Danny Briere wins Game 1 in OT

After a slow first period, the Flyers picked up their play and took out the Devils in overtime in Game 1, 4-3.  Mr. Playoffs, Danny Briere, was the hero in this one, putting the puck into the back of the net twice in overtime, though the first was called off due to Briere kicking it in.  Here's Briere's game winner:

The Flyers have to be happy with how they played after the first period.  Should that carry over into the next few games, they should make short of the Devils.

Mike Richards, Kings hand Flyers first loss

Things couldn't have gone better for Mike Richards in his return to Philadelphia.  Fans did mostly boo him after an initial standing ovation but Richards notched the game-winning assist in overtime as the Kings handed the Flyers their first loss of the season, 3-2.  Here are a few thoughts on the game:

-It didn't really set in that Mike Richards wasn't a Flyer until I actually watched him in another uniform play against Philly.  I don't really understand why anyone would boo him since he did give a lot to this organization and it wasn't his call to leave town.  I guess it's just the Philly way.

-Former Flyer Justin Williams had the bigger impact on the outcome, picking up two goals.  Oh, and Simon Gagne also had an assist.  And Terry Murray coached the Kings to victory.  Flyers West indeed.

-It was nice to see Danny Briere pick up his first goal of the season.  Of course, Jaromir Jagr really made the play with a beautiful pass but it was nice to see Briere get on the board.  As for Jagr, he really looks like he turned back the clock about 10 years.

-While they lost, the Flyers did well to send the game into overtime and get a point.  Through their first four games, the Flyers have picked up 7 of a possible 8 points, a solid feat considering the quality of opponents (Bruins, Canucks, Kings) they have played so far.

-Still too many penalties for the Flyers, though the Kings had even more.  Perhaps I should stop blaming the Flyers and start looking at the officials, who have had a quick whistle so far this year.

-No goal by Claude Giroux tonight?  Guess he will have to pick up two next time to stay on pace for 82.

Chris Pronger named Flyers captain

In a move that has been expected ever since the Mike Richards trade, the Flyers have officially named Chris Pronger team captain.  The team also named Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen the alternate captains.

For Pronger, this is the third team he has captained as he previously held the role with the Blues and Ducks.  Hopefully he will be healthy enough to play at the start of the season.

Giroux the only Flyer to make the All-Star team

I guess the NHL is trying to tell us that having the best team in the Eastern Conference doesn't necessarily mean you have the best players.

The NHL announced the rosters for the 2011 All-Star game and, surprisingly, only one Flyer made the team: Claude Giroux. While Giroux is having a great season, the Flyers had at least two other players who are equally deserving in Danny Briere and Mike Richards. Given that Briere is 7th in the league in goals, it's fair to call him a snub and the only likely explanation as to why he wasn't named to the team was that he asked the league not to pick him.

Of course, before we get too angry about who was left off, it's important to give Giroux his due. The 28 year old is averaging nearly a point per game and has developed into the player we all thought he could be, already hitting career highs in goals, assists and points this season.

Still, only one All-Star from the best team in the East? Come on, NHL!

Flyers use balanced attack to scorch Sabres

Some things never seem to change with the Flyers. They are built on toughness, they never have good enough goaltending and they can be maddeningly inconsistent. Just 9 games into the current NHL season and the Flyers seem to have already run the gamut of highs and lows, from beating the Penguins to losing three straight games to a 5-2 beatdown of the Maple Leafs to looking inept against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night, when they lost 2-1.

Of course, after such a maddening loss, the Flyers did just what you would expect an inconsistent team would do as they rocked the Sabres on Tuesday night, 6-3. It was a total team effort for the Flyers, as 6 players had goals, including the red-hot Danny Briere, and 11 players had at least one point. Essentially everyone got in on the scoring act, even checkers Darroll Powe and Andreas Nodl, who scored his second career goal when he potted an empty netter late in the third period. Even more impressive for the Flyers was that this goal outburst came against U.S. Olympic hero Ryan Miller, who gave up 5 goals in 33 shots.

To prove just how on the Flyers where, even the power play, which has been a real sore spot this season, got into the act, as the Flyers scored three times with the man advantage to double their season total of power play goals. Just about the only thing that wasn't on for the Flyers in the game was their penalty kill, which allowed the Sabres to score on 2 of their 3 power play chances.

That's the effort we all expected from this Flyers team that is loaded with scoring threats on every line. While it's not realistic to expect them to score 6 goals a night, it would be nice if they played with this kind of intensity and not skate around aimlessly like they did against Columbus on Monday night. With a game against Pittsburgh up next, now is the perfect time for this team to find their identity and string together a nice, long winning streak.
(AP PHOTO)

Flyers fall to Bruins in OT after comeback

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

If only that first period never happened there would have been a totally different outcome to Game One of the Flyers/Bruins series. As it was, Marc Savard of the Bruins, in his first game since early March, scored the game winning goal in overtime to knock off the Flyers, 5-4, and give the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the series. Those facts don't nearly tell the story of the game, however.

Whether it was being rusty from the long layoff or simply that the Bruins outworked them, the first period was an ugly one for the Flyers as Boston controlled the puck and the pace of the play for the first 20 minutes. It was pretty clear from the beginning that the Bruins were much better than the Devils and the Flyers were pretty fortunate to emerge from the first period only down 2-0.

From that point forward, however, the Flyers were the better team as they fought their way back to a one goal deficit late in the third period. Not only did they figure out how to get the puck past Tuukka Rask, the Flyers also solved the Bruins penalty kill, which had been perfect in the playoffs, by scoring a pair of power play goals. Then, late in the third period, Danny Briere had one of the biggest goals of his career as went coast to coast, splitting two defensemen and firing his own rebound past Rask to tie the game late in the third period and complete the Flyers comeback:

The game then went on to a very entertaining overtime as the teams traded chances and Brian Boucher and Rask traded big saves. Eventually, Savard won the game for the Bruins after a lengthy attack in the offensive zone. After a few mishandles and several failed attempts at clearing the puck, you knew that the Bruins were going to get the game winner and there was nothing Boucher or the tired Flyers players on the ice could do.

While the loss may have been initially deflating for the Flyers and their fans, it's important to look at the bigger picture. After clearing out the cobwebs in the first period, the Flyers played their game, getting physical with the Bruins and slowing down the pace of play. They really should be commended for even making this one a game after it looked like Boston was going to blow them out of the building in the first period. The fact that the Flyers also had answers for the two biggest strengths of the Bruins, their goaltending and their penalty kill, should bode well for the Flyers chances of winning the series.

After an entertaining Game One, there is reason to be excited about this series. These are two physical, evenly matched teams that can score a variety of different ways. If this game was just the appetizer, I can't wait to see what's in store for the remaining games. The Flyers just have to make sure they don't play another stretch like the first period in this one and they should be in excellent shape.

Flyers rip Devils, take commanding 3-1 series lead

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Wait, which team is the 2 seed and which team is the 7 seed in this Flyers/Devils series again? With the way the Flyers dominated the Devils in a 4-1 Game 4 victory, you couldn't convince anyone that the Devils finished with the second best record in the Eastern Conference while the Flyers sneaked into the playoffs on the very last day.

The story of the night for the Flyers was the contributions they got from to players who had yet to score in the playoffs as both Jeff Carter and Danny Briere finally lit the lamp. In fact, Carter scored twice in the game, both on the power play, and finally appeared to be healthy as he skated smoothly throughout the game. Also scoring for the Flyers was the Game 3 hero, Dan Carcillo, who once again looked like he had never scored a goal in his life after he beat Martin Brodeur with a shot through the 5 hole.

Given how many penalties they had, it was remarkable that the Flyers were in any position to win Game 4, let alone dominate it. For most of the first two periods, the Flyers sent player after player to the penalty box and gave the Devils power play chance after power play chance. In all, the Flyers had 16 penalty minutes on minors in the game and gave the Devils 8 power play chances. Luckily, the Flyers have a really good penalty kill and only allowed the Devils to score once on a 5 on 3 opportunity. I said it after the last game and I'll say it again: eventually, these penalties are going to catch up to the Flyers. Against an offensively challenged team like the Devils, the Flyers can get away with the march to the penalty box. If, and I mean if, the Flyers get past the Devils and play the Capitals in the next round, Washington's killer power play is going to destroy the Flyers if they take this many penalties. If the officials are going to continue calling the games so tight, the Flyers have to adjust.

As Game 4 progressed, the Flyers did seem to make some changes to their game while the Devils seemed to regress, taking a bunch of penalties in the third period as they fell apart. The usually consistent Martin Brodeur, who was making stellar stops all game long, also started to crumble in net, allowing uncharacteristically soft goals through. Whether the Flyers simply have their number or they really aren't that good, the Devils need to figure things out fast if they want to get back in this series.

Before anyone says this series is over, however, they must remember the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals. As you may recall, the Flyers had this same 3-1 lead with these same two goalies in net and seemed poised to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Well, three Devils wins later and the Flyers collapsed their way out of the playoffs. While all signs point to the Flyers getting to the second round, let's just not start looking ahead just yet. Of course, if this same Devils team continues to not show up, the team that shouldn't even be in the playoffs will pull off quite an upset.

Flyers enter the Olympic break on good footing after crushing the Canadiens

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Graham Hughes)

As recently as a week ago, the Flyers were playing such uninspired hockey that they probably couldn't wait for the two week Olympic break. Now, after four straight wins against teams in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Flyers probably don't want to stop playing and risk ending their hot streak.

After sweeping the Devils last week in a home and home series, the Flyers repeated that feat today after followed up yesterday's win in Philadelphia with a 6-2 beatdown of the Canadiens in Montreal. The star of the game was Danny Briere, who, much to the chagrin of the Montreal crowd, broke out of his slumber to register a hat trick. Briere stuck it to the Canadiens fans who boo him lustily every time he touched the puck by netting his first hat trick of the season.

The Flyers also got goals on the night from Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Blair Betts. Suddenly, the Flyers offense that had gone ice cold in recent games is brimming with hot hands. There's Richards, who scored his 2nd goal in 4 games, and Carter, who has 5 goals in 4 games, to go with Briere and Simon Gagne, who appear to be breaking out of season-long slumps. All of the Flyers top forwards are contributing right now, an excellent sign that this team has turned things around.

Oh, and Jeff Carter haters? The man has been on a tear recently, scoring 11 goals in his last 14 games. I think all of you who have been screaming for him to be traded and that he "has no heart" can be quiet now. Carter is rapidly rising up the leader board in the NHL in goals and is proving why the Flyers aren't willing to trade him. Yeah, the guy can be inconsistent but you can put up with the lulls because you know he has goal outbursts like this in him.

The Flyers now enter the Olympic break solidly in the playoff hunt. With the recent wins over the Canadiens, the Flyers have leapfrogged them and moved into 6th place in the Eastern Conference. With 22 games left after the break, it's going to be a sprint to the finish for the Flyers as they look to move up into an even better position. If this hot streak somehow carries over to March then the Flyers will try to make a late push for a top seed.

A healthy Briere leads Flyers past Devils

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Flyers are playing their best hockey of the season at just the right time. With just a handful of games left in the season and playoff positioning on the line, the Flyers played two of their most inspiring games of hockey in the last two days. First, the Flyers downed Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on Sunday, then Monday they took care of Martin Brodeur and the Devils.

Lead by the resurgent Danny Briere (5 points in his last 3 games), who had a goal and an assist, and Simon Gagne, who had a goal and two assists, the Flyers defeated the Devils 4-2. Briere set the tone for the game with a nice deflection goal in the first period and a beautiful pass to Mike Knuble to set up the Flyers second goal. Claude Giroux also had a superb game, highlighted by his sick no-look pass to Gagne for a goal in the 3rd period. Jeff Carter also added his 40th goal of the season, hopefully the first of many 40-goal seasons for the young forward.

The Flyers looked especially good on special teams, where they scored 3 power play goals and allowed the Devils to score only once with the man advantage despite taking a number of penalties and having long stretches of penalties to kill. The Flyers still commit way too many penalties, and better offensive teams will burn them, but their penalty killing units looked strong tonight.

Also looking strong in the game was Marty Biron, who out-dueled the other Marty on the ice. Biron stopped 32 of 34 shots and has long since made everyone forget that there was ever a goaltender controversy in Philly (Antero who?). With the way Biron is playing, they are going to have to get him signed to a deal and not allow him to leave via free agency in the offseason.

With the win, the Flyers stay in the 4th spot in the East and move within 7 points of the Devils for the 2nd spot. With 10 games left to play, it will take a monumental collapse by New Jersey for the Flyers to move any higher, but their stranglehold on the 4th spot is only getting stronger.

Flyers roll out new lines in practice

Just got a Tweet (follow allthingsphilly on Twitter!) straight from the Philadelphia Flyers about some new line combinations they tried out in practice today:

Gagne - Giroux - Knuble
Carcillo - Richards - Lupul
Hartnell - Carter - Briere
Cote - Powe - Asham

The move was likely made to get Briere back up onto a scoring line since he has been playing on the 4th line as he returns to full health. While initially I don't like the idea of demoting Richards and breaking up the Lupul/Carter/Hartnell line, I do see the logic behind these new lines. The Flyers have incredible balance and scoring depth at forward and these new lines speak to that. In fact, I'm not sure I can even tell which of the lines is the "first line". Each of the top three lines features a goal scorer (Gagne, Lupul, Carter), a playmaker (Giroux, Richards, Briere) and a big bruiser (Knuble, Carcillo, Hartnell), while the fourth line remains the checking/tough guy line.

There is no confirmation yet if the Flyers will use these lines in their next game, but you can expect the Flyers to tinker with their deep group of forwards until they find the best combination.

Flyers avoid Briere scare, rescind trade

Watching Danny Briere get injured is becoming an all too familiar sight. Not only did the Flyers get beat down by the Calgary Flames on Thursday, but Briere re-injured his groin. There was some thought on Friday that Briere could be out for weeks or even months, fortunately the injury doesn't look serious and he could be back as early as next week. Of course, since he is dealing with an injury that has been bothering him nearly all season, he could be out longer. For now, though, the man the Flyers re-shuffled their whole roster for doesn't appear to have a major injury.

In other injury news, the Flyers have nullified one of their trade deadline deals. Unfortunately, it wasn't the deal that sent Scottie Upshall to Phoenix: defenseman Kyle McLaren failed his physical and will be sent back to the San Jose Sharks, meaning the Flyers will get their 6th round pick back. This won't be a huge loss for the Flyers, although it nullifies the only positive move they made at the trade deadline and makes them even thinner along the blue line.

Metropolit, Vaananen out; Briere in for the Flyers

A star Flyers player is set to return to the ice but it will be at the expense of a pair of veteran players.

Danny Briere is set to make his return to the ice on Friday, meaning the Flyers have to clear some space. Briere makes 6.5 million and adding him to the active roster will put the Flyers over the salary cap. To make room, the team has waived Glen Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen and are also expected to waive Lasse Kukkonen. The Flyers may also send Darroll Powe to the minors to make even more space.

While Metro and Vaananen were both waived, that doesn't mean they won't be Flyers anymore. Guys get waived all the time in the NHL and they still stay with their teams. I think Kukkonen has been waived at least half a dozen times by the Flyers at this point. Metro and Vaananen can still clear waivers and be sent down to the minors, a move that takes their salary off the NHL books.

Metropolit has been a solid player for the Flyers this season, doing everything you would want a checking center to do. The Flyers hand has been forced as they try to get under the cap, but I think they will still do whatever they can to keep Metro around. Ossi Vaananen is another story. Once Ryan Parent returned, Vaananen has found it nearly impossible to get on the ice unless another defenseman is sick or injured. He makes a solid 7th defenseman but the Flyers wouldn't shed a tear if he was gone.

The most important thing about these moves is the fact that Danny Briere is returning to the Flyers. The team has already been on a roll as of late, adding a top line forward like Briere to the mix can only make them better. It will be interesting to see how the lines shape up with Briere back, could John Stevens re-unite the Simon Gagne/Mike Richards/Briere line from earlier in the season? What a line that could be!

Seriously? Flyers interested in Peter Forsberg

Just when you thought it was dead, it starts right back up again. The rumors that Peter Forsberg was coming back to the Flyers started last season, died down after Foppa signed with the Avalanche, and then seemingly started up again the moment the Flyers were eliminated in the playoffs.

Now, it seems the rumor is gaining some real traction: the Flyers are talking with Forsberg's agent. According to Tim Panaccio of Comcast Sportsnet, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren contacted Foppa's agent to see if the star center was going to play this season. Holmgren went even further and said that "he would like to have Forsberg back in Philadelphia".

I have a few different thoughts on this rumor. First of all, with the Flyers right up against the cap, how in the world would they be able to afford Foppa? When Danny Briere comes back, the Flyers are already going to have to make a serious of moves to get themselves under the cap. If the Flyers were to sign Forsberg as well, an important piece of the current team would have to go. Of course, Briere is still injured, so Holmgren could be throwing feelers out there just in case Briere can't get back on the ice this season. If Briere never quite gets healthy, the Flyers could sign Forsberg and slide him right into Briere's spot on the first line.

Of course, whenever you talk about bringing Forsberg back, you have to consider his health. Foppa was a good, but not great, player for the Avalanche last season, putting up 14 points in 9 games. The Avs couldn't count on him on a nightly basis, however, as he was in and out of the lineup dealing with his foot and ankle problems.

If Briere doesn't come back and if Peter Forsberg is around 90% healthy, then I say the Flyers should bring back their former captain. He is still an excellent passer and I would love to see him dishing passes to Simon Gagne again. If Foppa is still the hobbled Foppa of the last two seasons then the Flyers should just forget it.

Either way, I am sure this is a rumor that won't be going away any time soon. Stay tuned for your daily Foppa.

Briere to miss 4 more weeks after surgery

The Flyers head into the All-Star break 2 points behind the first place Devils in the Atlantic Division, not a bad feat considering the rash of injuries that this team has dealt with. The fact that they have been able to put a team on the ice at all, let alone be competitive, when more than half the team has been injured at one point or another has to be considered a success.

Danny Briere has been one of the key players who has been missing for the Flyers and it looks like he will be out for a while longer. Briere, who last played for the Flyers in early December, underwent successful exploratory surgery on his groin today and is expected to miss the next 4 weeks. The injury has been nagging Briere for over a month, even when he played a few games with the Phantoms last week, so hopefully the surgery will allow him to come back healthy in February.

The season is a marathon, not a sprint, so losing Briere now shouldn't hurt the Flyers too much. Briere will be back when it matters, in the playoffs, and hopefully he will be close to 100% and ready to help the Flyers make a deep run in the playoffs.

The one positive about Briere being out for longer is the Flyers won't have to make a decision on what they should do to clear cap space. Luca Sbisa will remain with the big club and won't have to go back to his junior team and the Flyers won't have to make any salary-dumping moves, at least for now. You never hope for injuries to happen but Briere's surgery has bought the Flyers a few weeks to figure out what to do with their roster.

Briere is back....in the minors

Danny Briere, who has been out since early December with a groin injury, will make his return to the ice, only it won't be with the Flyers. Instead, the Flyers have assigned Briere to the Phantoms for a two game conditioning assignment. Briere will play on Wednesday and Friday for the Phantoms as he tries to get back to full strength.

The real reason Briere is playing for the Phantoms is the Flyers want to buy themselves some time as they figure out how to clear cap space for the return of the most expensive player on the team. The Flyers will have to clear a few million in order to make room for Briere, and that will likely take a couple of moves to get done. The Flyers could make a trade to shed salary, with guys like Joffrey Lupul or Mike Knuble being the likely candidates to go, or they will have to send several players back to the minors, like Andreas Nodl and Lasse Kukkonen.

One other move that seems destined to happen is Luca Sbisa will be sent back to his junior team. The 18 year old defenseman has had a solid season with the Flyers, but, since the return of Randy Jones, Sbisa has been caught up in a numbers game and hasn't played consistently. The best thing for the development of the young defenseman is to get as much ice time as possible and if he isn't playing for the Flyers, he needs to go somewhere else. He has more than earned his spot with the Flyers but, unfortunately, there's just no room for him right now.

With the way the Flyers are playing right now, it's too bad they have to shake up the roster at all. Luckily, any time you add a guy like Briere to the mix, you are making your team a whole lot better.

List of injured Flyers, now nine deep, continues to grow

Okay, now this is just beyond ridiculous. The injury bug that has hit the Flyers this season has gotten completely out of control and has now inflicted over a third of the roster. The fact that the Flyers are even in second place in the Atlantic Division is a testament to just how deep and talented this team really is.

On Monday, GM Paul Holmgren went through the litany of injuries that the Flyers are dealing with, outlining the NINE players that are currently banged up. The latest major injuries are to winger Joffrey Lupul and goaltender Antero Niittymaki. Lupul is dealing with an abdominal pull and Niitty has a pulled groin and both players have been placed on Injured Reserve. Both figure to be out for about two weeks.

Adding to those latest injuries is news that Claude Giroux, Arron Asham, Josh Gratton, Darroll Powe and Jonathon Kalinski are all out with injuries. Giroux has a concussion and is day to day. Asham is dealing with a knee sprain but figures to return soon. Out with an abdominal injury is Gratton while Powe is dealing with a hip injury. Finally, Kalinski will be out the longest of this group as he was in the hospital getting blood drained from his left thigh. Look for him to be back in a week or so.

On top of all of these injuries, star players Simon Gagne and Danny Briere are still dealing with their own health issues. Gagne figures to try to play through the pain of his left shoulder but Briere will remain out for at least another week as he continues to recover from his groin injury.

All of these injuries leave the Flyers seriously thin at forward. With 7(!!) forwards likely out for the next game, several defensemen will continue to be forced to play offense. While the Flyers have called up Andreas Nodl to fill one of the forward spots and Simon Gagne will attempt to suit up, that still leaves three vacated forward spots. Luca Sbisa and Lasse Kukkonen are two likely candidates to move to the forward positions but the club is still one forward short. Goaltender Scott Munroe was called up from the Phantoms to replace Niittymaki in net so perhaps he could try his hand on the wings.

I have never before seen a hockey team have this many injuries. Luckily for the Flyers, key players like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Mike Knuble are still healthy along with their entire defensive unit. There is enough talent in this group to keep the team afloat for the next few weeks but it will be difficult for them to remain atop the Atlantic Division.

The best thing for the Flyers right now will be to finish up this road trip and head home and start healing up. None of these players are expected to be out for the entire season so the team should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Let's hope that light isn't a train that will run into the rest of the players and knock them all out with injuries.

Briere to miss a month with groin injury

Just as quickly as he came back, Danny Briere is gone again.

After missing nearly a month, Briere made his return to the ice last night for the Flyers. His night was cut short when he aggravated his nagging groin injury and now Briere figures to miss another month. The questions will linger as to whether the Flyers rushed him back too quickly but for now the team will have to do without their top playmaker.

The loss isn't huge for a Flyers team that has played most of the season without Briere anyway. The team has gotten used to not having their top center and Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne have stepped up their play in Briere's absence. Briere needs to get himself 100% healthy before he returns to the ice, hopefully he won't rush back because there is still plenty of season left.

Flyers overcome Downie, Lightning in overtime

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Flyers knew that Steve Downie would try to make his presence known in the physical portions of tonight's game but they probably didn't expect him to have as big an impact as he did in the scoring department. After getting his team in an early hole by taking a dumb penalty early (sound familiar Flyers fans?), Downie forced overtime by scoring a goal near the end of the 3rd period. The Flyers went on to win the game 4-3 in overtime when Mike Richards scored a beautiful goal, his second of the game, during a rare overtime powerplay.

Also scoring a pair of goals for the Flyers was the red-hot Jeff Carter. Carter now has 18 goals on the season which ties him for the league-lead with Thomas Vanek of Buffalo. Tonight was just more proof that Carter has finally broken out and become a star in the NHL.

Also from tonight's game, here's a video of the bizarre Scott Hartnell glove-throwing incident that happened at the end of the 3rd period. Can't say I've ever seen that happen before!


Tonight also marked Danny Briere's return to the ice after missing nearly a month. Briere only played 8 minutes and didn't have much of an impact before he had to leave the game. Briere likely felt soreness or re-aggravated his injury, either way the Flyers figure to ease him back into the line-up slowly as he continues to recover from his groin issues.

A game against the slumping Lightning was just what the Flyers needed to get back in the win column. The Flyers are starting to close in on the Penguins for second place in the Atlantic; they currently sit two points behind Pittsburgh. Everyone is still chasing the Rangers who have played three more games than the Flyers.

Winning streak! Flyers win 2 in a row

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The curse of Sarah Palin is finally over. The Flyers won both games in a home-and-home with the Devils on Friday and Saturday to finally get themselves into the win column and out of their early season funk. The two wins puts the Flyers record at 2-3-3 which actually isn't a bad way to start the season.

The big star on Friday night's 6-3 win was Mike Richards, who notched 4 assists. The Flyers did an excellent job of staying out of the penalty box and not giving the Devils a bunch of powerplay chances.

The penalty situation in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win was completely different as each team racks up 40 penalty minutes. There were four fights in the game, including this double-fight:

This was all something that should have been expected given it was the second game in as many days between two rivals. Most of the penalties offset but the Devils still had five powerplay opportunities, scoring on one of them. Jeff Carter scored on a deflection for the game winning goal for the Flyers in overtime.

The Flyers earned both wins without Danny Briere, who will be out 3 to 4 weeks as he recovers from abdominal surgery. In Briere's absence, the Flyers have called up Darroll Powe and re-called Jared Ross and shuffled their top line to include Glen Metropolit at center between Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. Philly seems like they are a forward short even when Briere returns, unless they plan to play Ross, Powe or Andreas Nodl every game.

The Flyers have finally broken out of their early season slump. If you've followed this team at all, you know how streaky they can be. They started the season with no wins in 5 games so I expect them to run off a 5 game winning streak at some point this season.

Now that the curse of Sarah Palin has been lifted, we can get back to a normal hockey season.

Flyers remain winless after blowing 2 goal lead to the Sharks

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Despite a better effort for the Flyers last night in San Jose, the result was still the same. The Flyers, who had a 3-1 lead at one point, lost 5-4 to the Sharks in overtime. While the Flyers did manage to earn a point against one of the best teams in the league, it's already the time of the season where they can ignore moral victories and only be happy with actual W's.

The game was filled with both positives and negatives for the Flyers.

Positives:

-The reunited Simon Gagne/Danny Briere/Mike Knuble line played well with Briere scoring 2 goals and Gagne having several good scoring chances. It seems like whoever Briere plays with continues to have a hot hand.

-Antero Niittymaki, despite giving up 5 goals, had a good game. None of the goals were his fault except one where he gave up a juicy rebound to Joe Pavelski in the third period. Niitty made several big stops throughout the game, including an amazing diving save in the third. He faced a barrage of 45 shots and saved 40 of them, basically if he could see it, he stopped it.

-Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn played great as they were reunited as the top defensive unit. The rest of the defensemen? Not so much.

-You could tell the Flyers were making a concerted effort to play the Sharks tough. They had a bunch of hits and got into several scraps after the whistle.

Negatives:

-The Flyers defense is in shambles. Besides the top two, the Flyers are relying on an 18 year old, a guy who didn't play in the NHL last year and 2 AHL-quality players. Luca Sbisa and Ossi Vaananen have played well at times but they should be the teams 3rd pairing of D-men, not 2nd. Andrew Alberts and Steve Eminger are not NHL caliber players and they made a ton of mistakes against the Sharks. The Flyers need to do something to shore up their D because Randy Jones and Ryan Parent aren't coming back any time soon. They need to make a trade to bring in someone who can be a top 4 defensemen, even if it means trading one of their better forwards.

-Too many penalties. The Flyers had 27 penalty minutes on the night, including 11 minors and 1 fighting major. They gave the Sharks a ton of power play chances and they did well to kill some of them but they still gave up three power play goals.

-Steve Downie needs to go play for the Phantoms for a while. He had two penalties on the night, including a dumb slash, and had only 5 minutes of ice time. He needs to get his head straightened out with the Phantoms.

The Flyers have 3 days off now before they face the Sharks again, this time in Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see if the team makes any personnel changes or if they continue to tinker with the lines to find the right combination. You can only re-arrange the lines so much before you realize that maybe this team simply needs some new players. We'll see if they come from the minors or if they come via a trade.