Then and Now: R.J. Umberger

By Craig F
Posted on 05/15/2013 at 11:00 am

R.J. Umberger may have been born in Pittsburgh, but some of his best memories so far in the NHL have come with the franchise located on the other side of the state. Although his first NHL game came with the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2005-06 season, Umberger was a member of two other NHL organizations before he made his way to Philly. The skater was picked 16th overall in the 2001 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks, as he was the first American forward to be selected. Mike Komisarek was the first American picked by the Montreal Canadiens with the …

Brandon Alderson (left) with the Greyhounds. Image courtesy of kitchenerrangers.com

Future Flyers Report: Stolarz and Alderson Sign, Wahl Added

By Craig F
Posted on 03/04/2013 at 9:00 am

The Philadelphia Flyers signed a pair of Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to entry-level contracts this week. One of those was expected, as goaltending prospect Anthony Stolarz inked a deal. The other signing wasn’t, as forward Brandon Alderson also joined the organization. Stolarz continues to impress in the OHL with the London Knights. With three wins this week, Stolarz extended his winning streak to seven straight starts and improved his record to 11-2-1 with the Knights. During this personal winning streak, Stolarz has produced three games where he has allowed one goal against or less and two games where he allowed …

HE'S BACK!!! Image courtesy of lehighvalleylive.com

Atlantic Watch: Gagne Returns, Pens and Rangers Deal With Injuries, Devils and Islanders Endure Goaltending Woes

By Craig F
Posted on 02/27/2013 at 11:00 am

The Philadelphia Flyers won a pair of exciting contests this week, but they also lost two games where they could have easily grabbed points. With the return of a familiar face, the Orange and the Black look to reach .500 with two tilts against teams below them in the standings and a matinee against a Northeast Division foe. The Flyers started their week, and concluded their road trip, with an exciting 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the CONSOL Energy Center. Jakub Voracek put the game-winner past Tomas Vokoun with 1:31 left in regulation to complete his hat trick, …

The Gagarin Cup Playoffs: KHL Postseason Starts Today

By Craig F
Posted on 02/20/2013 at 3:17 pm

The KHL playoffs start today, as 16 of the league’s 26 clubs compete for the Gagarin Cup. Since the NHL and KHL are huge competitors, it’s interesting to look at the players on the current KHL playoff teams to see just how many are former Philadelphia Flyers or NHLers. On top of that, some clubs’ prospects are in the 16-team field. It’s also worth noting some of the teams that received help from current NHL players who played a good chunk of the season with a certain KHL season before the lockout concluded. With that being said, here are the previews …

Atlantic Watch: Flyers Respond to Giroux, Penguins’ Three-Game Winning Streak, Rangers and Islanders Deal With Injuries

By Craig F
Posted on 02/20/2013 at 11:00 am

Although the Philadelphia Flyers lost two of their three games this week, the Orange and Black finished the week with a resounding 7-0 victory over a divisional opponent. Philly will look to gain ground in the Eastern Conference this week with four games over the next seven days, one of which is against the Pittsburgh Penguins and another two against a pair of the teams at the bottom of the standings. The Flyers started the week with a 5-3 defeat on Friday to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Travis Zajac opened the scoring with his third of …

St. Louis, Purcell Lead Lightning Past Flyers

By Craig F
Posted on 01/27/2013 at 9:26 pm

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at the Tampa Bay Times Forum by the score of 5-1 in Michael Leighton’s first start of 2013. Martin St. Louis had four assists and Teddy Purcell had a goal with two helpers, while Philly’s goalie stopped 21 of 26 shots from the opposition in the loss. Sean Couturier had the Flyers’ lone goal, as Max Talbot had the only assist. Anders Lindback may have allowed a soft girl early, but he did a great job to limit Philly to one goal, as he stopped 24 of the Flyers’ 25 shots. In …