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Flyers trade Tollefesen for Ville Leino

The Flyers made a trade for scoring depth Saturday morning, but they didn't get Kovalchuck.  The Devils, who currently sit 15-points ahead of the Flyers to lead the division, have acquired the superstar.  The Flyers settled for a bit less!

Ole-Kristian Tollefesen was traded to the Detroit Red Wings, along with a 2011 fifth round draft pick for forward Ville Leino.  The 26-year old Fin currently has 4-goals and 3-assists in 42-games this season.  Leino has not found much success in the NHL, but has potential.  Last season, he scored 46-points in 56-games in the AHL playing with Grand Rapids.  In 2007-08, he scored 77-points in 55-games, earning him an MVP.  

Both players have been disappointments for their respective teams.  Tollefesen has missed 23-games to injury and Leino has failed to become as productive as expected.  

The move is suppose to give the Flyers depth, but I'm not so sure they have actually improved.  With 7-points, Leino has fewer points than any other forward on the Flyers that has played in as many games.  I don't see where he fits in!

As for losing Tollefesen, it's not a big deal.  He has missed most of the season thus far.  His departure should go unnoticed! 

Flyers hold on to lead, beat Islanders 2-1

The Flyers nearly let another one slip away.  On Thursday, they allowed the Thrashers to overcome a 3-1 deficit, losing 4-3.  They pulled out a 2-1 win over the Islanders on Saturday, but at times, looked to be in danger of repeating Thursday's performance.

The Flyers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell.  Momentum shifted in the second period, however, when the Flyers took a 3-0 lead...or so it appeared.  Kimmo Timonen put the puck in the net, but the goal was disallowed because Scott Hartnell supposedly interfered with Islanders' goalie Dwayne Roloson.  

Hartnell did indeed run into Roloson, but the puck had gone past him before contact was made.  Hartnell did not interfere with the play, and the goal should have counted.  What would have been a 3-0 Flyers lead became a power-play opportunity for the Islanders, resulting in a goal, making it a 1-goal game.

The Flyers held on to win 2-1, but the Islanders came close to tying it up on several occasions.  A bad call by the ref's could have been detrimental for the Flyers.  There is no place for that in today's game, especially with instant replay!  The ref's didn't make a call at the time of the incident.  It was as if they caught a glimpse of the replay on the scoreboard when they decided on a decision.  Then, they said the play was un-reviewable.  They need to get these calls right!

Flyers can't compete with Capitals; Lose 5-3

It was another disappointing loss for the Flyers!  Despite losing their last game, they have been playing solid hockey.  Hopefully they would finally be able to take it to the Capitals.  It was the Capitals, however, that took it to the Flyers!

The first period looked good.  The pace of the game was great.  Lot's of hitting and tons of scoring opportunities.  The Flyers jumped out to a lead, but couldn't hold on.  They were playing aggressive and looked like they showed up to play.  As the game went on, their passion slipped away!  

Their forechecking disappeared and they began to lose battles for the puck.  I can't say "missed scoring opportunities" enough!  When somebody was open, the pass was either off mark or mishandled.  It was clear, they couldn't keep up with Washington.  They were the better team!

If they want to compete for the Conference, they need to figure out how to beat these guys! 

Flyers deserve every bit of 4-0 loss to Toronto

I haven't been so excited to watch a Flyers game in a long time!  Last week, the Flyers and Maple Leafs played an intense game; lots of drama, fights...it was good hockey!  I was sure the intensity would carry over, but I was wrong.  If that wasn't bad enough, the Flyers looked absolutely terrible!  

The red hot Flyers were rolled over by the ice cold Leafs.  If it could go wrong, it did!  They were unable to carry the puck out of their zone, or into Toronto's for that matter.  They lost all the battles along the boards, couldn't fore-check, and they were making passes into the neutral zone with nobody in sight.  There was no circulation of the puck; they looked flat out dead!  Not to mention all the uneven rushes they allowed.

Michael Leighton lost his first regulation game with the Flyers.  It was not his fault, however, as the team behind him was completely sloppy.  Leighton made some nice saves!

I can't complain too much, as the Flyers have been hot lately, but I worry about the possibilities.  The way they looked Thursday night reminds me a lot of the way they played during their 17-game slump.  Hopefully they get back on track!

Somebody in Philly can beat Dallas; Flyers beat Stars 6-3

The Eagles may have left Philadelphia fans disappointed when they lost to the Cowboys Saturday night, but the Flyers showed us somebody can beat Dallas!

The Flyers continue to play hot!  

• They won their fourth consecutive game.  In their last eight games, they are 8-1-1. 
• Six different players scored for the Flyers:  Scott Hartnell, Darroll Powe, Kimmo Timonen, Claude Giroux, Ian Lapperiere, and Simon Gagne.
• Fourteen players registered a point for the Flyers, the first time that has happened since 1997.
• The Flyers were 2-for-4 on the power-play, and killed off all five short handed situations.  Their power-play is now ranked #2 (went from #1 to #10).  They also scored a short-handed goal.
• Michael Leighton continues to play well, stopping 27-of-30 shots.  He is now 8-0-1 with the Flyers.

Not too much to complain about! 

NHL Investigates Gagne Goal: Why was tape witheld for replay?

Simon Gagne was robbed of a goal during Thursday's 7-4 victory over the Penguins.  He was not robbed by Penguins' goalie Brent Johnson, however, rather the NHL instant replay system.

During the second period of Thursday's game, Gagne stuffed the puck against Johnson's pads.  Johnson slid back into the net, with the puck appearing to cross the goal line.  Although it appeared to be in, there was there was no clear angle.  After reviewing the play, it was determined to be inconclusive, and no goal was awarded.  Gagne was robbed of a goal that would have given the Flyers a 6-3 lead.

What was considered to be inconclusive, has since turned out to be conclusive!  After play had resumed, FSN in Pittsburgh replayed an angle that showed the puck crossing the goal line.  This angle was not sent to Toronto, where the league determines the outcome of replays.

The league is now investigating why the video was not sent.  Gary Meagher, NHL's senior vice president of public relations said FSN should have sent all of the replays, and that it does not have the right to pick and choose which replays it sends. 

Flyers are back on track - They are scoring, and winning!

All of a sudden, the Flyers look great!  You would never know they recently had a slump in which they lost 14-of-17 games.  Their 4-1 victory over the Lightning on was their third straight win, and seventh win in nine games.  With 17-goals in their last three games, their offense is scoring, and as a result, they are winning.  They are back!

• The Flyers killed off all five short-handed situations, and were 1-for-5 on the power-play.  They have scored six power-play goals in their last three games; scored a power-play goal in seven of their last nine games; scored 10 power-play goals in their last nine games.
• Their power-play was ranked #1 for most of the early season.  That changed when they hit their slump, dropping to #10.  Over their past nine games, they have found their groove again, and have climbed back to #3.
• They played a solid defensive game, limiting Tampa Bay to just 18-shots.
• Michael Leighton was great again, stopping 17-of-18 shots.  Every game he plays, he makes it tougher for the Flyers to decide what to do when Emery returns.
• Blair Betts came through, scoring two goals for the Flyers.  Giroux and Hartnell also scored for the Flyers.
• Former Flyer Antero Niittymaki looked good in net for Tampa Bay, stopping 27-of-30 shots.  He made some big saves!  Niittymaki has had a great season so far, something the Flyers were unsure he was capable of doing.  I knew if given the chance, he would be successful!  The skills and talent are there.  You don't win an Olympic MVP as a fluke!

Laviolett's System is Working: When he arrived, he was going to be the guy to straighten this team out!  He was going to get them to play physical and aggressive, consistently pressuring the opposition.  It may have taken a while, but his system seems to be taking effect!  The team is playing much more aggressive, with great forechecking, crisp passing, and as a cohesive unit.  They are beginning to look dominant!   

Flyers offense has come alive; 13 goals in 2 days; beat Penguins 7-4

The Flyers offense came to life on Wednesday, beating the Maple Leafs 6-2.  Thursday would be the challenge, however, taking on their arch rival Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Flyers have had very little success against the Penguins, but that would all change!

The Penguins were coming off a 5-2 victory over Atlanta, but prior to that, lost five straight.  They were slumping.  Despite back-to-back losses  last week, the Flyers were on the upswing, going 5-2 behind Michael Leighton.  Their 6-2 victory on Wednesday indicated the offense has returned, and that was reaffirmed on Thursday when they tallied 7-goals against the Penguins.

The Flyers are playing significantly better than they were during their slump.  A month ago, they clearly lacked confidence.  They were unable to circulate the puck, couldn't create scoring chances, and just looked dead!  Right now, they look like a scoring machine.  Their puck movement is superb, they are beginning to dominate, and quite frankly, look like they should considering their lineup!

A few weeks ago, the Flyers had the second worst record in hockey.  They have since moved up to #9 in the Eastern Conference, and should continue to climb.  Finally, they look like a team that can compete with anybody!

• The Flyers got two goals from Jeff Carter and JVR.  This is huge, as both had struggled to find the net recently.
• Their power-play was 2-2, and they killed off all three short-handed situations.  Special teams had gone sour during their slump, but are quickly turning around.  The Flyers power-play is 6-8 over their last two games.
• Michael Leighton stopped 35-of-39 shots.  That might not seem too impressive, but he made some big saves, keeping Malkin and Crosby somewhat under control.  He continues to play solid!

The Flyers will play Tampa Bay on Saturday in what could be Ray Emery's return.  

Old Time Hockey: Flyers crush Toronto 6-2

This was the best Flyers game I've seen in a long time!  It was physical, there were fights, and the Flyers were scoring!  There was a general dislike between the two teams, and you could feel it.  There was tension throughout most of the game, knowing something physical was going to happen at any moment.  It was great!

The game began on a physical note, with tough guys Ian Lapperier and Jamal Mayers dropping the gloves just a few minutes into the game.  Tensions escalated when Maple Leafs' tough guy Colton Orr - perhaps the toughest in the league - went after Mike Richards.  The tone was set!  From that point on, you just waited for the next physical incident to occur.  Sure enough, those incidents came!  Three more fights would follow - not to mention a few that almost happened - along with heavy hitting.  It was great old time hockey!

The physical play of the game somewhat shadowed an excellent performance from the Flyers.  

• Flyers got goals from: Briere (2), Syvret, Carcillo, Richards, and Van Riemsdyk, with three points from Pronger
• Danny Briere scored his 500th career point
• The Flyers were 3-for-6 on the power-play, and killed off all four short-handed situations
• Goalie Michael Leighton looked great!  He has played great since assuming the starting spot when Boucher went down with an injury, and continues to play great!  He stopped 30-of-32 shots, many of which were key saves!
• James Van Riemsdyk had an awesome game!  His puck movement was solid, repeatedly created scoring chances, and played with tons of energy.
• Danny Syvret scored his second goal in four games.  He has done a fine job since coming up.  He gets involved offensively with aggression, the type of style Laviolette's system calls for.

Despite looking dominated at some points of the game, the Flyers looked solid!  After losing their last two, this was a huge win.  Their puck movement looked especially good.  They made crisp passes, but more importantly, were finding open guys all over the place.  

The highlight of the game was when Colton Orr tried to engage Danny Carcillo into a fight.  Carcillo, who is usually eager to accept that type of a challenge, showed fine discipline, and skated away.  He then proceeded to go down the ice, making dazzling moves around Toronto defenders to score perhaps the nicest goal he may ever score in his career.  All on the same shift!  His celebration was priceless, as he went down to his knee, then skated by the Toronto bench yapping.  Awesome!  

The two teams square off again next Wednesday in Toronto.  It should be fun!

Flyers problems? Quality scoring chances!

Quality scoring chances played a huge role in the Flyers 7-4 loss to Ottawa on Sunday.  The Senators' seemed to be in prime position all day long, and took advantage of it.  

Ottawa had no problem putting a guy in front of the net, almost as if the Flyers were missing a defenseman.  They either skated right in front with the puck for a quality shot, or somebody was already standing there unmanned.  The Flyers on the other hand, were quite the opposite!  Shooting from the wall, or from sever angles, the majority of their goals have come with luck!  

Unfortunately, this is very common.  How often have we seen a Flyers' forward crashing the net, or standing there alone for a wide open shot?  Not nearly as often as we've seen our opponents do this against us!  If your opponent is taking shots alone in front of the net, and your shooting at them through a series of people from far away, it doesn't matter how many shots you take.  You are going to lose!  

The Flyers need to figure out a way to get better scoring chances.  They look great when they are crisply passing the puck from point to point, but it's just a show.  I would like to see the do what are opponents are doing!  How about knocking in some rebounds or taking advantage of a goalie that's out of position?  They never seem to capitalize on these opportunities because nobody is usually there to take advantage when it happens.

Take a look at the highlights from Sunday's game.  See how they got their goals and how we got ours...