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Flight Plan: Rivalry Week

The Philadelphia Flyers have won five of their last seven contests after taking a 2-1 decision yesterday against the Ottawa Senators. They have been getting good play and consistent production from their top two lines, and Ilya Bryzgalov has been steady, if not terrific, on most occasions. The Flyers have two days off before staring a week full of intense rivalry games. They begin by taking a ride up I-95 to New York to face off against the New York Rangers, returning home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins, and finally ending the week in Boston to see the Boston Bruins …

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Flyers Outlast Sens In Goalie Duel

Wayne Simmonds scored on a beautiful goal in the second period, beating Ottawa goaltender Ben Bishop between the pads to give the Flyers a two-goal lead in an eventual 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon. Simmonds started the play in his own end, gave an outlet pass to Danny Briere, who dropped it off for Brayden Schenn, who fed a cross-ice pass to Simmonds who went forehand, backhand, and eventually five-hole to beat Bishop. Also scoring for the Flyers was Jakub Voracek, notching his co-team leading ninth goal. Ilya Bryzgalov was stellar again for the Flyers, stopping 33-of-34 shots. The Flyers …

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Stolarz, Alderson locked in; Sestito goodbye, Leighton sent down

The Philadelphia Flyers were a busy organization on Friday. First, they announced the signings of free agent winger Brandon Alderson and goaltender Anthony Stolarz to entry-level contracts. In 59 games played with the Sault. Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, Alderson has totaled 25 goals 32 assists for 57 points. The Oakville, Ontario native is listed as 6-foot-5, and 212 pounds and brings much needed size to the winger position in typical North American Flyer fashion.  Last year with the Greyhounds, Alderson registered 30 points in 69 games played. Prior to playing for Sault. Ste. Marie, the 21-year …

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Review: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly: Philadelphia Flyers

I finally finished it. If you’re the type to keep track, I believe I started this sucker sometime this past August. Then we had that event that must not be named and the book got put to the side as I took a break from Flyers Faithful because for me, no Flyers to watch was a major block on my writing inspiration. But when I boarded the plane to go to Philadelphia on Valentine’s Day, I grabbed my Kindle and pulled it up because I was determined to finish it. So, here we go: The Good, The Bad, & The …

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A hero returns, and a fond farewell

I feel like it was pretty obvious what I would be writing about this week. One of my all-time favorite Flyers (and your most loved Flyer) returned to Philadelphia to once again don the Orange and Black sweater. That man, of course, is #12, Simon Gagne. My love goes back to my years in high school. I recall reading about Gagne and how he would be the “next superstar” in Philadelphia. Although Gagne never gained “superstar status,” he was a star in the NHL. At just 33 years of age, Gagne – barring health issues – can continue to be …

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Around the Net March 1, 2013:Simon Gagne and Scott Hartnell are back; O’Reilly signs with Avs, more

  Welcome to Around the Net, a weekly look through linkage at the Philadelphia Flyers and other news from around the NHL. In case you missed it… Claude Giroux missed Scott Hartnell: [Philly.com] Philly missed Simon Gagne: [The Checking Line] Harry Z missed a suspension from Mr. Shanaban: [The 700 Level] [Philly.com] Tom Sestito and Michael Leighton were waived: [Hockeybuzz-Bill Meltzer] Avs match the Flames offer sheet for Ryan O’Reilly: [NHL.com] All the twitter feeds you’ll ever need in one place: [Broad Street Hockey] Go get some Philadelphia Flyers tickets today. That’s all for this week, join me next week for …

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Hockey Hilarity: Art History Lesson

Friday funnies brought to you straight from hockey’s own players, media personnel, and broadcast botches. We’ll be mucking it up every week right here, examining puck ups, puns, tweets, and more! This week’s edition of Hockey Hilarity is brought to you, again, by another wonderful FlyersFaithful.com writer: Justin Brennan. He’s awesome, and hilarious. Seriously. Just check out how he knocked this one right out of the park: I’ve been laughing for days. Hopefully you will too. Anyway, next week, maybe something funnier than Ryan O’Reilly getting offer-sheeted and matched will happen.  

Poll: Will Gagne’s Return Benefit the Flyers in the Long Run?

To the surprise and happiness of many a Flyers fan, the team acquired former player Simon Gagne from the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Gagne spent ten years with the Flyers before being traded to Tampa Bay in the summer of 2010. After one season with the Lightning, he signed with the Los Angeles Kings and won his first Stanley Cup with them this past season. Gagne brings skill, scoring ability, and a veteran presence to the team, and his return marked a strong win for the Flyers over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night. But from this point forward, …

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Crashing the Crease: Bryzgalov Wearing Down?

How much can one reasonably expect from a goaltender when playing him almost nightly behind a worn down, somewhat-ramshackle NHL defense? If you live in Philadelphia, the answer may be to simply look at his cap hit for your answer. Recently, there’s been a lot of talk regarding Ilya Bryzgalov and how well he “should” be playing based on his AAV of $5.67 million. In a lot of ways, it’s a reliable fallback story for a season full of nearly regular Jekyll-and-Hyde nights where serious hockey analysis of defensive breakdowns and failed offensive forays will bore and confuse the average …

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Flyers Beat Capitals In Gagne’s Return

Claude Giroux led the way, scoring a goal and an assist, and Simon Gagne lit the lamp in his return to Philadelphia, as the Flyers defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1. The Orange and Black improved to 10-11-1 on the season and 2-2-0 on their current home stand. Scoring along with Giroux were Wayne Simmonds and Max Talbot, while goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov made his 20th start of the season and earned the win after saving 22-of-23 shots. Joel Ward scored the Capitals lone goal late in regulation. Starting goaltender Braden Holtby was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals …