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Atlantic Watch: Penguins win four straight, Devils snap losing streak, Powe returns to division

The Philadelphia Flyers seem to heading in the right direction after they recorded wins in their last two games. After they lost both the game and a crucial player on Friday, the Orange and Black pulled off back-to-back wins in their last two contests. The Flyers start a four-game week tomorrow, as they finish the seven-day stretch with a pair of games that start a lengthy road trip. On Friday, the Washington Capitals handed Philly a 3-2 loss at the Verizon Center. Wojtek Wolski registered the game-winner halfway through the third period, as Braden Holtby stopped 29 shots on 31 shots. …

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Simmonds Hurt in Flyers’ Third Straight Loss

The Philadelphia Flyers dropped their third straight game on Friday night in Washington against the Capitals by the score of 3-2. Wojtek Wolski had the eventual game-winner for the Caps, while Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist in the victory. Braden Holtby had 31 saves for Washington, as the only two Flyers to beat him on the night were Bruno Gervais and Brayden Schenn. Ilya Bryzgalov had yet another strong performance, but he suffered another loss, as he made 23 stops on the night. The biggest incident in the loss for the Flyers was John Erskine’s hit on Wayne …

The offense continues to daydream

Breaking Down the Bullies: Where’s the Offense?

It feels as though only a few days have passed since puck drop was saved, but the 2013 NHL season is in full swing. Over 14 percent of the regular season has come and gone before fans can even locate their jerseys from the back of the closet. So it’s time to add some structure to a season that seems frantically devoid of any at all, with a particular emphasis on the ‘frantic’. Going forward, my goal is for this column is to become a week-by-week breakdown of what has elapsed and what lies ahead. In between, I hope to figure …

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Atlantic Watch: 1/23-1/29

The Philadelphia Flyers started the week with a pair of wins, but a pair of lackadaisical efforts led to two losses where they were outscored 7-2. The Orange and Black find themselves at the bottom of the division with a trio of meetings against Southeast Division opponents over the next seven days. With a record of 0-3-0 and playing a team they went 0-6-0 against in 2011-2012, the Flyers’ 2-1 win over the visiting New York Rangers wasn’t expected on Thursday night. After a scoreless opening stanza, the tandem of Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek registered their first goals of …

Schenn given one-game ban for Volchenkov hit

NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan laid down the law for the first time in the 2013 season, suspending Flyers forward Brayden Schenn for his hit in last night’s game against Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov.

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When should we be concerned about Brayden Schenn?

<press panic button> I’m already preparing myself for the barrage of comments along the lines of “it’s way too early to come to that conclusion about a not even 22 year old, three games into his second season”. There is plenty of validity in that statement. I think a doubter might combat that with the idea that that is what a homer would say. It’s easy to dismiss mediocre or even poor play by playing the “young” card. During the Devils game, Ryan Bright tweeted the following, which sparked the question in my own head: At what point do the …

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Facing an uphill battle up front

It’s hard to imagine a worse start to the season for the Flyers. With the schedule being so cramped, the Flyers found themselves on the menu for two home openers after starting the season with a tough loss to their in-state rivals Pittsburgh. Unfortunately for them, the damage has been caused by a host of issues throughout the line-up, and it seems to have festered with each passing game, adversely affecting the level of play in greater volumes as the madness unfolded. Now the Flyers are 0-3 and facing nothing but questions and the occasional Seth Jones quip. So where …

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Atlantic Watch: 1/19-1/22

This wasn’t the way the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to start the season, but there is still plenty of time to turn it around. After they opened the 2013 campaign with a loss at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Orange and Black lost a pair of road games in Buffalo and New Jersey to start the year on a three-game losing streak. Philly doesn’t just sit at the bottom of the division, they sit at the bottom of the league, as there are there are seven teams yet to record a point, but the Flyers are the only team to …

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Flyers Blanked in New Jersey

The Philadelphia Flyers lost their third straight game tonight in a goalless, penalty-filled 3-0 effort to the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Martin Brodeur recorded a 24-save shutout, while Travis Zajac provided the game-winning goal just over a minute into the contest. David Clarkson and Ilya Kovalchuk also scored for Jersey in the win, as the Flyers’ special teams hurt them yet again early in the 2013 campaign. Not only did the Flyers’ power play go 0-for-6, they allowed a goal against while on the man advantage due to a short-handed penalty shot tally from Kovalchuk early in …

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Pens Ruin Flyers’ Opener, Beat Philly 3-1

The Philadelphia Flyers had a strong final 40 minutes, but unfortunately the first 20 cost them, as they lost their first game of the 2013 season 3-1 to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. James Neal had what turned out to be the game-winner just 7:20 into the contest, while Marc-Andre Fleury kept 27 of the 28 shots the Flyers threw at him out of the net. Claude Giroux had the lone goal for the hosts, as Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 24 of the Penguins’ 26 shots in a game they didn’t necessarily lose, but just ran out of time. “After the first 13, …