Category Archives: 2008-09 season

April 9, 2009 · 4:37 pm

Parent out, Syvret recalled and Sbisa to return

The tweak of the groin that knocked Flyers’ defenseman Ryan Parent out in the middle of Tuesday’s game against the Florida Panthers, will keep him out on more contest.  The Flyers were tinkering with the idea that Parent would be available for Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers, but the young rear guard was officially pulled out of the lineup after the 10 a.m. morning skate at Madison Square Garden.

Taking his place will be Phantoms’ top defensemen and one of the top AHL leading scorers from the blue line, Danny Syvret.  Syvret will be playing in his third NHL game this season and has solidified himself as the Flyers’ seventh defenseman until rookie Luca Sbisa rejoins the team.  Syvret has 12 goals and 42 assists in 74 games with the Phantoms this season.

Sbisa, who was sent back to his junior team mid season, will return to the Flyers, after his Lethbridge Hurricanes  were unceremoniously knocked out of the WHL post season by the Calgary Hitmen last night, four games to none.

Because Sbisa can not rejoin the Flyers during the regular season, it is possible he will take  a couple days off then join the Phantoms.  If the Phantoms do not make the playoffs (they are tied for the final playoff spot with two games remaining), Sbisa would join the Flyers as a fringe player, simply practicing with the team but spending game time in the press box, unless needed.

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April 8, 2009 · 8:06 am

“We’re going to win” Rangers confident to face Flyers

It took only a few minutes for Thursday’s Flyers – Rangers matchup to reach epic status.

After defeating the Canadiens, 3-1, and gaining a crucial two-point buffer between them and the Florida Panthers for the eighth spot in the playoffs on Tuesday, the Rangers took no time at all to look ahead to Thursday’s contest against the visiting Flyers.  If the Rangers win, they clinch a playoff spot. However, if they lose, all bets are off, having just one game left to play, also against Philly.

“Thursday is a huge game against Philadelphia,” said Rangers’ defenseman Paul Mara.  “We control our own destiny and if we win we’re in.  Thursday is a huge game for us.  We’re going to go into that game confident knowing we’re going to win.”

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April 8, 2009 · 1:52 am

The clincher! Flyers clinch spot in post season

The Flyers did more than just fend off the hard-charging Carolina Hurricanes for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference in Tuesday night’s 2-1 over the visiting Florida Panthers, but with just three games remaining in the season, the boys in Orange and Black are guaranteed themselves a return to the post season.

Seven minute into the third period with the game locked at one, Jeff Carter scored the game winner, giving his team the 2-1 lead.

“It’s a good feeling,  you play all year to have a chance for the Stanley Cup, and it’s a good feeling,” said Carter, who scored his 45th of the year.  “We knew Florida was going to come hard and we were ready for it and did alright.”

Goaltender Marty Biron handled the rest, making 29 saves on 30 shots, preserving the huge win.

“As a team, we’re focusing on the good things we’ve done of late,” Biron said. “With the locker room and offensive weapons we have, we can respond and make big plays.  We have the weapons to get the job done.”

Flyers’ captain Mike Richards looked relieved to be in the playoffs for the second year in the row.

“We’ve done a great job all year of closing games out,” said Richards, who won the team MVP before the game. “Tonight we stayed patient, threw a lot of rubber t the net and one went in.  It’s nice to be in the playoffs again, this is the time of year we play for, but we have one more goal in mind and that’s home ice advantage.”

The loss by Florida is devastating to its playoff hopes.  The Panthers are currently in the ninth spot, two points away from the eight-seeded New York Rangers.  Both teams have two games to play, with New York’s final two against the Flyers.

The Flyers remain tied with Carolina for the fourth spot in the conference with 97 points, but with a game in hand.  The Hurricanes are also coming off a victory, putting the Islanders on the wrong side of a 9-0 score.

However, the win was not without a casualty.  Defenseman Ryan Parent left the game in the second period due to a lower body injury.  The injury did not seem serious, but possibly a lower body tweak that was handled with caution.

Philadelphia returns to action on Thursday, when it visits the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

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April 7, 2009 · 11:29 pm

Flyers hand out awards, Cote to miss rest of season

The Flyers have announced that Mike Richards, Kimmo Timonen, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell and Darroll Powe have been voted annual team awards.  Richards earned himself the Bobby Clarke award for the team’s most valuable player for the second consecutive season.  Timonen won the Barry Ashbee trophy for the second year in a row as the team’s best defenseman and Briere won the Yanick Dupre trophy for classiest Flyer.

Jeff Carter won the Toyota Cup, which is the Flyers’ player with the most star of the game points.

Darroll Powe won the most improved player award and Scott Hartnell won the Gene Hart trophy for player that has showed the most heart.

The Flyers also announced to the media that enforcer Riley Cote, who injured his right ring finger in a fight with a Boston Bruin on March 29, will miss the rest of the season after he underwent surgery to fix the problem.  Cote leads the Flyers with 174 penalty minutes.

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April 7, 2009 · 8:39 pm

Explaining weirdo cackle, Jack Edwards calls out Philly fans

On March 30, during the second period of a Bruins – Flyers matchup, Boston play-by-play man and now infamous hockey legend, Jack Edwards, witnessed Milan Lucic bowl over Flyers’ defenseman Randy Jones from behind.  The crowd thought a boarding could have been called and made a typical groan at the sight of no referee calling the slight infraction.  Edwards then hollered with glee with what quickly became a youtube.com must see.

“Lucic hammers him! And down goes Jones,” Edwards screamed.  “And how’s this for irony, the crowd wants a call for a hit from behind! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.”

The sound clip sent shock waves into the hockey community.  Edward’s lack of professionalism, unflappable bias and overindulgent hate for Jones, had many scratching their heads as to why the man still has a job.  But during an interview with hockey blog “Puck the Media”, Edwards attacks Philadelphia fans and the organization for not canceling the 2007-08 season after Jones knocked Patrice Bergeron out with a boarding.

“The Philadelphia media swallowed the PR spin whole to the point that the Philadelphia fans now, in revisionist history, a lot of them think that hit by Jones was not a significant hit,” he said.  “That there was no problem with it, and that it was just the circumstance that resulted in Jones’ suspension.  For that crowd to whine and moan after a perfectly legal shoulder-to-shoulder hit, that sent Jones in a non-threatening angle down behind the goal, not face first but sideways into the boards.  For them to whine that there should be a hit from behind, frankly, was hilarious.  Anybody who can’t connect those two dots, and see the humor in the crowd, not at the hit by Lucic but the crowd’s reaction, you’re distorting the story or have no sense of humor.

“The point is: lighten up folks!  I mean, you’re just dead wrong about that one, just dead wrong, and for them to plead for a call for Randy Jones’ benefit was just such a twist of karma that I actually found it hilarious,”

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April 7, 2009 · 2:40 pm

Hartnell, Giroux probable tonight in crucial matchup vs Panthers

Coach John Stevens told the media this morning that he expects forwards Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux to play tonight against the Florida Panthers, at the Wachovia Center at 7 p.m.  Hartnell was sent home from practice yesterday with a serious case of pink eye and Giroux underwent tests to find a possible stomach ulcer.  The tests were negative, but it did reveal he has some acid reflux issues and he will be fine.

“He looked pretty bad,” Joffrey Lupul said of Hartnell’s eyeball. “Worse than normal.”

Giroux told the media that the stomach pain he has felt for days now does not affect his on-ice play, as he doesn’t even notice it when he’s playing.

“I went to the doctor just to check it out. I’ll be fine,” he said. “It didn’t really matter when I was playing. When I’m on the ice, I don’t think about it.”

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April 6, 2009 · 6:35 pm

Getting to know: Seabiscuit?

Mark Malinowski of The Hockey News does a weekly feature in which he interviews a hockey personality, asking him personal and off-ice questions.  This week it was Flyers’ defenseman Braydon Coburn’s turn.

Among the many questions answered by Braydon, other then having the nicknames Marmaduke and Seabiscuit, one of the strangest was about his funniest hockey moment.  It involved a random coach being sliced open and needing stitches. What a sicko.

“I think it was my first game in the AHL. We were in San Antonio playing the Rampage and Travis Roche – something happened on the ice – he came back to the bench. He ended up throwing his stick on the bench and it ended up ricocheting off the glass and hitting (assistant coach) Marty Howe right in the head and cutting him wide open with stitches. He was bleeding all over the place. It was pretty funny. I was playing for Chicago Wolves at the time. That was pretty comical. Like, welcome to this league, you know?”

He also drives a black Audi s5 and loves the Flyers’ new orange jerseys.  Kid’s got taste.

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April 6, 2009 · 5:54 pm

Hartnell misses practice, team picture taken

The Philadelphia Flyers have reported that forward Scott Hartnell missed practice today, with what is being described as a case of pink eye, or conjunctivitis.  The odd, child-like illness is a viral infection of the eye that takes 3-5 days to recover.  No medicines are typically prescribed, as it is not serious.

Claude Giroux and Riley Cote also missed practice.  Giroux’s absence has not be explained, but it shouldn’t be assumed it’s injury related.  Cote is still battling a damaged finger, which he suffered against the Boston Bruins and aggravated in the first Toronto game.

The Flyers had their team picture taken today.  They wore orange jerseys as shown here in Kevin Kurz’s On the Fly Twitter.

INJURY UPDATE: Giroux has been dealing with stomach pain for a number of days.  He was getting checked out by the doctor today, for what seems like some sort of acid reflux problem.

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April 4, 2009 · 9:44 pm

Avery’s antics bring excitement to possible playoff match up.

During a television timeout in the Boston Bruins’ 1-0 victory over the New York Rangers, Saturday,  everyone’s favorite sideshow Sean Avery, made the boring, one-goal contest immediately entertaining. He skated behind Boston goalie Tim Thomas, tapping him in the back of the head with his stick.  Thomas immediately went after Avery and a ruckus broke out.

Avery pretended the tap to be accidental, but watching the replay, it was clear he checked for the referee’s line of sight before love-tapping the newly signed backstop.

“It’s an unwritten rule that nothing happens during the TV timeout,” said Thomas in published reports. “I’m stretching there, Avery comes by, and I get hit in the head with a stick.  The battling during the game? I have no problem with that. I actually like the way he plays around the net. He’s tenacious. He gets in right around the crease but he’s not doing anything illegal. I have no problem with that. But there are lines that you can’t cross. He seems to have a hard time figuring out where those lines are.”

What makes the irritating move by Avery even more special, is that if the Rangers can hold onto the final spot in the Eastern Conference (which they currently own), they would face the same Bruins in the opening round.  If Avery is sending a message to the Bruins, which is very possible, that’s suddenly a series worth watching.

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April 4, 2009 · 9:30 pm

Flyers can clinch playoff berth with win

One day after responding to General Manager Paul Holmgren’s scolding with an 8-5 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flyers can clinch an all-important playoff spot tonight as they visit the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m.

The Flyers are currently sitting uncomfortably in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, with a game in hand and five games left to play in the season.  It is imperative for the Flyers to defeat the teams mathematically out of the playoffs with teams fighting for a spot, like the New York Rangers (twice) and Florida Panthers, on the docket.

The Senators have lost four of five on a long road swing, but return home to take on the Flyers, who are 2-3 in their last six.  The Flyers lost to the Sens. 5-2,  in their last meeting in February and are trailing 1-2 in the season series.

However, it won’t be easy going for Philadelphia, who catch Ottawa in a seven-game home win streak.

Notes:

Flyers’ rookie Claude Giroux has a three-game point and goal streak on the line tonight.  He has seven points in his last three games (three goals and four assists).

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