Up next: Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and the Philadelphia Flyers

by FrankD on Dec 15, 2009 11:00 AM EST in 2009-10 game previews

[SBN Flyers blog - Broad Street Hockey]

Any time the Flyers are having a bad year or struggling through some portion of the schedule the Pens' collective fan base can't help but crack a smile. And why not? Over the past month the Flyers have fired their head coach John Stevens and hired former Hurricanes coach Peter Lavoilette, lost goaltender Ray Emery for up to four weeks, posted a 3-7 record over the last 10 games and are currently dancing around the idea of recruiting a former KHL goaltender from his current position with a local rec league. The last, according to Travis from BSH, doesn't seem all that likely. Or at least he hopes that's the case. Either way you look at it, the Flyers are struggling.

If this healthy Pens team isn't licking its chops right now then I don't know what to tell ya.

If there's one benefit that comes from playing a team like the Flyers it's that the Penguins will play them hard no matter what either team's record indicates. As we've seen in many instances this season, the Pens have struggled against teams with weaker records from time to time as if the standings allow them to get away without a 100% effort. That shouldn't be the case tonight or Thursday in this home-and-home series against the Flyers. These two teams always show up to play. Injuries or not, I expect the Flyers to come out of the gate flying. How they maintain it may be another story all together.

Last night the Flyers and Bruins offered up a bit of a Winter Classic preview of sorts. It didn't start out all that exciting for either party and it sure didn't end the way many of us would've liked. By the time the third period hit with Boston holding a 1-0 lead it was easily the make or break point for my attention span. James van Riemsdyk finally kicked off the Philly scoring less than three minutes into the period to tie the score at one. Then Kimmo Timonen tagged on another goal, later adding the empty netter, to put the final at 3-1 in favor of the Flyers. Brian Boucher, currently filling in while Emery is on the shelf, stopped 26 of 27 shots to pick up the win. The Flyers made Tim Thomas work a bit more, peppering him with 37 total. The win is only Philly's second of the month.

This week's two-game series begins on Mellon ice tonight at 7:05. And just a reminder for those with cable provider technicalities - it's on Versus.

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Seems like there’s never been a better time to play the Flyers: they’re reeling right now.

Pensburgh.com

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by Hooks Orpik on Dec 15, 2009 11:34 AM EST via mobile reply actions

Also some stats worth noting (over the last three games):

Mike Richards: Zero points

Jeff Carter: Zero points

Chris Pronger: One point (assist)

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by FrankD on Dec 15, 2009 12:38 PM EST reply actions

Some more fun stats.

Captains thrown under a bus: one
Over the hill overrated defensemen dividing the lockerroom: one
Stanley Cups since 1975: zero

by PensFan024 on Dec 15, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions

The only captain on the Flyers I know is the skating example of leadership. Or so I’ve been told.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Dec 15, 2009 12:48 PM EST up reply actions

Is that before or after he (headhunts) makes great open ice checks?

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 2:06 PM EST up reply actions

It’s a shame we’ve only got Sidney Crosby, who pulls stunts like this.

Damn, I can’t wait for tonight!

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Dec 15, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions

Oh, those are good ones! I’m trying so hard not to laugh at the stuff I hear about the Flyers. Karma never exactly rewards me for it, and they did, after all, somehow manage a win last night.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Dec 15, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

My best friend grew up in center city Philadelphia and we always touch base for these December games. I want the Pens to pile it on BOOOOOOOOucher tonight.

Please do not forget that the level of this rivalry is such that it doesn’t matter the records when they play. Anything can happen, either way, even though the Pens have been a much more successful team this year.

Does anyone know who the odd man out is tonight? I would imagine Goddard, Rupp, Adams and Kunitz are in, leaving Max and Duper to possibly sit.

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 2:11 PM EST reply actions

Godard is the Pen only healthy scratch forward, they’d ony have to scratch one to get him in…But given the toughness/willingness to fight of guys like Rupp, Guerin, McKee and Adams I don’t know if they need the pure enforcer like Godard.

I highly doubt they’d scratch Dupuis, given he has two goals in the past two games

Pensburgh.com

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by Hooks Orpik on Dec 15, 2009 3:45 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Agreed on the Dupuis call, and Goddard may not need to play tonight, but if we lose, he will dress for Thursday’s game. The Flyers will not out-skill us tonight. They will only win if they put on the foil, especially after playing last night.

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 4:24 PM EST up reply actions

When Cooke and Company start barking about Hartnell’s wife, Goddard may need to step in and shut the door. (For those who haven’t heard, it i rumored that Jeff Carter nailed Scott Hartnell’s wife and the locker room is divided. Reminds of the Recchi trade in 1991 (See Stevens, Scott), but without the blockbuster trade that brings another Cup)

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 4:28 PM EST up reply actions

Haha I haven’t heard that rumor. Wow. Is it reputable at all?

Back in the day wasn’t there a similiar situation for the Maple Leafs, involving Shayne Corson?

Pensburgh.com

You come at the king, you best not miss.

by Hooks Orpik on Dec 15, 2009 4:43 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

Read it on BSH

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 6:31 PM EST up reply actions

haha… no way?!:)

I heard some rumors about their locker room being divided, but not that reason:)

You have to see it for yourself...

by Bla Razor on Dec 15, 2009 5:02 PM EST up reply actions

The source of the rumor really isn’t reliable at all. I know it’s driving the staff over at BSH crazy because it’s pretty apparent that some dude in Philly is just creating crap.

Still though, you gotta laugh at the fact that this “reliable” source spelled Briere with two Rs. (unless they’ve gone back in and changed it since this comment).

Guess fans will do anything to draw attention away from the dismal record. Even if it means fabricating a story. Plus, you gotta admire the timing of it – in the midst of two games against the team’s biggest rival.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Dec 15, 2009 5:13 PM EST up reply actions

And need I remind people that this is also the same fan base that created Raul Ibanez steroid rumors this past baseball season via a Bleacher Report blog. It’s things like this that just keep giving traditional media outlets endless fuel for the perpetual fire against the sometimes questionable credibility of blogs.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Dec 15, 2009 5:16 PM EST up reply actions

For every professional blogger, there is some 13 year-old fanboy posting whatever the hell he wants. Blogging, because of the nature of the internet, is never going to have the same credibility as “traditional” media. BUT, for those of us on at least the semi-educated side (you know who you are, I will not name names unless pushed!! :) ) we return to the sources that are both well-written and well-researched. And more and more people are not going back to the NY Times, Washington Post, etc for various reasons, notably politics. Hell, the reason I come back here on a near daily basis is the banter of like-minded folks that are of the same intelligence level (OK, I am probably a little slower than most) and passion level of of this here little team we have in common.

Sorry for the rant, but my point is that professionalism is easily determined on merit, but very hard to earn through anything but hard-work and determination. You guys here at Pensburg are professional to a fault. THANKS.

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 6:43 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks. I don’t want to feel even a second of sympathy for Scott Hartnell.

"Darling, you say Brooks Orpik 'checked' that guy. He did not 'get under him and put him into the wall'."--Beloved to me, Winter 2007

"Don't beat yourself!"--Darrell Waltrip

by GreenEyedLilo on Dec 15, 2009 6:01 PM EST up reply actions

See my reply lower on fanboys. The comments to this blog (from your link) tell me instantly that I will never return to it. “GO EAGLES…” bullshit for little kids and, again, why blogging will never be elevated in the pantheon of media. But the cream will rise to the top.

by Ulf Murphy on Dec 15, 2009 6:47 PM EST up reply actions