Blogging the Flyers' Playoff Run

Flyers' draft picks

2008-06-12T11:40:00Z

The NHL announced the complete order of selection for next week's NHL draft. We knew the Flyers had the 27th pick in the first round. At this point, they only have four picks. The others are 118th, 178th and 208th. Ed Barkowitz has more on this in today's Daily News.

Flyers' first offseason move

2008-06-03T11:43:50Z

Sami Kapanen told a Finnish newspaper that he is returning to the team he co-owns in Finland, essentially retiring from the NHL. The news seemed to be a surprise to the Flyers, when the Daily News contacted them last night. Interestingly, Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who also is a part-owner of the team that Kapanen will be playing for, told Comcast SportsNet that the move does not surprise him. He said he and Kapanen had talked about the future at great length, adding that Kapanen was disappointed with his role with the Flyers, as a fourth-liner. Kapanen was a popular player with the fans and never more so when then-coach Ken Hitchcock moved him back to defense to help in a dire situation in the postseason a few years ago. If Kapanen does not return for the final year of his contract, the Flyers will save $1.25 million. That could be more money added to the Jeff Carter Fund or the Puck-Moving Defenseman Fund. We expect to hear something from the Flyers today. * By the way, what a fun game to watch last night/early this morning with Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. Not sure the Penguins can force a Game 7, but let's hope Wednesday night's game is at least as entertaining.

Feel better about the Flyers now or worse? (Live at Game 3 of the Finals)

2008-05-28T23:34:27Z

Here in Pittsburgh for Game 3. So far, the Penguins have been completely, absolutely dominated by the Detroit Red Wings. You might not have heard, but the Pens have yet to score a goal in two games. Evgeni Malkin looks particularly lost, but he really is not alone, wandering in the wilderness that is the neutral zone. So, this is it for the Pens; duh, etc. But watching this series, you cannot help but wonder about the Flyers, and how thoroughly they were dominated by the Penguins in the conference finals. And while there is no transitive property in sports, you have to think that if the Flyers are that far behind the Penguins, and the Penguins are that far behind the Red Wings... Or do you? The Flyers made a great run, getting past Washington and Montreal, but does that have any meaning in the grand scheme? It was great fun, but was it a mirage given what we are seeing now in the Finals. I mean, was it? ---------- ---------- ---------- Good start for Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury -- he didn't trip this time as he came out of the tunnel before the game. ---------- ---------- ---------- Midway through the first period, the shots are Detroit 6, Penguins 1. The Pens' Ryan Malone had two decent chances on an early power play, but that has been that. They can't gain the zone at all, and every time you think they might be coming on a break, it turns out to be 2 on 4. ---------- ---------- ---------- A total turnaround in the last 5 minutes of the period, and the Penguins have a 1-0 lead. The momentum changed when Pens coach Michel Therrien sent Sidney Crosby out on a line with Malkin for the first time in the game (other than on a power play). It created some energy, and gave the Pens some sustained puck possession in the offensive zone, and they continued on for the rest of the period. The goal came off of a Red Wings mistake, a pass from Brad Stuart to Jakub Kindl that Kindl couldn't handle in his skates. Marian Hossa gathered up the turnover and got the puck to Crosby, who didn't miss. The goal came at 17:25. Shots were Detroit 9, Penguins 6 (after being 9-1). And, at the end of the period, Marian Hossa missed a golden chance in the slot on a power play. Do we have a series? ---------- ---------- ---------- Now, it's 2-0 Pens. Crosby, again -- this time on a power play, on a rebound of a shot by Hossa. Crosby was all alone, behind Red Wings defenseman Brad Stuart. The Red Wings have gotten nothing going in the first 6 minutes of this period -- a total momentum shift from early in the first. ---------- ---------- ---------- Detroit has come back to make it 2-1 on a power play goal at 14:48 of the second by Johan Franzen. It was a great individual move around two Penguins by Franzen, who has returned in this series from a concussion. He now has 13 goals in a great playoff run. Right after the goal, Therrien sent Crosby and Malkin out together again for the Penguins, and they immediately restored some emotional order after the Detroit goal quieted the building. Period ends at 2-1. Shots are 19-18, Pens. It's been a really good game so far.

Pens-Flyers going outdoors?

2008-05-27T22:03:36Z

The Daily News reported today on comments made by NHL commish Gary Bettman over the weekend about the Flyers and Penguins potentially playing outdoors in State College. Here is the story. As a hockey fan, what do you think about the prospects for the game? If this game were held in late November in State College, would you make the trip.

Next Flyers' captain

2008-05-22T11:52:56Z

Working on the assummption that Jason Smith will not be back with the Flyers, the question is who will wear the "C" next season. The obvious answer is Mike Richards, although it does not seem obvious to Richards himself. We also recognize that Richards is a modest guy from Northwest Ontario who rarely likes to speak about himself. So, we ask you who should be the 12th Flyers captain since Bob Clarke?

Top defensemen on the market

2008-05-21T04:17:58Z

From Ed Barkowitz ... With the Flyers likely to be in the market for a defenseman this offseason, here is a look at some of the top unrestricted free agent blue-liners with their stats and salary from the 2007-08 regular season: Defenseman, , Age*, Ht/Wt., Games, G-A-Pts., Salary Brian Campbell, SJ, 29, 5-11/191, 83, 8-54-62, $1.75 mil. Mark Streit, Mont., 30, 6-0/198, 81, 13-49-62, $600,000 Michal Rozsival, NYR, 30, 6-2/212, 80, 13-25-38, $2.3 mil. Wade Redden, Ott., 31, 6-2/208, 80, 6-32-38, $6.5 mil. John-Michael Liles, Col., 28, 5-10/185, 81, 6-26-32, $1.4 mil. Brad Stuart, Det., 28, 6-2/220, 72, 6-17-23, $3.5 mil. * Age as of Oct. 1, 2008. As noted previously, much of the talk has focused on Campbell, although Liles seems to be drawing some interest among the fans. * On another note, lots of discussion on this board about the future of the Penguins and whether they can keep the team together. Ron Cook, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, tackles that subject in his column today.

High hopes for Downie, Parent

2008-05-20T20:40:05Z

From Ed Barkowitz, at the Skate Zone today ... The Flyers benefited from the development of their young players late in the regular season and into the postseason. Coach John Stevens is counting on two of his youngsters to maintain themselves physically during the offseason. If so, they will be even more important components by the time next training camp rolls around. "That’s going to be up to them," Stevens said Tuesday from the team's practice facility in Voorhees. "We love what we see out of our young players. They’ve got great team values. They’re very competitive and they have a skill level that should allow them to be NHL players. Whether that happens next year or not is going to be up to them. "This is a critical summer for our team and certainly for our young players. We asked for a big commitment last year and it needs to be an even bigger commitment this year. For guys like Steve Downie and Ryan Parent, their preparation over the summer is critical. They are going to be given every opportunity next year to earn a spot on our team."

Flyers' offseason decisions

2008-05-19T16:09:16Z

Peter Luukko described the Flyers' playoff performance as "step one." The Flyers president also talked Sunday of "adding a piece here or there" and saying, "I don't think we have a lot to do." While certainly not seeking the dramatic steps that typified last offseason, the Flyers do have some things to do in order to build on this season and try to go even further next season. In a salary-cap world, making the right moves is key because it is more difficult than it once was just to spend your errors away. The cap is expected to increase for next season, but the Flyers will not have enough room to make a major splash in free agency unless they make some trades or buy out a long-term contract or two. Let's look at some of the offseason issues facing the Flyers. 1. Improving the defense. Everyone agrees they need a mobile, puck-moving defenseman. The name most often mentioned is San Jose's Brian Campbell, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Campbell, who turns 29 this week, was a teammate of Danny Briere and Marty Biron in Buffalo. The problem is he could command upwards of $7 million a year. Many Flyers fans probably best remember Campbell, then with the Sabres, for the crushing hit on R.J. Umberger in Game 1 of the 2006 playoffs. 2. Their own unrestricted free agents. The Flyers have four unrestricted free agents. * Jason Smith, $1.976 million in 2007-08. During the regular season, the team captain was rumored to be gone for New Jersey once free agency began. The money the Flyers would save by letting the 34-year-old Smith go could be part of what is needed to bring in a younger blue-liner. * Vaclav Prospal, $1.9 million in 2007-08. His return for next season was something fans wanted a few weeks ago, but his performance in the last two series has led to questions about whether he will be back. As a side note, Chris Therien said the other day that Prospal loves to play golf every day during the season and would rather play in a warm-weather city. * Jaroslav Modry, $1.2 million in 2007-08. Modry was a nice pickup, but he did not dress in the final game, with coach John Stevens opting to keep youngster Ryan Parent in the lineup. Granted, the playoffs were a tough time for Modry with the death of his father. However, given his salary, he seems expendable, although the look of the defense will be severely impacted by Derian Hatcher's future. * Jim Dowd, $500,000 in 2007-08. The veteran journeyman was a nice addition to the fourth line and was solid on faceoffs. 3. Their own restricted free agents. The Flyers have five, with several of them expected to attract some attention from other teams, despite the stiff price the team that signs a restricted free agent has to pay. For example, a team that signed Jeff Carter away from the Flyers would have to pay two first-round picks, a second-rounder and a third-rounder. Carter ($942,000 this season), R.J. Umberger ($1.25 million) and Randy Jones ($525,00) all played well in the playoffs and increased their value. With his performance in the second round alone, Umberger made himself some money. That, however, might end up meaning he does not return to the Flyers. Paul Holmgren has made it clear that the Flyers will either sign Carter or match whatever offer is made for him. A team might throw out an offer of $5 million for Carter, in part to make life difficult for the Flyers. The other two restricted free agents are Patrick Thoresen ($542,000 this season) and Riley Cote ($500,000). 4. Marty Biron: After his playoff performance, will the goalie be looking for an extension? Biron signed a 2-year deal valued at $7 million in March 2007 so he will be heading into the final year of his contract. There has been no public indication to this point at least that this is on the agenda for the offseason. So, if you were Paul Holmgren, what would your priorities be? Who would you re-sign? Who would you pursue in free agency? How would you proceed to help this team take another step?

The morning skate, wrapup edition

2008-05-19T10:56:11Z

Here is a look at the coverage of the end of the Flyers' playoff run and the Penguins' 6-0 win Sunday that sent Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup finals ... From the Daily News Ed Moran: Penguins end Flyers' season Rich Hofmann: Philly's 100th season without a title Sam Donnellon: Penguins are Flyers' models and rivals for the future More Moran: Holmgren's offseason slogan: Who and how much? More Moran: Stevens never doubted his team Paul Vigna: The bad and the ugly Game 5 recap Dafney Tales: Fans react From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dave Molinari: Penguins punch ticket to Stanley Cup finals Ron Cook: Can't touch Sid the Kid for playoff experience Gene Collier: Comforts of home adding up for Malone Shelly Anderson: Friendly Fleury shows some flash in postseason More Molinari: Penguins notebook From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Rob Rossi: Pens soar over Flyers, Cup final next Joe Starkey: Penguins far from satisfied Kevin Gorman: Pens make return to Cup final for first time in 16 years Tricia Lafferty: Flyers won't let loss define season * We will have another update later today and post some offseason questions for you to ponder. The Flyers will gather on Tuesday in Voorhees to meet with the media for the last time and pack up the locker room for the offseason.

Penguins 6, Flyers 0 -- Pens win series, 4 games to 1

2008-05-18T19:00:18Z

So, it finally ends. My thoughts are probably your thoughts -- that this Flyers team over-achieved in the playoffs, getting at least one round farther than anyone reasonably expected; that most of the key pieces of the team are young, and that the future remains bright. One game, however lopsided, does not erase any of that. But one long post-season run does not guarantee anything in the future, either. This, too, we know. ---------- ---------- ---------- One, two, three, four, five...we want six! Hossa, through a screen, second goal of the day. Now, after a few minutes, the say that Pascal Dupuis -- the screener -- deflected it past Biron. Sixteen minutes to go. ---------- ---------- ---------- One, two, three, four...we want five! With 57.6 seconds left in the period, Jordan Staal whacked in a puck from the slot. It's 5-0. Then, to add insult to injury, a puck that Patrick Thoresen bodied into the net behind Pens goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was ruled no goal by the officials with about 5 seconds to go in the period, for some unspecified reason. Not that it matters. This has been a thorough dismantling in an elimination game. And, somewhere, Roman Cechmanek is smiling. ---------- ---------- ---------- Four-zip. This time, a power play goal. This time, another deflected shot, originally taken by Sergei Gonchar, was redirected behind Biron. They gave the goal to Sidney Crosby, but it also hit Malone along the way. Complete butt-kicking at this point. ---------- ---------- ---------- Well, that's about it. At 8:24, Marian Hossa blasted a puck over Biron's shoulder from just about the faceoff dot to Biron's right. That's 3-0. And now, barring some kind of miracle, it is all over for the Flyers, all over but the gratuitous violence. After all, there are still 31 minutes to go. ---------- ---------- ---------- Nothing for the Flyers on that initial power play, only one good scoring chance in the first 7 minutes of the period -- Scott Hartnell, on a rebound. But that's it. And we are now starting to see the trap that the Penguins claim they don't play, but which they do. This is probably the earliest they have unfurled it in the series. We'll see if they keep it up. So far, the Flyers have had no answers when the Pens have begun doing their neutral-zone dance. ---------- ---------- ---------- The period ends with the Pens up by 2-0, but with a Flyers power play (a high stick on Malone at 20:00). In addition, Biron and Pens swell guy Jarkko Ruutu went chest-to-chest for a few seconds as the teams left the ice. So there is a pulse, I guess. The Flyers had only 5 shots in the period, and only one in the second half of the period, which is the story of this series -- their inability to control the puck in the Penguins' end. The Flyers had a power play at the end of the period and got nothing done. To be fair, though, the ice here again appears to be lousy. At the end of periods, especially, the puck is jumping around and bouncing all over the place. It's a tough time to have a power play, a tough time to try to make any kind of skilled play. They'll have a clean sheet and a power play to start the second period. It would seem to be a pretty important part of the game for the Flyers if they have any hope of coming back before the Penguins go into total lockdown mode. ---------- ---------- ---------- Now it's 2-0. Another odd goal. This time, Biron went behind the net to play the puck and lost his stick as he and Malone banged against the boards -- Malone pinned it against the wall. So, back in the net, without the stick, Biron was pretty helpless a few seconds later when Evgeni Malkin shoveled the puck through him on a wraparound. Biron appealed for some kind of help from the referees, but what were they supposed to do? ---------- ---------- ---------- Eleven minutes to go in the first, and it's been an odd kind of game so far. The Penguins were not shot out of a canon. They are not coming at the Flyers in waves. And while the Flyers haven't yet turned them into great chances yet, the Pens are really loose with the puck in their own end so far, kind of scrambly. Biron just made a nice stop on Malone from in the slot, but it's all been fairly quiet -- not the emotion I expected, not from the Pens. What they have is a goal deflected in off of a skate, and that's it. Of course, danger always lurks. ---------- ---------- ---------- First test: Mike Knuble for hooking at 2:18 -- and, just like that, the Penguins score. Twelve seconds after the start of the power play, Ryan Malone has a shot deflect in off of his skate and past Biron. The play was reviewed, quickly, and the goal was OK'd. So, 1-0 Pens. Exactly what the Flyers didn't need. ---------- ---------- ---------- Outside of Mellon Arena, several Penguins fans gathered to display their latest handiwork: a dummy, dressed in a Flyers sweater, hanged by its neck and dangling above a gathering crowd. One of the guys had a bugle. He played "Taps," slowly, mournfully, somewhat accurately. You do not get the impression, just talking to people, that anybody is nervous around here yet. That cannot really happen until, say, the third period today. If the Flyers were to hang around that long, hang around and remain intact, be tied or with a lead after 40 minutes, people might be able to detect a tightening of the municipal sphincter. But not until then -- and, for the Flyers to hang around that long, against what is expected to be a real emotional onslaught at the start, it will really take some doing. I wrote a column about this after Game 4 and I will repeat it now: Marty Biron will have to be as good as he has been all spring, and probably better, if the Flyers are to get through this. ---------- ---------- ---------- One other note. In the starting lineup, Kimmo Timonen will be paired with Randy Jones in his return to the ice -- at least that's how it's starting. And, with Timonen's arrival, someone has to sit -- and that is defenseman Jaroslav Modry. Ryan Parent has earned another game with his solid, unspectacular play.

Timonen? Yes. Coburn? No.

2008-05-18T18:20:27Z

It has played out as most people figured it would in the last 48 hours: Kimmo Timonen, despite a blood clot in his ankle, will play today in Game 5 of the Flyers-Penguins series. But Braydon Coburn, who suffered a 50-stitch cut from a deflected puck in Game 2, will not play. "In his mind, he just doesn't feel right," Flyers coach John Stevens said, about a half-hour ago. "He sees well but he's just getting back on the ice and he just doesn't feel right. He's getting better as he moves along, but he's just not ready." There has been no diagnosis of a concussion, but getting whacked in the head with a flying object has obviously had an effect beyond the cut. So, we'll see. One unanswered question: who will Timonen, the Flyers' best defenseman, be paired with in his first appearance in the series? Coburn is his regular partner.

Updating our contest

2008-05-17T11:58:59Z

As the series shifts back to Pittsburgh, we figured we would again provide an update on our selection contest from before the series began and then noticed a little problem. Of the 125 entrants, this is what remains: Flyers in 7: 33 Penguins in 6: 9 Penguins in 7: 3 No one picked the Penguins in 5. UPDATE: We will have to get on the accounting department since we rechecked the thread and there are six people who selected the Penguins in 5. If the series ends Sunday, one of them would win based on the tiebreaker, and assuming they meet the eligibility requirements.

The Morning Skate

2008-05-17T11:41:55Z

As we posted yesterday, the big news regarding the Flyers is the possibility that defenseman Kimmo Timonen could return for Game 5. It seems likely that Ryan Parent would remain in the lineup and Jaroslav Modry would come out. And for those of you who like to pick on Sidney Crosby, be sure to check out Les Bowen's second story listed here with Mike Richards talking about his scrum with Crosby the other night. Here is more on that and other news. heading into Game 5 ... From the Daily News Les Bowen: Timonen hopeful of playing after solo skate More Bowen: Both sides reflect on Crosby-Richards tussle From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dave Molinari: Penguins' home-ice advantage in play Bob Smicik: Malkin's line must kick back into high gear More Molinari: Penguins notes From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Kevin Gorman: Timonen could return More Gorman: Malkin scoreless since Game 1 Rob Rossi: Who is responsible for Pens' power play

Bulletin board material?

2008-05-16T18:24:22Z

This is making the rounds today on the various hockey blogs we check and began on a Pens message board this morning ... Shop.com already has the Penguins Eastern Conference champions locker room hat available for sale for $28.99, according to Sean Leahy from GoingFiveHole. In case you were curious, there is no companion Flyers hat available, figuring the merchandise gurus were just working ahead. This was sent to us by a Flyers fan who felt the Flyers were being disrespected. It's probably a little tacky that there was not some mechanism for this not to appear on the Web site, given the results of last night's game. The Penguins could have clinched the series Thursday night and the hats needed to be ready for potential sale today. That they exist is not the problem; that you can presumably buy them before the series ends just seems like bad form. * The news of the day from Flyers practice is injury updates on Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn. Timonen seems much more likely to play Sunday, but Coburn remains a possibility, Les Bowen reports

The Morning Skate

2008-05-16T12:17:20Z

All around the coverage of the Flyers' 4-2 win in Game 4 ... From the Daily News Ed Moran: Flyers avoid elimination Rich Hofmann: Flyers' best hope still rides with Biron Sam Donnellon: Hartnell pours his heart out for Flyers Les Bowen: Stevens pulls the right switch Ed Barkowitz: Flyers get up close and personal with Fleury More Hofmann: Disappointed Coburn misses Game 4 Three stars From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dave Molinari: Flyers hold on to top Penguins Gene Collier: Sloppy first period a killer More Molinari: Pneumonia forces Roberts out of lineup From the Tribune-Review Rob Rossi: Pens denied sweep Joe Starkey: Penguins need to end it Mike Prisuta: Flyers' adjustments pay off