(Short Shifts is a recurring feature where we analyze, summarize and ridicule…ize the coverage of the Flyers from across the internet. Enjoy.)
Lets wash that taste of Phillies failure out your mouth with some Flyers links.
* Well the Flyers have two important offensive players with injury problems. Wayne Fish [PhillyBurbs.com] lets us know that one of them, Simon Gagne, is seeking yet another opinion on his injured groin. Simon, no matter how many people you talk to, your groin is still going to be injured.
* Tim Panaccio [CSNPhilly.com] talks about the other injured offensive star, Danny Briere. Apparently he is not suffering from yet another groin pull, but rather a pull to a muscle in the inner thigh area. This isn’t as serious as a groin pull, though it will keep Briere out of tonight’s game against the Lightning.
* Speaking of injured players, which we were doing, Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer] talks about the impressive return from injury that Blair Betts had on Saturday.
* Frank Seravalli [Philadelphia Daily News] has an article on the improved 5-on-5 play that the Flyers had in Saturday’s game.
* Sam Carchidi lets us know that former Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki will not start against the Flyers today.
* Still more talk about hitting in the NHL in the wake of the Mike Richards hit on David Booth. This time it’s Wayne Fish saying that he feels that the NHL needs to revise their definition of what is and what is not a legal hit. This storyline is something that is worth keeping an eye on. Especially as more and more former players like Keith Primeau take a public stand against those hits, even if it means going against former teammates.
* Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] talks about Phantoms captain Jared Ross acting the part in a recent game against the Syracuse Crunch.
* Ryan also talks about how James van Riemsdyk’s goal against the Hurricanes on Saturday helped to stop the beginnings of a rally from them. Pretty clutch goal all things considered.
* Jon [The Flying P blog] and Skeeter [Whiz Wit Flyers] both talk about Saturday’s game and preview today’s game.
* Chuck Gormley [Courier Post] just previews today’s game.
So here we are.
In your rearview mirror is nearly the entirety of another week working for the man. All that stands between you and nice weekend is a few more hours. But we here at A Clockwork Orange (and Black) don’t want you to have to wait a few more hours to have fun. With that in mind, we now present to you Friday Fun - a lighthearted look at the headlines for the last week from in and around the National Hockey League.
* The ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors are honoring Michael Jackson tonight. They will be wearing a special Jackson themed jersey as well as one black and white glove. Children under the age of 10 will not be allowed to attend the game as parents are uneasy as to how else the team may pay homage to the late King of Pop.
* Sean Avery apparently doesn’t care for Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. During the Rangers-Capitals first round playoff series last season, Avery hurled several weight related insults towards Boudreau. The best of the bunch? He called Boudreau fatter than Ken Hitchcock. You can’t make this stuff up, people.
* The Devils are now 1-4 on home ice. You’d think a group of wealthy men would be more comfortable in the middle of Newark, New Jersey…
* A disgruntled Maple Leafs fan recently sold his NHL allegiances on eBay. The winning bid was for $25 and came from a Dallas Stars fan. As with most life decisions, your NHL loyalties should be decided by complete strangers in an anonymous internet auction.
* Ilya Kovalchuk, of the Atlanta Thrashers, suffered a broken foot and will miss 3 to 5 weeks. So, for the next 3 to 5 weeks no one will be able to name anyone from the Thrashers lineup.
* Ex-Flyer Scottie Upshall was benched for the Coyotes game last night against the Blues for undisciplined play. So you mean maybe it’s not all poor leadership from John Stevens? Some players might just be undisciplined?
* With Upshall out of the lineup, the Coyotes would go on to shut out the Blues 2-0. They celebrated by using their iPhones to take pictures of themselves giving the middle finger and then emailed them to Jim Balsillie.
* The Capitals announced a new video pod cast for their site that will be called “Capitals On The Fly.” This, of course, is the most original name ever…
* Chris Chelios recently signed with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. He instantly became the first player in AHL history to have an active AARP membership.
* Sidney Crosby will help carry the Olympic Torch during its travels across Canada in preparation for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Now if I could only think of something funny for this. Crosby… A flame… Hmm...
(Short Shifts is a recurring feature where we analyze, summarize and ridicule…ize the coverage of the Flyers from across the internet. Enjoy.)
Boy that Randy Jones situation sure changed pretty quickly. And that, of course, is the first time “quickly” was used to describe anything related to Randy Jones.
* The big story of yesterday was that the Los Angeles Kings claimed Randy Jones off re-entry waivers. What this means for the Flyers is that, not only will we be deprived of seeing Randy Jones rocking the #6 in orange and black, but the team is stuck with half his cap hit -- roughly $1.375 million. The Kings get the other half of the cap hit. Today’s stories about this come from Tim Panaccio [CSNPhilly.com], Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer], Wayne Fish [PhillyBurbs.com], Travis Hughes [Broad Street Hockey] and Matt [The Orange Army].
* Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] feels that having Jones claimed by another team was Paul Holmgren’s plan all along.
* Chuck Gormley [Courier Post] talks about the different look that the Flyers will have tomorrow against the Hurricanes. Simon Gagne out. Blair Betts and Ryan Parent back in. Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn getting broken up.
* Tim Panaccio also talks about how John Stevens isn’t giving his team any off days. Anyone want to lay some odds on when we start hearing stories about Stevens being too hard on the team?
* Chuck Gormley lets us know about a special offer from the Flyers. Bring a Phillies ticket stub to the Wachovia Center and get a ticket for this Saturday or Monday’s game for just $25.
* Jim Kelley [Sportsnet.ca] is the latest person to use Mike Richards check on David Booth as the example of all that is wrong in the world. If we’d give him a research grant, I’m positive that Kelley would try to link Richards check to the cause of cancer.
* Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] also takes a look at some Flyers tattoos from the Flyers Facebook page.
(Short Shifts is a recurring feature where we analyze, summarize and ridicule…ize the coverage of the Flyers from across the internet. Enjoy.)
Don’t look now, but there’s a Randy Jones right behind you!
* The big story of yesterday was that the Flyers doctors recommended that Simon Gagne have surgery on those two hernias that he’s got. This will lead to the Flyers placing Gagne on the Long Term Injured Reserve -- which comes with a minimum of 25 games missed I believe. This will in turn lead to the Flyers having an embarrassment of salary cap space…by their standards. And that will lead to the team trying to recall Randy Jones. It’s just like a game of Dominoes. Only instead of plastic pieces, we’re using a grown man’s groin and an NHL/AHL defenseman.
* Gagne wasn’t happy with the opinions of the Flyers team doctors, so he will be seeking a second opinion. Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer], Wayne Fish [PhillyBurbs.com], Chuck Gormley [Courier Post] and Anthony SanFilippo [Delco Times] all check in with this news.
* But the Gagne news probably isn’t what grabbed your attention yesterday and today. No, the more attention grabbing event was the placement of Randy Jones on re-entry waivers. Some quick details: If another team claims Jones off re-entry waivers, then the Flyers and that team will split Jones’ $2.75 million cap hit. If Jones successfully passes through waivers, his whole cap hit will be back on the Flyers book (minus the 3 weeks or so that he was in the AHL). However, Gagne’s cap hit, about $5.25 million, comes off the books once he goes to LTIR, so the team is still gaining about $2.5 million in cap space with this move.
* And speaking of Randy Jones, that’s just what Sam Carchidi, Tim Panaccio [CSNPhilly.com] and Phila.Bright did.
* There was a third piece of news yesterday. GM Paul Holmgren announced that the team officially had no interest in Brendan Shanahan. Checking in with the Gagne news, the Jones news and the Shanahan news were Geoff Detweiler [Broad Street Hockey] and Matt P [The 700 Level].
* Do you remember 1997? Specifically when then Flyers coach Terry Murray made a “choking” statement in regards to the Flyers play in the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals? Wayne Fish does. He uses this to illustrate how Murray isn’t afraid to call his player out in public when they’re playing like crap. Gee, who do we know that might find being harder on his players useful…
* ...oh, right! John Stevens. Is he getting harder on his players? Well he held a “punishing” practice yesterday on what was supposed to be an off day for the team. So, maybe. Sam Carchidi describes it.
* Jon [The Flying P Blog] feels that the term “punishing” was a bit much to describe the practice.
* With Gagne going down, Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] has a lineup suggestion for the Flyers. It rhymes with Rared Joss.
* Jon [The Flying P Blog] also has some questions from the Flyers first 10 games of the season.
* Braydon Coburn has been the poster boy for bad play so far this year. Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] takes a look at his performance, shift by shift, during Tuesday’s game against the Capitals. The verdict? Maybe some of the criticism is misplaced.
* Gasp! People in Pittsburgh still complaining about Mike Richards hit on David Booth? That can't be right!
(Short Shifts is a recurring feature where we analyze, summarize and ridicule…ize the coverage of the Flyers from across the internet. Enjoy.)
So we all got a good night’s sleep after watching a good Flyers performance last night. What’s that? They blew a two-goal lead and lost? Why, no, I’m not blocking last night’s game from my memory…
* More recaps! Today’s come from Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer] who had two, Tim Panaccio [CSNPhilly.com], Wayne Fish [PhillyBurbs.com], Anthony SanFilippo [Delco Times], Kristin [eager to go psycho] and Ben Rothenberg [Broad Street Hockey].
* And more Simon “ow, my groin” Gagne! Today’s entries come from Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer], Anthony SanFilippo [Delco Times] and Chuck Gormley [Courier Post].
* Chuck Gormley has his post-game notes. Of interest is the fact that the Flyers and Capitals have alternated wins during the last 10 regular season meetings between the clubs.
* Anthony SanFilippo also has his own post-game notes. Anthony’s fun fact is that Arron Asham and Darroll Powe each have as many goals as Scott Hartnell and Claude Giroux do combined.
* Ben Rothenberg [Broad Street Hockey] was able to ask Mike Richards if anything needs to change after their 5-4-1 start. Richards’ answer? Nope.
* Chris Shafer [Phinally Philly] is officially no longer a member of the John Stevens fan club.
(Short Shifts is a recurring feature where we analyze, summarize and ridicule…ize the coverage of the Flyers from across the internet. Enjoy.)
Some nighttime Flyers links as you try to forget that the Flyers are 2-4-1 since starting the year 3-0-0.
* Today’s big story -- and I’m sure it’ll be reported in depth for tomorrow morning’s Short Shifts -- was that Simon Gagne is out indefinitely with two small hernias in his right groin. That’s the same area that Gagne had offseason surgery on and the same area that was injured in August during Team Canada orientation camp. Can you say recurring injury? If you can’t, don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll have all year to practice saying it. Checking in with stories about this are Tim Panaccio [CSNPhilly.com], Chuck Gormley [Courier Post] and Sam Carchidi [Philadelphia Inquirer].
* A story that might have fallen through the cracks with Gagne’s groin going all ouchy on him and the Flyers doing their best impersonation of a poorly coached team in D.C. tonight was an interview on The Fan 640 that ex-Flyer Keith Primeau took part in. Primeau, as you may recall, was forced to end his career early due to concussion related symptoms. Naturally the topic of Saturday night’s Mike Richards check on David Booth came up. Primeau didn’t hold back on his opinions of it.
W: On there needing to be more than a 2-minute head-checking penalty?
P: For starters, the incident the other night was a five and a ten. And some people will say that’s fair. Who am I? I’m not judge or jury. Other people say there should be a suspension.
W: Suspension to eliminate?
P: Absolutely. I absolutely agree.
Chuck Gormley has the full transcript of the interview. It’s worth a read.
* Greg Wyshynski [Puck Daddy] with a tweet about Ray Emery smashing a TV after today's practice. It will be interesting to see if this story gains any traction.
* Ryan [Flyers Goal Scored By] talks about Delaware Valley prospect Richard Young and his journey to the USHL.
* Nadine [Flyers.Femme] authors a letter to John Stevens asking him to get tougher on the players. I think this is going to be just the first piece in a growing wave of criticism towards Stevens over the next few weeks.
The Flyers are in Washington D.C. tonight to take on the Alexander Ovechkin-led Red Army, featuring Mike Knuble. Opening faceoff is set for 7pm.
How to catch it. 610 WIP will have the radio broadcast and Versus will have the cable broadcast. DirecTV subscribers have just about 90 minutes to find some place with Versus to catch the game. Get moving!
What to watch for. These two teams met three weeks ago in a wildly entertaining 6-5 overtime win by the Flyers. The stars stole the show as Ovechkin recorded two goals and Mike Richards had a hat trick.
The Captials come into this game on a four-game winning streak. I’ll attempt to downplay that type of momentum by saying that one of those wins was in a shootout against the 25th ranked Nashville Predators and another in overtime against the 27th ranked New York Islanders.
The Flyers on the other hand, come into this game after a truly ugly performance against the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night. To make matters worse, Simon Gagne is now out indefinitely with two small hernias in his right groin. There may now be a significant chance that Gagne miss a huge chunk of the season -- if not all of it -- due to this. As a result the lines will have to be shaken up a bit tonight. No Phantoms player has been called up to take Gagne’s roster spot, and Blair Betts isn’t healthy enough yet, so that means that Riley Cote will be in the lineup. I predict the lines will be as follows:
Danny Briere-Jeff Carter-James van Riemsdyk
Scott Hartnell-Mike Richards-Mika Pyorala
Arron Asham-Claude Giroux-Daniel Carcillo
Darroll Powe-Ian Laperriere-Riley Cote
The defense should remain the same. For those wishing for Braydon Coburn to be dropped to the third pairing, that won’t happen until after Ryan Parent is healthy. So for now, Coburn and his -8 rating are stuck on the second pairing.
Ray Emery returns to net tonight after taking that last game off.
Flyers Trends. The Flyers have now gone nine straight periods with recording double-digit shots.
The Flyers have recorded at least 38 shots in three straight games.
Danny Syvret and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen are a combined +5 with 4 assists over the last three games.
Over the last three games that Flyers are 2 for 11 (18.2%) with the man-advantage. They have killed off 9 of 11 (81.8%) penalties over that same stretch.
Other previews. Kristin [eager to go psycho]
Skeeter [Whiz Wit Flyers]
Matt [The Orange Army]
Fran [Flyers Goal Scored By]
Ben Rothenberg [Broad Street Hockey]
