Rangers Hold off Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers were defeated by the New York Rangers 2-1 tonight.

Del Zotto scores as Bryzgalov looks on

Special teams play became the story of the 2nd period. Day after day, game after game, special teams has haunted the Philadelphia Flyers. Tonight they were given a 2 man advantage in the 2nd period for over a minute but failed to score. Then minutes later, the Flyers took a penalty and the Rangers converted. Ryan Callahan buried a rebound in front for the 2 goal lead. So instead of the Flyers tying the game at 1 on the 2 man advantage, it was the Rangers who took a 2 goal lead because New York's special teams were better.

The Rangers got off to a great start as they stole the momentum early when they scored less than 2 minutes into the game. Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto took a seemingly innocent shot from the point that snuck its way through a few players and past Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov giving New York the early 1-0 lead. It's a goal that Bryzgalov would like to have back, but he didn't let the tally get him down and played excellent afterwards. Bryzgalov made 26 saves on 28 shots.

Callahan scores the eventual game winner

Philadelphia did finally score on their PowerPlay midway through the 3rd period. Wayne Simmonds battled for the puck in the corner and set up a wide open Kimmo Timonen from between the circles and Timonen beat Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist cleanly over his left shoulder. The Flyers clawed their way back into the game, unfortunately they never put up much of a fight afterwards.

Following Timonen's goal, the Flyers were given two PowerPlay opportunities in which they squandered, only registering 1 shot on both PowerPlays combined. In fact the Flyers only took 4 shots after Timonen's goal which came 7:09 minutes into the period. And Philadelphia spent over 5 minutes of those 12 a man up (including when they pulled their goalie).

Danny Briere was the sole Flyer who kept pushing. Briere accounted for 10 of the Flyers' 27 shots. Briere had more shots than the entire Flyers offense combined (8).

But despite Briere's valiant effort, and Bryzgalov's great play to keep the game within 1, the Flyers just couldn't find the equalizer.

After Philadelphia beat New York on their first meeting 2-1 last Thursday, the Rangers returned the favor beating the Flyers in the second meeting by the same score.

The Philadelphia Flyers fall to 2-5 on the season.

Game Notes:

Briere takes 10 shots

• The Flyers only won 34% of their faceoffs tonight going 21 for 61.
• Danny Briere was kept off the score sheet despite registering 10 shots in 23:26 minutes.
• Last time Briere had 10 shots in a game was on March 9th 2007, he also had 0 points in that game.
• Briere's career high for shots in a single game is 14. It actually came against the Flyers when he was playing for Buffalo on April 22nd 2006 in the first round of the playoffs.
• The Flyers have allowed a PowerPlay goal against in 6 of their first 7 games.
• The Flyers PowerPlay is only 5 for 37 (14%).
• Philadelphia has scored 1 goal or less in 5 of their 7 games this season.

Highlights:
To view highlights: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers have 2 days off for the first time this season. They get back into action on Friday when they face the Washington Capitals.

Flyers Meet Rangers Again

The Philadelphia Flyers (2-4) and the New York Rangers (2-3) are set to meet again for the second time in a week. Last Thursday, the Flyers got the better of the Rangers, winning their first game of the season, 2-1. Philadelphia's win versus the Rangers was their first win in 8 games versus NY. It was also their first win at home versus the Rangers since December 18th 2010. Tonight's game will be in New York, and the last time Philadelphia won in Madison Square Garden was on February 20th 2011.

Last Meeting:
Last week's 2-1 victory over the Rangers was a full team effort and the Flyers penalty kill came up huge. In the 3rd period Philadelphia was tested as they were forced to kill a 4 minute double minor with an added full 2 minute 2 man advantage in the middle, in order to preserve their 2-1 lead.  

Wayne Simmonds and Jake Voracek scored for the Flyers, while Ilya Bryzgalov made 18 saves on 19 shots.

Since last Thursday's game versus the Flyers, the Rangers have only played 1 game, while the Flyers have played 2. New York won their game 5-2 against Toronto, while the Flyers went 1-1 defeating Florida 7-1 and losing to Tampa Bay 5-1.

Who to look out for:
The Rangers big three Marion Gaborik, Brad Richards and Rick Nash, have combined for 19 points in 5 games. Gaborik has led the way with 5 goals and 8 points.
Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Matt Read (the first line) are all tied for a team high 4 points.

Changes:
The Flyers will have Zac Rinaldo (skate laceration) back in the lineup tonight. Therefore, either Tye McGinn or Tom Sestito will be scratched.
Philadelphia will also make a change to their defense. Head coach Peter Laviolette appears to be staring Andreas Lilja tonight in favor of Kurtis Foster. If Lilja is in the lineup, it will be his first game of the season.

Who's in Net:
Ilya Bryzgalov (2-3, 2.22 GAA) will start for the Flyers against Henrik Lundqvist (2-3, 3.14 GAA).

Drop the Puck:
The New York Rangers will host the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at 7 PM.

Tampa Bay Halts Flyers Winning Streak

The Philadelphia Flyers were defeated tonight by the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-1.

Leighton reacts to another goal against

Special teams play was the story again as it has been several times for the Flyers this season. Philadelphia went 0-6 on their man advantage while Tampa Bay went 2-5 (and also added a goal 2 seconds after one of their PowerPlays expired).

The Lightning set the tone in the 1st period, despite the Flyers scoring the opening goal.

Sean Couturier got the Flyers on the board 59 seconds into the game on a bad angle shot from the corner boards. The Flyers had all the momentum and then were given an opportunity to expand their lead when Lightning forward BJ Crombeen was called for an unprecedented triple minor (6 minutes of penalties), which led to a 4 minute PowerPlay (Wayne Simmonds was also called for 2 minutes during the play).

But instead of increasing their lead on the lengthy PowerPlay, it was Tampa Bay who gained all the momentum with a great kill.

That was the early turning point in the game. The Lightning stole the momentum and ultimately went on to score 5 unanswered goals including 3 in the final 6 minutes of the period.

Stamkos adds to TB's lead

When it became Tampa Bay's turn on the PowerPlay, they took full advantage. The Flyers got into penalty trouble, taking 3 penalties in 5 minutes towards the end of the period. And as bad as the Flyers PowerPlay was, their penalty kill was worse. The Lightning scored on 2 of those 3 penalties.

Teddy Purcell got the first goal, while Vincent Lecavalier scored the second PowerPlay goal, both of which came on one-timers (Purcell from the left side, Lecavalier from the right).

Eric Brewer beat Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton, who was playing so Ilya Bryzgalov could rest (he played 5 games in 8 days), from the point. Brewers goal plus the 2 PowerPlay goals gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead after 1.

Philadelphia had very little fight in them as they generated very few chances throughout the rest of the game. Even their PowerPlay, which they had 6, couldn't generate any momentum at all.

Tampa Bay tacked on 2 more goals in the 3rd period: the first from Victor Hedman on a 3 on 2 and the second from Steven Stamkos, seconds after another Flyers penalty had just expired.

The 5-1 loss today snapped the Flyers first winning streak and they fall to 2-4 on the season.

Game Notes:

• The Flyers sent Scott Laughton back to his junior OHL team after his 5 game tryout. GM Paul Holmgren thinks it's better for his development to be playing more often with his junior team rather than just 10 minutes per game in the NHL on the 4th line.
• Claude Giroux didn't have any points, shots, or hits and was a -1 in 22:55 minutes.
• Michael Leighton started in goal for the first time this season. Leighton made 21 saves on 26 shots.
• Wayne Simmonds played frustrated all night taking 14 penalty minutes, including a 10 minute misconduct and an unsportsmanlike conduct.

Highlights:
To view highlights: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers will continue their road trip on Tuesday when they face the NY Rangers for the second time this season.

Read Nets Hat Trick as Flyers Destroy Panthers

2 Stars of the Game celebrating (Read & Bryz)

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Florida Panthers 7-1 tonight. With great contributions from Matt Read, who got his first career hat trick, Ilya Bryzgalov, who stopped 30 of 31 shots, several of which were highlight reel stops, and Luke Schenn, who not only registered a goal and an assist but had an amazing 11 hits.

The Flyers got off to the best start they've had all season. They did everything right in the opening stanza: their PowerPlay converted, their penalty kill was successful, they got great goaltending from Bryzgalov, and they outscored the Panthers 3-0.

Danny Briere returned to the lineup tonight and made his presence known immediately. The hard working Flyers were awarded a 2 man advantage early in the 1st and they took advantage. It was Briere to Claude Giroux to Kimmo Timonen who wristed the puck from the point through traffic and past Panthers goaltender Jose Theodore, giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead. The goal was the Flyers' first 1st period tally of the season. The goal was eventually awarded to Wayne Simmonds as the puck touched the back of his jersey on it's way in.

Matt Read started his terrific day with a great individual effort. Read carried the puck on the left wing and made a nice move to cut to the center of the ice and took a beautiful shot that beat Theodore top shelf giving the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

Luke scores 1st goal, congratulated by Brother

Florida finally found their legs and put a lot of pressure on the Flyers late in the period. During a 3 minute span the Panthers outshot the Flyers 8-0; however, Bryzgalov stood tall stopping the flurry of shots during that span and all 11 shots in the period.

But the Flyers still weren't finished in the 1st. Tye McGinn tallied his first NHL goal on a beautiful redirection from between the hash marks. McGinn has only played 3 games in the NHL but is already leaving his mark.

Prior to tonight's game, the Flyers hadn't scored more than 2 goals in any game; tonight they scored 3 in just the 1st period.

Following the 1st, Florida changed their netminder in favor of Scott Clemmensen to get a boost, which would never come.

The 2nd period was all about the penalties. 8 penalties were called during the period; however, no PowerPlay goals were scored by either team as Bryzgalov made one great save after another preserving the 3 goal lead.

McGinn scores 1st NHL goal

After 18:34 scoreless minutes in the 2nd, 3 goals were scored in 73 seconds all on 4 on 4 hockey. The first came off Matt Read's stick.

Read received a pass from Simmonds at the faceoff dot, which bounced on him yet it didn't slow him down. Read proceeded to bat the puck out of mid air past Clemmensen giving the Flyers a 4-0 lead.

The 4 goal lead was short lived as 36 seconds later Peter Mueller was sprung by Ed Jovanowski on a breakaway. Mueller beat Bryzgalov breaking the shutout while cutting the lead to 3 again.

Not to be outdone, the Flyers responded immediately. 37 seconds later, Luke Schenn scored his first goal as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers on a blast from the point that found its way through traffic, giving the Flyers their 4 goal lead right back, which they would carry into the 3rd period.

The Flyers continued their strong play in the 3rd period. And on the PowerPlay it was Matt Read, once again, scoring his third goal of the game, notching his first career hat trick!

Ruslan Fedotenko increased the Flyers lead to 7-1 before the game finally came to a close.

The Flyers put in a full 60 minute effort tonight as every player did their job. The Flyers have their first winning streak of the season and increased their record to 2-3.

Game Notes:

• 11 different Flyers registered at least 1 point while 7 had at least 2. 
• Tye McGinn scored his first NHL goal, Luke Schenn scored his first goal as a Flyer, and Ruslan Fedotenko scored his first goal in his second stint with the Flyers. 
• Mike Knuble played in his first game with the Flyers this season. Knuble had an assist on Read's 3rd tally, had 3 hits and played 14:23 minutes.
• Danny Briere (wrist) returned from his injury and played his first game of the season. He was originally credited with an assist on the first goal, but it was taken away when they changed the goal to Simmonds. Briere had 1 shot on goal and 2 hits in 14:01 minutes.
• The Flyers scored 5 goals in their first 4 games; tonight they scored 7. 
• The Flyers scored their first 1st period and 3rd period goals of the season in tonight's game. 

Highlights:

For Highlights of tonight's game: CLICK HERE

Drop the Puck:
Sunday, Jan. 27 @ Tampa Bay Lightning (2-1) @ 6 p.m.Tampa Bay has won 3 of its first 4 games, led by superstar Steven Stamkos and veterans Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier. The Lightning have scored an incredible 19 goals in their first 4 games, and lead the Eastern Conference in Goals For. Stamkos, St. Louis and Lecavalier have combined for 20 points in 4 games, while the entire Flyers roster has combined for 15 total points in 4 games.

Injury Update/ Game Day

Meszaros out 4 weeks

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that defenseman Andrej Meszaros will miss at least 4 weeks due to a shoulder injury. Meszaros was checked awkwardly by New York Rangers forward Ryan Callahan in the 2nd period of Thursday night's game injuring his left shoulder. Meszaros had surgery on the same shoulder on March 3, 2009 when he was playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Flyers will also be without last seasons leading scorer Scott Hartnell. Hartnell's foot was stuck by Kimmo Timonen's shot from the point. He broke the first metatarsal bone in his left foot (the bone that extends to the big toe).
Holmgren updated Hartnell's status this evening, "Scott Hartnell had successful surgery today to repair a broken first metatarsal in his left foot. Recovery is expected to be 4-6 weeks."
On twitter, Hartnell thanked his fans for all the well wishes and responded saying that he will be drinking milk by the gallon.

Danny Briere is continuing to get better from his wrist injury, but GM Paul Holmgren said that Briere is 50/50 for the weekend. Briere is more realistically aiming for a Tuesday return.

Game Day:
The Florida Panthers (1-3) host the Philadelphia Flyers (1-3) tonight at 7:30 PM.
After winning their 1st game of the season, the Florida Panthers have lost 3 in a row. Last year the Panthers won their division as they were led by Tomas Fleischmann (27 goals, 61 points) and ex-Flyer Kris Versteeg (23 goals, 54 points). New additions Alex Kovalev and rookie Jonathan Huberdeau will also bring more depth to their lineup.
Ilya Bryzgalov will likely start in goal versus Jose Theodore. 

Flyers Gain First Victory of the Season!

Flyers celebrate a great win

The Philadelphia Flyers snapped their 3 game losing streak and gained their first victory of the season tonight when they defeated the New York Rangers 2-1.

The Flyers penalty kill, which has been dreadful all season long, saved and perhaps even won tonight's game. Up 2-1 in the 3rd period, the Flyers were given a 4 minute double minor (Tye McGinn) for high sticking. Then during the ensuing PowerPlay, Nicklas Grossmann was called for hooking, giving the Rangers a full 2 minute, 2 man-advantage. With the combination of great goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov, terrific shot blocking by the defense and a bit of puck ragging from Sean Couturier, the Flyers were able to not only kill the 2 man-advantage, but also the entire double minor.

Brimming with confidence after their strong kill, the Flyers didn't allow any shots by the Rangers in the final 7 minutes, solidifying their first win of the season.

Bryzgalov was stellar stopping 18 of 19 shots

Philadelphia played a very well rounded game tonight. Defensively they only allowed 19 shots on goal (5 of them coming on the PowerPlay), blocked 20 shots (5 from Grossmann) and despite allowing a PowerPlay goal, their penalty kill ultimately saved the game. While their offense won most of the battles creating numerous scoring chances, notched 33 shots, and even scored a PowerPlay goal.

After a sprited, yet scoreless 1st period, the Flyers came out flying in the 2nd. The middle period has been the Flyers best throughout the first 4 games of the season as they have scored all 5 of their goals during the 2nd period.

Wayne Simmonds got the Flyers on the board in the 2nd when Grossmann's shot from the point hit him in the foot and redirected behind Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Philadelphia scored the first goal of the game for the first time all season.

Voracek scores the eventual game-winner

Jake Voracek added to their lead 4 minutes later. While on the PowerPlay, Claude Giroux took a shot on goal, in which Couturier and Simmonds both fought for the rebound. Simmonds shot was stopped by Lundqvist, while Couturier's attempt hit the post. The puck clanked off the post and found its way right onto Voracek's stick and he buried it. The PowerPlay goal put the Flyers up by 2.

New York got an early PowerPlay to start the final stanza. And after Grossmann made a great effort to block Rangers forward Marion Gaborik's shot, the puck took a fortuitous bounce right back to Gaborik. With Grossmann on the ice, Gaborik found a wide open Taylor Pyatt who beat Bryzgalov cutting the lead to 1.

But the Flyers kept pressing. They would only allow 1 non PowerPlay shot on goal from the Rangers in the entire 3rd period. And once the penalties were all killed off in the 3rd, New York, which failed to score in the following 6 minutes, pulled their goalie with 1 minute remaining. The Rangers would end up having 4 offensive zone faceoffs with the extra man. However, captain Claude Giroux won all 4 faceoffs helping the Flyers kill the final minute, securing their 2-1 victory.

The win gives the Flyers their first points of the season avoiding going 0-4 for the first time in franchise history. The Flyers currently stand at 1-3.

Game Notes:

• The Flyers snapped the Rangers 8 game winning streak against them. The last time Philadelphia beat the Rangers prior to tonight's game was February 20, 2011.
• And the last time the Flyers defeated New York in Philadelphia was December 18th, 2010.
• Simmonds scored a goal, an assist and took 6 shots in 20:55 minutes.
• The Flyers have now allowed a PowerPlay goal against in all 4 games this season. They went 3 for 4 on the penalty kill and 1-3 on the PowerPlay. 
• Tye McGinn had his first NHL fight today against Kris Newbury. McGinn clearly won the fight.

Highlights:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TONIGHT'S HIGHLIGHTS

Injury News:

• During the game, GM Paul Holmgren announced that injured forward Scott Hartnell has broken the first metatarsal in his left foot (the bone that extends to the big toe). Hartnell will be sidelined 4-8 weeks.
• Holmgren also mentioned that Danny Briere is improving everyday but is 50/50 for this weekend's games. Briere is aiming more for a Tuesday return.
• Andrej Meszaros left today's game in the 2nd period after being hit awkwardly. He left the ice holding his shoulder. After the game, Meszaros was seen wearing a shoulder harness. More will be known tomorrow. 

Blast from the Past:
Also during the game, the Flyers brought back a familiar face: Mike Knuble. Knuble, 40, played 4 seasons with the Flyers from 2005-2009 scoring 114 goals and 221 points. Knuble will bring some much needed veteran-ship to a very young team.

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers have off tomorrow but will play 2 games over the weekend: Saturday night versus the Florida Panthers and Sunday evening versus the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Hartnell, Schenn Out Thurday vs Rangers

The news in Philadelphia continues to get worse. The Flyers are already down 0-3 on the season, having only scored 3 goals, now their leading goal scorer from last year is out.

Injury News:

Hartnell out indefinitely with foot injury

GM Paul Holmgren announced that Scott Hartnell is out indefinitely due to a foot injury. Hartnell sustained the injury in the 3rd period of Tuesday night's game versus the Devils. Hartnell was in front of the net when Kimmo Timonen's shot hit him right on the laces. Hartnell sat out a few shifts but returned, so initially, he appeared to be alright. Unfortunately, he felt more pain after the game and the following morning, leading to him sitting out of practice. Holmgren said Hartnell will receive tests in the upcoming days and they will have a better idea of how long he will be out of the lineup.

Suspension:
Brayden Schenn will be suspended 1 game for his hit against Anton Volchenkov during the New Jersey Devils game Tuesday night. NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan said regarding the hit, "Schenn launches prior to contact and makes significant enough contact to the head to elevate this hit to the level of supplemental discipline." Therefore Schenn will miss tonight's games vs the Rangers.

Briere Update:
Everyday Danny Briere (wrist) is getting better and better and wants to be in the lineup soon. Briere said that its hard to watch the team struggle and know there is nothing he can do to help. Briere will get more tests done Thursday and if he gets the clean bill of health he could be ready for Saturday night's game vs Florida.

Game Day:
The Philadelphia Flyers will faceoff against the NY Rangers tonight. The Flyers will try to snap an 8 game losing streak vs the Rangers dating back 2 seasons. But they will have to do so without Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Brayden Schenn and Zac Rinaldo. If the Flyers want to contend they will have to be better on special teams play. Philadelphia has allowed a PowerPlay goal against in each of their first 3 games and 6 total PowerPlay goals in 16 chances. Also they have only scored 1 PowerPlay goal of their own in 15 opportunities.

The Flyers bright side, Claude Giroux, who has 2 of the Flyers 3 goals, has had success vs the Rangers in his career. Giroux has scored 6 goals and 23 points vs New York in 23 games. Look for Giroux to get plenty of ice time, with several different line combinations.

Drop the Puck:
The Philadelphia Flyers will host the New York Rangers tonight at 7 PM.

Flyers Woes Continue

Brodeur registers 120th career shutout

The Philadelphia Flyers fall to 0-3 on the season after being shutout by the New Jersey Devils 3-0 tonight.

The Devils scored 2 goals in the 1st period despite only taking 3 shots.

New Jersey got on the board early on a goal from Travis Zajac. Zajac stopped Bryce Salvador's shot from the point and was left all alone in front of Ilya Bryzgalov and deposited it past him 1:07 minutes into the first period.

The Flyers played a spirited 1st period despite being down 1-0 early. They outshot the Devils 9-3 and at one point held New Jersey without a shot for over 12 minutes.

But then the Flyers got a penalty. And special teams have not treated the Flyers very well this season. They came into the game 1 for 9 on the PowerPlay and only 4 for 9 on the penalty kill. Quickly that stat changed to 4 for 10.

David Clarkson knocked Ilya Bryzgalov's stick out of his hand, then from behind the net threw the puck on goal, which redirected off Ruslan Fedotenko's skate and into the back of the net. That goal marked the third straight game in which the puck has caromed off a Flyers player into his own net Luke Schenn in game 1, Kimmon Timonen in Game 2, and now Fedotenko in game 3).

Kovalchuk scores on the Penalty Shot

Philadelphia found themselves down 2-0 despite domination. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur played excellent in the period and would continue to frustrate the Flyers all night.

The Flyers got an early PowerPlay in the 2nd period and continued to play well until Ilya Kovalchuk broke through on a shorthanded breakaway. Kimmo Timonen hooked him on his way in preventing a scoring opportunity thus leading to a penalty shot. Kovalchuk made it look easy as he made his move: forehand, backhand, roof. 3-0.

3 goals on 4 shots.

After the penalty shot goal the Flyers had lost their edge and any momentum they were trying to build. New Jersey outshot Philadelphia 22-14 afterwards. They were frustrated and beaten.

Simmonds fights Clarkson

The Devils just smothered the Flyers for the rest of the game and despite fights from Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds, the Flyers couldn't get turn it around.

Martin Brodeur notched his 10th career shutout against Philadelphia.

The Flyers fall to 0-3 for the first time since 1994, which was also a shortened season due to a lockout. It is only the third time in Flyers history that they've started the season 0-3.

Philadelphia has been outscored 11-3 in their first 3 games, including 5-0 in 1st periods.

It won't get any easy for the Flyers as they will face off against the New York Rangers, a team that has beaten them 8 straight times, on Thursday.

Game Notes:

• Tye McGinn played his first game in the NHL tonight. McGinn had 1 shot, 1 hit and 12:13 minutes of ice time. He was also given over 3 minutes on the PowerPlay.
• The Flyers went 0 for 6 on their PowerPlay bringing them to 1 for 15 on the season.
• Philadelphia has allowed a PowerPlay goal against in all 3 games this season. They were 6 for 7 tonight and 10 for 16 on the season.
• Bryzgalov allowed 3 goals on the first 4 shots. But then stopped 22 straight after the penalty shot.
• Bruno Gervais played in his 1st game as a Flyer. He had 1 shot and 1 hit in 12:44 minutes.

Highlights:
Watch Highlights of Tonights Game: HERE

Drop the Puck:
The Philadelphia Flyers come home to face the New York Rangers Thursday night.

Flyers Look to Bounce Back

The Philadelphia Flyers will look to turn their 0-2 season around when they face the New Jersey Devils tonight at 7:30 PM.

The Flyers have changed things up a bit today as they will be seeking their first win of the season.

Philadelphia has recalled forward Tye McGinn from the AHL to replace the injured Zac Rinaldo (leg laceration). McGinn, 6'2" 206, said he tries to be a power forward by using his big body to get in front of the net to score some goals. McGinn, 22, skated on a line with Brayden Schenn while playing for the Adirondack Phantoms during the lockout. Tonight will be McGinn's NHL debut.

Head coach Peter Laviolette is making several changes to his lines for tonight's contest. One of those changes is moving Brayden Schenn off the first line in favor of Jake Voracek. Schenn will be reunited with McGinn in hopes to reignite the chemistry they had in the AHL.

Complete line changes from this mornings practice were:

• Claude Giroux centered Scott Hartnell and Jake Voracek,
• Brayden Schenn centered Wayne Simmonds and Tye McGinn,
• Sean Couturier centered Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Read,
• Scott Laughton centered Eric Wellwood and Max Talbot.

Changes weren't only made to the offense, but to the defense as well. Kurtis Foster didn't practice with the team today for what was being called a maintenance day. Regardless, Foster will be replaced by Bruno Gervais, who will make his Flyers debut tonight, as the 6th defenseman. Gervais will be paired with Andrej Meszaros.

Injury Notes:

Briere skating with team

• The Flyers have placed Zac Rinaldo on the IR (injured reserve). Rinaldo took a skate blade to his lower thigh in Sunday's game, which required 20 stitches to patch up. It is unknown how long Rinaldo will be out.
• Danny Briere was a welcomed surprise to today's practice. Briere skated with a regular (contact) jersey and was cleared to shoot. Briere skated on a line with the other scratches, Jody Shelley and Tom Sestito; therefore, he is definitely out for tonight's game. Briere said he is aiming for a Saturday start, but it is possible that he could play Thursday after 3 good practices.

The Flyers will face the Eastern Conference Champion New Jersey Devils for the first time since they ousted the Flyers in the second round of the playoffs on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Devils will be led by stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias.
Martin Brodeur will start in goal against Ilya Bryzgalov.

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers and Devils will get underway tonight at 7:30 PM in New Jersey.

Buffalo Hands Flyers Second Straight Loss to Start Season

Vanek scoring 1 of his career high 5 points

The Philadelphia Flyers fell to the Buffalo Sabres this afternoon 5-2. Special teams played a huge role in this contest as it did yesterday. Philadelphia allowed 3 PowerPlay goals today against Buffalo and 2 yesterday vs Pittsburgh. The Flyers held a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period, but the Sabres scored 4 unanswered goals, 3 of which came in the 3rd period.

Buffalo struck first on their first PowerPlay of the game when Jason Pomminville set up Steve Ott in the high slot giving the Sabres a 1-0 lead.

The Flyers appeared to tie the game after Ruslan Fedotenko put the puck behind Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller; however, the official called goalie interference on Fedotenko waiving it off immediately. Both teams appeared surprised as Fedotenko barely grazed Miller on the play, but regardless the Sabres took their 1 goal lead into the 2nd period.

After being outshot 13-7 in the 1st period, the Flyers finally found their edge.

Couturier scores his first goal of the season

In the first 5 minutes of the 2nd, Philadelphia played their best hockey, outshooting the Sabres 5-0, while scoring 2 goals in the process.

Sean Couturier got the Flyers on the board by deflecting Kurtis Foster's shot from the point past Miller to tie the game. Foster's assist was his first point as a Flyer.

Less than 3 minutes later the Flyers struck again. This time it was their turn on the PowerPlay. Claude Giroux blasted a one-timer from the top of the circle cleanly beating Miller over his left shoulder giving the Flyers their first lead of the game and of the season.

Giroux scored his 2nd goal in as many games

But then Philadelphia got into penalty trouble again. They were called for 'too many men on the ice' and then during the penalty Luke Schenn was called for hooking putting the Flyers down 2 men. They killed off the first penalty, which was being served by Scott Laughton, but when he left the box there was confusion as to where he was supposed to go and Pomminville took full advantage by making a long outlet pass to Drew Stafford who then made a touch pass to Thomas Vanek behind the defense sending him in all alone against Ilya Bryzgalov. Vanek beat Bryzgalov tying the contest at 2.

The game remained tied going into the 3rd period and both teams played fairly even hockey until Luke Schenn took another penalty with only 6 minutes left. And Buffalo made them pay again. Tyler Ennis took an innocent wrist shot from the point which deflected off Kimmo Timonen's skate into the back of the cage putting Buffalo on top once again.

A little over a minute later, Buffalo added to their lead. Thomas Vanek went in all alone on Bryzgalov again, but this time Ilya made the save; however, Cody Hodgson was there to bury the rebound.

Sabres score the go-ahead goal

The Flyers' last chance to get back into the game was squandered when Wayne Simmonds scored with over a minute remaining, but once again the referee called 'no goal' because he lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle, just prior to the puck crossing the line. So the score remained 4-2.

Thomas Vanek added his 2nd goal of the game and 5th point by tacking on a empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining.

This afternoon was Buffalo's first game of the season while it was the Flyers second game in less than 24 hours. Losses are never blamed on excuses but the Flyers were definitely the more tired hockey team in the 3rd period, thus leading to poor penalties and lack of scoring chances. Philadelphia was outshot 8-3 and outscored 2-0 in the final 10 minutes of the game. Buffalo just had more jump in their step as they outshot the Flyers 41-29, had more hits, and less penalty minutes, leading to their first victory of the season and leaving the Flyers to go home 0-2. 

Game Notes:

• It is the first time the Flyers started the season 0-2 since 2008.
• Zac Rinaldo left the game in the 1st period with a leg laceration. He was cut by a skate above the knee and required 20 stitches to patch up. His availability for Tuesday is unknown. 
• Buffalo went 3 for 6 on their PowerPlay, while the Flyers went 1 for 5.
• Thomas Vanek scored a career high 5 points (2 goals and 3 assists) today.
• Vanek and Cody Hodgson accounted for 16 shots.
• Claude Giroux had 1 goal, 3 shots and won 57.7% of his faceoffs in 24:13 minutes.
• Today was Philadelphia's first loss in Buffalo since December 21st 2007. 
• Scott Hartnell had the first fight of the Flyers season squaring off with Drew Stafford. Hartnell threw and landed more punches but Stafford ended up on top of Scotty at the end of the fight.

Hightlights: 
CLICK HERE for today's game highlights

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers will get the day off tomorrow from games and practice and will get back in action on Tuesday night against last season's Conference Champion New Jersey Devils.

Flyers Fall in Opener

Claude Giroux introduced as new Flyers Captain

The Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 in the much anticipated NHL season opener. The Penguins scored 2 goals in the first 8 minutes of the game and despite Claude Giroux's first goal as the Flyers captain, that lead would prove to be enough.

The start to this afternoon's home opener was very sluggish and eerily similar to the way the Flyers played in much of last season and the post season: from behind.

The Pittsburgh Penguins came out storming wanting revenge for the loss the Flyers handed them in the first round of the playoffs last season.

The Penguins outshot the Flyers 11-3 in the first 15 minutes of the game, scoring twice.

Tyler Kennedy gave the Penguins an early 1-0 lead on the PowerPlay at 4:04 when he tipped Paul Martin's shot from the point past Ilya Bryzgalov.

Less than 3 minutes later, James Neal added to their lead. Evgeni Malkin won his offensive zone draw cleanly back to Neal, who buried his shot through a screen of players, beating Bryzgalov.

Giroux scores Flyers first goal of season

Despite allowing 2 goals in the first 8 minutes, Bryzgalov played very well stopping 24 of 26 shots against including, every shot faced following Neal's tally.

After the first 15 minutes the Flyers came to play. Over the next 9 minutes (carrying over into the 2nd period) the Flyers didn't allow any shots against and they opened the 2nd period with a bang.

Claude Giroux scored the first goal of the the Flyers season and his first goal as a captain. Assistant captain Scott Hartnell, who had 5 shots and 5 hits in 17:17 minutes, took a play from Giroux's playbook and setup Claude with a beautiful pass in front of the net which Giroux deposited into the back of the cage behind Penguins goalie Marc Andre Fleury.

However, after Giroux's goal, Fleury had all the answers making 26 saves on 27 shots against, preserving the Penguins 1 goal lead and ultimately turning it into a victory.

The Flyers outplayed the Penguins in the final 45 minutes of the game, and outshot them 21-16, unfortunately, the first 15 minutes were all the Penguins needed.

Special teams also played a big role in the Penguins victory this afternoon. They dominated on both sides going 2 for 3 on their PowerPlay and 5 for 5 on the penalty kill.

Chris Kunitz added the nail in the coffin with his empty net PowerPlay goal with 11 seconds remaining, finalizing their 3-1 victory.

Game Notes:

• Flyers 2012 first round draft pick, Scott Laughton, 18, played his first NHL game today. Laughton had 4 hits and 1 shot in 12:14 minutes.
• Newly acquired defensemen Luke Schenn and Kurtis Foster suited up as Flyers for the first time. Both were used for special teams: Foster played over 3 minutes of PowerPlay time, while Schenn played over 2 minutes on the penalty kill.
• Claude Giroux, in his first game as captain of the Flyers had 1 goal, 3 shots and won 52% of his faceoffs in 19:41 minutes.
• Wayne Simmonds lead all Flyers forwards in ice time with 22:07 minutes while Kimmo Timonen led all Flyers with 23:52.

Drop the Puck:
The Flyers get back into action immediately when they go to Buffalo to face the Sabres for their home opener at 12:30 PM.

Get Flyered Up: Season Preview

Giroux crushed Crosby last meeting

The NHL gets underway Saturday afternoon with it's first game of the season showcasing the battle of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Flyers versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers finished last season 5th in the standings while the Penguins placed 4th. The two rivals were on a collision course for a highly anticipated first round of the playoffs. And they didn't disappoint. After scoring 56 goals and 312 penalty minutes in 6 games, the series came to a close with the Flyers on top. That series solidified Claude Giroux as the team's new leader after his 14 point performance. Claude put the team on his back and carried them through Pittsburgh, scoring the second most points (Tim Kerr 15 in 1989) in a single playoff series in Flyers history. 

Change in Guard:
This all ultimately led to Claude Giroux being named the 19th captain in Flyers history, replacing the injured Chris Pronger (concussion like symptoms). Giroux is the new face of the Flyers, and poised to be a great captain for years to come. This was just one of several moves the Flyers made during the off-season while holding their core players together, such as Daniel Briere, Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, and Braydon Coburn. Philadelphia has retained 18 of their current 24 man roster from last season.

Trades:

• The biggest off-season trade the Flyers made was sending forward James vanRiemsdyk to Toronto for defenseman Luke Schenn, brother of Brayden. Schenn will bring a powerful force back that the Flyers were missing since the loss of Pronger. Schenn, 6'2" 229, led all defenseman in hits last season with 270 in 79 games and the prior season with 251 in 82 games.

• The only other trade the Flyers made was sending goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to Columbus for 3 future draft picks.

Subtractions:

• The Flyers failed to re-sign future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, who scored 19 goals, 54 points while playing alongside Giroux for most of the season.  
• Philadelphia also failed to re-sign defenseman Matt Carle (4 goals, 38 points), who led the team in time on ice with 23:01 minutes per game and blocked shots, 164.

Additions:

• To replace the hole left after the Bobrovsky trade the Flyers signed goaltender Michael Leighton, who helped take Philadelphia to the Cup Finals in 2010, to back up Ilya Bryzgalov.

• To add depth to their blue-line, the Flyers signed defensemen, Bruno Gervais and Kurtis Foster, both of whom will compete for the 6th defensive spot.

• Philadelphia acquired Ruslan Fedotenko, who started his career with the Flyers in 2000, but has most recently played for the New York Rangers scoring 45 points in his 2 seasons with New York.

• The Flyers drafted junior center from the OHL, Scott Laughton, 6'1" 177. Laughton, 18, will be on the Flyers starting lineup for at maximum of 5 games before they have to decide whether to keep him in the big leagues or send him back to his OHL team.

Projected Starting Lineup:

• Offensive lines are projected to be:
• Claude Giroux centering Scott Hartnell and Brayden Schenn,
• Sean Couturier centering Max Talbot and Jake Voracek,
• Scott Laughton centering Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds,
• Eric Wellwood centering Ruslan Fedotenko and Zac Rinaldo.

• Defensive pairings are projected to be:
• Braydon Coburn and Nicklas Grossmann,
• Kimmo Timonen and Luke Schenn,
• Andrej Meszaros and Kurtis Foster.

• Starting Goaltender, then Back-up:
• Ilya Bryzgalov
• Michael Leighton

Injuries:
The Flyers are generally healthy to start the season. Andrej Meszaros is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon (sustained in July) and will be ready for the start of the season. Claude Giroux, who suffered from a neck injury, while playing in Germany during the lockout, is 100% and ready to start the season. And Kimmo Timonen, who had to undergo surgery to remove a disc fragment from his lower back has also fully recovered.  

• Danny Briere has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left wrist, an injury he received while playing in Germany in late December. Briere was placed on the non-roster/injury list, therefore, he will not take a roster spot, allowing for Scott Laughton to remain with the team. Briere will not play Saturday or Sunday and remains questionable for Tuesday and Thursday's games. 

• Chris Pronger will once again be placed on the LTIR (Long term injured reserve) due to concussion like symptoms. Sean, Chris' older brother, stated in an interview that he doesn't think Pronger will ever play in the NHL again. 

Upcoming Schedule:

Saturday Jan 19th @ 3 PM vs Pittsburgh Penguins:
The Flyers start the season at home against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers went 4-2 against the Penguins in the regular season and then defeated them in the first round of the playoffs in 6 games. Pittsburgh, however, is 8-3 in Philadelphia in their last 11 regular season games.

Sunday Jan 20th @ 12:30 vs Buffalo Sabres:
The next day, Philadelphia will go to Buffalo to face Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and the Sabres. Buffalo missed the playoffs by 3 points finishing 9th in the standings. The Flyers swept the season series last year scoring 17 goals in their 4 wins against the Sabres.

Tuesday Jan 22nd @ 7:30 PM @ New Jersey Devils:
With only one day off, the Flyers get back into action Tuesday night when they faceoff against the team that defeated them in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season, the New Jersey Devils. However, since losing in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Devils have lost their captain Zach Parise. They have recently named Bryce Salvador as their new captain and will continue to be led by their top 2 threats: Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrick Elias.

Thursday Jan 24th @ 6 PM vs the New York Rangers:
The Flyers will face their biggest challenge thus far as they will faceoff against 2012 Eastern Conference Champion New York Rangers. Led by Marion Gaborik, Brad Richards and newly acquired Rick Nash, the Rangers will look to keep their momentum going against the Flyers. New York swept Philadelphia last season, winning all 6 games, including the Winter Classic held in Philadelphia, and has won 8 straight against the Flyers dating back 2 seasons.

Season Predictions:
The Philadelphia Flyers will finish the season 26-17-5, for 57 points, clinching 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
Claude Giroux will lead the team in points with 52.
Scott Hartnell will tie Giroux for team lead in goals with 20.
Kimmo Timonen will lead team for defensive points with 26.
Ilya Bryzgalov will win 21 games.
Scott Laughton will make the team after his 5 game try-out and will score 16 points.

What does everyone else think?

Flyers Practice at Wells Fargo Center to Packed House

Over 15,000 fans greeted the Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers thanked the fans by hosting a free practice tonight at the Wells Fargo Center. After the 113 day lockout finally ended, the organization wanted to thank the loyal fans for sticking with the team, so they gave out free tickets, free parking, $1 hotdogs and certain percentage off some merchandise. The tickets sold out in just under a few hours, proving they've accepted the apology and are ready for some hockey!

Newly appointed captain, Claude Giroux, led his team onto the ice to a standing ovation from the elated fans. All 15,200 fans chanted "Let's Go Flyers" repeatedly as the team circled the ice. Giroux then took the microphone to address the fans for the first time as captain.
"It's an honor to be the Flyers captain and it's good to see you guys here, we missed you guys. Thanks for sticking with us. I know you guys are ready for a great season so we'll see you Saturday and let's go Flyers!"

After Giroux's address, it was business as usual. The Flyers practiced for a little over an hour in white and orange practice jerseys with name plates on the back for the fans.

The line combinations seen tonight, which remained the same as in the last two practices, are projected to start the season:
Claude Giroux centered Scott Hartnell and Brayden Schenn,
Sean Couturier centered Max Talbot and Jake Voracek,
Scott Laughton centered Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds,
Eric Wellwood centered Ruslan Fedotenko and Zac Rinaldo.

The defensive pairings were:
Kimmo Timonen and Luke Schenn,
Braydon Coburn and Nicklas Grossmann,
Andrej Meszaros and Kurtis Foster

After the practice the Flyers skated to center ice with their sticks raised to salute the fans!

Claude Giroux Named Captain

The Philadelphia Flyers have officially named Claude Giroux as their new captain. The 25 year old center will replace the injured Chris Pronger (post concussion symptoms), taking lead of the team. When asked about being named the 19th captain in Flyers history, Giroux simply stated, "This is a huge honor."

Claude Giroux becomes the 5th youngest captain for Philadelphia. Youthful captains have had great success for the Flyers.

Bobby Clarke, who was named captain at the young age of 23, during the 1972-73 season, went on to win 2 Stanley Cups for Philadelphia in his 2nd and 3rd year as captain.

Mel Bridgman wore the 'C' for the Flyers during the 1979-80 season when he was 24 and took Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup that very season (ultimately losing to the Islanders in 6 games).

Eric Lindros, the youngest captain in Flyers history, was given the honor in the 1994-95 season at the age of 21, took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in his third year of captaincy during the 1996-97 season (lost to Detroit in 4).

Then Mike Richards, 24, was named captain in 2008-09. In his second season serving as the captain, Richards took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2009-10 (lost to Chicago in 6). 

Giroux had a career year last season notching 28 goals, 64 assists, and 93 points (all career highs) in 77 games. He then went on to have one of the best postseasons in Flyers history, despite being eliminated in the second round. Giroux scored 14 points in the first series (second best in franchise history only to Tim Kerr, 15) and 17 points in 10 games, including 8 goals, which tied for league lead in playoffs with 3 others despite only playing 2 series.

Giroux was drafted by Philadelphia in 2006 (22nd overall) and has played 285 games scoring 243 points.

When asked how captaincy would change his game, Giroux responded, "Its not going to change the way I am on the ice or in the room, I'm going to be the same player on and off (the ice); I'm pretty excited."

Scott Hartnell responded to the news saying, "I couldn't think of a better player to be our captain." 

Kimmo Timonen will be the Flyers associate captain (will wear 'C' in Giroux's absence), while Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell will serve the assistant captains.

Click here to read more about Claude Giroux!

Injury Update:
Daniel Briere has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his left wrist. He did, however, skate with the team at Tuesday and Wednesday's practice, but only participated in skating drills. He is not yet cleared for shooting drills. Briere is questionable for the first 2 games of the season.

Waiver News:
The Philadelphia Flyers have placed recently acquired goaltender Brian Boucher on waivers, along with defenseman Andreas Lilja. This simply means both will play for Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL to start the season. 

Hockey is Back

The CBA is official, the NHL opened their doors, the Philadelphia Flyers are back on ice, the fans returned and GM Paul Holmgren was busy. 

Pack House at the Skate Zone

The Philadelphia Flyers took to the ice this afternoon for the first time as a full team since May 2012 to a packed house. The Flyers fans came in the thousands to fill the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. At one point a fire marshal had to organize the fans because it was becoming a fire hazard to have so many people squeezed in the bleachers section. So, yes, the fans are back!

In the meantime, the Flyers took to the ice to a huge applause and began to get back to work.
Early lines showed Claude Giroux centering Scott Hartnell and Brayden Schenn; Sean Couturier centering Jake Voracek and Max Talbot; junior Scott Laughton (on a try-out) centering Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read for the first practice. Coach Peter Laviolette had his players come out for a second practice session after the ice was cleaned, and the lines were scrambled a bit, seeing Giroux playing with Hartnell and Voracek, which was the more anticipated line. 

While the Flyers were skating a double session, General Manager Paul Holmgren was working hard as well.

The Flyers signed big defenseman Kurtis Foster, 31 (6'5" 226lbs), to compete for the 6th defensive spot (with Bruno Gervais, Andreas Lilja and Erik Gustafsson). Foster played for New Jersey, Anaheim and Minnesota last season alone scoring 14 points in 51 games. Foster had a career high 42 points in 2010 while playing with Tampa Bay.

GM Paul Holmgren wasn't finished. The Flyers then traded minor leaguer Luke Pither to Carolina for a familiar face, goaltender Brian Boucher; this will be Boucher's third stint with the Flyers (1999-2002 & 2009-2011). Philadelphia also acquired prospect Mark Alt in the deal with Boucher. The 21 year old defenseman, who is 6'5" 205lbs is currently playing in college for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Brian Boucher will likely play in the minors serving as a third string, behind starter Ilya Bryzgalov and back-up Michael Leighton.

Last night the NHL and NHLPA signed the Memorandum of Understanding, a legal document, which made the Collective Bargaining Agreement of 2013 official, allowing the NHL to finally return. For highlights of the new CBA:

CLICK HERE

Injury Update:
Daniel Briere (wrist) did not practice today but was seen in the building in street clothes. Briere injured his wrist playing in Berlin, Germany during the lockout. Early speculation is that Briere may miss 2-3 weeks; however, he will meet with team doctors tomorrow to get a better idea.

News Around the NHL:
Two teams are already taking advantage of the amnesty buy-out rule in the new CBA. The New York Rangers told Wade Redden to go home, while the Montreal Canadiens sent Scott Gomez packing. Neither team will allow either player to play for their NHL or AHL team to avoid injury (injured players cannot be bought out). Any buy-outs go into effect at the end of this season.

It's Official!

The NHL and the Players Union have signed the Memorandum of Understanding making the Collective Bargaining Agreement official.

NHL training camps will begin all over the league tomorrow for most teams, including the Flyers, while the 48 game season will official begin on Saturday January 19th.

The Philadelphia Flyers released their schedule moments ago and they will open their season at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on the 19th at 3PM on NBC.

Here is their first week:

• Saturday  Jan 19th vs Pittsburgh Penguins @ 3 PM
• Sunday    Jan 20th at Buffalo Sabres @ 12:30 PM
• Tuesday   Jan 22nd at New Jersey Devils @ 7:30 PM
• Thursday Jan 24th vs New York Rangers @ 7:00 PM
• Saturday  Jan 26th at Florida Panther @ 7:30 PM
• Sunday    Jan 27th at Tampa Bay Lightning @ 6 PM

Click here to see the complete 48 game schedule

Let's Drop the Puck!

The NHL is Back!

The NHL and the NHLPA (players association) have officially ratified the new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) ending the 113 day lockout! The owners voted to pass the agreement 30 for yes to 0 for no, while the players voted 667 for yes to 12 for no. Now a 'Memorandum of Understanding' will be completed and the NHL will have a new CBA.

After a long hard fight between both sides, Gary Bettman (NHL commissioner) and Donald Fehr (head of the NHLPA) tentatively reached an agreement last Sunday morning, January 6th.

Highlights of the New 10 Year CBA:

• The Hockey Related Revenue (HRR), which was estimated at $3.3 Billion was split 50/50 starting this season (players got 57% in the last CBA)
• The Salary Cap, which was tentatively set at $70 million during the off-season, was dropped to $64.3 million in Year 2 of the CBA. 
• Players Contract lengths, which previously had no limit, are now limited to 7 years (8 if you are resigning your own player).
• Contracts can't dip more than 35% year to year, preventing General Managers from circumventing the cap. 
• The players got a pension play, which has not been made public.
• The NHL gave the NHLPA $300 million for the 'Make Whole' provision (which is a way of the NHL reimbursing the players for the money they will lose (7% of $3.3 billion) in the first few years due to the 50/50 split).
• Each NHL team gets 2 amnesty buy-outs (to help due to the lower cap) which they can use starting at the end of this season. They have until 2014 to take advantage of the buy-outs.

What does this all mean?

The NHL is BACK! Training camps for most teams will start on Sunday, January 13th and the season will commence Saturday, January 19th. The season will include 48 games: all of which will be against conference teams. The trade deadline is speculated to be on April 3rd, while the end of the regular season would be around April 27th. The playoffs will begin April 27th and could go as late at June 28th.

Drop the Puck: 

• The NHL will release all the schedules at some point tomorrow. 
• It will show that the Flyers will open the season Saturday, January 19th on NBC at home against their cross-state rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins at 3PM.
• The Flyers will then travel to Buffalo to play the very next morning, Sunday, January 20th at 12:30, also on NBC.
• The full schedule will be posted soon.