What: Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Game 7 Sabres vs. Flyers. Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia. Tuesday night, 7:30 p.m. What’s at stake: Advancing to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The History: The clubs have not yet faced each other in a terminal series contest. The Stats: Philadelphia won its last Game 7, an Eastern Semifinal in Boston, on May 14, 2010, erasing an 0-3 series deficit. The Flyers won their previous seventh game on home ice, in an East semifinal against Toronto, on April 22, 2003. Buffalo lost its last Game 7, an Eastern Conference Final at Carolina, on June 1, 2006. The …
Counterpunches
The first in an occasional series, in which Flyers Faithful scans the papers of the opposition to see how they’re portraying events. We make no assurance of journalistic integrity here. On Thursday, with the Flyers and Sabres deadlocked at two games apiece, we have our first instance of Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff going to the papers and complaining about what the other team is complaining about. Ruff generally slips into this mode any time he senses his team is about to lose the actual edge on the ice, which, in his 14 year tenure, has been about a zillion …
NHL, NBC announce new 10-year partnership
Courtesy of NBCUniversal NEW YORK (April 19, 2011) – The National Hockey League and the NBC Sports Group have reached agreement on a landmark 10-year television and media rights deal, taking the partnership through the 2020-21 season. The expanded partnership, under which NBC remains the exclusive network home and VERSUS the exclusive cable home of the NHL® in the U.S., is highlighted by the first-ever national distribution of all Stanley Cup® Playoffs contests, including, for the first time, exclusive coverage starting with the Conference Semifinals. The agreement also calls for the NBC Sports Group to televise 100 regular season games …
It Never Ends
Terry Murray must have thought he was a genius in the Spring of 1997. He had two quality goaltenders: Ron Hextall and Garth Snow. He had the benefit of home-ice advantage in the first round against a mediocre opponent — the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since Hextall faltered a bit down the stretch as the Flyers eventually lost the Atlantic Division lead and fell to third in the East, Murray hatched a plan so simple it was stupid: Start Snow and let him go as long as he performed well, and when he didn’t turn to the veteran Hextall. It managed to …
Playoff Appetizers
With a long four-day gap between the end of the regular season and the start of what we all hope will be another deep run, I thought I’d get everybody fought up with a couple selections from the video vault. First, it was almost 15 years ago when the Flyers opened up the 1996 postseason as the top overall seed in the East. Their opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning who were making their initial playoff foray. Sparks did fly and Terry Murray’s club made it look easy…if not a little too easy with a Game 1 romp by a 7-3 …
Flyers first-round schedule released
The Atlantic Division champion Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Buffalo Sabres beyond the regular season for the first time since 2006, and for the ninth time overall. Just a few minutes ago, the NHL set the schedules for all eight of its opening-round best-of-seven series. Game 1 Thu., April 14 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. CSN Game 2 Sat., April 16 at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. CSN Game 3 Mon., April 18 at Buffalo, 7 p.m. CSN Game 4 Wed., April 20 at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m. CSN * Game 5 Fri., April 22 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m. CSN * Game 6 …
Flyers take down Isles, lock up Atlantic Division
It took until Game 82, but the Philadelphia Flyers at last became the champions of the Atlantic Division. Andrej Meszaros registered a career high of four points on two goals and two assists, as the Flyers concluded the regular season with a 7-4 victory over the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center. Scott Hartnell joined Meszaros with pair of tallies for Philadelphia (47-23-12), which clinched its first division crown in seven years and locked up the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers will host Buffalo in the opening round of the playoffs beginning later this week. “It …
Laperriere the Philly writers’ choice for Masterton Trophy
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Flyers Anthony SanFilippo Opening Statement: Ian, as you know about this award a little bit, we got together with the Chapter this year and decided that although you haven’t actually been on the ice this season, you still embody the three characteristics that the league is looking for when determining a Masterton candidate. We felt, pretty unanimously, that you still maintain those characteristics off the ice in what you do and how you conduct yourself. We wanted to nominate you this year as our candidate for the Masterton Award. “Thank you very much. I got caught …
Leighton clears re-entry waivers
Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that goaltender Michael Leighton cleared re-entry waivers and will report to the club later today. Leighton has made just one NHL appearance this season, allowing all four goals in a 7-4 victory at Los Angeles on December 30. He went 14-12-3 with a 2.22 goals-against average, five shutouts and a .923 save percentage for an awful Adirondack Phantoms club. Multiple sources in the region have reported via Twitter and other means that Leighton will accompany the Flyers to Buffalo for their game on Friday night. Several sources suggest the 29-year-old may start that …
Spectrum Memories: Cat Whistles
To celebrate my 25th year of hockey fandom, I will occasionally step into the way-back machine and write about events in the Flyers’ past. For the balance of the season, I will be dipping into the well to ruminate about some things related to my love of the Philadelphia Flyers, and in general about the fan experience as a youngster. This is the ninth in the series of Spectrum Memories. Chris Therien and Jaromir Jagr were just a match made in hockey heaven in the late 1990′s. Therien, the hulking defenseman out of Providence College, who broke in with the Flyers during the lockout-shortened 1995 …