On fighting, defense, and more

Hartnell (drop ‘em) down Over the previous four seasons, Scott Hartnell had a combined 26 fights. This season, he has one. That is it. One. While that is admirable, it is important that he maintain his edge. The way he drops the gloves to energize the team or to protect his teammate(s) is integral to the success of the Flyers. His newfound scoring touch and chemistry on the top line is great but there needs to be more to his game right now. The team is struggling to churn out consecutive wins and someone needs to breathe more life into …

Atlantic Watch: 2/1-2/7

After a dominant victory on Thursday against one of the hotter teams in the league, the Flyers proceeded to drop their next handful of games to suffer their first three-game losing streak of the season. Poor starts and poor goaltending hurt the Flyers over the weekend, as the only other point they gained this week was from last night’s shootout loss. Hopefully for Philly, their play turns around, as they face three tough opponents over the next seven days. On Thursday, the Flyers handed the Nashville Predators a 4-1 loss in Philadelphia. Matt Read had the game-winner in the second …

Point/Counterpoint: Trade deadline moves

Point: Tweak the roster By Steve J The Flyers miss the hell out of Chris Pronger.  You know it, I know it, Trent Klatt knows it.  The trade rumors that have circulated for the past couple of months have revolved around the defense.  Ryan Suter, Shea Weber, Tim Gleason, and Luke Schenn’s names have been floated as potential candidates.  The cost for most of these guys would be at least one young forward, which happens to be the Flyers’ greatest asset.  Well, in the words of the immortal sage Admiral Ackbar, it’s a trap! It is absolutely not worth it …

3-on-3 Weekly Update: 2.07.2012

Welcome to this week’s edition of 3-on -3, where we look back at the week that was for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers are coming off a disappointing week in which they were 1-2-1 in four games and were only able to get three out of a possible eight points. Let’s get to this week’s 3 “hot” and 3 “not” players. 3”Hot”: Wayne Simmonds: The former second-round pick of the LA Kings had a good week lighting the lamp, scoring 4 goals in four games and setting a new career high in the process with 17 goals on the year. …

Flyers Continue To Struggle Against Rangers, Lose 5-2

The Flyers are still looking for their first win against the New York Rangers this season, as they dropped their visit to Madison Square Garden today 5-2. Artem Anisimov recorded a goal and two assists for his first three-point game of the season, as Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves in the violent victory. The Rangers played strong defensively in a game that featured a lot of animosity and intensity. The Rangers blocked 25 of the Flyers’ shots today, while four fights happened in a game that featured 54 hits. On the game-winning goal, Michael Del Zotto skated into the slot and received a …

Flyers’ Monster Third Period Too Little, Too Late In 6-4 Loss To NJ

Thanks to a huge third period, the Flyers turned a six-goal deficit after two periods into a 6-4 loss at home to the New Jersey Devils this afternoon. Alexei Ponikarovsky recorded his 300th NHL point with an assist in the first period before he put home the game-winner less than two minutes into the second period for his second two-point game as a Devil. Kurtis Foster had two goals and an assist for his first three-point performance since December 29th, 2006, while Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists in addition to a decision over Brayden Schenn in a …

Simmer Scores Twice, Flyers Beat Surging Predators

A strong, hard-working effort from the Flyers led to their impressive 4-1 over the visiting Nashville Predators tonight. Wayne Simmonds put home a pair of goals in the win, as Ilya Bryzgalov made 26 saves for his ninth game of the season where he allowed one goal against or less. Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist, while Kimmo Timonen had a pair of assists in a win that extended the Flyers’ point streak to five games and handed the Predators their second loss in their last 10 games. Ryan Suter, who will most likely remain in Nashville following the trade deadline, had …

Atlantic Watch: 1/25-1/31

In their only game this week, the Flyers took part in yet another shootout. Unfortunately for Philly, it was unable to pull out a win. The Orange and Black did, however, keep up with the Rangers, who also lost in a shootout this week. The Flyers look forward to a difficult week ahead, as three of their four opponents are currently in the playoff picture. For a third time this season, the Flyers lost to the Winnipeg Jets. This time, however, the game was very defensive, as the Jets picked up a 2-1 shootout win in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Chris …

Flyers Go To Third Straight Shootout, Lose 2-1 To Jets

After two high-scoring affairs earlier in the season, the Flyers lost 2-1 in a shootout to the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, as both teams buckled down for a more defensive game this time around. Bryan Little was the only player to score in the shootout, as the Jets’ forward gave Winnipeg the additional point with the final shot in the third round. Chris Thorburn tallied and Ondrej Pavelec made 27 saves during regulation for the win, as the Jets ended their three-game losing streak. Brayden Schenn registered the Flyers’ only goal tonight, as he put home his fourth of the season late in the …

3-on-3 Weekly Update: 1.31.2012

Welcome once again to this week’s 3-on-3,where we look back on the week that was for the Philadelphia Flyers. Since the Fly Guys only had one game last week due to the All-Star break, I thought I would look back at the three best and three worst Flyers players for the season so far. Let’s get to it:  3 “Stars of the first half”: Claude Giroux: No surprise, the Flyers’ leading scorer and all-around offensive dynamo is in the top spot. “G” leads all Flyers with 55 points, which also happens to rank second-best in the NHL, and his 37 …