Gagne nets hat trick as Leighton blanks Rangers 6-0

Michael Leighton takes a drink while waiting for play to resume during the Philadelphia Flyers' win over the New York Rangers.

Tonight the Philadelphia Flyers won their fourth straight game, crushing the New York Rangers 6-0.  In what was arguably the most convincing win of the four, Simon Gagne scored the last three for the boys in orange, earning himself a natural hat trick.

Setting the tone early was crucial tonight for the Flyers.  In their last matchup against the Rangers, New York scored five minutes into the game, forcing Flyers Coach Peter Laviolette to call a timeout and turn his team around.

The Flyers accomplished this, with Blair Betts scoring less than a minute into the first period.  After a turnover, Ian Laperriere brought the puck in and put it on net quickly, allowing Betts to capitalize on the rebound.

Carter's Big Weekend Helps Lift Flyers to Wins in Carolina and New York

When teams are slumping, coaches and general managers call on their star players to rejuvenate their lineup. Jeff Carter answered the call, tallying two goals and an assist in back-to-back wins against the Hurricanes and Islanders.

Carter seems to have rediscovered his form, scoring on two beautiful goals reminscent of last year’s 46-goal season. Carter had five shots in each of this weekend’s games, converting on two of them when he beat Carolina’s Cam Ward on a snapshot upstairs on Saturday, and then powered a wrist shot nine-hole on New York’s Martin Biron on Sunday.

Moreover, Carter’s determined play the last couple of weeks has been an inspiration to the whole team. Regardless of the Flyers’ struggles, Carts has been buzzing all over the ice, getting to loose pucks and creating scoring chances.

Flyers Forget to Show Up, Panthers Cruise to Decisive 4-1 Victory

Just when it seemed like the Flyers were taking steps in the right direction, Monday night’s spanking by the Florida Panthers reminded fans that the Flyers are Jesse Owens strides away from success.

In a game that resembled Tuesday’s 6-1 beating at the freshly-manicured hands of Sidney Crosby and company, the Flyers failed to do just about anything right tonight. And since generalizations of incompetence are about as constructive as a John Stevens timeout, I took notes throughout tonight’s game that outline exactly where the Flyers went wrong. (Bear with the length, it was an ugly game.)

Following Pittsburgh Massacre, Flyers Earn a Point at Home

Following Tuesday night's crushing defeat, I can't say that many of us were expecting the Philadelphia Flyers to fair much better last night.

And yet, they did.

Instead of the embarrassing six goals scored against them, the Flyers held the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to a manageable two goals, and even managed to strike first.  Scoring 1:15 into the game was Jeff Carter, as his rebound deflected off defenseman Sergei Gonchar and past netminder Marc-Andre Fleury.

Timonen, Boucher Shine in Winter Classic Preview

Last night, Chelsea and I were lucky enough to witness the Flyers’ third-period shallacking of the Boston Bruins in person at TD Banknorth Garden.

The first period was fast and furious, with plenty of chances for both teams. Ultimately, the Flyers were unable to capitalize on 1:12 of a two-man advantage, and the Winter Classic preview was scoreless at the end of twenty minutes.

For most of the second period, both teams matched the intensity of the first, combining for 22 shots. Flyers’ goalie Brian Boucher stood on his head all game, but was unable to stop a late-period deflection from right on the door step by Vladimir Sobotka. Shawn Thornton took a sharp angle shot which Sobotka deflected wide, but the rolling puck hit Jon Kalinski’s stick before crossing the goal line and giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead.

Flyers' coach Peter Laviolette rallied the troops in the dressing room between periods and the Flyers came out buzzing in the third, outshooting the Boston 15-7 in the final stanza.