The Flyers Get Creepy...for You!

I'm not sure what's creepiest about this. The horrible acting, the way you can't see John Stevens while he's talking to you, or the way your phone actually rings. It's serious scary movie material.

Don't visit this link in the dark.

http://www.channel1media.com/flyers/2009/

ECQF Game 2: Flyers 2 @ Penguins 3 (OT) - Penguins Lead Series 2-0

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Well that sucked.

• Losing but playing well really isn't enough. Moral victories mean nothing this time of year, though this game was infinitely better than Game 1. The Flyers controlled play most of the way, and had the lead with less than four minutes remaining. Can't get too much closer.
  
• NEVER have I heard of a 5-on-3 in overtime in the playoffs before. Neither call was terrible, but both were unfortunate. Claude Giroux's penalty especially was just bad luck, as he would not have gotten a call at all if these composite sticks didn't break so easily.
  
• Jeff Carter's inability to bury that shot with Marc-Andre Fleury way out of position was absolutely killer. I really have no other words to describe it.
• Martin Biron was great, except for in overtime. The goal was pretty soft, but way worse than that was when he inexplicably came out to like the blue line to challenge a racing Penguin for a puck. He barely won the battle, but NO way was it worth the risk. Not in regulation in the regular season, much less overtime in the playoffs. Had he been a half step slower, the game would have ended right there, in about the worst fashion imagineable. But all in all, he was good.
  

The focus at this point has to be on extending the series one game at a time. Winning Game 3 means there will be a Game 5. Winning Games 3 and 4 means there will be a Game 6. Baby steps.

Game 3 puck drops at 3 on NBC. Go Flyers.

The Secret Revealed

The Flyers are 23-0-3 in their last 26 games in which Jeff Carter has scored. That's unreal. So for the playoffs, it would be a good idea to make sure that Carter scores at least once a game. It's apparently that simple. (H/t Inquirer)

Game #79 Review: Panthers 1 @ Flyers 2 4/7/09

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The Flyers made the playoffs for the thirteenth time in fourteen seasons. But more importantly than that, they made the playoffs this year, and soon will be only 16 wins away from the Stanley Cup. That never stops being fun.

• So many things went right tonight. The Flyers won, and clinched a playoff spot. Martin Biron played great. Jeff Carter played great. Pretty much the whole team played great, and against a legit team that had beaten the Flyers decisively twice before.
• Daniel Carcillo finally played some on the fourth line! Finally! He still managed to be a -1 on the night.
• More good news for the Flyers playoff chances--Riley Cote will be out 'til next season. We find the timing of his injuries right before the playoffs both this year and last suspicious, but we like it.
• Matt Carle his first tagging on The FF for his nice play to set up Joffrey Lupul's goal. Congratulations, Matty, it's gotta be a big day for you.
  
• If you're unclear on the definition of "shit-eating grin," watch Jeff Carter's interview here (he's up second) and all will be clear.
• The Flyers do control their own destiny in terms of securing home ice, but it's still not nice to see the results rolling in the way they are. Carolina won BIG (9-0 over the Islanders), Pittsburgh won in Tampa, the Rangers beat the Canadiens, and the Devils lost to Toronto. Why is the Devils losing bad? Because they're looking like an awfully soft first round opponent right now, and I want at 'em.

Three games against the New York two to wrap up the regular season. At the Rangers on Thursday at 7 pm, at the Islanders Saturday afternoon at 2 pm, and vs. the Rangers Sunday at 5 pm. Playing for position and home ice. Should be a good time.

Game #77 Review: Maple Leafs 5 @ Flyers 8 4/3/09

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What was a masterpiece turned into a mess. But a mess with a W attached is still a beautiful thing.

• Five-goal first periods are fun. Giving up five goals, however, isn't. So much of the energy the team built up for this game manifested itself in offense, which is understandable, considering it was the main problem area last time around.
• Pretty surprising that a guy who is second in the league in scoring is just now getting his first hat trick. Jeff Carter gets three late, scoring goals that initially seemed like icing but turned out important.
• Why were they important? Because, for the second straight game, Martin Biron wasn't very good. Though I don't think he's especially at fault here, nor is the rest of the defense. The Flyers had a friggin' six goal lead, it's only natural they'd switch their defensive settings from kill to stun.
• Claude Giroux has gotta be just about everybody's favorite Flyer these days. This was his third straight multi-point game. For a rookie in his first playoff hunt, that's unbelievable.
• Scott Hartnell got his 30th of the year, which I doubt many would have predicted in October. 30 goals, a glove toss, and a wig night makes for quite the season.
  
• What's with the home team wearing white both times during this home and home? I like it more, but I don't really understand the occasion...

Quick turn around for the Flyers, going back to Ontario to face the Senators tomorrow night for some Hockey Night in Canada action. The game's not gonna be seen much on the show outside of Ottawa, though, as the other game on the bill is Canadiens-Maple Leafs, which will almost certainly get top billing.

Flyers clinch a playoff spot with a win in Ottawa. Do it to it, boys.

The Hat, Part Deux

Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Daily News today broke the story of the Flyers' ugly orange Player of the Game Hat. Oh wait, that's not right. Yours truly was all over this story weeks ago. And I don't even write about this stuff for a living...

In my continuing efforts to be the preeminent source for all things related to The Hat, I now present the updated gallery of all The Hat winners in 2009:

New Jersey 3/23/09 -- Jeff Carter (1 goal, his 40th of the season).

Pittsburgh 3/22/09 -- Ryan Parent (1 assist, held Malkin and Crosby to zero shots)

Buffalo 3/20/09 -- Danny Briere (2 goals)

NY Rangers 3/14/09 -- Arron Asham (2 goals)

Buffalo 3/10/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.


Nashville 3/7/09 -- Joffrey Lupul (2 goals).

Boston 3/3/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Los Angeles 2/25/09 -- Martin Biron (34 shots, 34 saves in the shoutout).

Washington 2/24/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Buffalo 2/19/09 -- Mike Richards (2 goals and 3 assists)


NY Rangers 2/15/09 -- Claude Giroux (1 goal and 2 assists)

NY Islanders 2/14/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.


Atlanta 2/8/09 -- Scott Hartnell (2 assists and ZERO(!) penalties)

Boston 2/7/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.


Tampa Bay 1/30/09 -- Antero Niittymaki (42 shots, 41 saves, and an assist).

Atlanta 1/21/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Florida 1/16/09 -- Antero Niittymaki (34 shots, 32 saves)

Toronto 1/10/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Minnesota 1/8/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Anaheim 1/2/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Game #65 Review: Sabres 2 @ Flyers 5 3/10/09

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Bam.

What a great time to be a Flyers fan.

• Jeff Carter breaks a five-game goal-less streak for the second time in a month. He's been cold lately, but he was real good tonight. Being out of the goal race seems to have hurt his urgency somewhat, hopefully it returns as the games mean more.
• Scott Hartnell scored twice, neither with his stick--one off the leg, one off the nipple. Maybe on March 26th he'll score one off his wig.
• Second real good, multi-point game in a row for Joffrey Lupul. Definitely glad to see him still in the orange and black.
• The first goal was a total fluke, but for the next fifty-something minutes, Martin Biron was real solid, if unspectacular. The late second Buffalo goal was weak, and since it was so late may leave a lasting impression. Biron should still get the start vs. Washington, but it was an annoying blemish on what was otherwise a pretty nice night.
• Claude Giroux is pretty good at this sport, ain't he?
• In case you haven't noticed, the Flyers depth is absolutely absurd. There are easily eight guys who wouldn't surprise anybody with a multi-goal night.
• Arron Asham had a nice scrap, his first in a while. Word that Riley Cote left the game injured really can't worry anyone too much. Flyers have plenty of tough guys that are far more useful with the puck.
• Bunch of penalties from Daniel Carcillo, but they were all matching. Flyers are good four-on-four, so that's fine. But when they stop being matching it's gonna be a big problems.
• No hat in today's post game videos, which means it didn't go to Hartnell, Carter, or Biron. Maybe Giroux? Lupul? Or maybe whoever won it just didn't wear it on camera (Carter never has that I've seen).

Washington, Pittsburgh, New Jersey AND Montreal all came from behind to win tonight. Pittsburgh was sloppy enough to hand Florida a point in the process. While it's frustrating for the Flyers to not gain much ground tonight, it has to be absolutely killer for Buffalo. They're done.

Capitals roll in to town to wrap up their series on Thursday. Flyers lead the series with them 2-0-1 so far, so expect big things.

The Hat

"This is the first time I've had the hat...and I make it look pretty good."
--Joffrey Lupul (at 2:45)

So said yesterday's two time goal scorer Joffrey Lupul in a post game interview, setting yours truly on an odyssey through the Flyers TV video archives of unprecedented ambition. I had noticed the ugly orange Flyers trucker hat before, but had never thought too much of it. It looks like it was probably made in the 80s, and found in some old supply closet at the Spectrum. My dad has a bunch just like it in his closet at home, though mostly in black, not that beautifully Flyersy orange.

The hat clearly serves as a sort of player of the game award, likely bestowed by John Stevens after each win. I had never heard the hat directly referenced before Lupul's comments, so hadn't picked up on any patterns previously. So I went digging.

And now, I present to you, the results of my research into every Flyers win in 2009, in order to forever immortalize the men whose triumphs earned them each The Hat.

Nashville 3/7/09 -- Joffrey Lupul (2 goals).

Boston 3/3/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Los Angeles 2/25/09 -- Martin Biron (34 shots, 34 saves in the shoutout).

Washington 2/24/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Buffalo 2/19/09 -- Mike Richards (2 goals and 3 assists)

NY Rangers 2/15/09 -- Claude Giroux (1 goal and 2 assists)

NY Islanders 2/14/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.


Atlanta 2/8/09 -- Scott Hartnell (2 assists and ZERO(!) penalties)

Boston 2/7/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.


Tampa Bay 1/30/09 -- Antero Niittymaki (42 shots, 41 saves, and an assist).

Atlanta 1/21/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Florida 1/16/09 -- Antero Niittymaki (34 shots, 32 saves)
Niitty appears to be the only two-time hat winner

Toronto 1/10/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Minnesota 1/8/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

Anaheim 1/2/09 -- The Hat not seen in interviews.

I skimmed a few 2008 videos, but The Hat doesn't seem to make any appearances. before that Florida game in January.

As should go without saying, The Flyer Frequent is THE place for any further updates on any The Hat related developments, as well as stats, charts, graphs, projections, and polls on future The Hat winners. Stay tuned.

Game #59 Review: Kings 0 @ Flyers 2 2/25/08

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Honestly I thought this game was pretty dull. Not a lot of goals, big saves, or big hitting. The one goal that was scored (not Gagne's empty netter) was about as ugly as a goal can get. Both teams looked hung over from last night's games, and it showed.

But it was a big win for the Flyers over a hot team that had beaten them previously this season. And it was a win in what amounts to one of those "games in hand" that get talked so much about. Flyers are still totally isolated in the standings, but they're moving closer to third than fifth, which is certainly a good thing.

Some more thoughts:

• Martin Biron's shutout was without any real highlight reel stuff, but a shutout is a shutout. It's great that he recovered from that horrible goal vs. Pittsburgh, but it's not so great that this sort of remains a distraction. Unless these two wind up thriving from the competition, in which case let them have dueling shutouts the rest of the season. Watch this vid, and you can see the moments where Biron decides to lie. And if I'm trying to figure out how the Flyers skaters align on which goalie they like more, I put Gagne in the Biron camp, while Hartnell seemed fairly firmly with Niitty yesterday
• Ugly goal from Jeff Carter. A much prettier empty netter from Simon Gagne, though way too fancypants, even for him.
• Those Kings white jerseys are hideous.
• Rangers lost in overtime, yay.
• Penguins won late, boo. A loss to the Islanders is just what they needed least at this point, so I was holding out a lot of hope for it.

I don't have much else to say. It was a hell of a snoozefest.

Couldn't be a better team to be playing next than Montreal, in my book. It's not a team the Flyers are likely to have a let down against, and it is a team that's struggling a lot.

Game #58 Review: Flyers 4 @ Capitals 2 2/24/08

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My cell phone photography skills are unparalleled.

• Arron Asham's goal was real pretty, but what doesn't get talked about enough on that play was what a horrible effort it was by Jose Theodore. Theodore started solid, but once the goals came they came hard and fast. As much as they don't like to agree with the rest of the league telling them this, Caps need a goalie at the trade deadline.
• You know who doesn't need a goalie at the trade deadline? The Flyers. Antero Niittymaki has really locked up the starting job barring any huge collapse. The Flyers need to be ready to remove him from the role if necessary, but it's gotta be his for now.
• Huge night for Riley Cote, which I don't think anyone expected. Riley was a +1 for probably the first time in his life, getting an assist on Asham's goal AND avoiding getting his face broken in half again by Donny Brashear. NO idea why Stevens put him on the ice with under eight minutes left in a one goal game, but the demoralization his playmaking caused was probably the highlight of the night.
• The Flyers depth on defense is amazing. As good as Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers really didn't miss a beat with their #7 d-man, Ossi Vaananen, in his place.
• Jeff Carter was the #1 star, but really didn't deserve it after that horrible turnover that led to Ovechkin's goal. The #1 star should have been...
• ...Claude Giroux, who clearly has studied at the Daniel Briere school of standing next to the net behind the goalie. The Flyers don't need Briere with Giroux playing this well (though one of those angles he took a shot from was absurdly acute).
• Scott Hartnell (erroneously second star) still has one of the best shots on the Flyers (probably second behind Carter), but needs to start being fined for these penalties. He now leads the league in minor penalties (link I found all by myself, I'm awesome)

Flyers play the Kings tonight. Dangerous opponent, could very easily be a letdown game. Kings won in a shootout in Minnesota last night, so did way more traveling. Hopefully Flyers ride this wave well, and hopefully Martin Biron feels like he has something to prove, because he does.

Game #56 Preview: Sabres @ Flyers 2/19/08

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Flyers play Buffalo tonight, a team that somehow hasn't gotten rid of that shitteous logo yet. Seriously, it's terrible. Flyers should win on strength of logo alone. But since that may not be enough, here are some other reasons the boys in orange and black get the two points tonight.

Why the Flyers will win:

• Martin Biron has owned the Sabres recently, including a shutout in their last meeting in Buffalo some months ago. Another big win tonight could lock up the starting slot for #43 (for now, anyway).
• Kinda quietly, the Flyers are 4-1-0 in their last five. Pretty stellar.
• The crappy effort post-layoff vs. Ottawa last week should make the Flyers pretty sharp today.
• Jeff Carter does well against the Sabres historically. And I'm thinking Joffrey Lupul gets two on the board for some reason.
• Few goalies are less consistant than Ryan Miller. And he has never played well against his old teammate Biron for whatever reason.

Why the Sabres will win:

• Last week vs. Ottawa after ther layoff was as bad as the Flyers have played all year. Deja vu could mean disaster.
• If Scott Hartnell is actually hurt, that could be an issue.
• Sabres have been good in Philadelphia lately, in a head to head where the road team does well in the other's barn consistantly.

Prediction: Flyers 3-1. Do it to it boys.

Back

Sorry for the prolonged absence--pieces keep breaking off my computer, which is not a good thing. I'm trying to fix it myself, by just fiddling around with a screwdriver in an electrical appliance cluelessly (always a good idea). It's still not really better, but I soldier on...

So what happened while I was on hiatus? The Flyers beat the Thrashers (shocker), Jeff Carter was the second fastest in the fastest skater thing, Jeff Carter got knocked out of the breakaway contest in the first round with the worst shot anybody took the whole night, Jeff Carter did nothing in the All-Star game (except manage to keep possession of the puck for like 4:59 of the five minute overtime), Jeff Carter scored no goals, Jeff Carter came home with a #7 jersey I'm kinda surprised he chose since it's retired by the Flyers. (Flyers Goal Scored By... does a much better job treating Carter's all-star flop with the snark it deserves)

The other main thing that kept Flyers beat writers from getting time off over the break was more plot twists in L'Affaire Briere, with the Flyers seemingly forcing Danny Briere to get surgery so he could stay out of the lineup longer. That's a new one, even for the Flyers medical staff. He's out another four weeks, guaranteed, conveniently right until the trade deadline.

I have to think this is all leading up to trading Briere, or at the very least dumping Glen Metropolit for him. God, Metropolit is utterly useless, and his name is desperately missing a syllable. He has all of one goal this year in forty-two games. To put that in perspective, that's only one more goal than Lauren Hart has tallied.

Lastly, there was some nonsense about Paul Holmgren looking into getting Peter Forsberg back for the late part of this season. Because it was just SO great when he was here before, and he's SO not injury prone, and he played SO great for Colorado last year. With the Canucks getting Sundin, I think that's enough NHL scouring of Stockholm-area assisted-living communities for one season.

Flyers get to go on their second Florida trip of January (seriously, nice scheduling there) for a game in Sunrise on Tuesday, and Friday in Tampa.

But despite what will sum up to five straight games against the Southeast, the Flyers have the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the league, according to some website. That's never a good thing. All four games against Boston remain, plus four against the Rangers and a game each against Detroit and Calgary. Not fun.

Game #45 Review: Flyers 3 (SO) @ Panthers 2 1/16/09

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Antero and Kimmo perform traditional Finnish victory dance.

Flyers halt their losing streak at two and get a shootout win over a very hot Panthers team, to go 1-1 on their first of two Florida swings this month. Wasn't pretty, but it's two points.

• A win is a win. But jeez, what a crappy win. Florida dominated the second and third periods, took fewer penalties, got way more shots. The Flyers have sort of made this their way (stealing wins), but it can't possibly be the right plan for the long run. Improvements have to be made, and sooner rather than later, before this rut gets too deep.
• God those penalties were awful. Three delay of game penalties? And one in the last minutes of the game from Lupul? That's just totally unacceptable.
• Definitely Simon Gagne's best game in a long time. That shootout move was real pretty.
• The shootout, never a strongsuit, has looked much better lately. And if and when Briere returns, it will be even more betterer.
• Niittymaki looked much more solid than Biron did yesterday, and especially looked improved in the shootout. This pair of games will undoubtedly get people thinking about whether or not there should be any sort of goalie controversy. Nowhere near time for that, I say. Biron still tends to play huge in the real huge games, and that's what matters most.
• Jeff Carter back in the league lead with 30 goals in 45 games. He's on pace for over fifty, which would be pretty awesome. Don't think I would've had him as one of the three most likely players to do that this season.
• Devils, Rangers and Penguins all won last night, too. Boo.

Bottom line: Winning is good, but shitty wins aren't as good. Shape up, boys. And don't even dream about losing to Atlanta at home.

Game #42 Review: Maple Leafs 1 @ Flyers 4 1/10/09

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Stars align

There's something about watching the Flyers on Hockey Night in Canada that just feels right. It's like listening to music on vinyl, or like reading the bible in Hebrew or something.

And the Hebrew is even more fun when it tells the story of the Flyers winning.

• Getting outshot by a lot (42-30) yet winning convincingly makes for my favorite kind of games. Like most every game in the Montreal series last year. The shot count really didn't reflect control of the game. This win never felt in danger.
• Martin Biron was super solid, again. This is nothing like the Biron we saw at the beginning of the season, and it's easily a Biron we could see real deep into the playoffs.
• Talk of Jeff Carter's slump led to him scoring twice to reach an NHL-leading 29 goals, breaking what had been a three-way tie with Vanek and Ovechkin. Remember when Toronto was about to get Carter at the trade deadline last year? Yikes.
• I predicted Scottie Upshall would have a great game, and he did. He didn't score like I wanted him to, but that pass to Andrew Alberts (for his first goal in 162 games) was a thing of beauty.
• Kimmo Timonen notched his 24th assist on the first Carter goal. That's a whole lot. Biron got his third assist on the same goal. Is that a lot for a goalie? I really don't have any idea.
• As much as I hate the Yankees, they serve a purpose. Having the Yankees be relevant is important for baseball, just like having the Maple Leafs relevant is important for hockey. And these Maple Leafs are totally irrelevant. Luke Schenn is good, though.
• Flyers are now only two points back of the Capitals. With a game in hand. Booya.
• Who was it who predicted a 4-1 Flyers win? I wonder...

Two days off, then Penguins. We beat them convincingly and Michel Therrien is most certainly fired. Sounds like motivation enough for anyone.

Game #42 Preview: Maple Leafs @ Flyers 1/10/09

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After looking solid yet sloppy against the Wild, the Flyers get the great pleasure of continuing their homestand againstg one of the worst teams in the conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs. This will be the second meeting between the two teams, the first being won by the lowly Leafs 4-2 in Toronto

Why The Flyers Will Win:

• Flyers have to be enjoying life at home. Winning breeds winning, and that's exactly what the Flyers do at the Wach, winning seven straight. Fans, too, are sure to be fired up, as they get to hear two anthems for the price of one tonight.
• Jeff Carter probably just realized he has only one goal in eight games. He's sure to remedy that.
• Martin Biron is playing with as much confidence as ever.
• The Leafs suck, the Flyers don't. That counts for a lot.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Win:

• For whatver reason, the Flyers have not played well against Toronto in a while, losing their last three.
• Though they won against Minnesota, it really was not textbook stuff. Thinking that was good enough is unlikely, but on the off chance it happens it would be bad.
• Biased Hockey Night in Canada officiating.

Prediction: Flyers by three, either 4-1 or 5-2. And Scottie Upshall will score at least one.