View previous news items: February 2001, March 2001, April 2001, May 2001, Summer 2001, September 2001, October 2001, November 2001, December 2001, January 2002, February 2002.
(3/30) The Flyers offense remained silent as they meekly lost the first half of a home and home series with the Buffalo Sabres. Ruslan Fedotenko scored the only goal. Guillaume Lefebvre, recently called up from the Phantoms, played well in his debut. With the injury to Marty Murray, the Flyers were playing with only two bonafide NHL centers. The Flyers and Sabres finish off the home and home on Monday in Buffalo.
(3/30) Left wingers Guillaume Lefebvre and Todd Fedoruk were called up from the Phantoms today as injury replacements. This is Lefebvre's first call up. Fedoruk, of course, began the season with the Flyers and was only sent down after the acquisition of Billy Tibbetts.
(3/28) The Flyers played listlessly in Neil Little's NHL debut, and the Carolina Hurricanes made them pay the price. They score three third period goal en route to a 4-1 victory over the Flyers. In the lone bright spot of the even, Mark Recchi snapped his goalscoring funk by scoring late in the third period. Next up: A home and home with the Buffalo Sabres.
(3/27) For the first time in this year's season series, the visiting team came away with two points as the Flyers skated to a chippy 4-2 victory over the Rangers on ESPN's Wednesday Night Hockey. The Flyers dominated play through the first two periods, as only the stellar play of Dan Blackburn kept the score close. The Flyers led 2-0 going into the second intermission on goals by Justin Williams (whom Gary Thorne kept calling Jason!) and Eric Desjardins (power play). The play became rather nasty in the third period, as Pavel Bure scored early to make it a one goal game. John LeClair scored off a Mark Recchi feed to restore the two goal lead, and it seemed as if he had scored a second but officials ruled that he had pushed the puck in the net with his glove. As the game wound down, Eric Lindros scored to make it 3-2. The two teams began to take a series of matching minors, and they skated four-on-four for the last five minutes of the game. Keith Primeau scored into the empty net after the Rangers pulled Blackburn, and that was all she wrote.
Notes: Chris McAllister played again, as Rick Tocchet was a healthy scratch. Tocchet reportedly asked Barber to scratch him so that McAllister could get in the lineup. What a classy move by a great veteran! . . . . Just to show how out of control things were getting at the end of the third, some of the Flyers taking penalties included Simon Gagne (for unsportsmanlike conduct!) and Justin Williams (for roughing!). . . . Brian Boucher got the start and the win. He made several spectacular saves. . . . Eric Desjardins has scored 5 of his 6 goals since the Olympic break. . . . The Flyers return to action tomorrow night against Carolina. Neil Little will finally get to make his first NHL start. He's been a good soldier for the Philly organization for a long time, and I'm glad that he's finally getting his chance to start. Little has been the backup in 43 NHL games, and he's never played once--until tomorrow.
(3/25) The Flyers battled to a 4-1 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, who are hot on their heels in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs, like the Flyers, have been ravaged by injuries of late, and they are currently playing without Mikael Renberg and Robert Reichel. They still managed to strike first, however, as Tomas Kaberle scored on a breakaway with three minutes remaining in the first period. The Flyers answered with four unanswered goals, two of which came from captain Keith Primeau, who returned to the lineup after missing time with a dislocated rib. Simon Gagne scored shorthanded after Corey Schwab mishandled the puck to notch his team-leading 32nd goal of the season, and his goal proved to be the eventual gamewinner. Dan McGillis iced the game with 6 seconds left by scoring in the empty net.
Notes: Brian Boucher made 25 saves to get the win. . . . This was Keith Primeau's first multi-goal game of the season. . . . Chris McAllister got into the lineup due to Jiri Dopita's right knee injury. . . . The Flyers killed off 9 Toronto power plays, but they were unable to on their own 5 opportunities with the man advantage. . . . Simon Gagne has a three game goal scoring streak. . . . Next game: Wednesday, vs. the Rangers.
(3/23) The Flyers blew a two goal third period lead as they skated to a 4-4 tie with the struggling Pittsburgh Penguins. The acquisition of Adam Oates continued to pay dividends: Oates had two primary assists as the Flyers converted twice with the man advantage. Dan McGillis (power play), Marty Murray, Justin Williams, and Simon Gagne (power play) scored for the orange and black. Brian Boucher got the start and the tie, making 19 saves on 23 shots. Mark Recchi played in his 1000th NHL game. He was honored during the first period by the Penguins; Recchi began his career in Pittsburgh. Roenick, Primeau, and Cechmanek missed the game with their respective injuries, while Chris McAllister was again a healthy scratch.
(3/21) The acquisition of Adam Oates paid instant dividends tonight as the Flyers snapped their five game winless streak. Oates assisted on John LeClair's game-winner late in the third period. Simon Gagne scored the Flyers' first goal unassisted as he reached the 30 goal milestone for the first time in his young career. Brian Boucher was in net for the win. Roman Cechmanek had hoped to start, but his ankle still isn't ready.
(3/19) The injuries to Keith Primeau and Jeremy Roenick forced the Flyers to look for some help at center rather than on the blue line. They found it in one of the best passers in NHL history, 39 year old Adam Oates. The price was very steep, however, as the Flyers give up Maxime Ouellet, who was supposed to be their goalie of the future, and first, second, and third round picks in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
Oates is one of the best playmaking centers to ever play in the NHL. He'll wear number 77 with the Flyers in honor of his old teammate in Boston, Ray Bourque. The last Flyer to wear 77 was Paul Coffey. Oates is due to be an unrestricted free agent in July, but he's already making noises about being open to staying in Philly. He may be looking for more money and a longer deal than the Flyers can afford.
Did the Flyers give up too much? It seems clear that they overpaid--but they also were not in the best of bargaining positions. And while the Flyers paid dearly, I don't think they necessarily mortgaged their future. Five years down the line the Flyers won't be the Dallas Stars of 2001-2002. While Ouellet will probably still be a #1 NHL goalie some day, he wasn't exactly dominating the AHL. The Flyers will now probably bring over Finnish prospect Antero Niitymaki (a 98 draft pick) and keep Brian Boucher for the foreseeable future. And the Flyers still have plenty of draft picks--which they didn't have in the first years of the NHL entry draft. The Flyers will still have 11 picks in the first seven rounds of the NHL draft in 2002, and they'll have extra picks in 2003 from the Lindros deal as well.
In the end, however, it will be the Flyers' playoff run that determines whether this deal was a boon or a bust.
(3/18) The Flyers blew a three goal lead as they skated to a 3-3 tie with the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning. Donald Brashear had two goals, while Eric Desjardins had the other on the power play. Keith Primeau and Jeremy Roenick both left the game with significant injuries.
(3/17) The Flyers traded the little used center Kent Manderville to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for troubled forward Billy Tibbetts. Tibbetts is a fringe NHL player who has had several brushes with the law that culminated in a four year sentence for statuatory rape.
(3/16) The Colorado Avalanche scored a late goal on a deflection past Brian Boucher to extend the Flyers home losing streak to four games. The Flyers dominated much of the game, but only Keith Primeau could get the puck past Patrick Roy. The loss moves the Flyers into a three way tie for first place in the Eastern Conference.
(3/14) The Flyers failed to convert on several golden scoring chances against the Buffalo Sabres, and rookie goaltender Mika Noronen made them pay. John LeClair (or Keith Primeau) scored the lone Flyer goal--it was hard to tell who was responsible--and Brian Boucher deserved better as he took the loss.
(3/14) The Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms, tend to get quite a bit of press--probably because of their uniquely close relationship with the Flyers. There's been two articles on posted on the Internet in recent days about the Phantoms that might be of interest:
(3/12) The Flyers allowed a goal with just over two minutes left in the game, which allowed the Maple Leafs to gain a point in this crucial Eastern Conference matchup. Keith Primeau scored the Flyers' only goal, deflecting a John LeClair shot past Corey Schwab. Brian Boucher made several great (and lucky saves) but he couldn't stop the shot that counted most. The Flyers return to action on Thurday at home against the Buffalo Sabres.
(3/12) The Flyers fell meekly to the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, March 10th. Eric Desjardins scored the lone Flyers goal while shorthanded. Brian Boucher was in net for the loss. He made
(3/8) The Flyers bounced back from their poor showing against the Flames to knock off the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flyers scored three unanswered goals after trailing 2-1 in the second period. Justin Williams, Eric Weinrich, Chris Therien, and Paul Ranheim (power play, empty net) scored for the Flyers. Therien and Williams also added assists and were named respectively the first and third stars of the night. Brian Boucher got the start and the win, making 20 saves on 22 shots.
Notes: Keith Primeau, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Roman Cechmanek all missed the game with injuries. . . . With Recchi out, Barber dressed seven defensemen, working Chris McAllister back into the lineup. . . .With the win, the Flyers maintain their five point lead over Boston in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Flyers' next game is on Sunday at Toronto. It's the first half of a crucial home-and-home that may determine Eastern Conference supremacy.Recchi suspended for two games
(3/8) The NHL has suspended Mark Recchi two games for an elbowing incident on 3/7 on Flames defenseman Denis Gauthier. Recchi left his feet on the play, which probably earned him the suspension. The play earned him a five minute major penalty during the game, which killed any hopes of a Flyers rally in the waning minutes of the eventual 4-2 loss. It's Recchi's first suspension of his 14 year career. Recchi is eligible to return to the lineup on Tuesday against Toronto.
(3/7) The Flyers lost a chippy matchup with the Calgary Flames tonight in Philadelphia. In a game marred by several scrums, the Flames took a 3-2 lead into the third period and scored into the empty net to ice the matchup. Mark Recchi took a costly penalty at 18:00 of the third period that left the Flyers shorthanded for the balance of the game. Jiri Dopita and Todd Fedoruk scored for the Flyers, but the top two lines were held off the score sheet. Roenick, Williams, and Gagne were pointless and a combined -7.
Notes: Brian Boucher made 28 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort. . . . Keith Primeau, Roman Cechmanek and Ruslan Fedotenko all missed the game with injuries. . . . The Flyers return to action tomorrow night in Tampa Bay.
(3/7) Earlier this week, the Flyers traded prospect Joe DiPenta to the Atlanta Thrashers for center Jarrod Skalde. The Flyers must have considered DiPenta a failed prospect, as Skalde is a 31-year old veteran minor leaguer. Skalde will add depth and veteran leadership to the AHL Phantoms, who have a decent chance at winning their second Calder Cup this season.
(3/4) The Flyers bounced back from their disappointing loss on Saturday with a big win against conference rival Boston. Simon Gagne, Jiri Dopita (2), and Marty Murray (empty netter) scored for the Flyers. Brian Boucher recovered from a fluky first period goal and was perfect for the rest of the game while the offense recovered from the one goal deficit with four unanswered goals. In more injury news, Keith Primeau left the game with strained ribs.
Notes: Gagne now has a four game goal-scoring streak under his belt. He has six goals over that span. . . . Boucher made 21 saves in front of friends and family in Boston (he's from the Providence area). . . . With the injury to Fedotenko, Kent Manderville got back into the lineup. . . . The Flyers raised 1.27 million dollars at their annual Flyers Wives Fight for Lives Carnival, a new record. . . . The Flyers return to action on Thursday against Calgary in Philly.
(3/2) The Flyers wasted Simon Gagne's first NHL hat trick as their third period rally fell short this afternoon in Madison Square Garden. Perhaps more ominous than the actual loss with the injury to goal Roman Cechmanek, who left the game in the first period with a reported sprained ankle. It was a chippy, nasty battle that the refs allowed to get out of hand. Brian Boucher looked shaky in relief of Cecho, while Eric Desjardins finally scored his 500th career NHL point with a goal scored 5 on 3. Roenick also scored in the losing effort
The Flyers return to action on Monday at Boston. Boston is just three points behind Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference.
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