philadelphia flyers- hockey handicapping

Flyers' search for wins heads to Toronto

2006-11-06T13:06:00.000-08:00

The Philadelphia Flyers hope to end their latest losing skid tonight when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.

Philly has fallen to Tampa Bay and Washington at home after showing signs of life by winning two-of-three. On Saturday they dropped a 5-3 tilt to the visiting Capitals, asAlexander Ovechkin and Ben Clymer tallied two goals apiece to lift the victors.

Robert Esche got the start between the pipes for Philadelphia and allowed four goals on eight shots and was replaced by Antero Niittymaki at the start of the second period. Niittymaki finished with 10 saves in relief of Esche.

Simon Gagne, Geoff Sanderson and R.J. Umberger tallied goals for the Flyers, who hold the NHL's worst record with a mere seven points.

Philadelphia was behind the 8-ball from the start on Saturday, as Washington scored four times in the first period.

The Flyers allowed four goals or more for the seventh time on the young season, and they scored three or fewer for the 11th time.

Philadelphia, which is 2-3-0 under new head coach John Stevens, will host the NY Islanders on Thursday.

Toronto, meanwhile, has won four of its last five games. On Saturday, Mats Sundin scored twice and added an assist as the Leafs handed the Buffalo Sabres their first regulation loss of the season in a 4-1 tilt at HSBC Arena.

Darcy Tucker and Jeff O'Neill also scored for the Maple Leafs, while goaltender Andrew Raycroft made 29 saves in the victory.

Toronto's offensive attack has come on, netting 19 goals in the last five games.

Sundin has posted three goals and five assists in his last four outings.

The Maple Leafs will visit Boston on Thursday.

Toronto won three of the four meetings with Philly last season.

Preview: Flyers at Rangers

2006-10-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

After a dramatic win at Philadelphia over the weekend, the New York Rangers try to complete a sweep of a home-and-home series with the Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Oddsmakers have the Rangers as -135 favorites with the total set at 6.

The Rangers, who will be looking to open a season with three straight victories for the first time in 17 years, defeated the Flyers (0-1-1) on Saturday when Marcel Hossa beat Antero Niittymaki in the 13th round of a shootout for a 5-4 victory.

The shootout was the second-longest in NHL history, behind New York`s 15-round win over Washington last season.

``I was just wondering if it was ever going to end,`` said Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped all 13 Philadelphia shooters Saturday.

Lundqvist finished with 35 saves to improve to 2-1-1 with a 3.65 goals-against average against the Flyers. The second-year player, who stopped 25 shots in a 5-2 win over the Capitals at MSG in Thursday`s season opener, went 21-6-4 with a 1.96 GAA at home last season.

New York was 25-10-6 on home ice in 2005-06, but has struggled at MSG against the Flyers of late. It is 1-3-3 against Philadelphia at home since the 2003-04 season.

Center Matt Cullen scored for the Rangers on Saturday to give him a five-game point streak against the Flyers, with five goals and an assist in those games.

Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr had two assists Saturday, and has 10 goals and 10 assists in 12 games against Philadelphia since being traded to New York in 2004.

The Rangers, who ended a seven-season playoff drought in 2005-06, have not opened with three straight wins since 1989-90.

Although New York has won its first two games for the first time since 2000-01, it has been utterly ineffective on the power play. The Rangers were 0-for-6 with a manpower advantage Saturday and are 0-for-9 overall.

The Flyers, meanwhile, have been outstanding in short-handed situations, killing off all 10 power plays against this season.

Philadelphia`s Simon Gagne, who scored a team-high 47 goals last season, got his first two of this season Saturday.

``I thought we played very well tonight,`` Gagne said. ``We had a lot of shots again and found a way to score goals, and I think it was a fun game to play in.

``We`re going on the right track and want to build on (this).``

New captain Peter Forsberg had a goal and an assist, and has a point in 12 of his last 13 games against the Rangers, with four goals and 16 assists over that span.

Niittymaki had 26 saves in his first game since deciding to have a cortisone shot instead of surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip. He is competing for the No. 1 goaltender job with Robert Esche, who struggled and made only 17 saves in a 4-0 loss to Pittsburgh in the season opener.

Niittymaki is 2-0-1 with a 3.00 GAA in four games against the Rangers, while Esche is 4-4-2 with a 2.88 GAA.

The Flyers have not gone winless in their first three games since 1999-2000.

To enforce or not to enforce?

2006-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

So here's the question: Which did you like better, the 5-4 opening game in the Stanley Cup Final or the 2-1 affairs we saw in Games 3 and 4?
It's not just a throwaway question. The debate is on in the NHL about what if any rules will be changed by the competition committee this off-season. There's a school of thinkers that loved that 5-4 game. Sure it was a bit sloppy, but it featured a lot of skating, a lot of scoring and a lot of penalty minutes that led to a lot of power plays including a number of five-on-three situations. It wasn't overly physical but then it's hard to hit what you can't catch. There were goals aplenty and the action was fast and furious right down to the final seconds of play.
Then there were Games 4 and 4 in which the refs let the physical side of the game shine. The scoring was down, but the hitting was ferocious and the tension regards which team would win (or even score the next goal) was very real. In many ways they were what the NHL playoff purists believe the game should be.
In that regard, there appears to be a split in the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman has been on the stump saying that things shouldn't change and while the Competition Committee would look at things, tinkering could be dangerous as the changes are all part of a package and if you fool with one part you will impact other parts.
Yet his Director of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell has acknowledged that there was a concern about the lack of physical play at times during the season and it needs to be addressed. If you look closely in these playoffs it seems both styles have been on display, in part because of how the game is called.
This debate will get underway shortly. It should be noted that Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, who was in on a lot of the meetings about the changes that came into play this season, sounded a warning bell after his team was ousted by Carolina in the Eastern Conference final. Ruff said, "People have said (there should be) more physical play down low. When I hear that I get scared that we're going to start the clutching and grabbing and hooking. From my front, I've said the players have had a lot of fun playing. The games were great, the fans loved them. We shouldn't be afraid of change, but the change should be on the exciting front and let's not step back and go in the other direction."
Yet it's safe to argue that teams like the Philadelphia Flyers would rather see their investment in burly defencemen pay off with more freedom for them to obstruct players driving to the net.
It seems as if this Final is a visualization of that debate.
Ottawa general manager John Muckler once told me that the NHL has a long history of taking the game down to the lower levels. He was the associate coach and later, the head coach when the Oilers were a dynasty and many times he would see the rules changed to defuse Edmonton's power. You could claim that the same thing happened to the dynasty teams of Montreal. Muckler's argument was that changes should be made so that game rises to the level of its best teams rather than the other way around.

After 18 years, Flyers president Ryan decides to retire

2006-05-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

After spending 18 years with the Philadelphia Flyers, team president Ron Ryan announced his retirement on Thursday.
Ryan held the positions of executive vice president and chief operating officer before becoming president on June 13, 2003.
"It's one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make," Ryan said. "It has been a privilege and an honor to work for [owner] Ed Snider and the Flyers for the past 18 years.
"My only regret is we weren't able to get a Stanley Cup back to Philadelphia to share with the greatest hockey fans in the National Hockey League," he said.

And a Child Shall Lead Them

2006-05-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

By Mike Brody
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Rookie goaltenders have had success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before – most notably with Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986, both leading the Montreal Canadiens to the Cup – but never before has a crop of rookie goalies dominated the playoffs like they have this season.

Of the five remaining teams in this year’s playoffs, three are led by rookie goalies and another by a first-year starter. Carolina’s Cam Ward, Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Anaheim’s Ilya Bryzgalov, and San Jose’s Vesa Toskala have all enjoyed incredible playoff success thus far.

Seven-year veteran Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Minnesota Wild, is the only experienced goaltender left. I don’t think anyone would have predicted that, especially with the presence of such big-name goalies as Martin Brodeur and Miikka Kiprusoff, and other veteran backstops or NHL powerhouses like Detroit’s Manny Legace, Dallas’s Marty Turco, and Colorado’s Jose Theodore, among the contenders.

The New Favorite

Thanks to a surprisingly easy 4 games to 1 victory over the New Jersey Devils, and a dominating performance winning four straight games over Montreal after losing the first two in Round 1, the Carolina Hurricanes have emerged as the new favorite to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Despite finishing the regular season with 112 points, just 1 behind Eastern Conference leader Ottawa, the Hurricanes’ odds of winning the Cup entering the playoffs were posted at 10-1. That was before the oddsmakers had seen Ward turn away almost every shot he’s faced.

In 10 playoff games, the 22-year-old rookie has allowed just 17 goals while posting a 1.77 goals against average (GAA). Ward let in just five goals in Carolina’s four victories over New Jersey as he outplayed his boyhood idol Brodeur. With his stellar play, and the Hurricanes’ opportunistic offense, led by 100-point scorer Eric Staal, Carolina will be tough to beat.

The Upstart Challenger

The Sabres’ Miller is the only U.S.-born goalie among the Fab Four. He hopes to duplicate the feat of another rookie American goalie, Ron Hextall, who led the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1987. After a shaky start in Game 1 against Ottawa, Buffalo’s defense and Miller shut down the Senators the rest of the way, allowing two or fewer goals in each of the last four games. The Michigan native has a 2.25 GAA and a .921 save percentage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Buffalo’s defense has been stellar in front of Miller. Defensemen Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder lead all playoff performers in plus/minus at plus-13. The Sabres’ offense has been scoring in bunches. Buffalo has a team-leading 43 goals scored in 11 games and is riding high after winger Jason Pominville’s shorthanded, overtime goal clinched the series against Ottawa.

Mr. Perfect – Almost

Anaheim’s Bryzgalov has been the most surprising and impressive of all the rookies. Bryzgalov didn’t even enter the playoffs as the Ducks’ No. 1 goalie. That honor went to Jean-Sebastian Giguere, who led Anaheim to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003, his second year in the league, and was named the Conn Smythe winner as the MVP of the playoffs that season.

After splitting their first four games against Calgary in Round 1, the Ducks made the switch to Bryzgalov and they haven’t regretted it. The 24-year-old Russian has practically stood on his head as he is sporting a ridiculous 0.87 GAA and .967 save percentage. He recorded three straight shutouts, including Game 7 at Calgary to clinch that series. In doing so, Bryzgalov set a rookie playoff record, holding opponents scoreless for 249 minutes, 15 seconds. Only Montreal’s George Hainsworth, 270:08 in 1930, has had a longer playoff scoreless streak.

The Final Four

San Jose’s Toskala is hoping to join his fellow first-year netminders in the conference finals. After an excellent series against Nashville in Round 1, including a shutout in Game 2, and two 2-1 victories to open the Edmonton series, Toskala and the Sharks find themselves on the ropes as the Oilers have stormed back to take a 3-2 series lead. Edmonton will try to close it out at home on Wednesday night.

San Jose’s offense is led by Patrick Marleau, who leads all playoff goal scorers with nine. The Sharks will need to get an early lead and help Toskala protect it to force a Game 7 at home on Friday.

The Finals

The matchup between Ward and Miller should be as entertaining as it gets. Both are capable of stealing a game or two for their respective teams. Carolina is the favorite, but Buffalo has a lot of momentum and Miller has shown he can win the close games with four one-goal victories against Ottawa. Look for the Sabres to get to the Finals.

The Ducks have had a long time off after unexpectedly sweeping the Avalanche. Anaheim may be a little rusty to start the conference finals, but the Ducks have good veteran leadership in Scott Niedermayer and Teemu Selanne and will ride the stellar play of Bryzgalov past either the Oilers or the Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Flyers` Forsberg undergoes ankle surgery

2006-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Flyers forward Peter Forsberg underwent surgery Monday on his right ankle.
'Actually it went very well,' Philadelphia Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim McCrossin said. 'Dr. (Robert) Anderson [Forsberg`s surgeon]...was very, very pleased with how the entire procedure went.
'Obviously Peter had to have some bones shifted in his foot to get proper alignment and that went very well,' McCrossin said. 'Then, he had the ligaments that he tore strengthened.'
Forsberg also had two bursas removed, one on the inside of the ankle and one on the outside. He is still due for surgery on the other ankle.
The doctors estimate Forsberg`s surgery on his left ankle will take place in six weeks, depending on how the bones heal. His recovery should be complete by early January.
Forsberg appeared in 60 games in the 2005-2006 season. He scored 19 goals with 56 assists for 75 points.

Flyers' Handzus has successful surgery

2006-05-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Flyers center Michal Handzus had successful surgery on his left shoulder on Thursday.
The procedure, which was performed at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, consisted of the bankart repair and a superior labral repair.
"We expect Michal to be back with full workouts in about 8-10 weeks," said Philadelphia trainer Jim McCrossin. "He will actually start rehabbing with us today at the Sovereign Bank Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J."
In 73 games this season, Handzus had 11 goals and 33 assists, while recording two assists in Philadelphia's six playoff games.
"It is the first day after surgery so it's a little painful," said Handzus. "But I feel good and I am looking forward to getting healthy."

Flyers say they lacked intensity

2006-05-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

There aren't film sessions awaiting the Philadelphia Flyers. Coach Ken Hitchcock has no plans to show his team clips of breakout passes or videos of odd-man rushes.
His team doesn't need that. It needs to work harder. And because the Flyers didn't work hard enough Sunday in their 3-0 spread loss to the Buffalo Sabres, they have a lot of sweaty moments ahead.
"This is far from over," Hitchcock said in HSBC Arena after Game Five of his Eastern Conference quarterfinal. "I can tell you right now as a coach there's no X's and O's that we're going to be speaking about in the next 48 hours. Tenacity controlled this game. They did the things to us that we did to them in Philadelphia. That gave them control of the game."
The Sabres are one victory away from eliminating Philadelphia, and the Flyers find themselves in that quandary because they stopped doing the things that got them back into a 2-2 tie in the series. In their victories in Games Three and Four, the Flyers matched or exceeded the Sabres' intensity.
Game Five's intensity scale was as one-sided as the score.
"It's kind of becoming a habit up here," Flyers center Peter Forsberg said. "We're not working hard enough. We're not getting enough chances. There's nothing to say about them winning. They were better."
The Sabres have scored the first goal in all five games, forcing Philly to scramble back. The Sabres refused to allow it Sunday, as the Flyers didn't get their first shot until almost 13 minutes had elapsed. They finished the first period with just three shots.
"The first period we weren't ready, that's for sure," said defenseman Joni Pitkanen.
Added Flyers forward R.J. Umberger: "It's in the back of our minds not to have a bad start that we're watching too much instead of just being relaxed and playing our game like we do in the second period."
The Flyers had the edge in hits, 24-23, but Hitchcock said the Flyers lost battles along the boards, the hits when two players go for the puck and only one comes up with it.
Buffalo has yet to lose to the Flyers at home, winning three times in the arena. In addition to not showing video, Hitchcock isn't going to spend time searching for positives from his road games.
"The positives will come by the way we play in Game Six because we're going to play really well in Game Six," Hitchcock said of Tuesday's matchup in Philadelphia. "That's going to be the positives. We know how we got beat today. Every player in that locker room knows how we got beat. We'll be a lot better in Game Six, and we'll be loaded and ready to go."

Next week on TV (5-1/5-7)

2006-04-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

By Daniel Kline
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Both the NBA and the NHL close out the first round of their playoffs. In baseball, you’ve got the Orioles and the Blue Jays, matching up in what has to be one of the biggest questions of the baseball season. One of these teams might hang on to challenge the Yankees and Red Sox, but probably not both, making this early season tilt a little more interesting.

*All times Eastern.

Monday, May 1
NFL Europe, Berlin at Rhein (3 p.m., NFL Network)
Stop arguing about who your team drafted and check in on the sport’s minor league with this mid-afternoon match-up. Though NFL Europe might not get the attention of its big brother, the league offers a good chance to figure out which back-up players might break through come the fall.

Tuesday, May 2
Yankees at Red Sox (7:05 p.m., DirecTV, regional)
Every Yankees versus Red Sox match-up gets covered like a playoff game in Boston and New York, so expect tempers to flare in this tilt. The Sox have had the early season advantage, but that’s nothing new, as the Sox always have a division lead in the Summer – the question is whether they can hold it in the Fall.

Wednesday, May 3
Boxing (9 p.m. ESPN2)
Sharmba Mitchell takes on Jose Luis Cruz in a 10-round welterweight tilt. Cruz plays the role of the fighter on the way up, taking on former two-time champion Mitchell, who wants one more shot at the gold. Mitchell was knocked out in the sixth round in his last fight, but that was against Floyd Mayweather – one of the best in the division – so he’s aiming to prove that was a fluke and knock Cruz off the ladder of contention.

Thursday, May 4
Wachovia Open (4 p.m., USA)
A Tiger-less field should leave this one pretty wide open. Vijay Singh attempts to repeat as champion, a title he took last year in a three-way playoff with Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk.

Friday, May 5
College Volleyball (Midnight, ESPN2)
Catch the men’s semifinal of the NCAA men’s volleyball tournament. This might be your last chance to see some of your favorite players before they turn pro and head out on the lucrative men’s volleyball tour.

Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby (6 p.m., NBC)
Horse racing only matters three times a year to the average fan, but the Kentucky captures the best of the sport. Because it’s the first Triple Crown race, every Derby winner stands the chance of being the first horse to bring home racing’s most elusive prize since Affirmed in 1978.

Sunday, May 7
Premier League Soccer (5 p.m., FOXESP)
Two of the big powers in the Premiership face off as Newcastle battles Chelsea in an attempt to cut into Chelsea’s overall lead in the standings. Chelsea did just fall in the FA Cup semifinal, but their big lead in the regular season standings makes clinching the title almost inevitable.

Daniel Kline’s book “50 Things Every Guy Should Know How To Do” is available in bookstores nationwide. He can be reached at dan@notastep.com.

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Flyers seek net

2006-04-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia Flyers forward Sami Kapanen hit the post in overtime. Peter Forsberg missed an open net. So did Mike Knuble, his shot smothered by Buffalo defenceman Jay McKee.
While goaltender Robert Esche did his part, stopping a career-high 55 shots, Philadelphia's offence has to improve if the Flyers intend to rebound after losing the opening game of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series against the Sabres.
"I think the concern is you don't want to waste a great performance by a goalie," Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock said yesterday, a day after his team's 3-2 double-overtime loss. "We got that type of performance. But we didn't execute offensively for him."
Game 2 is at Buffalo tonight.
Although they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime on Simon Gagne's goal in the final two minutes, the Flyers' offensive troubles were numerous. Philadelphia registered just 32 shots -- and only 21 through regulation -- had 27 shots blocked and had another 23 miss the net.
Philadelphia couldn't get going at the start of the first three periods, failing to register a shot in the first nine minutes of each frame.
It didn't help that the Flyers' top line of Forsberg, Gagne and Knuble, generated the bulk of the scoring chances and accounted for both goals.
"That's something we've got to get better at," said Kapanen, who beat goalie Ryan Miller with a backhander from in close, only to have the shot deflect off the post 13 minutes into the first overtime. "I think I should be one of the guys and I want to be one of those guys providing some offence."
The Sabres also could make a case regarding lack of production, considering they scored just three times -- capped by Daniel Briere's tip-in 27:31 into overtime -- on a franchise playoff-record 58 shots while going 0-for-9 on the powerplay.
"Our finish," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said, referring to what his team needs to improve. He lamented that his players tried to be too creative, turning down chances to shoot by instead making an extra pass.

Philadelphia Flyers #5 at Buffalo Sabres #4

2006-04-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting series in that these two teams play different styles and had very different seasons. Much was expected of Philadelphia by the Sportsbook odds and just a little expected of the Sabres. So, the Sabres won seven more games than the Flyers and collected nine more points. Buffalo is one of the fastest teams in the NHL, Philadelphia one of the biggest.
The Sabres won three of four meetings this season and outscored the Flyers, 12-10 spread win. Historically, the Flyers have won five of the seven postseason meetings between the teams, but Buffalo has won two of the past three. The Sabres downed the Flyers in six games in 2001, the last season the Sabres qualified for the playoffs.
Buffalo is the best special-teams squad in the NHL, leading in penalty killing and finishing second on the power play. On the other hand, Philadelphia is terrible at penalty killing, especially at home, and just average on the power play.
The Sabres finished second in the Northeast Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference with an all-time best record of 52-24-6. Right wing Maxim Afinogenov led the team with 51 assists and 78 points. Center Chris Drury scored 30 goals for the first time in his career and led the team in that category. Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin led with plus-14 rating.
Expectations for the Sabres this season were not high, outside the team's inner circle. But GM Darcy Regier and coach Lindy Ruff are the League's longest-serving GM-coach combination and they have experienced success before, getting the team to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1999-00. The Sabres are a fast-skating, puck-moving team with a strong defense and a pair of good, young goaltenders. They were willing to adapt to the NHL's new rules and standard of rules enforcement.
The high point of the Philadelphia Flyers' season was Aug. 2-3, 2005, when they signed free agents Derian Hatcher and Peter Forsberg. Injuries proved to be a season-long lowlight for the Flyers. Turner Stevenson underwent hip surgery and captain Keith Primeau suffered a season-ending concussion in October. Second-line center Michal Hand us and defensemen Eric Desjardins, Joni Pitkanen, Kim Jonsson and Chris Therrien all missed significant time with injuries. To make a long story short, the Flyers led the NHL in man-games lost to injury. Peter Forsberg played only 59 games and Hatcher visibly tired late in the season.
As a result, it was an inconsistent season. Flyers' fans, who assumed a Stanley Cup after the off-season signing surprises, saw an opening-night loss to the New York Rangers as the first warning sign of an inconsistent season.

Over 805,000 fans attend 41 home games in 2005-06

2006-04-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

As the Philadelphia Flyers odds wrap up their 39th season and prepare for National Hockey League playoffs, it has never been more evident that Philadelphia is passionate about hockey, coming out in record numbers to home games at the Wachovia Center this season. After the Saturday, April 15 game vs. the New York Rangers, 805,783 fans came through the turnstiles at the Wachovia Center during the 2005-06 regular season, setting the all-time record for most home attendance in one regular season. “Reaching an all-time attendance record is a true testament to the support of our loyal fan base,” said Club President Ron Ryan. “This is a huge milestone for the Flyers organization. We thank our fans for supporting us in record numbers this season.” The previous record for most home attendance in one regular season was set after the 1999-2000 season with 805,014 fans attending home games at the Wachovia Center.Interest in the team and the sport has grown in Philadelphia over the years. In August 2005, Philadelphia was named the number one hockey city in the United States by The Sporting News. Corporate sponsors and fans are equally as excited about the Flyers setting the all-time home attendance record. “Record attendance helps Toyota with brand recognition and helps to sell a lot of cars,” said Paul Muller, President of Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association. “Reaching over 800,000 sports fans in one single season is invaluable to our group. We couldn’t be more pleased with the exposure we have received at Flyers games this year.” "I feel energy, excitement, and exhilaration, not only from watching the fast action on the ice but also from the 20,000 or so of my closest friends who are every bit as excited to be there as I am. The speed of the game and the excitement of the crowd is indescribable. You just have to be there,” said 12-year Season Ticket Holder Archie Stank, Jr.