Scott Hartnell gets a haircut

Looks like a completely different person, doesn't he? Perhaps in an effort to change his luck this season (1 goal, 1 assist, -2 through 6 games), Scott Hartnell chopped off his flowing orange mane. It can only help his speed on the ice, right? Photo via @NHLFlyers on Twitter.

Guest Post: a frustrated Flyers fan gets a few things off his chest

Guest Poster Mark Trible has had enough. Here are his thoughts on the frustrating Flyers:

"It's frustrating and it has to change."

Above are the words of Flyers captain Mike Richards, and I can’t say that I don’t agree. I also can’t say that Flyers fans across the globe haven’t repeated the same sentiments frequently in the last 365 days. What we as a fan base are facing is Groundhog Day, only around 300 miles southeast of Punxsutawney. This is a reoccurring theme, going hand in hand with the repetition of quotes from El Capitan. At what point do we say we’ve had enough? Well, I’ve had enough. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t had enough to cut ties with the team (I’m a glutton for punishment), but I’ve had enough to write a blog post! I still hold some belief in this team, and hell, I may even believe they can win a playoff series. However, playoff series’ aren’t going to cut it in Philadelphia unless three or four are won. Without further adieu, here are the things that I am absolutely tired of watching night in, and night out…

Lack of a collective heartbeat: The Flyers only have the identification of a ‘team’ because they all wear the same color sweaters. While it is true that there are leaders on the team (most notably Kimmo and Prongs), it seems as if the boys in orange are never on the same page. Point the finger at Lavy, Richie, or whoever else you feel is the problem. All I know is that finding the heart and soul of this team is as easy as finding which way John Stevens is looking.

Continuous effort on the offensive end: I don’t buy into the idea that the Flyers don’t have talent on the offensive side of the ice. In fact, I think the team is extremely talented. However, when talent and effort don’t meet somewhere in the middle, there is little success to be had. Richie isn’t the most outstanding offensive forward in the game, but he gives you all he’s got. Gagne, JVR and even CARCILLO exert a ton of energy on their shifts and skate hard, dump hard, chase hard, crash the net hard. As joyful as I would be to express nothing but satisfaction with these three there are problems with each one. Gagne is old, JVR is young, and Carcillo isn’t very talented. With that being the case, players like Hartnell and Briere have no more excuses to use. I’m sick of them. I’m sick of Hartnell falling down every time he attempts to mount a scoring chance, I’m sick of Briere going to the box every game for high-sticking and hooking. Most of all, I’m sick of having those two erratic forwards on the same line. Can anyone explain why Hartnell should be on a better line than JVR? I sure as hell can’t. Although I didn’t mention Powe, Asham, Lappy and Betts (due in large part to their lack of offensive ability), at least they do their jobs and show the same type of continuous effort night in and night out.

Braydon Coburn: Mr. Turnstile himself. With the current goaltending situation (or lack thereof), our defense has to be excellent. Coburn is about as excellent as Ovechkin is clean. Clean looks at the goal because Braydon is searching for his jock at the blue line are unacceptable and continue to occur night in and night out. I’ve got news for fellow Flyers fans, Boucher isn’t stealing the team any games anytime soon. He can be consistent and good enough for the team to win, but the defense has to protect him as much as possible.

Lack of passion: Effort and passion is not the same thing. But one certainly is the antecedent to the other. When I watched the Atlanta game on Sunday and the Ottawa game the other night, I saw a bunch of individuals who looked ready for summer vacation. I didn’t see hunger. I didn’t see the will to be the best. I didn’t see a team that is attempting to rectify the choke of last year’s stretch run. I saw no spark. Going through the motions is understandable in November. But in March? Not so much.

Lack of ACCOUNTABILITY: I know much has been made of this matter in reference to ‘oh captain our captain’, but there is more than enough to go around. After every game, we hear the same questions asked to the players, and the same responses are given. “Well, we need to show more urgency.” Or “We can’t be complacent with where we are, a lot of teams are hungry and clawing for the playoffs.” Insert whatever other clichés you’ve heard over course of the season. Why doesn’t anyone say, “It is MY responsibility to get this thing going.”? After the Ottawa game, Prongs said his piece about how the team needs to win games down the stretch, Richie said “It’s frustrating when guys aren’t playing their hardest”, Carcillo blamed the refs, Boosh blamed the refs, Lavy blamed the refs. GROW UP. Someone raise their hand and take some freaking accountability! The referees aren’t going to right this ship. It’s up to the bodies in the locker room. Take some initiative damn it!

Where do we go from here Flyers fans? I’m not sure, but I know I’m not going anywhere. The team can play like bums again tonight against the Wild (pick a name with an s on the end would ya?), and they’ll still be my bums. Things have been bad lately but it’s not too late to turn it around for a playoff run, and that’s what I’m hoping. Although, unless the previously mentioned problems aren’t fixed, look forward to an early offseason….full of watching Sidney Crosby highlights.

Follow Mark on Twitter (@Mtrible) for more great Flyers and Eagles thoughts.

More Injuries!?!? Flyers lose Timonen, Hartnell

That's certainly not how the Flyers wanted to start their 6 game road swing. Not only did the Flyers play flat in a 5-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, they also suffered a pair of injuries which will keep their best defenseman and a key forward out for a few games.

Both Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell injured themselves in the game while blocking shots. Timonen chipped a bone in his ankle and will miss at least a week while Hartnell broke his big toe and figures to be out for at least the next game.

Add Timonen and Hartnell to the list of injured Flyers that includes Danny Briere, Scottie Upshall and Ryan Parent. Both Glen Metropolit and Martin Biron recently recovered from injuries and sickness and returned to the ice in Friday's game in Chicago but neither played particularly well. The Flyers' depth will continue to be tested, luckily they have plenty of good skaters to go around.

Flyers acquire defenseman Alberts

In an effort to patch up their thin blueline, the Flyers acquired defenseman Andrew Alberts from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Ned Lukacevic and a 4th round pick in the 2009 draft. Alberts has spent his first three seasons in the NHL with the Bruins, tallying 19 points in 184 games. Alberts is a big, physical player who fits right into the mold of a typical bruising Flyers blueliner. He's a bit slow but he should jump right into the lineup and leave Lasse Kukkonen on the bench where he belongs.

Lukacevic was originally acquired by the Flyers this past offseason when they traded Denis Gauthier to the Los Angeles Kings. Lukacevic isn't much of a prospect although he could make a decent defensive forward some day.

With the injuries to Ryan Parent and Randy Jones, the Flyers had to make a move to get help on defense. While Alberts isn't a huge talent, he's at least a serviceable player who can log some quality minutes. Alberts also should already be familiar to the Flyers since Scott Hartnell absolutely destroyed him last season in this hit that got him suspended:

Flyers Beat Penguins 4-3

The Flyers needed to bounce back after Tuesday's miserable game against the Devils, and they did so in a big way. They defeated the Penguins 4-3 to move into a first place tie with the Devils. It was a total team effort again, as the Flyers continue to reverse last years trend of losing every game against the Penguins. They are now 4-0 this season against their cross-state rivals. Some other notes from the game:

*R. J. Umberger owns the Penguins. The Pittsburgh native loves going home, as he picked up a goal and two assists in the game. He was also First Star of the game.

*Steve Downie is the MAN. Dirty Penguins forward Georges Laraque hit Downie from behind, forcing Downie to slam head first into the boards. He was clearly knocked out from the hit. Downie then came back later in the game and scrapped with Ryan Stone before getting tossed from the game. He is everything Flyers fans should love, and all guts guy who leaves everything on the ice. He gets knocked out, and not only goes back into the game, but gets into a fight. Laraque better watch his back next time he plays the Flyers. If he isn't still suspended for tonights cheap shot.

*The Flyers power play is red hot. They have scored a power play goal in 10 straight games. This is one of the main reasons for this seasons huge turnaround.

*Scott Hartnell continues his solid play. Watch the highlights of this game and watch the pass he made to set up the third Flyers goal. When the Flyers acquired him in the offseason I had no idea how good this guy was. He had an assist earlier in the game to continue his hot streak.

The Flyers got a big win heading into the all-star break. Their next game is next Tuesday against the Kings. Should be a fun second half of hockey

Watch the highlights here.

Flyers dominate Senators 6-1

The Flyers continued their red hot play by beating the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers scored early and often, and Antero Nittymaki made 25 stops to secure the win. It continues to be a team effort, as the Flyers got goals from all four lines. They got goals from unlikely sources like Sami Kapanen and Braydon Coburn, and also got another goal from the Gretzky-esque Scott Hartnell. Hartnell now has 10 goals in his last 7 games. Philadelphia has now reached a three-way tie for first place with New Jersey and Pittsburgh, and have a game in hand on the Devils and Pens. Up next this week for the Flyers: huge games against the Devils and Penguins on Tuesday and Thursday of this week. Now is the time for the Flyers to lay claim to first place in the Atlantic.

Flyers Game Preview: Flyers vs. Senators

The red hot Flyers welcome the visiting Ottawa Senators for tonights tilt. The Flyers have been surging lately, mostly due to strong goaltending and Scott Hartnell. Hartnell has had hat tricks in two of the last five, and has had 13 points in the last nine. The Flyers will likely start Antero Niitymaki tonight after Martin Biron played yesterday, so they need him to continue to stop the puck against a high powered Senators attack.