There are very few players on rival teams that I personally would find appealing wearing the Orange and Black.  This doesn’t mean that these specific players aren’t talented, it just means that their success against Philadelphia has turned me so strongly against them that I don’t know if I could ever root for them if the situation of one of these particular players joining the Flyers ever presented itself.

The above statement generally applies to nearly every player on the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers.  I don’t take my “hatred” of any players on the Islanders seriously.  Yet.

However, there are the select few individuals who I can honestly say I don’t really dislike, and instead just view them as having the misfortune of playing for a team I don’t particularly care for.

Bill Guerin is one of these individuals.

And, wouldn’t you know it: Billy G was skating around the VirtuaHealth Flyers SkateZone in Vorhees, NJ today for a little off-season conditioning.  He did so in Flyers gear, according to CSNPhilly.com’s Tim Panaccio.  He did so, according to The Sporting News‘ Craig Custance, with the intention of “just skating” and that he “was not hoping for a tryout.”

An ex-Penguin just skating? In Flyers gear?  Hmm.

Obviously, none of us know any actual dialogue that may or may not have taken place between Guerin’s agent, Bob Murray, and Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren.  However, that will hardly stop us from speculating.  As fans, bloggers, and writers alike, the sighting of Guerin in the Philadelphia area is a positive sight.  It goes without saying that the intangibles Bill Guerin brings to a hockey team are immeasurable.  He’s won two Stanley Cups (1995 with New Jersey and 2009 with Pittsburgh) and has been at one point the holder of the title: “The NHL’s fastest skater.”

Of course, Guerin is 39 now, and will be 40 come November, and while that is a concern, it’s certainly not something that should keep Guerin out of the Flyers’ thought process when it comes to the 2010-2011 season.

No, that, my friends, is the salary cap.

The same salary cap that, at this time has the likes of Dan Carcillo and Jody Shelley as cash recipients under it as members of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Frank Seravalli, of the Philadelphia Daily News, suggested on Twitter today that the Flyers could sign Guerin for $1 million this season, and make room for him on the roster by sending Darroll Powe down to the minors.  Personally, I love the idea of bringing in a veteran presence like Guerin on such a cheap price tag and I certainly think it’s possible.  What I don’t love, however, is that he would take Powe’s spot.  Darroll Powe proved himself to be a capable fourth line player on this Flyers team last season and also proved that he has intangibles: the man can kill penalties.  If Guerin were to join the Flyers, they would have one helluva scary top nine set of forwards: Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, Ville Leino, James van Riemsdyk, Nikolai Zherdev, and, of course, Mr. Guerin.  However, with Ian Laperriere and Blair Betts (when he returns from injury) both locks for the fourth unit, that would leave Dan Carcillo, Jody Shelley, and Powe duking it out between a roster spot and a spot in the press box.

In my opinion, the Shelley signing looks dumber everyday.  You suck up the cap hit and either waive him at some point in the season or just make him a consistent healthy scratch, and put Carcillo up in the press box with him.  I’d give Powe that twelfth forward slot.  With Guerin in the line-up, you add another element.  He likely would join Claude Giroux and JVR on the third line, giving Giroux’s finesse a veteran mind to work with, and allowing JVR to have a mentor of sorts to show him how the power forward plays the National Hockey League game.

On top of those positives, Guerin also supplies another able body on the powerplay, a unit that was deadly at times to begin with last season.  Sure, the age is a factor – I made note of that earlier – but it is hard for me to believe that there is a better option if the Flyers are so inclined to bring in a veteran winger who can provide leadership and help this team out.

This is all dependent upon Guerin actually being signed by the Flyers, but who can blame anybody for being excited?

What do you guys think?  Will Guerin be back in Vorhees in three weeks time for Flyers training camp?

Game 4 – Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

05/07/10 5-4 OT Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total BOS 1 1 2 - 4 PHI 1 2 1 1 5 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total BOS 10 10 8 9 37 PHI 9 10 8 7 34

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Simon Gagne’s tally at the 14:40 mark of overtime helped the Philadelphia Flyers stave off elimination and take a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series at Wachovia Center.

“It was a good ending,” Gagne said. “I can’t ask for more to be able to come back early a little bit in the series.”

Gagne, who returned after missing four games over more than two weeks after a suffering fractured foot while blocking a shot, was alone at the right post to deflect a Matt Carle dish into the net for the game-winner.

“I tried to challenge him,” Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask said. “I was expecting that kind of pass, but it’s tough to recover with your pads. I tried to get my glove under it.”

Chris Pronger, Claude Giroux and Danny Briere each registered a goal and one assist for the Flyers, who had to battle through Mark Recchi’s tying goal in the final minute of regulation along with a short-handed situation earlier in the extra session to avoid being swept.

Carle notched a career playoff-best four assists and Brian Boucher stopped 33 shots, including nine in the OT period, for the win.

Recchi notched a pair of goals, while Milan Lucic and Michael Ryder also tallied for the Bruins, who could have reached the conference finals for the first time since 1992 with a win.

Patrice Bergeron and Dennis Wideman contributed two assists apiece and Rask made 29 saves in defeat.

Game 5 returns to Boston on Monday.

“We came in here, we played two pretty good games. They battled hard in both, and this time they got a big win,” Recchi admitted. “Now we’re going home and we’ve still got home ice in the series, and that’s something we’ve kept throughout. Now we get to take a couple days off, regroup and recharge for another big one.”

Gagne’s heroics almost never came to be, if not for a pair of careless plays from one of his teammates.

Inside of a minute left in regulation, a backhanded clear by Philly forward Darroll Powe rolled well wide of the empty net resulting in an icing call. The Bruins won the resulting faceoff and kept the puck in the zone long enough for Bergeron to zip a pass across to Recchi, for a blistering shot high to the short side to tie the game 4-4 with 31.5 ticks left.

Powe also took a boarding penalty at the 10:36 mark of overtime, for his illegal run on Boston center Marc Savard, but the Bruins couldn’t push one past Boucher.

Giroux failed to hit the net on a breakaway chance a little more than two minutes into the contest, and the Flyers also failed to click on a power-play chance with more than eight minutes played.

Boston took the lead with 4:23 left in the first as Recchi followed behind an unsuccessful chance by Bergeron and lifted the rebound over Boucher.

The home team kept plugging away until Briere beat Rask low to the far side from the right circle with 53.3 seconds to play in the period.

“That’s the big change,” Briere said. “All the previous games we were always down after the first period so we were more relaxed and could start to play our game a little better.”

Pronger’s blast from the point off a dish from Carle sizzled through traffic and gave the Flyers a 2-1 edge at 4:28 of the second period, then Scott Hartnell kicked at a loose puck under Rask for a Giroux tip-in at 8:35.

Boucher’s mishandling of a dump-in resulted in Ryder being credited with Boston’s second goal at 10:56 and the visitors got within one.

The Bruins evened the game with a power-play score at 3:49 of the third period, as Lucic cruised into the slot and tipped home a Wideman shot.

Desperately trying to gain separation, the Flyers took a one-goal lead with 5:40 left in regulation, as Pronger’s floater from the point changed direction off Ville Leino’s stick and sailed by Rask.

Game Notes

The score was Gagne’s first of the 2010 playoffs, and proved to be his first postseason game-winner since Game 3 of last year’s first-round series with Pittsburgh…It also was Gagne’s first OT playoff tally since Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern finals against Tampa Bay…This was Recchi’s first multi-goal game in the current postseason and first since scoring twice in Game 7 of an Eastern semifinal game against Toronto in 2003 when he played for Philadelphia…For Leino, it was his third goal since coming to the Flyers in early March and his first-career playoff tally.

Content Copyright 2007, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
15:37 BOS Mark Recchi (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Bergeron (6) & D. Paille (2)
19:06 PHI Danny Briere (5) Snap Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (4) & M. Carle (3)

2nd Period
04:28 PHI Chris Pronger (4) Assists: M. Carle (4) & D. Carcillo (2)
08:35 PHI Claude Giroux (5) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (3) & M. Carle (5)
10:56 BOS Michael Ryder (3) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Hunwick (6) & B. Wheeler (5)

3rd Period
03:49 BOS PPG – Milan Lucic (2) Tip-In – Assists: D. Wideman (8) & M. Savard (2)
14:20 PHI Ville Leino (1) Assists: C. Pronger (6) & D. Briere (6)
19:28 BOS Mark Recchi (6) Wrist Shot – Assists: P. Bergeron (7) & D. Wideman (9)

OT Period
14:40 PHI Simon Gagne (1) Tip-In – Assists: M. Carle (6) & M. Richards (9)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
08:24 BOS Milan Lucic : Hi-sticking – 2 min
18:04 BOS Vladimir Sobotka : Roughing – 2 min
18:04 PHI Scott Hartnell : Roughing – 2 min

2nd Period
00:31 PHI Danny Briere : Hi-sticking – 2 min
05:26 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Cross checking – 2 min

3rd Period
02:59 PHI Ville Leino : Hooking – 2 min
09:38 BOS Zdeno Chara : Roughing – 2 min

OT Period
10:36 PHI Darroll Powe : Boarding – 2 min

04/01/10 6-4 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 0 1 3 - - 4 NYI 3 1 2 - - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 8 13 14 - - 35 NYI 14 9 6 - - 29

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Game Wrapup

New York Islanders 6, Philadelphia Flyers 4

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) – Jon Sim had a goal and two assists as the New York Islanders snapped a 15-game losing streak at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers with a 6-4 victory.

Blake Comeau had two goals while Trent Hunter, Sean Bergenheim and Frans Nielsen each had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who have won three of their last four. Martin Biron made 31 stops in the win.

Darroll Powe, Danny Briere, Aaron Asham and James van Riemsdyk each had a goal for the Flyers, who last lost a game to the Islanders on February 12, 2008.

Brian Boucher started in net for Philadelphia, which has lost six of its last seven, and was tagged for five goals on 24 shots before being pulled in the third period. Jeremy Duchesne made his NHL debut and stopped three shots.

Fortunately for Philadelphia, it didn’t lose any ground in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Flyers are tied with the Bruins and Canadiens for the last three playoff spots in the conference. Boston lost to Florida, while Montreal didn’t play on Thursday.

The Islanders struck three times in the first eight minutes of the game to take command of the contest.

The first goal came 2:11 in as a right circle faceoff win by Jonathan Tavares saw the puck go back to Comeau, who fired a wrister on net that hit off of Briere for a 1-0 lead.

It was 2-0 five minutes later when Comeau threw the puck out front from behind the left side of the net and it went off of Lukas Krajicek before skidding past Boucher.

Just 32 seconds later, Sim and Nielsen worked a give-and-go with Sim sending it from the left side to the front and Nielsen tipped it in.

At the 3:06 mark of the second period, New York took a 4-0 lead when Mark Streit’s shot from the left point was stopped and Bergenheim banked the rebound in from behind the left side of the net.

Philly got on the board with 7:34 left in the second as Scott Hartnell sent a pass from behind the right side of the net to the front where Asham one-timed it home.

New York made it a 5-1 game 2:30 into the third as Hunter’s wrister went off the glove of Boucher and in. Boucher was pulled from the net after the goal.

On the power play, the Flyers got a puck into the net as van Riemsdyk banged home a Claude Giroux rebound at the 4:22 mark.

Sim, though, essentially sealed the win with 8:08 to play as his wrist shot from the left circle found its way into the left corner of the net for a 6-2 advantage.

Briere got a goal with 5:07 to play while Powe’s goal with just over a minute to play capped the scoring in the game.

Game Notes

New York hosts Ottawa on Saturday…Philly hosts Montreal on Friday…The Flyers win streak against New York was the longest stretch of victories by one team over any single opponent in the league…Philly went 1-for-3 on the power play, while New York failed to score on any of its three chances.
Last updated: April 1, 2010 at 10:16 PM

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
02:11 NYI Blake Comeau (15) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Tavares (25)
07:17 NYI Blake Comeau (16) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Tavares (26)
07:45 NYI Frans Nielsen (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. Sim (8) & T. Hunter (16)

2nd Period
03:06 NYI Sean Bergenheim (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Streit (33)
12:26 PHI Arron Asham (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (30) & C. Pronger (44)

3rd Period
02:30 NYI Trent Hunter (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: F. Nielsen (25) & J. Sim (9)
04:22 PHI PPG – James van Riemsdyk (15) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (29) & M. Richards (31)
11:52 NYI Jon Sim (12) Snap Shot – Assists: S. Bergenheim (11) & D. Reese (1)
14:53 PHI Danny Briere (25) Wrap-Around – Assists: B. Coburn (14)
18:51 PHI Darroll Powe (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Giroux (30) & L. Krajicek (3)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
15:12 PHI Scott Hartnell : Tripping – 2 min

2nd Period
04:01 NYI Freddy Meyer : Roughing – 2 min
09:26 NYI Trevor Gillies : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
09:26 PHI Riley Cote : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
18:15 PHI Ville Leino : Interference – 2 min

3rd Period
03:41 NYI Kyle Okposo : Hi-sticking – 2 min
07:56 PHI Scott Hartnell : Interference on goalkeeper – 2 min
12:39 NYI Trevor Gillies : Slashing – 2 min

02/12/10 3-2 Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total MTL 0 0 2 - - 3 PHI 1 2 0 - - 3 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total MTL 6 7 12 - - 25 PHI 11 12 10 - - 33

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Game Wrapup

Philadelphia Flyers 3, Montreal Canadiens 2

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Jeff Carter scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers held off the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2, in the chippy opener of a home-and-home set.

Matt Carle also scored, while Michael Leighton made 23 saves for the Flyers, who were coming off a home-and-home sweep of the Devils. They will have a chance for another Saturday, the last game for both clubs before the Olympic break.

Glen Metropolit and Dominic Moore scored back-to-back early in the third period for the Canadiens. But the Flyers held on in a contest that concluded with a lengthy post-game scrum after Darroll Powe boarded Jaroslav Spacek late in the final period.

Carey Price made 30 saves in the loss.

Carter put the Flyers on top with 1:46 left in the opening period, when he stuffed in a puck in front. Then, 1:17 into the second frame he rifled a point shot that slipped past Price.

Two minutes later, the Flyers looked like they’d make it a runaway, as Montreal defenseman Ryan O’Byrne inadvertently tipped Carle’s shot past Price for a 3-0 Philadelphia edge.

But the Habs got close with a pair of scores early in the third. At the 2:05 mark, Metropolit tallied on a snap shot, and only 56 seconds later, Moore scored in his first game with his new club, as he was acquired from Florida on Thursday.

Moore gathered a loose puck to the left of the net and appeared to bounce a wrister off Leighton’s back into the goal.

Montreal got a power-play chance in the final minute, after Powe rammed Spacek into the end boards with 59 seconds to play. After the hit, Spacek curled up on the ice, grabbing his face, and eventually skated off the ice with his head facing down.

Powe was issued a boarding major and game misconduct at the same time Montreal’s Roman Hamrlik was whistled for roughing, but the Canadiens weren’t able to net the tying goal.

After the final buzzer sounded, players from both teams gathered together. A few fights broke out to escalate the issue, leaving gloves and sticks littered on the ice. Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen and Montreal forward Scott Gomez were both given roughing penalties, while Timonen also got a misconduct penalty.

Game Notes

The Flyers were 0-for-6 on the power play, while Montreal went 0-for-3…The Canadiens have lost two of three overall…Scott Hartnell had a pair of assists for Philadelphia.
Last updated: February 12, 2010 at 9:09 PM

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
18:14 PHI Jeff Carter (25) Backhand – Assists: S. Hartnell (20) & D. Briere (19)

2nd Period
01:17 PHI Jeff Carter (26) Slap Shot – Assists: S. Hartnell (21) & B. Coburn (12)
03:17 PHI Matt Carle (4) Tip-In – Assists: D. Powe (5) & B. Betts (5)

3rd Period
02:05 MTL Glen Metropolit (13) Snap Shot – Assists: T. Moen (7) & P. Subban (1)
03:01 MTL Dominic Moore (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Hamrlik (17) & J. Spacek (15)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
16:08 MTL Ryan O’Byrne : Interference – 2 min
19:07 MTL Scott Gomez : Hooking – 2 min

2nd Period
06:10 PHI Chris Pronger : Holding – 2 min
08:11 MTL Josh Gorges : Hi-sticking – 2 min
18:21 PHI Braydon Coburn : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min

3rd Period
04:13 MTL PK Subban : Tripping – 2 min
05:44 MTL Dominic Moore : Tripping – 2 min
07:39 MTL Sergei Kostitsyn : Tripping – 2 min
19:01 PHI Darroll Powe : Boarding (maj) – 5 min
19:01 PHI Darroll Powe : Game misconduct – 0 min
19:01 MTL Roman Hamrlik : Roughing – 2 min
20:00 PHI Kimmo Timonen : Roughing – 2 min
20:00 PHI Kimmo Timonen : Misconduct (10 min) – 0 min
20:00 MTL Scott Gomez : Roughing – 2 min

2/3/10 1-0 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 0 0 0 - - 0 EDM 0 0 1 - - 1 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 14 12 7 - - 33 EDM 11 10 6 - - 27

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) – Ryan Potulny’s power-play goal with 16.1 seconds left in regulation lifted Edmonton over Philadelphia, 1-0, at Rexall Place.

“We need luck, every one needs some luck. I think hard work maybe creates a little luck,” Potulny said about the game-winner. “We worked hard tonight, we played well, and had a little luck maybe tonight but I think its about time.”

Jeff Deslauriers notched his second shutout of the season with 33 saves for the Oilers, who have won two straight games after enduring a franchise-worst 13-game losing skid.

Making his first start since January 14, Michael Leighton stopped 26-of-27 shots for the Flyers, who had won two in a row.

Philly forward Darroll Powe was sent off for high sticking with 1:50 left in the contest, and the Oilers didn’t get on track until the tail end of the advantage.

Dustin Penner weaved his way up ice as seconds ticked away in regulation, skating from center ice to the left wing. His lead pass found Sam Gagner, who used a backhand dish to catch a Flyers defender off guard, and Potulny tapped the puck home at the right post.

Through 40 scoreless minutes, Leighton halted 21 shots, while Deslauriers was equal on all 26 he faced.

“Woulda, coulda shoulda. It doesn’t help us right now. We should have found a way to kill that penalty get out with at least one point,” said a frustrated Flyers forward Ian Laperriere. “We didn’t. We got to forget about it and go back to work.”

Game Notes

Edmonton’s last shutout win over the Flyers was a 3-0 decision in Philadelphia on January 10, 2004…The Oilers last blanked Philly at home in a 6-0 contest on December 30, 1987…It was the lowest-scoring game, regular-season or playoffs, between the clubs since Edmonton was admitted to the NHL for the 1979-80 season…Since snapping a 13-game winless streak in Edmonton, the Flyers have gone 3-2-2 in their last seven trips to Alberta’s capital.

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
none

2nd Period
none

3rd Period
19:43 EDM PPG – Ryan Potulny (12) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Gagner (20) & D. Penner (23)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
07:28 EDM Jason Strudwick : Tripping – 2 min
10:52 EDM Zack Stortini : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
10:52 PHI Ian Laperriere : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
13:52 PHI Mike Richards : Hi-sticking – 2 min
17:46 EDM Patrick O’Sullivan : Hooking – 2 min

2nd Period
09:47 PHI Darroll Powe : Interference – 2 min
12:39 EDM Dustin Penner : Slashing – 2 min

3rd Period
14:36 EDM Alex Plante : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min
18:10 PHI Darroll Powe : Hi-sticking – 2 min
20:00 PHI Scott Hartnell : Interference – 2 min

01/30/10 2-1 Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total NYI 0 1 0 - - 1 PHI 2 0 0 - - 2 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total NYI 10 12 10 - - 32 PHI 16 10 6 - - 32

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

_______________________________________________________________________________

Game Wrapup

Philadelphia Flyers 2, New York Islanders 1

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Ray Emery turned aside 31 shots as the Philadelphia Flyers ran their streak of wins against the New York Islanders to 14 with a 2-1 victory at Wachovia Center.

Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell each had a goal for the Flyers, who had dropped their previous two games.

“It’s always fun to score a goal, that is what hockey is about,” said Hartnell. “Everyone was very emotional here today. It was kind of a chippy game. A lot of stuff after the whistle, but we got two points and that’s what we needed.”

Josh Bailey scored the lone goal while Dwayne Roloson stopped 30 shots for the Islanders, who have lost their past four games.

“It took us a little bit to get going tonight,” said Roloson. “We shouldn’t have to rely on guys getting upset on the bench or in the lockerroom to get us going. We have to realize there is a lot at stake here.”

Philly took a 1-0 lead just 8:22 in as Darroll Powe caught up to his own dump- in the deep left boards and chipped it over to Briere, who used a wraparound from the left side for his 18th goal of the season.

Skating on the power play later in the period, the Flyers took a 2-0 lead on Hartnell’s 12th goal of the season, a tip-in off of a Mike Richards pass with 2:48 left in the first.

Philadelphia appeared to take a 3-0 lead at the 12:38 mark of the second as Simon Gagne’s shot from the left circle got past Roloson just before Hartnell crashed into the goaltender. However, despite the puck being in the net before Hartnell made contact with the goaltender, the goal was called off and Hartnell was assessed a goaltender interference minor.

Shortly after their power play expired, the Islanders cut their deficit in half as Kyle Okposo skated down the right side and lost the puck as he was about to pass it, but it went over to the left side where Bailey banged it home.

The Islanders pressed the attack on several occasions in the third and pulled Roloson in the final minute, but were unable to net the tying goal as the Flyers held on for the win.

Game Notes

Philly plays in Calgary on Monday to start a three-game road trip…The Islanders play in Florida on Sunday…Overall, the Flyers have won 17 of the last 18 against the Islanders and nine straight at home…Philly went 1-for-6 on the power play while the Islanders failed to score on any of their four chances.
Last updated: January 30, 2010 at 4:56 PM

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
08:22 PHI Danny Briere (18) Wrap-Around – Assists: D. Powe (4) & J. Carter (25)
17:12 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (12) Tip-In – Assists: M. Richards (22) & S. Gagne (14)

2nd Period
14:44 NYI Josh Bailey (13) Wrist Shot – Assists: K. Okposo (25) & R. Schremp (12)

3rd Period
none

Penalty Summary

1st Period
04:24 NYI Andy Sutton : Cross checking – 2 min
16:29 NYI Sean Bergenheim : Hi-sticking – 2 min

2nd Period
09:19 PHI Chris Pronger : Slashing – 2 min
11:29 NYI Richard Park : Hooking – 2 min
12:38 PHI Scott Hartnell : Interference on goalkeeper – 2 min
16:09 NYI Doug Weight : Slashing – 2 min
17:34 PHI Scott Hartnell : Cross checking – 2 min
17:34 NYI Andy Sutton : Roughing – 2 min
17:34 PHI Scott Hartnell served by Arron Asham : Roughing – 2 min

3rd Period
00:38 NYI Freddy Meyer : Boarding – 2 min
03:40 PHI Daniel Carcillo : Interference on goalkeeper – 2 min
14:13 NYI Doug Weight : Holding – 2 min
20:00 PHI Jeff Carter : Cross checking – 2 min

1/12/10 6-3 Win SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total DAL 0 1 2 - - 3 PHI 1 4 1 - - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total DAL 8 9 13 - - 30 PHI 11 10 7 - - 28

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Simon Gagne notched a goal and one assist as Philadelphia used a four-goal second period to bring down Dallas, 6-3, at Wachovia Center.

Ian Laperriere and Darroll Powe also registered a goal and a helper for the Flyers, who have won four straight and eight of 10 overall.

Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen also found the net in support of Michael Leighton, who stopped 27 shots for the win.

Steve Ott tallied twice and James Neal once for the Stars, who have dropped two in a row and five of six.

Marty Turco was tagged in the loss for five goals on 19 shots. Alex Auld finished the game by making eight saves.

Neal tied the game, 1-1, at the 56-second mark of the second period, but Powe responded off a James van Riemsdyk dish at 2:32 for a 2-1 game.

Timonen’s wrister to the short side finished off a 3-on-1 and gave Philly a 3-1 edge while shorthanded at 7:53, and Giroux snapped a shot off a Stars defenseman’s skate with 7:59 left in the period for a power-play score and a three-goal edge.

Laperriere’s redirect from a Powe lead pass made it 5-1 only 59 seconds later, and Turco was pulled for Auld.

Auld wasn’t beaten until 10:55 of the third period, as Gagne settled a Mike Richards pass in the slot and wristed the puck home to put the Flyers up by five.

Ott tallied twice within a span of 3:19 late in regulation to account for the final margin.

Hartnell picked up a Flyers’ power-play score at 6:08 of the first period, when his backhanded chip from a Matt Carle rebound eluded Turco in the crease.

Game Notes

The Flyers have won two straight meetings over the Stars, both at home, in the last two seasons after not recording a win against Dallas at any location since December, 2001…Philly defenseman Danny Syvret suffered an upper-body injury early in the contest and did not return…Dallas has surrendered 23 goals in its last six games.

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
06:08 PHI PPG – Scott Hartnell (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Carle (20) & J. Carter (22)

2nd Period
00:56 DAL James Neal (19) Wrist Shot – Assists: L. Eriksson (26)
02:32 PHI Darroll Powe (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. van Riemsdyk (17) & A. Asham (9)
07:53 PHI SHG – Kimmo Timonen (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: I. Laperriere (9) & C. Pronger (26)
12:01 PHI PPG – Claude Giroux (10) Wrist Shot – Assists: S. Gagne (12) & M. Carle (21)
13:00 PHI Ian Laperriere (3) Snap Shot – Assists: D. Powe (3) & D. Carcillo (6)

3rd Period
10:55 PHI Simon Gagne (6) Snap Shot – Assists: D. Briere (15) & M. Richards (20)
12:47 DAL Steve Ott (8) Backhand – Assists: J. Lehtinen (8) & T. Daley (7)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
01:17 DAL Steve Ott : Boarding – 2 min
04:15 DAL Maxime Fortunus : Hi-sticking – 2 min
15:15 PHI Simon Gagne : Tripping – 2 min

2nd Period
05:03 PHI Scott Hartnell : Tripping – 2 min
07:01 PHI Darroll Powe : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min
08:55 DAL Brenden Morrow : Hi-sticking – 2 min
08:55 DAL Brenden Morrow : Unsportsmanlike conduct – 2 min
16:01 DAL Mark Fistric : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
16:01 PHI Ian Laperriere : Fighting (maj) – 5 min
16:01 PHI Ian Laperriere served by Arron Asham : Cross checking – 2 min

3rd Period
06:46 PHI Oskars Bartulis : Holding – 2 min

1/3/10 7-4 Loss SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 1 3 0 - - 4 OTT 4 0 3 - - 7 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Total PHI 5 10 6 - - 21 OTT 16 7 10 - - 33

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Game Wrapup

Ottawa Senators 7, Philadelphia Flyers 4

Ottawa, ON (Sports Network) – Alex Kovalev’s first career four-goal game, part of a five-point effort, helped Ottawa take a 7-4 decision over Philadelphia at Scotiabank Place.

Chris Kelly netted a pair with an assist for the Senators, who blew an early three-goal lead but won for the fourth time in their last five. Jarkko Ruutu added a goal and one helper.

Brian Elliott got the win in relief, stopping 10-of-11 shots in just over 34 minutes of work. Starter Pascal Leclaire was pulled after yielding three goals on 10 shots.

Ian Laperriere, Darroll Powe, Arron Asham and Mike Richards tallied for the Flyers, who dropped the final two tilts of a six-game road trip but finished the swing at 4-1-1.

Brian Boucher took the loss after allowing five goals on 26 shots as a sub for Michael Leighton, who was pulled after allowing two goals on seven shots in less than 10 minutes of action.

Ottawa assumed a 5-4 edge on a delayed penalty call, when Kovalev beat a Philly defenseman and Boucher to a loose puck in the crease 2:57 into the third period.

Kelly then capitalized on a turnover in the Flyers zone and scored on a quick wrister at 6:17 before Kovalev completed his big day with a snapshot from the low slot with 7:02 to play.

Laperriere broke a 38-game scoreless drought by beating Leclaire 2:10 into the contest with a rolling slap shot from the right wing.

Kovalev tied the game at 4:52, then Kelly followed with a near-side wrister from the right circle at 9:07.

Boucher came on but Ruutu’s top-shelf shot from a sharp angle made it 3-1 at 10:27, and Kovalev tallied on one of his patented wristers for a 4-1 game with 7:58 left in the first.

Powe’s second-chance stuffer in front at 1:09 of the second period made it a two-goal game, then Asham scored from along the goal line at 5:53.

Richards’ blistering one-timer from the point during a two-man advantage tied the game with 7:43 left in the second, but the Flyers didn’t convert on the 5- on-4. Nonetheless, the contest was knotted at intermission.

Game Notes

Kovalev, who hadn’t scored since posting his last trifecta on December 12, leads all active players with 32 career goals against Philadelphia…The Senators have won four in a row over the Flyers in Ottawa…Ottawa hadn’t scored seven times in a game since a 7-1 home win against the Lightning on October 15.
Last updated: January 3, 2010 at 3:52 PM

Content Copyright 2008, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Scoring Summary

1st Period
02:10 PHI Ian Laperriere (2) Slap Shot – Assists: C. Pronger (20) & B. Betts (2)
04:52 OTT Alexei Kovalev (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Shannon (6) & A. Volchenkov (6)
09:07 OTT Chris Kelly (6) Wrist Shot – Assists: A. Kovalev (16) & A. Volchenkov (7)
10:27 OTT Jarkko Ruutu (8) Wrist Shot – Assists: C. Neil (4) & C. Kelly (14)
12:02 OTT Alexei Kovalev (9) Wrist Shot – Assists: F. Kuba (13) & R. Shannon (7)

2nd Period
01:09 PHI Darroll Powe (7) Wrist Shot – Assists: A. Asham (5) & J. van Riemsdyk (14)
05:53 PHI Arron Asham (4) Wrist Shot – Assists: J. van Riemsdyk (15)
12:17 PHI PPG – Mike Richards (17) Slap Shot – Assists: S. Gagne (8) & K. Timonen (18)

3rd Period
02:57 OTT Alexei Kovalev (10) Wrist Shot – Assists: R. Shannon (8) & E. Karlsson (6)
06:17 OTT Chris Kelly (7) Slap Shot – Assists: J. Ruutu (8)
12:58 OTT Alexei Kovalev (11) Wrist Shot – Assists: M. Fisher (17) & A. Volchenkov (8)

Penalty Summary

1st Period
06:28 PHI Simon Gagne : Hooking – 2 min
15:00 PHI Mike Richards : Delaying Game-Puck over glass – 2 min
17:41 PHI Arron Asham : Cross checking – 2 min

2nd Period
10:58 OTT Matt Carkner : Tripping – 2 min
11:10 OTT Chris Kelly : Holding the stick – 2 min

3rd Period
04:19 PHI Scott Hartnell : Roughing – 2 min
04:19 OTT Nick Foligno : Roughing – 2 min