Flyers News

"Flyers coach John Stevens was noncommittal Saturday about putting Steve Downie in the lineup in place of Patrick Thoresen, but he changed his tune yesterday. Downie played on a wing with Jim Dowd and Sami Kapanen in last night's game. The change gives the Flyers more of an edge in the forecheck and adds more offense to the fourth line."

"That the Flyers are up against it here is plain enough. They are banged up on defense, banged up beyond reason, and they are facing a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has been somewhere between hot and incandescent since the Stanley Cup tournament began. The path here is steep, quite obviously. The Flyers are down by two games to none and heading home for an evening in which there can be no more false steps. It is hard and it might be getting harder, depending on the medical people. And Mike Richards still leads them. The tougher it gets, the more obvious he becomes."

"For most of the NHL playoffs, Penguins center and reigning Hart Trophy winner Sidney Crosby has played second fiddle to the likes of emerging star Evgeni Malkin and late-season pickup Marian Hossa. But playing against the Flyers appears to have revived the 20-year-old center. He notched a first-period goal and added an assist - and might have had an even bigger night - during the Penguins' 4-2 win last night over the Flyers that gave his team a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals."

"They just have to finish the job and overcome the bad breaks and critical mistakes. Like losing key defenseman Braydon Coburn in the first period to a severe facial laceration and giving up the winning goal on a critical turnover in the third period after tying the game on Mike Richards' shorthanded steal. "It's frustrating," said Richards, after the Flyers lost, 4-2, in Mellon Arena last night and fell behind in the best-of-seven series, 2-0, with Game 3 tomorrow night in the Wachovia Center."

"His left eye is a mess. So is his nose. But Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn said last night that he is a "possibility" to play in Game 3 tomorrow after missing all but about two minutes of last night's 4-2 playoff loss to the Penguins with a facial injury. Coburn needed more than 50 stitches to close a gash around his left eye and near his nose after Evgeni Malkin deflected a shot from Sergei Gonchar under his face shield just 1 minute, 41 seconds into the opening period."

"The cycle has been broken. In each of the previous two playoff rounds, the Flyers dropped the series opener, then responded with a convincing victory in Game 2. Last night at Mellon Arena, the Flyers played well in the second game of the Eastern Conference finals, but not well enough. The Pittsburgh Penguins prevailed, 4-2, and can conceivably sweep the Flyers out of the playoffs this week at the Wachovia Center. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow night. Trailing by two games to none is new to the Flyers."

"It is officially ridiculous now, the way the Flyers' luck has turned. Less than two minutes into a must-win playoff game, the best defenseman in uniform, Braydon Coburn, took a deflected slapshot in the face. Coburn curled into the fetal position, blood soaking his gloves and staining the ice below. It was the other shoe dropping on the Flyers' chances to win a game here. They'd been stunned by the loss of Kimmo Timonen about 24 hours before Game 1. Now they would have to play 58 minutes, and maybe more, without Coburn."

"Philadelphia media described the locker room visit by Flyers owner Ed Snyder last week as "rare". Thank God. It would be hard to take his wisdom more than occasionally. The old man doesn't like the NHL's draft system. You know, the one used by leagues in all major team sports? According to him, "Pittsburgh has all these great players for being lousy for so many years". He should know about lousy as his team was the worst in the league last year. Snyder seems to instead prefer the art of pillaging over the draft."

"Each coach made a change to his fourth line for Game 2 of this Eastern Conference final Sunday night. One of those changes worked out great. The other, not so much. An intense battle neared the midway point of the third period -- tied 2-2 -- when the two lineup additions crossed paths on what became the game's pivotal play. Flyers coach John Stevens thought his new guy, Steve Downie, would be a difference-maker, as he had been in Game 7 of a first-round series against Washington. He was, but not in the way Stevens had hoped. "

"Two games. Two different styles. And neither has worked for the Philadelphia Flyers as they find themselves down, 2-0, to the Penguins in the Eastern Conference final. After using a run-and-gun style against the Penguins to no avail in Game 1, the Flyers attempted to be the more physical team in Game 2. All that did was lead to nine minor penalties that gave the Penguins six power-play opportunities against their depleted defense. "

"He had to be kidding. He's always kidding, right? If not, forward Max Talbot was frighteningly prophetic Sunday morning when he said an extra day for his broken right foot to heal was "amazing." No kidding. Talbot made marvelous his return from a three-game absence, when he scored midway through the third period to give the Penguins a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Mellon Arena. The Penguins lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, 2-0."

"John Stevens was noncommittal Saturday about putting Steve Downie in the lineup in place of Patrick Thoresen, but not yesterday. Downie played on a wing with Jim Dowd and Sami Kapanen in last night's game. The change gives the Flyers more of an edge in the forecheck and adds more offense to the fourth line. In 12 playoff games, Thoresen had two assists, Downie had one assist in four games. The tradeoff could be in power-play opportunities for the opposition; Downie had 10 penalty minutes to Thoresen's four."

"The Penguins looked flat for much of the evening. Weren't as opportunistic as usual. Made some uncharacteristic mental mistakes. They did a lot of things that could have cost them Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final against Philadelphia. And nearly did. Even so, they managed to pull out a 4-2 victory against the Flyers, thanks to a third-period goal by Max Talbot, who returned after missing three games because of a broken right foot and scored the winner as the middle of the period approached."

"The puck and Mike Richards arrived in front of Marc-Andre Fleury at the same moment of a tie game, and seconds later, the Flyers would be in trouble. They would be in trouble because Richards would score to give them the lead. It’s supposed to be an achievement; it’s supposed to be how the game —- how any game —- is played. It’s supposed to be a reward for skill and work. And mostly, a lead is supposed to be cherished, to be preserved, to be protected with blood and sweat and honor. Leads. They’re supposed to be good things."

"When the Flyers played their first playoff game this season and no one knew what to expect from the streaky team, it quickly became apparent that Vinny Prospal and Danny Briere were going to be superb. The Washington Capitals had no answers for either Briere or Prospal. Two rounds later, it is Prospal looking for answers and coming up empty."

"When Mara Knuble climbed onto a boat and fled war-torn Latvia at the age of 4 with her mother and grandmother -- never to see her father again -- she did it as an act of survival, not inspiration. When she spent five years in a displaced persons camp in Lubeck, Germany, rationing food and waiting for the day she could call America her home, Mara Knuble was seeking opportunity, not appreciation. When her husband died suddenly at the age of 45, leaving her to raise two teenage boys, Mara Knuble relied on her maternal instincts -- and hockey -- to provide what was needed. All along her two sons, Flyers right wing Mike Knuble and his younger brother, Steve, were watching, listening and learning."

"When Bobby Clarke decided he had had enough -- and wanted no more of last place -- the Philadelphia Flyers were so unconvinced about Paul Holmgren they gave him the title of interim general manager. It wasn't exactly a vote of confidence. For a while, he was the interim boss. Then, the interim tag was dropped but no contract assurance came his way. And only after last year's trade deadline, after he had traded away Peter Forsberg for something of a king's ransom, only then did Flyers owner Ed Snider reward him with some kind of security. Today, Holmgren is something of a visionary."

"It's too early in the Eastern Conference finals to jump to conclusions, but it's probably safe to suggest that deep inside their big hearts, the Flyers are pining for Carey Price. Price, as Flyers fans remember fondly, is the 20-year-old Montreal goalie undone by the Flyers' crash-the-net tactics in the semifinals. When Price was pulled after the second period of Game 3, the Flyers knew they were deep inside his head, and it was just a matter of time until they wrapped up the series. Flyers winger R.J. Umberger has had his share of duels with Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury, going back to their days in the American Hockey League. He's never seen him better. "It's probably the most confidence I've seen in him from the AHL until now," Umberger said yesterday after the Flyers tuned up for Game 2 tonight at Mellon Arena. "I've played against him quite a bit now, and I think it's the best I've seen him play. He's moving side-to-side real quick right now.""

"After the Flyers' sloppy play and lack of edge against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Eastern Conference finals opener, it was safe to predict changes for Game 2. For one, coach John Stevens likely will unleash right winger Steve Downie tonight at Mellon Arena. "He's a good hockey player. He gives us a boost offensively, gives us a little bit of a physical edge," fellow right winger Joffrey Lupul said. Many in the NHL have this image of Downie as some sort of five-headed hydra. Lupul says Downie's skills are underestimated. "He controls the puck down low. He's a good passer, and he can score goals when he's given the chance," Lupul said. "He's not coming in to get into anyone's face. He's going to help us on the forecheck.""

"Looking at the numbers, the Flyers and Penguins have some similarities, including their prowess on the power play. It's likely more than one game in this Eastern Conference final series will be decided on special teams. The Flyers scored four clutch power-play goals against Montreal in the semifinals and finished the series 4 for 14 (28.6 percent). But they were 0 for 3 in Game 1 on Friday against the Penguins and gave up a rare shorthanded goal to Evgeni Malkin. "They came really hard at us," Flyers center Danny Briere said. "Not that it surprised us. We knew about it, but we just weren't able to settle the puck down. I think the first power play was good, but after that, the next two we just couldn't get the puck settled down to kind of get in our position." "

"With all this talk about time and space, you half expect Albert Einstein to turn up at the morning skate. The Flyers need to create time and space for their best players, especially Danny Briere's line. They have to deny time and space to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins' stars. The Flyers' theory of hockey relativity - E=mc2 - stands for Energy equals Malkin/Crosby to the second power. Of course, all this time/space continuum chatter is just modern coachspeak that means, We have to hit their guys before they can move with the puck."

"Philadelphia coach John Stevens is strongly considering adding enforcer Steve Downie to the Flyers' lineup tonight for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference final against the Penguins at Mellon Arena. Stevens declined to say whether that would be a move designed specifically to slow Penguins scorer/tough guy Evgeni Malkin. Malkin, the runner-up in the NHL points race during the season and the leading scorer in the playoffs through yesterday with 17 points in 10 games, set a tone for the series on two fronts Friday night in the Penguins' 4-2 Game 1 win."

"Burning question: If the Penguins continue to execute their system as they did over the second and third periods in game 1, do the Flyers have any hope for winning the Eastern Conference final? Breakdown: Probably not. Philadelphia had out-shot the Penguins, 9-3, after center Mike Richards' second goal in game 1 at 12:50 of the opening period. The Flyers registered only 19 after that goal, including just 16 over the final two periods. "

"A passive approach didn't work for Philadelphia in its game 1 loss to the Penguins. Now, the Flyers will try to be more aggressive when the teams take the ice for game 2 of their best-of-seven series tonight at Mellon Arena. "I think we kind of left a lot of guys off the hook and it was a weird game all-around (because) we didn't have the jump we had in the playoffs lately," Flyers center Jeff Carter said. "We've got to get back to it in game 2." "

"It was Evgeni Malkin's night. The Penguins' flying Russian, one of three finalists for the NHL's Hart Trophy, scored two goals and assisted on a third as the Penguins' 4-2 win opened a 1-0 lead over the Flyers in the Eastern Conference final series. Malkin was credited with a game-high four shots on goal, while the rest of his teammates had only 17."

""More than anything, it's the amount of emotion you have inside," Umberger said of playing against the Penguins, the team he grew up watching and rooting for, particularly Hall of Fame center and now team owner Mario Lemieux. "The conference final now, I can just imagine it's probably going to be one of the most intense times of my life." The other thing that makes Umberger dangerous right now is that he didn't exactly store up some offensive output in anticipation of unleashing it in the event he got to play against his hometown team in this round."

"Having a full day to get used to the idea that he will not be playing in the Eastern Conference finals has not made Kimmo Timonen feel any better. But given the chance to come here to support his teammates has given the Flyers' top defenseman something to do besides sit at home. Timonen was given medical clearance to fly, something not often recommended for a person with a blood clot, and he jumped at the chance."

"The thing about Marty Biron in this postseason is that he has been humble in every situation. When the Flyers' goalie was the hero, he credited his team, and when he was responsible for anything else, he owned up to it. But Biron can't be held completely responsible for the sloppy way the Flyers started the Eastern Conference final with a 4-2 loss at Mellon Arena last night, even if he thought he was."

"Sometimes, you forget what this stuff can mean to people. It is just sports, after all - right? But then you hear the story of Matt Liczbinski getting up at the funeral of his father, the slain Philadelphia police officer, and leading a chant of "Let's go Flyers . . . " It was to honor a man, and to remember the place that a hockey team held in his life. It goes without saying that the Flyers were touched by the story."

"You can take this however you want. If you are the Flyers, it would be wise to take away this simple fact from an untidy game: that they can play a lot better and that they have played a lot better, from the goaltender on out; that while the loss of defenseman Kimmo Timonen stresses the Flyers significantly, and will continue to do so, most of their problems last night were not about that. They were just about other errors, some forced, some unforced, most correctible. "

" Now from Russia with no love lost for the Flyers is Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin, the gifted 21-year-old who got a popcorn shower from Flyers fans during a Penguins visit to the Wachovia Center this season. The Flyers got their first postseason look at Malkin last night in the Penguins' 4-2 win at Mellon Arena. This time, the chamber was loaded. You had to feel for Flyers goalie Marty Biron during a frozen moment early in the second period when Malkin, all alone, teed the puck up for a slapshot from between the face-off circles. Now that's looking down the barrel of a gun."

"Raw emotion is like a shot of adrenaline. It can lift a team for a little while, but sooner or later it wears off. The Flyers were hit with two shots of pure emotion before Game 1 of their showdown series with the Penguins here last night."

" They knew the consequences if they turned over the puck. And they certainly knew how dangerous Evgeni Malkin was with the puck. But knowing potential disaster and preventing it are quite different, as Malkin and the Penguins proved with a 4-2 victory last night at Mellon Arena in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Game 2 is tomorrow night."

"What were they thinking? Minus Kimmo Timonen, their best defenseman, the quarterback of their power play and the facilitator of their fast-break, what were the Flyers doing trying to play run-and-gun with the Penguins on Friday night at Mellon Arena? Here it was, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, a time for grit and character and patience and, above all else, puck possession. And there were the Flyers, playing pick-up basketball. "

"Timonen not only was the team's best shutdown defenseman but also its power-play quarterback. If there is one player the Flyers could not afford to lose, it probably would be him. Certainly, the Flyers would like to have pitted him against Evgeni Malkin in Game 1. "

"Losing the first game in a best-of-seven series is becoming old news for the Philadelphia Flyers. Three times this postseason they have dropped Game 1, including a 4-2 loss to the Penguins on Friday night at Mellon Arena. Perhaps the only difference between this game and the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs was that the Flyers didn't blow a two-goal lead against Washington or Montreal. "

"Malkin's two goals - including a scorching slap shot from about 20 feet on a shorthanded breakaway - steered the Penguins to a 4-2 victory Friday against the Philadelphia Flyers."

"Is it too late to pick the Penguins in three games? OK, enough with the wise-guy stuff, but, really, is there any reason to think the series with the Philadelphia Flyers will go more than four? I don't see one. Reality hit the Flyers hard at Mellon Arena last night when the Penguins swarmed them with their world-class talent and won Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, 4-2. It will rock 'em even harder this morning when they wake up and realize it won't be any easier in the three games ahead without their best player, defenseman Kimmo Timonen."

"Penguins center Evgeni Malkin has become the leading scorer in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He just might be the best player in them, too. Philadelphia isn't likely to argue the point after watching Malkin score two goals and set up another in the Penguins' 4-2 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final at Mellon Arena last night."

"The Penguins got two backbreaking goals from Evgeni Malkin for a 4-2 victory against Philadelphia in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final tonight at Mellon Arena."

"The Philadelphia Flyers know what it feels like to be down, 1-0, in a series. All too well. They lost, 5-4, at Washington in their first-round opener, but came back to win in seven games. In the second round, Philadelphia lost at Montreal, 4-3, in overtime. The Flyers then won four in a row to eliminate the Canadiens and advance to face the Penguins. That means they're on a trail they hope they recognize in the Eastern Conference final."

"The Flyers have absorbed injuries all season without a significant decline in play... This time, though, they are really up against it. With the Eastern Conference finals starting tonight in Pittsburgh, the Flyers have lost Kimmo Timonen, their top defenseman, with a blood clot in his left ankle."

"There will be no grand Canadian conspiracy in this series, but there will be plenty of hostility highlighted by annoying face-washes and jabs to the ribs. Can the surprising Flyers continue their playoff run or will Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby reach hockey's ultimate stage by advancing to the Stanley Cup finals? (Wanna guess which way the TV networks are rooting?) The Flyers are eight wins from breaking the 25-year headlock Philadelphia has been in since its last major championship. "

" He was the Flyers' No. 1 defenseman. Now Coburn is. Fifteen months ago, almost none of us had heard of Coburn when Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren acquired him from Atlanta in exchange for a bag of consonants (Alexei Zhitnik). Now, Coburn will likely play more minutes than any other Flyers defenseman the rest of the way, however long that is."

"Mike Knuble grew up in Kentwood, Mich., played hockey for the University of Michigan, held the Stanley Cup in his hands at the end of his first two NHL seasons with Detroit. "The passion it brings out in the city and the fans is something you never forget," he said after the Flyers' practice yesterday. "In Detroit they had all those flags hanging on the cars . . . "You got tired of it almost after 2 years in a row. It sounds crazy but . . . It was like, 'There's that damn Cup again.' ""

"The Flyers' ability to overcome adversity was put to its biggest test last night on the eve of their Eastern Conference finals showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen was found to have a blood clot in his left ankle and will likely miss the remainder of the playoffs. "My biggest disappointment is that Kimmo is not able to continue on," coach John Stevens said. "He's been such a big part of our team.""

"Sergei Gonchar spent the entire lockout season of 2004-05 playing in Russia for Metallurg Magnitogorsk. That was where he came to know Evgeni Malkin, then an 18-year-old center. Little did either player realize it, but they would someday be just four wins from the Stanley Cup Finals as members of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Someday has arrived, and Malkin has become one of the heroes of this NHL postseason, drawing praise for his skill with the puck, his vision on the ice, and his deceptive strength - not to mention a wicked slapshot."

"Sidney Crosby has not forgotten losing three teeth, courtesy of defenseman Derian Hatcher's high stick, during his rookie year in the NHL. Or the fact that Hatcher will renew hostilities with the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain during the Eastern Conference finals against the Flyers, which begin tonight."

"On a break from picking leaves on the nearby tobacco farm, he limped into the cottage that was the modest home to his parents and three older brothers in Turkey Point, Ontario. "His feet were sore, and I told him, 'You can't go back to work, John,' " Bert Stevens recalled. "He said, 'Dad, I've got to finish the job.' And that was hard work for a boy that age, working on a tobacco farm. But he wouldn't quit. That was John. Whatever he did, he gave it his all." "

" You are excused if you are coming to the Flyers a little late. There have been plenty of reasons not to pay attention to this team. There was the disastrous NHL lockout that closed the league for the 2004-05 season. Then there was the Flyers' own disastrous 2006-07 season, when they were the worst team in the league. So there are surely plenty of fans who will tune in for the first time now that the Flyers are one round away from the Stanley Cup Finals."