavelski tallied first for San Jose while Mike Richards and Danny Briere failed on both attempts for the home team. Roenick fired the game-deciding score low to the glove side on Martin Biron, bringing a poignant end to the former Flyer’s return to the city.

“I think you look to the stats of last year, and we went with the stats of last year, [Pavelski] and I were one and two,” said Roenick of the shootout. “I might be an old goat, but sometimes the puck goes in the net.”

Roenick went 5-for-8 in the round last season, while Pavelski hit at a 10-for-14 clip for San Jose.

Patrick Marleau recorded four points on two goals and two assists for the Sharks, who recorded their most goals in any one game against the Flyers since arriving in the NHL in 1991. Pavelski added a goal and two assists as did Devin Setoguchi and Ryane Clowe. Dan Boyle also picked up a score.

Evgeni Nabokov won despite allowing a season-worst six goals in regulation on 29 shots.

Joffrey Lupul picked up his first two goals of the year and Scott Hartnell added a season-best three assists for the Flyers, who are the lone winless team in the NHL at 0-3-3 despite posting a season-high in goals. Danny Briere scored the game-tying goal late in regulation while Scottie Upshall, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards each lit the lamp once.

Antero Niittymaki got the start but was pulled after one period for giving up four goals on 15 shots. Biron finished the contest by making 18 saves but was saddled with the loss.

“You score six goals that should be enough to win,” added Flyers head coach John Stevens. “You look at the games we played, there are a lot of games we have scored enough to win. I thought tonight we created a lot of opportunities offensively but it’s no secret, you get your goals against down, you win hockey games.”

With Philly on the power play and Biron on the bench for an extra attacker, Briere emerged from a goalmouth scrum with 1:05 left in regulation to lift the puck over Nabokov to produce a 6-6 tie.

The score capped a comeback for the beleaguered home club, which led 1-0 early but continually had to play from behind for the remainder of the contest.

Carter notched the game’s first goal only 51 seconds in, an unassisted short-handed tally with a little help from a deflection off a San Jose stick. Richards had been called for a hold after only 18 seconds played.

San Jose got the next two goals – both on the power play, coming 58 seconds apart. Pavelski’s easy tap-in from the left side of the crease at 7:42 was followed by Clowe’s first of the season at 8:40.

Richards then tied the score at 12:04, as he took a dish from Andreas Nodl, skated through the Sharks’ zone and floated a wrister through a screen. It was the first NHL point for the youngster, called up from the AHL’s Phantoms on Tuesday.

Marleau’s first of the game at 15:45 gave the visitors the lead, but Upshall slid a rebound through Nabokov on the backhand at 17:54 for a 3-3 game on another man-advantage goal.

However, Setoguchi managed to tuck in a bouncing puck through traffic in the crease with 39 seconds to play in the first, and San Jose took a 4-3 lead to intermission.

Biron came out for the start of the second, and Lupul took a Hartnell feed on the right wing, waited for Nabokov to commit, and roofed a shot high and just inside the left post at 3:30 for a 4-4 deadlock.

The Sharks took a 5-4 edge with 7:08 to play in the second as Biron lost track of Marcel Goc’s shot in his pads and Boyle tipped home the loose puck in the crease.

It was 6-4 only 47 ticks into the third as Marleau converted a Goc pass, but Philly got within one just 17 seconds later as Richards won a right-circle draw and Lupul slammed the puck home.

“We’ve got to keep working hard. It’s disappointing, the way we thought we finally came back the last couple [goals],” said Briere. “In the game at San Jose we let them back in the game to give them that late goal and they pulled through at the end. I was hoping we would be able to do the same and get rewarded for working so hard to score that late goal, and then send it to overtime, but they won against us again.”

The Flyers have never opened a season in their 42-year history without a win in their first six games. They get two cracks at the New Jersey Devils on Friday and Saturday (at home) to pick up that elusive first victory.

The Skinny on the New Kid

Andreas Nodl gets his first crack at the NHL tonight as the Flyers play San Jose at Wachovia Center.

He is rumored to be on a line with Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall.

I will be in attendance. I'm glad I'll be there because if I were at home, rampant channel flipping will have me screaming and cursing at both this game and Game 1 of the World Series. At least being in my element will mostly take my mind off the Phils-Rays.

Still, I know in my heart only one Philadelphia team is fated to win, and I have no idea which one will get the nod.

NHL Board of Governors Talk Expansion/Relocation

Just when you thought a 30-team NHL was bloated enough, comes word out of Toronto that there is talk of putting a second team in the Toronto region. Apparently, it's an enticement for presumed Hamilton franchise owner and millionaire Jim Balsillie.

Read about it here.

You Can't Lose 'Em All, Can You?

So, Step One in John Stevens' master plan ripped right from "Coaching for Dummies" to jump-start a moribund team has failed.

Predictably, Saturday night's game in San Jose was a reunion for the line of last year dubbed "Octoberfest" with Danny Briere centering Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. The line picked up five points (2 goals for Briere, 2 assists for Knuble, goal for Gagne) but the other three reconstituted lines plus the defense only registered five points in a 5-4 overtime loss.

Add to that, the fact that the club was outgunned on the shot board 44-15 through regulation despite holding a 3-1 lead late in the second period.

So, what's next in the ol' bag of tricks for an 0-3-2 squad? My guess is more line shuffling, followed by benchings and stern lectures.

The first "shakeup" already occurred on Monday, when Steve Downie and Jared Ross were sent to the Phantoms. Well...Duh. Neither did much of anything yet this season.

With Wednesday's game a little more than 24 hours away, you'd think a little bit more action and rumors would be generated behind the scenes, but the best that can be dug up at the moment is that Andreas Nodl will get the call to the Big Show.

That infusion of unproven youth will do little to change the chemistry of a club which is still in search of a win. Oddly enough, the radio broadcast on Saturday praised what they termed a full 60-plus-minute minute effort - which is news even to anyone listening to the game. Anyone who saw the game can deduce that Antero Niittymaki was the sole hero, and well, just look at the stats.

Four days off before facing the same club again with the home crowd won't be enough to really turn things around, win or not. Besides, didn't I see a quote on Tuesday from Stevens saying that getting away from home was going to be just the thing to correct the slide?

It's amazing he still has full faith of the front office when the numbers ultimately don't add up. It's like Stevens is stuck on long division, when everyone else has graduated to calculus. I mean, there are reports that the club doesn't really have a sense of urgency because it's only October.

THAT - if anything else - points to a primary lack of ability on Stevens' part as well as the coaching staff. Again, you can use the argument of "they're professionals, they shouldn't have to be prodded at this level," but, OK then, what's the need for head coaches by that logic? Former head coaches Mike Keenan and Ken Hitchcock are master motivators, who knew that when X's and O's failed, a twist in psychology can provide a necessary boost on a team or one-on-one level.
God forbid, all 19,750 fans on Wednesday would - gasp - BOO the home team for an effort that does not equate with a victory. The Flyers just can't have that, although the league dictates that 41 of 82 games must be played on home ice. Mere effort now is not a thing that should be rewarded.

What Panaccio, Ed Moran, Wayne Fish and others keep quoting is that the 1999-2000 club started the year 0-5-1 before reversing field. That team won the Atlantic and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals where...well...you know...

BUT - that team at various points had the likes of Lindros, LeClair, Desjardins, Recchi, McGillis, Primeau, Tocchet, Berube, Vanbiesbrouck et al, coached by Roger Neilson and shephered by Craig Ramsay. In other words, veterans who knew how and when to take it upon themselves to maybe move away from the rigid system in place and go on emotion and instinct.

This Stevens-led club is a batch of kids with some veteran spice, one which is too solidly entrenched in the dump-and-chase, defense-first mentality that does not seem to permit adjustments or a way to rally once the team is behind. In other words, unless the coaching staff recognizes how and when to adjust, their skaters will be stuck in the same endless pattern.

Which leads back to the question of when exactly will the Flyers win a game?

This week there are three chances, none of which are cakewalks. Tomorrow, all San Jose has to do is circle the net like Saturday and the Flyers might not be able to stop them. Then comes back-to-back, home-and-road games with the Devils on Friday and Saturday.

New Jersey still has this way of choking off any offensive flow and capitalizing on mistakes, and can easily win 1-0 or 2-1 both nights. The systems which Brent Sutter and Stevens employ are eerily similar, but my money's on the Horned Ones because they always seem to bring that little bit extra most times.

After that, it's a matchup in Atlanta on October 28 against the Thrashers - whom Philly has beaten 10 times in a row and 14 of 16. There might be a bit of symmetry because Stevens' first win behind the bench two years ago was a 3-2 shootout decision over Atlanta.

Whatever happens, the Flyers need more, or any production from the following: Scottie Upshall (2 assists, 5 games); Scott Hartnell (1 goal, 5 games); Joffrey Lupul (0 points, 5 games). In addition, Asham and Metropolit must bring something more than fists and energy on the fourth line.

Even then, they need several of those guys besides the top line and Carter/Richards (combined 6 goals and 8 points) to contribute to out-hustle and outscore the opposition. Thus far, it's been feast or famine. That seems to be a tall order at this juncture.

Just in case you were wondering, according to FOX 29, it's only 1 day, 6 hours, 26 minutes until coverage of Game 1 of the World series begins.

The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost

Now I can finally engage in a bit of "I told you so's," after last night's 5-2 loss in Colorado left the Flyers 0-3-1 on the season and a woeful nine points out of first while sitting in last place in the Atlantic Division.

As of this afternoon, only the Flyers, Lightning and Ducks are winless - all saddled with variations of a four-loss slate.

I can't recall the specific entry, but I'm sure I came down on the side of not hiring John Stevens when Ed Snider blew up the coaching staff and front office almost two years ago. He was a stop-gap solution at best, and, as one of the good foot soldiers who worked his way up the ranks in the organization, I felt he should be given a chance at a transitional period but be let go when the stakes get high.

Well, after last year's playoff berth and ride to the Eastern Conference finals, the stakes got high.

Thus far, the Flyers played the final two periods against the Rangers in a game where the scheduling deck was stacked against them. They played the first 40 minutes against Montreal, then about 30 minutes in the overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

Last night, the club had a spurt for most of the second period and the first half of the third before being outclassed by a talented but equally struggling Colorado Avalanche.

In the long history of the clubs dating back to the Avs' arrival in Denver in 1995, the Flyers had never lost to Colorado by more than two goals. Whether it was the altitude, jet lag, or just general lack of preparation, being outshot 17-3 in the first period is unacceptable.

I don't think Stevens is primarily to blame, however. The larger onus falls on GM Paul Holmgren, who has made a fine mess of things trying to shoehorn a maximum amount of bodies for a minimum amount of money under the salary cap.

He justified the decision to get rid of a 50-point man in Umberger, the same player who led the club with 10 playoff tallies. He lowballed Thoresen knowing of his desire to return to Europe without a pay increase. He anticipated Jim Dowd hanging up his skates and came up with Arron Asham as a replacement, and decided on Glen Metropolit to fill in for Sami Kapanen. He tied the club in knots signing Jean-Sebastien Aubin to a one-year deal which meant both Dowd and Bryan Berard - clear-cut veteran help - had to cut loose as unrestricted free agents.

Therefore, this club is clearly not on the same level as far as talent, drive, and desire are concerned as last year's team. Still, Stevens has the "head" title under his name along with increased expectations after being named Sporting News coach of the year last season - and has yet to show any intuition or initiative to change things.

Add to that the fact that the lone man with bona-fide experience behind the bench, Terry Murray, was given leave to become the head coach in LA. It left Stevens' bench with exactly no real worthy assistants, two of whom eked out careers based on how well they punched opposing players.

Nonetheless, with this early damaging start, Stevens might have finally been exposed as a man who can offer little in the way of motivation or strategy once his wisdom is passed down to the players.

I'm sure he was very angry after last night's game. I'm sure he impressed upon captain Mike Richards, the alternates and other veterans that a better effort is needed. I'm sure the message will trickle down and be known in time for Saturday's game in San Jose.

But I'm also sure that win or lose, it will change nothing.

Like Bill Barber and Holmgren before him, Stevens is about to draw noticeable criticism for his utter lack of intelligence beyond a basic system. The fire and brimstone is there, as we've been assured, in large quantities behind the scenes.

But the brains are lacking, and it's a quality that also doomed the former two Flyer greats in their time at the helm.

Under Holmgren, the goodwill from the Flyers' surprise run to the 1989 Wales Conference finals evaporated a little more than two years later as management realized he had no plan to guide the club through an almost total roster turnover which saw the team plunge to the bottom of the Patrick Division in two consecutive March collapses.

Barber inherited a catatonic team from Craig Ramsay in December, 2000, and won the Jack Adams award as top coach in 2001 after guiding an injury-racked team to a second-place finish. Less than a year later, he was ousted after a near-total mutiny arose from players who singled out the former sniper's inability to formulate a game plan beyond simple tactics and fiery rhetoric.

It's clear now to see how in both prior cases that the team surrounding the coach was responsible for executing the game plan and lifting the club beyond a certain point; Stevens' tenure is rapidly taking on those characteristics. Take away the key cogs who were able to reach down and pull something from themselves that the coaching staff could not impart and you get a bunch of aimless sheep waiting for the shepherd to provide direction.

Four games out too soon to pass judgement? Wrong. No matter which way you slice it, it is always incumbent upon the coaching staff to spur a change in attitude or game plan. The players are there solely to execute what those in charge have laid out.

Already in each of these four games, the same maladies which plagued Stevens-led clubs in his first two seasons are cropping up again. Only this time, the trend is toward the disaster of two years ago rather than the resilience of last season.

The only solutions beyond line changes and benchings are: make trades to provide a psychological awakening or make changes to the coaching staff.

Since Holmgren's gotta figure a way out of the mess he created with nine defensemen and three goaltenders, a trade won't be in the works for a while. A coaching change done properly can be arranged.

Assume the Flyers will come away from this road trip at best 1-3-1 and at worst 0-4-1. After the Sharks game Saturday, the team has off until welcoming the Sharks next Wednesday. The conversations can be had and contacts can be made by then.

With the sudden hiring of Joel Quenneville in Chicago, two prime candidates remain: John Tortorella and Marc Crawford. Torts may just want to take a breather to sit back and collect his Tampa money, but Crawford has been on the sidelines since the Kings unceremoniously dumped him in the Spring.

Tortorella's confrontational style takes the intelligence but the worst psychological aspects of a Mike Keenan - something which may not jibe with this current crop of rising young stars or the organizational philosophy.

That leaves Crawford, who helmed the Nordiques/Avalanche to four straight division titles and a Stanley Cup, then finished Keenan's rebuilding of the Canucks and turned them into contenders over seven-plus seasons. He shares similar personality traits with both Stevens and Tortorella, has double the experience, plus a winning pedigree and the unfortunate circumstance of having departed Denver (by resigning) and Vancouver (by firing) before he should have.

Of course, this is by no means a doom-and-gloom prediction. The jokes of "What will happen
first - a Phillies World Series or a Flyers win" are irrelevant. The club will have a turnaround, we just have no indication where and when it will come. They will level out eventually, but we don't really know if Stevens has the scruples to step outside basic hockey logic and find a winning solution.

Since 2005, the Flyers organization has shown a quick but thoughtful trigger finger with an eye to the future when things are not right. Although John Stevens is another in a long line of favored sons who worked their way to the top, the front office can't be blind for too long to the realization that change is needed.

And that change is needed much sooner than anyone could have anticipated.

Flyers have new minor-league affiliate

The Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday announced that they have signed an affiliate agreement with the Mississippi Sea Wolves of the ECHL, replacing the one they had with the Wheeling Nailers.

The Wheeling agreement was a split between Philly and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and was necessary three years ago when the New Jersey Devils bought the Trenton Titans outright.

This is the furthest that Flyers prospects have been located from Philadelphia since the club had its AHL team in Quebec City in the late 60s-early 70's.

The franchise is located in Biloxi, one of the towns obliterated by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. After their home arena was destroyed, the Sea Wolves went on hiatus for the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons before making a triumphant return last year.

Now, what remains to be seen is where the AHL Phantoms will end up after the Spectrum is torn down after the current season.

Notes on an 0-3 start.

• At least they've been competitive in all three setbacks, two by one goal and another by two.
• The broken record of "We have to play a full 60 minutes" reared its ugly head yet again, and is more evident and clear cut this year than last.
• Terry Murray's departure has managed to expose just how unprepared and unintelligent the remainder of the coaching staff is.
• Having two key defensemen out of the lineup is not really an identifying factor in the three defeats, because an overall lag rather than defensive deficiency is responsible for the bad periods the team has played.
• In a reversal from decades of sports conventional wisdom, the upcoming Western part of the road trip might be a salve, because there are no "distractions" of the "home crowd," "wives" or "local media."
• Arron Asham, Glen Metropolit and Jared Ross are less than pale substitutes for R.J. Umberger, Jim Dowd and Sami Kapanen.
• Signing Andrew Alberts solves the backline problem from a numbers standpoint, but solves absolutely nothing from a talent and poise standpoint.

Four-goal third period sends Canadiens over Flyers

Roman Hamrlik finished with a goal and one assist as Montreal used a four-goal third period to shake off Philadelphia, 5-3, at the Wachovia Center.

Andrei Kostitsyn, Mike Komisarek, Robert Lang and Steve Begin tallied once each for the Canadiens, who have won two games in a row, both on the road.

Carey Price stopped 29 shots for the win.

Mike Richards had a goal and a helper for the Flyers, who have dropped both of their season-opening home games. Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter each scored once.

Martin Biron allowed four goals on 26 shots to take the loss, his second of the year.

"Tonight I was seeing the puck well," Biron said. "I just let them off the hook a little bit."

The 31-year-old had a horrible first game on Saturday, allowing four goals on 14 shots in less than one period.

Hamrlik's tip-in from the left side 1:18 into the third tied the game, 2-2. On the goal, Alex Kovalev's cross-ice pass from the right wing found the Habs defenseman alone for the score.

A fluke deflection 44 seconds later gave Montreal a 3-2 lead. Komisarek wound up from the right point and his shot caromed off the stick of Philly's Scottie Upshall and changed direction before hitting the net.

"It got me in the shoulder and the puck went right to the back of the net," Biron said of the unlucky bounce.

Lang converted a four-on-four situation with a redirection of a Hamrlik pass with 6:20 left in regulation to put the Canadiens ahead by two.

Gagne then scored into a half-open net while on the power play 64 seconds later. Mike Knuble had fanned on the initial shot from the slot and Gagne corralled it in front and slipped the disc home.

Unlike Saturday's whirlwind effort late in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, the Flyers could not muster any offense with Biron pulled. Begin iced the game for the Habs with an empty-netter at 19:25.

In a four-on-four situation, Kostitsyn stuck a wrister off the right post and past a screened Biron just 54 seconds into the second period.

Carter knotted the game at 2:46 when he took a feed from Upshall and blasted a slapshot from the bottom of the left circle.

Richards' point blast on the power play at 4:15 put Philly ahead by one. Danny Briere's bank shot on a stuffer attempt with 8:09 played, which could have boosted the home team to a two-goal cushion, was ruled no goal by a replay.

Montreal kept pressing and Lang hit the post a few minutes later, followed by a great Biron glove save on a screaming wrister from Kovalev.

The Canadiens were unable to get an equalizer and the Flyers took a one-goal lead to the third.

Game Notes

Montreal has won seven in a row and 12 of 13 over Philadelphia since 2005, and six in a row at Wachovia...Prior to the contest, the Flyers dealt prospect defenseman Ned Lukacevic and a fourth-round pick in 2009 to the Boston Bruins for defenseman Andrew Alberts. Alberts was scratched from the lineup...The Flyers begin a three-game road swing Tuesday in Pittsburgh, while the Canadiens host Boston on Wednesday.

Rangers prospect Cherepanov dies

by Dan DiSciullo
Hockey Editor - The Sports Network

New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov passed away Monday at the age of 19 after collapsing on the bench during a game in Russia.

Cherepanov was playing as a forward for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League when the tragedy occurred. He fell unconscious in the third period and attempts to revive Cherepanov were unsuccessful.

Details on what caused the collapse have not been released.

"We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei," said Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather. "On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man, with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future."

Cherepanov was selected by New York with the 17th overall pick in the 2007 draft. He was playing on the same Russian team as Jaromir Jagr, who left the Rangers to sign a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk this past summer.

The Barnaul, Russia native was off to an excellent start to the KHL season, registering seven goals and five assists in 14 games.

Rangers use early blitz to top Flyers; Blueshirts off to best start in 25 years

Nikolai Zherdev picked up a goal and one assist, and Michal Rozsival netted the game-winner as the New York Rangers held off a furious rally to top the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, at the Wachovia Center.

Blair Betts and Fredrik Sjostrom also lit the lamp for the Rangers, who rode a four-goal first period to the victory. The club improved to 4-0 for the first time since starting the 1983-84 campaign with five consecutive wins.

Stephen Valiquette made 25 stops for his first win of the season.

Scott Hartnell, Simon Gagne and Mike Richards tallied for the Flyers, who have dropped three of their last four home openers. Daniel Briere picked up two helpers in the loss.

Martin Biron had a horrible start, allowing four goals on 14 shots through 16- plus minutes before his departure. Antero Niittymaki stopped all 13 shots he faced for the remainder of the contest.

"We got caught behind the eight-ball early and then we started playing our game," said Richards. "They (Rangers) got a power-play goal that went off someone and went right back door and they kind of rolled with it in the first. I thought in the second and third period we did a lot of better things and started taking over the game, just a little late."

When Rozsival netted the fourth Rangers goal of the first period -- another power-play tally -- at 16:13, Biron's night was over in favor of Niittymaki.

The Flyers came within 4-1 with 3:13 gone in the second, as Glen Metropolit won a left-circle draw back to Hartnell for a one-timer high over Valiquette's glove.

Gagne tallied his first goal of the season with 3:51 to play in the period, as he settled a loose puck in front and managed to get it past a fallen Valiquette.

After wasting a power play chance in the opening minutes of the third, Philly crept within 4-3 at 5:38. Briere cruised down the right wing and waited until the last second to dish into the crease, where Richards tipped the puck home.

Rangers forward Scott Gomez hit the crossbar on a power-play shot prior to the midway point of the period, and Richards' tip a few minutes later ringed off the left post.

The Flyers then squandered a two-man advantage and Valiquette stoned Richards from 10 feet out with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

Niittymaki was called to the bench with under a minute to go and Valiquette made two more stops down the stretch to lock up the game for New York.

"I thought it was good that we righted the ship and we got things going," said Flyers head coach John Stevens. "There are a lot of good things, I thought that Richards' line was great, really stepped up and we created some good opportunities to get back in the hockey game."

Zherdev took a rebound and netted the first goal of the contest at 4:12 just as a Rangers' man-advantage expired.

A little more than a minute later Zherdev fed Betts for a one-timer in the slot which beat Biron for a 2-0 New York lead.

Sjostrom beat Flyers defenseman Lasse Kukkonen to a dump-in behind Biron, circled the net and snuck a stuffer into an empty cage at 8:30 to put the Blueshirts ahead by three.

The State of the NHL Uniform

Only one season after switching from the loose knit jerseys from the last 25 years to the new Reebok Edge "system," the NHL is ready to reveal new third jerseys for about 2/3 of the league.

One of my personal pet peeves about the uniform situation doesn't look like it will be resolved any time soon: the fact that the home team will once again wear their dark colors, as it has been since the 2003-04 season.

For the life of me, and I have an advanced academic degree, I have no clue why Gary Bettman says he wants the casual fan to be drawn to the game, especially in newer markets, and can't even get the simple "home = light; road = dark" equation down properly.

Granted, in the NFL it is common for the home team to choose their darker jerseys if that has been the traditional choice, And, it is an increasing trend in baseball and basketball to trot out alternate unis that are not of a lighter shade. Still, to my recollection, not many fans of either sport have a hard time upon viewing, to discern which team is the home club.

I've encountered many hockey fans who don't know, and sometimes I'm not sure myself unless I take a second closer glance at the TV screen to see where the "PHI" is positioned on the score crawl.

For my current job, this time of year is the mad season. Along with the NHL, I am watching the baseball playoffs, NFL, college football, and soon to be NBA contests. While our credo is putting out the most accurate and timely sports information on the web, it is more difficult even for a 25-year watcher like myself to immediately guess who's the home team when I have 2 or 3 games going on at once.

And yes, I have made the mistake (and caught heat for it) of choosing the wrong home team in my wraps based on a brief jersey glance if I had a more important game to write at the same time.

Plus, I can't count how many times older relatives and parents of friends have watched games and have questioned assertions that the Flyers are home, while wearing their black uniforms.

I said it before and I'll say it again. Switching home and road is a cute idea. Really. It was cool when the NHL decided on the switch after the All-Star Game in 1992 for its 75th anniversary. It wasn't so cool back in 2003 when the reason given for the change was that it would be easier on travel for equipment personnel.

It's also just hard-wired into our consciousness that light colors are worn at home. My last NHL game I attended as a fan two years ago, I overheard a young kid ask his parents why the Flyers were wearing black when they're at home. He couldn't have been older than 6 or 7.

It's long past time the league at least does this right, even as it's off shipping Western Canadian farmboys to Africa trying to get kids there to learn the game in the off-season.

Puck Daddy blog over on Yahoo.com made a big, and hideous unveiling the other day of the Atlanta Thrashers' new alternate uniforms, seen below:



What could they possibly call this? A Burnt Sienna nightmare? Also, notice how none of the four players modeling the new threads looks thrilled.

I thought the primary colors were blue and white, with a little bit of tan and rust thrown in for lining...so now the franchise has their original home white (for the road), the blue monstrosities for home, and these crimes against nature for selected contests.

Fellow division rivals Tampa Bay along with the Philadelphia Flyers had their design leaked also, which looks a bit better over here.

I personally thought Tampa should have switched over to electric blue for their home (road?) jerseys years ago. Black = badass back in the 1990's, and it's kinda played out as we approach the 2010's. Time to put some flash and color back in the dark unis. Not a big fan of the shortened nickname, either. Maybe they could have gone with a single white bolt silhouetted with an accent of black against the blue background.

The Flyers new third jersey, well...you can't really mess with tradition. I mean, the club made a concession back in 2002 to bring an orange-dominated sweater back to the team, but the hue along with the white, silver, black and weird cut-outs on the arms didn't quite settle with me.

This time, they've got the old-school white name panel with black script against the classic original design. One minor detail is, the shade of orange more closely resembles the one worn in 1980-81 than the Broad Street Bullies era - which was of a deeper orange probably mixed with red.

Among the other misfires, Carolina has gone with a boring black design, and the Blues added a misplaced Gateway Arch on their navy blue shirt. Buffalo somehow managed to mangle their old purple-and-gold design with modern striping and underarm panels.

Word is that the Penguins are coming out with a variant on their old powder-blue threads from the early 70's, and it's already been revealed that the Oilers are using a 1980's replica road jersey for their alternates.

Let's hope the rest of the new generation are a bit more muted but colorful than the original batch of third jerseys foisted on the public in the mid-90's.

Sign of the Times

Another One Bites the Dust

Tim Panaccio is reporting on Hockey Buzz that Flyers defenseman Randy Jones is scheduled to miss at least six weeks after suffering a torn labrum in his hip which will require surgery.

This, after Ryan Parent is on pace to be on the sidelines at least four months after surgery on his right shoulder.

As of today, the Flyers defense looks like this:

Braydon Coburn
Steve Eminger
Lasse Kukkonen
Luca Sbisa
Kimmo Timmonen
Ossi Vaananen

Think it's time to suck it up and sign Bryan Berard?

This just in...

According to a release sent by both the Comcast corporation and the Flyers organization about a half-hour ago, Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is scheduled to drop the puck for the Flyers' home opener this Saturday.

The release cheerfully touts Palin as "World's Most Popular Hockey Mom" who will join the winner of the Flyers' own search for the region's best hockey mom for a ceremonial puck drop before the team faces the New York Rangers.

Chairman Ed Snider, in perhaps the greatest revelation of the fact that he's sold out to the kind of people whose largesse can afford hockey tickets these days, said "We are very excited she has accepted out offer and we are very proud of the publicity she is generating for hockey moms and the sport of hockey."

Whew. Where to start with what's wrong with that...

First of all, she's probably not the most popular hockey mom in Alaska. Or Juneau. Or Wasilla. Or Barrow.

Second, how much good publicity can it be for hockey moms if Palin is a mother of five, who is a corrupt boss, who has been demonstrated to be a Bible literalist, and whose own house is in disarray. Nobody is perfect but there are so many better, more recognizable public figures to tab for the honor.

Third, the game of hockey speaks to some basic instincts in the human condition. Even now, the majority of Philadelphians (and I hope a majority of season or individual ticket holders) are Democrats, and I'm willing to bet there are some smart, middle-class GOP-supporting hockey fans who dislike the VP choice. Why hold up this national figure to some of the most vehement abuse from the most vociferous band of paying customers in the entire country?

Unlike the pre-arranged powwow at the Irish Pub two Fridays ago, there is no security force on earth without the use of guns that can stop nearly 20,000 pissed-off Philadelphians voicing their opinions in a place where sound cannot escape.

Next, while I think either Obama or Biden would get a better reception had they been chosen, I am staunchly against the insertion of political persons of any political party in order to create a sensation at a sporting event.

Yeah, I think the President throwing out the first pitch is OK because of the century-long tradition, but he's the elected head of the country. Sarah Palin is governor of a state 99.99999% of all Delaware Valley residents care little about, representing a party whose stronghold on the city ended more than 50 years ago.

Finally, I think it is the most compelling evidence yet that Ed Snider in his twilight years really doesn't care about his fan base and is unwilling to use his power to influence decisions like this.

It's true that the skyrocketing cost of player contracts and the efforts of the 30 owners and the commissioner to take the game to prominence has caused a major rise in ticket prices. These increases have taken the ordinary, traditional hockey fan out of even the upper levels and consigned them to the television or the once-a-year budget for attendance.

Nonetheless, Snider has continually pressed the notion that the Flyers continue to exist as an organization which dedicates itself to passion, hard work, determination and results - all the hallmarks of the old-school Philadelphia mentality that manifested itself in the Bullies of the 70's on the ice and block Democratic voting for all city mayors since the 1950's in the booth.

Yet now, the Republicans have co-opted the cause of the hard-working person as their own. But these same hard-working people who the elephants are supposedly looking out for can't go to the games. Instead, to generate more revenue, a larger arena has to be beholden to companies which pay for suites in order to conduct business or to lure potential clients.

I wish I had a demographic breakdown, but I can't begin to speculate on how many upper-bowl ticket-holders are Dems or GOP supporters. I can imagine that a majority of people who own tickets in the lower bowls are of greater economic status - and are not necessarily hockey fans.

Since about 1998, the douchebag quotient down there has increased exponentially. It seems to be more about status than dedication. It reminds me of how the majority of student fans reacted
at sporting events at BC - it's not so cool to be seen going nuts and showing your support for the club as it is just to be seen.

Remember, also, that Snider has spent the majority of his last 15 years in Malibu, only showing up to Flyers or Sixers games and garnering media attention when he feels his presence is needed to turn a bad situation around.

The old Snider, the passionate hands-on owner, would have railed against Palin's inclusion. But the old Snider was 30 years younger and didn't sell off his stake in the team to a heartless, multi-national corporation.

His inclusion as spokesperson on the release for Palin's appearance should be a final blow to anyone who thinks that Snider's looking out for you - the one who has spent on tickets for decades and has to eliminate something from a yearly budget to make a trip to a game. He's not interested in standing up for anything, because he's too content to sit down in comfort.

So, I call on every fan who actually pays to go to the game, whether they be Republican or Democrat, to:

A) Boo Governor Palin in the old-fashioned way Philadelphia is famous for from the minute you see her appear on the walkway to the ice until the minute she is hustled out of the Wachovia Center.

B) Boo Chairman Ed Snider for his refusal to act with all due power he possesses to stop the senseless merging of politics and sport.

C) Confront Mr. Snider with your negative opinion on the matter should he make any sort of public appearance before, during or after the game in the concourses of the arena.

In addition, I urge all fans of any stripe - particularly those who watch on television because they can no longer afford to attend games despite family packs and whatnot - to call and write the Flyers organization to voice their displeasure at the selection and to urge future celebrity appearance choices by the Flyers be turned away from the political forum.

Another case where stockpiling can help and hurt at the same time

With Antero Niittymaki holding his teammates to two goals as the Phantoms beat the Flyers, 4-2, on Wednesday, Paul Holmgren once again has an overflow in the crease.

Last year, the decision on where to shuffle the deck was easy. Brian Boucher was looking to re-establish his career back where it began, and keeping him in the AHL as the presumed starter was the obvious choice.

This year, though, the signing of Jean-Sebastien Aubin creates a good backlog as far as personnel goes but might be tricky from a psychological standpoint.

Aubin's one-year deal was a smart move given Niittymaki's hip problems and the original diagnosis that he'd be out for the early part of the season. Plus, since Aubin is a proven netminder with steady experience, he can be recalled at a moment's notice for the back-up role if Nitty's hip flares up again.

Now that the Flyers' presumed back-up looks healthy and played well, how do you keep Aubin's spirits up when you send him to the minors?

Boucher's homecoming last year was a case of convenience. He'd been jettisoned by the Blue Jackets and with no other interest, had a solid done to him by the club. There was little to no expectation that Boosh could have seen any NHL action except from the bench.

Aubin, on the other hand, is a one-time starting goaltender who has been a bit of a mercenary in recent times. He'd gone 9-0-0 down the stretch for the Leafs three seasons ago, but languished on the bench in Toronto and Los Angeles for the last two years.

Then, after he's inked to a legitimate deal and (presumably) told that he'd most likely be the go-to guy after Biron, he finds that his next step on the two-way deal is the opposite way most professionals like to go.

On top of that, Aubin's signing plus the glut of defenseman forced Holmgren to release Bryan Berard and Jim Dowd - both veteran unrestricted free-agents which could have made immediate impact.

I understand the stockpiling as an insurance policy, but what has transpired so far with the necessary moves has made Holmgren's decisions seem to complicate the process.

Granted, the whole thing could have been solved had the choice not been made to shuttle Boucher off to San Jose at the trade deadline; there would have been no need to tack on extra insurance cash to the salary cap because Boucher's two-way deal would clearly be for less money.

Now, in the front office's frenzied attempt to swallow up all the puzzle pieces at once to try and spit them out in the correct order, all the cardboard comes out jammed up.

It should have been a no-brainer to keep either Berard or Dowd right from the start. It should have been a no-brainer to invest in a injury-surgery-recovery timetable for Niittymaki right after the playoffs ended which would have certainly avoided the logjam in the net and the salary cap trouble.

Will the Flyers have this all sorted out before Saturday? Of course they will. Will they make the correct moves that might bring order to the chaos? That remains to be seen.

My guess is no, especially after they decided to keep Luca Sbisa on the roster when Ryan Parent went down. Sbisa has a 10-game limit before he's returned to juniors. Berard would provide the only other veteran presence besides Kimmo Timmonen. Without that, it's Kimmo and six scrubs. Shifting money for one year on the Rhode Island native and former Calder winner would be worth the cap hit.

Stuff like this is a main reason why I won't predict the Flyers will go any further than they did last season. They might end up with a win and point total close, but in the end an even-more inexperienced defense with a revolving-door goaltending policy are going to cause more problems than solutions.

Parent definitely down

The Flyers lost to their AHL affiliate last night, 4-2, in the very last game at the Spectrum.

They also lost young defenseman Ryan Parent for at least three months.

Tim Panaccio on Hockey Buzz has the details.

Parent down; Sbisa up?

One of the drawbacks of stockpiling defenseman and playing them, is that you leave the door open to injury.

Ed Moran of the Daily News reports that Ryan Parent might need surgery.

Slated to take his place, according to Tim Panaccio, is 18-year-old Luca Sbisa, who apparently impressed the coaching staff enough to get noticed.

The Lethbridge product may wind up getting his league-minimum 10-game tryout before having to return to the WHL.

Nothing wrong with a little male bonding...

Apparently, Ken Hitchcock's influence on the Flyers continues, almost two years since his unceremonious deposition.

Unlike last year, when the club braved the rain and cold in a British Columbia forest for team bonding exercises, they've returned to West Point. Hitchcock, a military enthusiast, began that pre-season trip when he became head coach prior to the 2002-2003 season.

Read all about it on the Flyers web site.

OTF WTF

The "On the Fly" blog featured on the Flyers website reported Saturday night that defenseman Bryan Berard and forward Jim Dowd were both released from their tryout contracts.

Both players are now unrestricted free agents.

Eeeexcellent...

According to Eklund, the NHL Network is bringing the venerated Hockey Night in Canada program to the United States.

Coverage is set to begin tomorrow, with the Rangers-Lightning game in Prague and the Senators-Penguins square off in Stockholm.

It's about time that a wider-range of Americans snicker at the abbreviation. Canadians are so trusting. They have no idea.

Flyers injury, roster updates

Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren met with the media following today’s skate at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone. Holmgren gave the latest injury report, as well as commented on some roster moves that were made this morning.

According to Holmgren, Flyers second-year winger Steve Downie suffered a mild strain of his MCL, but is hopeful for the start of the regular season on October 11. Defenseman Ryan Parent, who has been nursing a shoulder issue, was back on the ice for practice today.

The Philadelphia Flyers have assigned Sean Curry, Claude Giroux, Nate Guenin, Jon Kalinski, Boyd Kane and Jared Ross to their American Hockey League affiiate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.