By Kathryn Uggerholt

The Edmonton Oilers have found themselves in a place they know all too familiar over the past few seasons — hovering around the bottom of the NHL standings. With only two wins in their last 10 games, the team has 33 points to place them 26th overall in the league, and 13th in the West. Their current placement in the standings is troubling after getting off to such a great start to the season.

The key to the Oilers offense has been their surprisingly successful power play. Surprising may not be the right word, but they did finish with the League’s 27th ranked power play (14.5%) last season, scoring only 44 power play goals. 

This year has been a different story, as only two teams have a better man-advantage percentage. Edmonton’s power play is ranked 3rd (20.7%), with only the Vancouver Canucks and the Nashville Predators succeeding on a more consistent basis. The Oilers are also third in power play goals scored with 30, the same amount as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The only teams ahead of them are the Canucks with 36 goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers with 32.

A fiery power play is due in part to the dynamic “Kid Line” of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Eberle. The trio, whose combined age is only 59, has combined for 16 of the club’s 30 power play goals.

Sophomore forward Eberle has scored the most man advantage goals of the three with seven, which also ranks him 5th in the league. He also has six assists on the power play to give him 13 points, or a third of his overall points, in his 3:40 average man advantage ice time per game. Eberle is also riding a six-game point streak, which dates back to the December 15th game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Prior to the current streak, Eberle had been on another six-game point streak that was snapped when the team was shut out by the Calgary Flames on December 9th. 

Hall is also in the NHL’s top 15 players in power play goals scored with six. The winger has actually recorded more power play goals than he has scored at even strength (four).

While his total of three power play goals doesn’t place him among the leaders, Nugent-Hopkins is second in the league in power play assists to Florida Panther’s defenseman Brian Campbell, and fourth in power play assists just behind the Sedin twins and Claude Giroux. The rookie has only three goals on the power play but 15 assists. Having logged an average of 3:39 of power play TOI per contest, Nugent-Hopkins has posted the team’s highest ratio of man advantage points at 51.4% (18/35).

The Oilers have many ingredients in place with which to win games, but they have not been successful as of late. The major difference in the team’s results has been the rise in goals-against average — from a microscopic 1.5 goals per game allowed over the first 14 games (21 goals), at which point they were 9-3-2, to the current 2.77 (100/36). That means over the course of the past 22 contests, Edmonton has yielded 79 goals, or an unacceptable 3.59 GAA. Not so coincidentally, the Oilers have gone 6-15-1 in the last 22 outings.

For Edmonton to get back on track, a more defensive-conscious effort is necessary, along with better play while five-on-five. Until those adjustments are made, one can only hope the power play continues to produce in the interim.

 David Strehle contributed to this story

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

The old saying “You can never go home again” may just apply to Philadelphia Flyers’ forwards Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot as the team heads to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins tonight at CONSOL Energy Center.

Both Jagr and Talbot have experienced the biggest successes in their respective NHL careers in the ‘Burgh, each having been a part of a Stanley Cup championship Pens squad. The pair were key pieces in all three Penguins’ Cup victories over two different generations — – Jagr in both 1991 and 1992, and Talbot in 2009 — but both will likely feel the unbridled wrath of the Pittsburgh faithful, beginning when they come out to take part in the pre-game skate.

Al Bello / Getty Images

Jagr had actually been courted by GM Ray Shero and the Pens early in the summer, and a possible return to the scene of his greatest triumphs seemed all but a foregone conclusion for the future first ballot Hall-of-Famer, who had spent the past three seasons playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League.

After both Jagr and Talbot signed with the Flyers as unrestricted free agents on July 1st, outraged Penguins’ fans voiced their obvious displeasure all across every social media platform available over what they felt were acts of traitors.

“When I was making the decision, I never thought that Pittsburgh fans would want me back,” Jagr said in a September conference call with the media. ”Every time I played there, they were booing me every time I touched the puck. I didn’t think it would be such a big deal that I didn’t sign with Pittsburgh.”

The connection to the Penguins is not nearly as fresh for Jagr as it is for Talbot, who played in Pittsburgh through last season. Jagr last played for the Pens more than a decade ago, with the 2000-01 campaign being his last with the organization. His status as the second best player ever to don the Black-and-Gold is still intact, as he is still the runner-up in every significant offensive category to the undisputed greatest Penguin of them all, Mario Lemieux.

As stated above in his own words, Jagr has heard the boos before, when he returned to the Civic / Mellon Arena as a member of the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. He is expecting much of the same in his first visit to the CONSOL Energy Center, especially wearing the colors of one of Pittsburgh’s most hated rivals.

In fact, it’s likely going to sound a lot like when playing the Chexx dome hockey arcade game, when your opponent hits the ‘boo’ button. It’s pretty much the same noise as anytime a Canadiens’ player falls to the ice at Bell Centre, or each time a visiting captain touches the puck at MTS Centre in Winnipeg. Just imagine that sound magnified 18,600 times, each and every time Jagr or Talbot touch the puck. That’s probably a pretty fair assessment of how tonight will be in Pittsburgh.

Jagr has been an important cog in the Philadelphia offensive machine this season, anchoring the right side of a line with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell. With 11 goals and 30 points in 31 games, the 39-year-old Jagr is still averaging nearly a point per game. He may have lost some of his explosiveness, but he is always a threat to score when on the ice.

At the tail end of Jagr’s September conference call, he tried to soften the blow for those hockey diehards who live on the western side of Pennsylvania.

”I had a chance to do what I thought was best for me. If I hurt anybody, I apologize, because I didn’t want to, but on the other side, I just don’t understand why people can be that mad about my decision.”

It’s a fairly safe assumption to say that Pens’ fans will attempt to make Jagr see their reasoning, and in an extremely vocal manner, tonight in Pittsburgh.

Even though he didn’t play nearly the all-encompassing role with the team as Jagr had during his time there, the very fact that Talbot inked a pact with the Penguins’ cross-state rivals still wreaked of treachery in Steel Town.

Photo credit: Paul Bereswill / Getty Images

The agitator had shifted momentum in meetings with Philadelphia in Pittsburgh’s favor through the years, none as evident as his fight with Dan Carcillo during Game 6 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. On the ensuing faceoff after Danny Briere scored to give the Orange-and-Black a commanding 3-0 lead and a Game 7 began to appear on the horizon, Talbot challenged Carcillo to a fight. “Mad Max” was beaten badly, but gave the half-delirious Philly fans the now infamous ”Shhhh” with index finger raised to his lips on the way to the penalty box. Ex-Flyer Ruslan Fedetenko scored just 14 seconds later, and the ice tilted in Pittsburgh’s favor the rest of the way en route to a 5-3, series clinching victory.

The Pens went on to win the Stanley Cup less than two months later.

That’s the type of player Talbot has been, one who will do anything to help his team win, and that endeared him all the more to Penguins’ fans.

Talbot has brought some of the grit and veteran presence that was lost in making the forwards corp a much younger group. He adds some of what had been missing since winger Ian Laperriere was lost with a skull fracture and severe concussion.

He has also thrown in some unexpected offense, having already surpassed his entire 2010-11 goal total – nine this year in 35 games, eight in 82 contests last year. On a club that came into the season with many question marks as to where the goals would come from after trading away Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, the importance of this kind of production cannot be stressed enough. 

Even though he had left, nothing could prepare supporters of the Pens for what Talbot said shortly after becoming a Flyer.

“It’s nice to be on the right side this time,” Talbot said via Flyers On The Fly on the club’s official site, regarding the ongoing bitter rivalry in the affectionately monikered ”Keystone Klash”. That’s right, apparently he now bleeds Orange-and-Black, also.

And don’t think for a second that the CONSOL Energy crowd will forget that, either.

Some have said the reason Pittsburgh is spelled with an “h” at the end is because it stands for ”home”. For Jagr and Talbot, two players who called Pittsburgh their home for so long, we shall see if that, indeed, holds true tonight.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Last night’s 5-1 debacle in Tampa Bay, in which the Philadelphia Flyers outshot the Lightning, 32-16, raised numerous questions to explore regarding the recent play of the orange-and-black.

Sure, there are a number of injuries, but just about every team is going through the same situation as Philly. After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins constant rotation of players between Wilkes Barre-Scranton and the ‘Burgh over the past two seasons, injuries cannot be used as an excuse.

After playing perhaps their most complete game of the season in a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on December 13, the Flyers barely held on for a 4-3 victory in Montreal two nights later. Things have gone downhill ever since.

Following a seven-game winning streak that pushed them to the apex of the Eastern Conference standings, the team has now dropped four of its last five contests (1-3-1). In the process, the New York Rangers have passed them for first place in the Atlantic Division, and with a win last night, those pesky Pittsburgh Penguins have tied them with 46 points. Philadelphia still maintains fourth place for the moment as a result of playing one fewer game than the Pens, but that could become a moot point when they face off against each another tomorrow night at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Along with a drop in the general level of team defense, the top-ranked Flyers’ offense has been almost non-existent in the last five outings. Philly has been collectively outscored, 18-9, during that stretch.

Bryzgalov Blows His Cool

The case of Ilya Bryzgalov’s first-year in Philadelphia has been a rather odd one, marred by wild streaks of inconsistency. After starting out the year with three straight wins – which included a shutout, something the Flyers failed to get from any netminders all of last season — the Russian goaltender dropped his next five decisions (0-4-1).

An unfettered Stamkos backhands the puck past Bryzgalov to give Tampa a 2-1 lead in the second period last night. (Photo credit: Chris O'Meara / Associated Press)

Bryzgalov then went on an 11-1-1 stretch and appeared to be coming out of the woods, but has proceeded to go 0-3-1 in his last four.

Last night’s performance against the Lightning may have been his worst outside of the ridiculous 9-8 horror show against the Winnipeg Jets in late-October. While the team exhibited several breakdowns in defensive zone coverages, Bryzgalov seemed out of position on many of the goals. He appeared to misplay angles, and Tampa shooters were able to hit their marks. This was particularly evident on Vincent Lecavalier’s snipe in the last minute of regulation in the third period, when the Bolts’ captain flipped a quick shot from the right circle that Bryzgalov appeared to be cheating too far the the near post. Lecavalier’s shot sailed over Bryzgalov’s stick side and hit the far corner.

The 31-year-old native of Togliatti, Russia has gone on record earlier in the year as saying he plays much better when “he’s more involved in the game”, or in other words, when he faces more shots on goal. Having yielded just 16 to the Lightning, Bryzgalov appeared to almost be hindered by rust, unprepared to aggressively take on the opposition’s shooter.

“I’m very comfortable,” Bryzgalov said of facing more shots after a 25-save December 8 home win over the Penguins. “Because during the game, you’re moving and facing the shots…your body is in action and your blood is pumping. Your body, you just know, you want the shots, you want to battle. Instead of when you’re just frozen. You can feel you’re toes and you’re like ‘oh my God.’ It’s a big difference. Sometimes you see the goalie, like, it’s tough to play for the goalies who don’t face lots of shots. It’s really tough. I know the difference (having played in Phoenix).”

After last night’s game at St. Pete Times Forum , Bryzgalov was noticeably irked, especially when asked what he thought of his play. His sarcastic “OUTSTANDING…”, then dropping an “F-bomb” on live cable television said more than enough about where his head is right now.

He’s frustrated, and it may be that he cannot get comfortable with seeing a paltry number of shots each night. Some goalies are like that, handling a 40-shot night much better than somewhere in the mid-teens. Martin Brodeur thrived in a situation where he saw few shots each night when he had the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Scott Stevens, and Ken Daneyko patrolling the New Jersey Devils blueline. The number of shutouts he recorded where he was called on to make less than 20 saves were numerous.

Another aspect that may be distracting the franchise goaltender is all of the camera time on HBO’s “24/7″ documentary lead-up to the Winter Classic on January 2. Bryzgalov has been called the “star” of the show so far, contemplating subjects as far-reaching as tigers and the meaning of life, all caught on camera for all to see. Maybe it will be a blessing when all of the hoopla surrounding the Classic ends early next week, and the team can just go back to concentrating on hockey, and Bryzgalov to doing what he does best, which is stopping the puck.

When all seems lost, the best course of action is to just go back to basics, and that point may be here for Bryzgalov.

JVR Playing Through Pain

Along with Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk was supposed to take his game to the next level and help offset some of the offense lost with the departures of scoring leaders Richards and Jeff Carter. With his play down the stretch last season and through the playoffs, the hope did not seem too far-fetched.

While JvR has shown signs of that player from time-to-time this year, he has struggled mightily as of late. With just one goal in his last six contests and three points in the last 11 (1 G, 2A), the second-overall pick in the 2007 draft has nine goals and 19 points in 30 games — a pace for 23 goals and 48 points, which would still be career highs.

But after missing four games at the beginning of the month with an abdominal injury, there could be reason to be concerned about the 22-year-old winger.

Remember the case of Mikael Renberg, the third member of the “Legion of Doom Line”, along with Eric Lindros and John LeClair. Renberg burst onto the scene in 1993-94, scoring 38 goals and 82 points as a 21-year-old rookie, then followed that up with a 26-goal, 57-point sophomore year in just 47 games during a lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign.

He endured an abdominal injury in his third season, and was never the same player again. No longer did Renberg cut to the net with reckless abandon, and he ended up being dealt after a couple more mediocre years.

This is not to say that van Riemsdyk will end up the same way, but more to point out that the Flyers would be wise to handle JvR with ultra-cautious care. Players with the combination of size and speed that he possesses do not come along every year, and it would be a shame to see van Riemsdyk follow the same course that Renberg tread.

(More after the page break)

Schenn Also Struggling

One of the biggest acquisitions in a summer of change for Paul Holmgren’s squad was snagging highly-regarded forward prospect Brayden Schenn, along with Wayne Simmonds, from the Los Angeles Kings in the Mike Richards trade.

After beginning the season in the AHL due in part to a shoulder injury suffered in preseason, as well as a clause in his contract where his salary was better able to fit into Philadelphia’s constrained cap situation, Schenn tore it up in Adirondack to the tune of 12 points (6 G, 6 A) in just seven games before being recalled to the big club in late-October.

His time in Philly ever since has been tenuous, at best. Schenn played in only four games before breaking his foot after blocking a shot in Montreal on October 26, causing him to miss the next 11 games. He was assigned to the Phantoms on November 22 for a rehab stint, then returned to the Flyers at the start of December. He saw action in just two more games before suffering a mild concussion, playing in his last game on December 3, and missing the next nine contests before returning last night.

Schenn has failed to produce a single point thus far, and has been on the minus side of the ledger in five of the seven games in which he has been healthy enough to appear. His -8 rating is second only to fellow rookie Harry Zolnierczyk’s -9.

The fifth overall selection in the 2009 entry draft has to not only attempt to create some offense soon, but also must try to do something he may not have any control over, and that is to remain healthy.

It would seem Schenn will not get any kind of positive momentum going with the constant movement in and out of the lineup, especially with nagging injuries tempering his effectiveness. His confidence has more then likely taken a hit since the good feeling of the summer and early stages of training camp as a result.

Let’s hope as the calendar turns to 2012 next week, it brings a healthier and more productive year for the 20-year-old that holds the key to how the Richards deal will ultimately be judged. While the now does not hold nearly as much as the future does where Schenn is concerned, his fragility may raise some concerns in the Flyers’ camp.

Where’s Danny?

Well, he did show up on the scoresheet with a game-high seven shots on goal, but Danny Briere was held without a point once again last night. It was the fourth time in his last five games the 34-year-old went without recording a point, and has registered just five in his last nine outings (3 G, 2 A).

Like the rest of his teammates, Briere has been banged up from time-to-time, missing three combined games with an upper body injury and a bruised hand. As the club’s highest-paid player at $6.5 million annually, the Flyers obviously need more from the Gatineau, Quebec-native than what they have been receiving.

After playing to mixed reviews in his first three campaigns following his signing as a free agent in 2007, things seemed to come together for Briere after being moved from the wing back to center. Playing between Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino, the line became the club’s most consistent offensive producers.

It was during Philadelphia’s improbable run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, in which he set a team record with 30 points (12 G, 18 A), that Briere really seemed to come into his own with the Flyers. He had been that player before in Buffalo, but it took him until that moment in time in Philly to justify the giant contract, which still has three seasons remaining after this year.

Last year’s totals of 34 goals and 68 points were a continuation of the output he put forth in the 2010 postseason, even if he did take the occasional bad stick infraction at the worst possible time of a game.

He has improved that part of his game of late, but once again has fallen on hard times offensively this year. With 10 goals and 15 assists in 32 games, Briere is on pace for 24 goals and 61 points — which would be his lowest totals since the inconsistent regular season of 2009-10.

Consistency has been lacking this season. Briere has eight different multiple point games, but has failed to string together any more than three consecutive contests with at least one point, which has occurred just once so far (early-December). He has failed to put up a point in 17 of the 32 contests in which he has played.

Which leads into the next point…

Struggling to Score Goals, the Flyers Are Becoming a One-Line Team

In addition to those slumping players referred to above, there are others that have played well without seeing the desired results:

• Jakub Voracek – After scoring goals in two of his first three games with the Flyers, it appeared the 22-year-old winger was just what the doctor ordered for a club that might have some difficulties putting the biscuit in the basket. But even though the seventh-overall pick in the 2007 entry draft has been creative with the puck and set up glorious scoring chances, he has managed to score just three more times himself over the last 32 contests. His 21 points rank Voracek sixth in team scoring, but more is expected of him, especially in the goal-scoring department.
• Matt Read – The preseason Calder Trophy prediction of TSN’s Bob McKenzie, Read has been excellent during his rookie campaign. His 11 goals tie him with Jaromir Jagr for third on the team, and he has scored at very opportune times, with the Flyers in need of a goal. But the 25-year-old former captain at Bemidji State has seen a drop off in production, as well. Read hasn’t scored a goal in the last nine games, totalling just three assists during that span. The good news is he is still getting numerous quality scoring chances, as was the case when he was robbed on a couple of great opportunities last night by Mathieu Garon.

Another rookie that has been out of the lineup, and the recent five-game skid has coincided with his absence, is Sean Couturier. The 19-year-old centerman started off the year at a much better scoring clip than expected. He is not only one of the more responsible players in his own end, Couturier had also been very creative in the offensive end of the rink. Even though he went through a 15-game drought with having failed to pick up a point and recorded just one assist in the last 17 contests before being struck in the head with a Kimmo Timonen slap shot, he had been promoted to the top line when Giroux suffered his concussion.

Couturier’s loss has been one of the biggest in a long line of injuries sustained by key Philadelphia skaters, and the 1-3-1 mark since he left the lineup may not be much of a coincidence.

With so many players failing to contribute, Philadelphia has become a one-line team, allowing opponents to key even more than usual on the line of Hartnell, Giroux, and Jagr.

Take all of the above factors and mesh them together, and it adds up to a bad stretch. Every team is subject to these skids, going through rough patches during a long regular season. As long as many of the issues resolve, Philadelphia should be just fine. Imagine how everyone would have felt knowing in advance the Flyers would be 21-10-4 after a summer overhaul. You would have to say people would have been elated.

And finally, some good news…

Giroux’s Was An Epic Return From Concussion

There are numerous ’return games’ referred to throughout the NHL, and most of them revolve around two players from the Western side of Pennsylvania.

The mere mention of a player having a great game when coming back from an injury conjures up all kinds of images of Mario Lemieux doing something once thought to be impossible. Most of Super Mario’s exploits are amazing, but his performances after returning from long layoffs — back injury, Hodgkins Disease, even retirement – are the stuff of legend.

This season, Lemieux’s Penguins’ protege, Sidney Crosby, pulled off something similar. After missing over 10 months with a concussion, ‘Sid the Kid’ made a triumphant return to the Pittsburgh lineup against the New York Islanders on November 21st. Scoring two goals and adding two assists, Crosby carried the Pens on his back to a 5-0 victory over the Isles.

The heroics of Crosby’s comeback in late-November have since been overshadowed by his recurrence of concussion-like symptoms that have again placed him on the shelf, and his future is in doubt.

A team from the other side of the ‘Keystone State’ had a strikingly similar occurence last Wednesday night in Dallas. That’s when the Flyers decided to bring their leading scorer, Giroux, back after sitting out the previous four games with a concussion suffered in a freak accident when clipped by Simmonds’ knee during a 5-2 win at the Wells Fargo Center on December 10.

Though not injured as seriously as either Crosby or Lemieux and not out of the lineup for nearly as long, the diminutive Giroux still gave fans in Philadelphia quite a thrill in his first game back.

The rest of the field used Giroux’s absence to tie him for the NHL’s scoring lead — Toronto’s Phil Kessel, Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin, and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin had all tied Giroux for the top spot with 39 points as of the time of his return.

After watching Michael Ryder give the Stars a 1-0 lead in the game’s first minute, the rest of the night belonged to Giroux and the Flyers. The 23-year-old wizard scored the next goal, then proceeded to assist on three others as Philadelphia skated to a 4-1 victory.

The game further cemented Giroux’s status as one of the game’s rising young superstars, as well as pointing out the fact that he is just as important an offensive cog to the Flyers attack as any other player is to their respective team in the League today.

On a night where Giroux turned Dallas into ‘Big G’ for just a few short hours, his four-point night in a comeback game will be a part of Flyers’ lore for years to come.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Already with top defenseman Chris Pronger absent from the lineup with concussion-like symptoms, many had their eyes on the Verizon Center in Washington Tuesday night to see how the Philadelphia Flyers would react to the loss of Claude Giroux. After all, the NHL’s leading scorer has been one of the central keys to the team’s success thus far. 

The question of just how these Flyers would deal with yet another bout of adversity in a season looking as if it will test the very boundaries of their resiliency were answered quite emphatically with a dominating 5-1 victory in the nation’s capital. 

(AP Photo / Nick Wass)

In winning their sixth straight contest, the Flyers increased their lead to three points over both the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, who both lost, for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conferences leads.

It helped the cause that Washingon goaltender Tomas Vokoun had a brutal night between the pipes for the Capitals, but he was the only one bearing gifts. Only garnering one power play on the night, Philadelphia did all of their damage at even strength.

GM Paul Holmgren has from time to time come under some amount of scrutiny for his constant battle with staying within NHL mandated salary cap limits, including from yours truly on the odd occasion. But unlike many other general managers that find themselves in a similar situation, Holmgren seems to have the attained a near-perfect offensive balance with his roster. Last night’s contest was proof-positive:

• There were five different goal scorers and 13 different skaters recorded at least one point in the triumph, with only Matt Carle and James van Riemsdyk picking up more than one. Both had two assists.
• 16 of the 18 skaters registered at least one shot on goal, with Jaromir Jagr and Kimmo Timonen being the only two not to send a puck onto the Washington net.
• Three of the five goals were initiated with a shot by a defenseman from the point, with two being deflected in by Flyers, and Marc-Andre Bourdon picking up his first career NHL goal.
• Scott Hartnell scored a goal in his sixth consecutive game, tying Nashville’s Patric Hornqvist for the League’s longest streak of the season. A rejuvenated Hartnell now has 15 goals and 27 points in 29 games, and leads the club with a +18 rating.
• Wayne Simmonds scored a goal in a career-high third straight game. After going through a seven game goalless drought, the big winger has goals in four of the last five contests.
• Even the oft-scratched Jody Shelley got into the act last night, picking up an assist for his first point since January 14, 2011 in Atlanta.

One of the biggest components to the Flyers’ success has been the speed added to the forward position by Holmgren over the summer, and the fit with Peter Laviolette’s system is like hand in glove. The youth and jump of Matt Read, Sean Couturier, Harry Zolnierczyk, and Zac Rinaldo, along with the tenacity exhibited by all has been a much-welcomed change from last season. Offseason acquisitions Jakub Voracek and Simmonds also have been invaluable.

While the absence of Giroux will most-certainly sting, it appears as if the Flyers’ scoring attack will be just fine as he takes time to recover.

Did Holmgren Sign The Correct UFA Goalie?

It was a tremendous team effort all the way around, and nearly resulted in a shutout for Ilya Bryzgalov. The first-year Flyer stopped 31 of 32 Caps’ shots, yielding a late third period tally by Jeff Halpern with the outcome of the game already determined. Having won 11 of his last 13 decisions (11-1-1) since October 27th, Bryzgalov has run his record to a stellar 14-5-2 on the season.

Having gotten out of the gates slowly this year, many pundits panned the Bryzgalov signing. At $51 million over nine years, many experts lambasted Holmgren for not going with a much cheaper option in Vokoun, who ended up inking a one-year, $1.5 million pact over the summer.

The Czech-born netminder’s shaky performance last night accentuated what Washington has endured for most of the season, the fact that Vokoun — who has had some decent starts and currently has a 12-8-0 record – has been inconsistent all year. The weak goals allowed on shots from Hartnell and Max Talbot were absolute back-breakers for a team in desperate need of big saves. The Capitals had won their last two games for new head coach Dale Hunter, but Vokoun’s tendency for allowing soft goals didn’t give them much of a chance against the Flyers.

While Bryzgalov and Vokoun have very similar goals-against averages (2.75, 2.70, respectively) and save percentages (.901, .910, respectively), the quality of the goals yielded have differed greatly. Bryzgalov was the victim of numerous pinball goals early in the year, leading to an inflated GAA and poor save percentage. Last night’s showing is typical of the types of goals that Vokoun has allowed.

For all of his critics, it looks like Holmgren made the correct choice. Except for one 0-4-1 stretch in mid-October Bryzgalov has been solid for the Flyers, and for a team that underwent so much change in the offseason, that is a necessity. Especially with the poor history of the position in recent years in Philadelphia.

The Road Warriors

With the win in D.C., the Flyers now boast the NHL’s best record away from home at 11-3-1. 

Here’s an interesting tidbit from the Flyers’ PR department:

Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Flyers have never had 11 wins in their first 15 road games before this season. The previous high was the 1979-80 season, when the Flyers were 9-1-5 through the first 15 road games. The Flyers are on pace for 30 road wins, which would shatter the franchise record of 24 road wins set in 2002-03. That year, the Flyers were 8-4-3 through their first 15 road games.

Hard to imagine that with the storied history of the club’s franchise that the team would be on such a pace in a year viewed by many experts to be a season of transition in the City of Brotherly Love.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

The Flyers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2 tonight, but there should be a guarded enthusiasm that goes along with the victory. NHL leading scorer Claude Giroux and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov each left the game early with injuries.

Giroux, who assisted on two second period goals, was accidentally kneed in the head by teammate Wayne Simmonds, who tried to jump over the center to avoid a collision. Giroux stayed on the ice for some time, holding his head, before skating slowly to the bench. He remained at the end of the bench until there was approimately one minute left in the middle stanza, then headed down the tunnel to the locker room.

“Yeah, he kind of fell and he was right in front of me so I tried to jump over him,” Simmonds said after the game.  “I couldn’t really feel it, you know,  it was kind of fast. I just kept trying to go, and then I turned around and he was still on the ice there. So, obviously I was worried about him.”

Linemate Jaromir Jagr wasn’t seeing the possibly dire situation regarding Giroux.

“I think he’s going to be OK, he’s a tough guy,” Jagr said after the game. “I don’t worry about him, I think he’s going to be back.”

The 39-year-old Jagr continued.

“I don’t think he’s going to be out,” he said. “I don’t even want to think about it, but I don’t think he’s going to be out. That’s my prediction. If he is, maybe  one or two games, no more. I think maybe one or two just to be careful, hopefully. When I asked him I thought he was going to play, I didn’t know he was going to sit the third period. But, of course, you have to be careful with players like that, but I think he should be fine. Hopefully I’m not wrong.”

GM Paul Holmgren addressed the media after the game. “Claude was obviously injured late in the second period,” he said. “He was evaluated by our doctors and held out for precautionary reasons in the third period, and we’ll evaluate him tomorrow and see how he is.”

When Giroux did not return for the third period, rookie Sean Couturier skated in Giroux’s vacant spot centering Jagr and Scott Hartnell.

After the game, Peter Laviolette spoke about the job done by Couturier.

“Well right now, anything involving Claude is just speculation, but to comment on Sean’s game I thought that he did a really nice job in the third period,” the coach said of his 19-year-old rookie. “We double shifted him between that line and his line; you know young kid, lots of energy. He played extremely well, and I think that’s a real positive for our team.”

Couturier had numerous quality chances, but was robbed several times by Lightning goaltender Mathieu Garon.

“I thought young Sean stepped in and did an admirable job,” Holmgren said. “He probably could have had a hat trick during that third period.”

With both Chris Pronger (concussion-like symptoms) and Brayden Schenn (mild concussion) already out with head injuries, and defensemen Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery) and Andreas Lilja (high ankle sprain) out for an extended period, the sick ward is filling up rapidly in Philly.

Bryzgalov may just be joining the group in the M*A*S*H unit. The club’s number one netminder left the game during a television timeout with 13:01 left in the third period, and the Flyers leading, 4-2.

“Ilya, it’s an injury issue, lower body, (it happened) during the third,” said Holmgren. “We don’t think it’s anything serious.  It’s an off-day tomorrow for the player I would assume that he will be fine for our next game.”

While there is much to be concerned with regarding the club’s injury woes, Holmgren kept things in perspective.

“It is a part of the game,” he said. “Pittsburgh played their game tonight without (Kris) Letang, without (Sidney) Crosby, without (Jordan) Staal.  I mean, everybody goes through injury issues, we’re just through our share right now.”

The Game

Briere celebrates first period goal with Voracek and Meszaros. (AP Photo / Matt Slocum)

The game, itself, was a typical contest for the Orange-and-Black lately. They got off to an extremely slow start in the first period, falling behind on a Ryan Shannon goal, then came out like gang-busters to commence the second.

Simmonds made a nice play at center ice to create a turnover that led to a two-on-rush with Danny Briere the other way. Briere finished off the sequence, beating Mathieu Garon top shelf for his ninth goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1.

Just 34 seconds later, Hartnell sent a pass over to Giroux, who hit Jagr. The Czech superstar ripped a one-timer high over Garon’s glove for his 10th of the year to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. It was also the 656th of his career, tying him for 11th place on the NHL’s all-time leading goal scoring list with Brendan Shanahan.

With just over five minutes left in the middle frame, Simmonds would strike for one of his own with Vincent Lecavalier in the sin bin. After taking a pass from Giroux to the right of Garon, Simmonds attempted a hard backhand pass out in front. The puck hit off of defenseman Brett Clark’s skate and caromed past his goaltender and into the net for a 3-1 Philadelphia lead heading into the third period. After a recent nine-game goalless drought, it was the second in three games for Simmonds, and seventh of the season.

“Yeah, you know he (Simmonds) doesn’t play in an easy area,” Laviolette said. “It usually comes with a cross-check and a punch to the head, and you’ve got to be willing to take that. So you have to give him credit for standing in the tough areas, but he was able handle the pass, bring it to the net.”

Laviolette said the Simmonds goal is a designed play. Well, sort of.

“We’ve actually been working on that play, not necessarily to bank it off the defenseman’s skate, but you know when you bring pucks to the net, good things happen and he got the reward of that.”

Lecavalier would tally a power play goal of his own — his 11th this year — just 55 seconds into the third, but Matt Carle answered with a man advantage goal, his fourth goal of the year, four minutes later to restore the two-goal lead for the Flyers.

Hartnell iced the game with 28 seconds remaining in regulation, hitting the empty net with Garon pulled or an extra attacker. Jagr had a chance to pass Shanahan on the list, but instead hit Hartnell.

With the five goals, Philadelphia became the first team to top the 100-goal mark for the year (101).

Giroux’s two assists increased his lead in the scoring race to three points over Toronto’s Phil Kessel. Giroux now has 39 points for the season.

Bryzgalov held the Flyers in the game during a lopsided first period, and even though he could not finish out the game, won for the 10th time in his last 12 decisions (10-1-1). His season record is now an impressive 13-5-2.

Most importantly with the win — their fifth consecutive, by the way — Philadelphia stayed one point ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference leads.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

With captain Chris Pronger and forward Brayden Schenn already out with head injuries, the last thing the Philadelphia Flyers needed was another headache.  The very last thing the team needed with their top defenseman on the shelf indefinitely was to have the NHL’s leading scorer, Claude Giroux join him on the sidelines.

But that may be exactly what happened Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Already having notched two assists in helping the Flyers to a 3-1 lead late in the second period, Giroux was shaken up in a collision with teammate, Wayne Simmonds. Giroux had fallen to the ice, and the big winger attempted to jump over Giroux to avoid him. But Simmonds’ knee hit Giroux in the head, and Philadelphia’s MVP stayed on the ice for a few moments before skating slowly to the bench.

Giroux stayed on the end of the bench — obviously shaken up — until there was about one minute left in the middle frame, at which time he went down the tunnel to the locker room.

Giroux did not come out for the start of the third period, and rookie Sean Couturier skated in his place on the line with Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. There has been no official word on any injury from the club.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

It has been a strange road trip, indeed, for the Philadelphia Flyers. Four games in 12 days starting in New York, then a five-day gap in between the first and second games; proceeding with back-to-back contests on the West coast, and after a three day gap between games three and four, closing the trip in New York this coming Wednesday. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention; the first and last games of this peculiar odyssey include back-to-back games, with one each having a game attached at the Wells Fargo Center.

And Gulliver thought his travels were unique.

After defeating the Montreal Canadiens on Black Friday at home, the Flyers ventured to Madison Square Garden the next day to take on their arch nemesis wearing the Broadway Blue. In a very physical affair, Philly was able to muster as many goals against Henrik Lundqvist as they did during their previous visit to MSG late in the regular season last spring — that being none.

The 2-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Rangers was a bitter way to begin the current trip.

Things didn’t look much better for the Orange-and-Black in Anaheim on Friday night, either, as the goal drought continued well into the latter stages of the second period. Philly trailed after the first period, the fifth time in the last six games they were behind after the opening 20 minutes.

With seven Flyer rookies in the lineup and Bruce Boudreau making his Ducks debut behind the bench, Anaheim was cruising along with a seemingly safe 3-0 lead late in the middle frame.

Giroux and Briere celebrate Giroux's game-winning power play goal in overtime Friday night in Anaheim. (Photo credit: Jeff Gross / Getty Images)

That’s when the struggling Flyers’ power play unit got things rolling. Without Chris Pronger’s heavy shot from the point, the unit had been highly ineffective.

But the man advantage would yield three goals on this night. Jaromir Jagr, who just returned from a groin injury, scored one late in the middle frame, then added a second early in the third. Scott Hartnell tallied an even strength goal late in regulation to send the game into sudden death, and it was Claude Giroux who dealt the death blow with a one-timer while on the man advantage midway through the extra stanza.

Even though Anaheim has been in the throes of some horrific play, it was still an important victory for Philadelphia. They showed they could overcome a notoriously bad start, scratch and claw their way back in, and take the two points when it didn’t look possible.

The strong play late Friday carried over into Saturday’s game in Phoenix, as the Flyers turned around some pretty stark trends in a first period against the Coyotes.

Heading into the contest, Philly had been outscored 11-2 in the first over the course of their previous six games, and Phoenix, conversely, had yielded just 10 goals in the first all year.

That’s why they actually play the games.

Philadelphia torched starter Mike Smith for four goals in the opening period, on their way to a 4-2 triumph. It was especially surprising because the Coyotes were resting, waiting for the Flyers to arrive the day after their game in Anaheim.

But it was the Philly players who looked much more fresh and rested.

The Flyers again had seven rookies in their lineup against the ‘Yotes, and Matt Read — who had been so vital to the club’s success over a stretch, but had been quiet in recent games – would provide the spark by scoring a goal and adding two assists. The power play was once again a prime factor, as it clicked for two goals in three man advantage opportunities on the evening.

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov beat his former teammates for a second straight time and was solid all night, making 36 saves.

It has to bring some level of heightened satisfaction to the first-year Flyer to have knocked off his old team, particularly because of the criticism tossed his way before their initial meeting in Philadelphia on November 17. Read was instrumental in the outcome of that contest as well, as he scored with just 18.2 seconds left in regulation to provide Bryzgalov and the Flyers with a hard-fought 2-1 decision on that night.

Bryzgalov raises his glove in triumph after defeating his former teammates in Phoenix Saturday. (Photo credit: Norm Hall / NHLI via Getty Images)

Just Say Bryz

For all of the criticism Bryzgalov has taken for his sometimes inconsistent play this season, he has quietly posted a sparkling 7-1-1 record in his last nine decisions since an October 27th 9-8 horror show against the Winnipeg Jets in which he was tagged with the loss.

He has run his record to a more than respectable 10-5-2, with a goals-against average of 2.83 and a save percentage that has finally reached .900. After the debacle with the Jets, it has taken an elongated period for the 2010 Vezina Trophy candidate to get his numbers back in line.

Bryzgalov played in both ends of the back-to-back games over the past weekend, the first such time he has done so this year. With the excellent results — beating both of his former teams in the process – it wouldn’t be surprising to see it happen again, specifically with the team trying to get their franchise goalie on a roll.

Balanced Scoring Attack

After being blanked by Lundqvist and the Rangers at the beginning of the sojourn, the Flyers have been won the last two games via scoring by committee. Jagr has two goals and four points in the two contests, Danny Briere and Kimmo Timonen each have four assists, leading scorer Giroux and Hartnell each have two goals and an assist, and Read has contributed a goal and two helpers.

Speaking of Timonen’s Assists …

Even though he has not scored a goal this year, Timonen has been a solid contributor to the club’s offensive efforts. With four assists in the last two contests, the defenseman now has 17 helpers in 25 Flyers games this season – tying him for the team lead with Giroux, and placing him right around the top-10 for the NHL lead.

Timonen also has the most assists in the League by any player who has yet to score a goal.

Scheduling A Good Thing For The Defense To Rest

Perhaps the unbalanced scheduling by the League has actually been a blessing in disguise for the Flyers. With three injuries they have sustained to their corp of blueliners, a grueling journey with games every other night could have been lethal at this juncture.

With Pronger (knee surgery), Andreas Lilja (high ankle sprain), and Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery) all out for an extended period, the top four defensemen have seen an inordinate amount of ice time:

• Braydon Coburn has averaged over 25 minutes per game on the trip thus far, including 28:03 against the Rangers in the first contest away from Philadelphia.
• Matt Carle has seen an average of over 23 minutes of time on ice in the trio of games, including 24:56 Saturday night in Phoenix.
• Andrej Meszaros has seen the least amount of time of the foursome, averaging nearly 22 minutes per game. It was of great concern when he was shaken up late in the tilt against the Coyotes, getting up slowly after taking a heavy hit along the boards from Phoenix fire plug Raffi Torres. The club has said Meszaros will be available for the game Wednesday in Buffalo.
• 36-year-old Timonen has been on the ice for nearly 24 minutes in each of the three road games, with a high of 25:35 in Anaheim on Friday. Though gathering his share of bumps and bruises along the way, Timonen has seemingly turned back the hands of time. He’s been playing some of his best hockey over the past calendar year. 

There is no doubt the amount of days off between stretches of games has helped these four regroup for the next series of contests.

The group, which had looked so deep early on in the season, has looked suspect at times. Gustafsson had been so solid in the five games since his recall from Adirondack when Pronger originally went out of the lineup with a mysterious virus, so his loss shortly after was costly. In the absence of the pair, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Kevin Marshall were recalled from the Phantoms.

Bourdon has played well over 11 minutes per game on the trip, and Marshall nearly eight.

One issue has been the fact there are two more healthy bodies in Adirondack who have been trapped there because of having to clear re-entry waivers. Matt Walker and Oskars Bartulis could come in handy in spelling the big four for a rest, but any recall could see them claimed by another team — with the Flyers footing half of their remaining salary. The situation got so dire the team called Walker up last week, and the 31-year-old cleared. The team was so overjoyed, Walker was scratched for the two games since his return to the club.

With a break in the calendar that began yesterday and continues through tomorrow — before the Flyers play the Sabres in Buffalo Wednesday before returning home to play Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins for the first time this season on Thursday – now is the time for the defense to rest.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

Claude Giroux scored two goals and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 23 shots as the Philadelphia Flyers topped the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 in a Black Friday matinee at the Wells Fargo Center.

Bobrovsky and Giroux celebrate the 3-1 triumph over the Canadiens. (Photo credit: Paul Bereswill / Getty Images)

After a first period in which it appeared they may have had a Thanksgiving Day food hangover, Philadelphia turned on the jets in the second and kept their feet on the accelerator the rest of the way.  The Flyers mustered just five shots against Carey Price in the opening frame, and entered the second period trailing 1-0 on a Petteri Nokelainen goal late in the first.

Peter Laviolette was obviously and justifiably displeased with his team’s play, and had some choice words for his club during the first intermission.  After the Flyers were outshot in the first, 8-5, Philly thoroughly dominated the rest of the game, recording a 31-16 shot count over the last two periods.  Included in that total was an 18-5 margin in a decisive second stanza.

As is so often the case, Giroux got Philadelphia’s dormant offense kick-started in the latter stages of the middle period.  He one-timed a shot from along the right wing goal line, which caromed from an impossible angle off the derriere of Price and into the net for his 12th of the season, tying the game at 1-1 with 6:49 remaining.  Defenseman Matt Carle started the play by sending a shot from the left point wide of the goal and off the boards at the other side of the net to Giroux, who has been compared to Mario Lemieux on occasion by injured teammate Jaromir Jagr.  This was one of those instances, as Lemieux used the bank shot off the goalie many times during his illustrious career.

“He’s (Price’s) a good goalie, and he’s having a good season, too,” Giroux said after the game.  ”It was important for us to shoot as many pucks as we could.  When you have a good, hot goalie you have to shoot from everywhere.”

Jakub Voracek, who filled in for Jagr on the right side of the line with Giroux and Scott Hartnell, had an excellent game, and would give Philadelphia the lead.  Giroux weaved through the Montreal zone, dangling the puck as Canadiens’ defenders chased in futility, then sent the puck to Kimmo Timonen.  The 36-year-old Finn skated around the net and sent a pass through the slot that Voracek stepped into at the left circle, blistering a one-timer past Price at 17:45 for what would prove to be the eventual game-winner.

Even though he has been contributing offensively in other ways – he’s assisted on 12 goals in 22 games – it was just Voracek’s fourth goal of the year, and first in eight games.

In the waning moments of the second, Philadelphia was mounting pressure on the Montreal net.  Marc-Andre Bourdon, filling in for injured defensemen Chris Pronger and Erik Gustafsson, delayed coming off of the ice before going for a change in order to keep the puck in the offensive zone.  Following a Price save on a Braydon Coburn point shot, the puck bounced to Giroux at the bottom of the left circle, where he sent another wicked-angle shot past Price – this time beating him cleanly – with just 5.9 ticks left on the second period clock.

The difference in the Flyers effort and play from the first period as compared to the rest of the afternoon was like night and day – and Laviolette’s first intermission ire may have played a big part in that process.

“It was a good thing,” Giroux said of the coach’s much-needed words.  ”I think guys weren’t ready and weren’t focused (in the first).  I don’t know what was the case, but I think at home we haven’t played as well as we wanted since the start of the season.   Obviously after the second and third, we kind of played the way we should have.  We kind of took control of the game in the second period.”

Laviolette reciprocated the praise for Giroux – who is tied for second in the League with James Neal of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 13 goals, and just one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs Phil Kessel’s 30 for the scoring lead - as the center continues his ascendency into the NHL’s elite.

“When you start talking about being a top player on your team and being a top player in the league,” the coach noted regarding his improvement each season, and moving towards the head of the players in the game.  ”This year, I think he has really spread his wings.  It goes back to the playoffs two years ago (when the Flyers made the Stanley Cup Finals).  He really showed what he was capable of doing on the ice. He was consistently one of our top forwards and now he is one of the top forwards in the game.”

When all was said and done, Laviolette’s admiration of Giroux was unmistakable.

“This is a talented guy that I am talking about,” he said of his scoring leader.  ”There is a lot of skill there.  To me, one of his greatest attributes is his competitiveness, every inch of ice he fights for.  You can just see it, its visible.  Sometimes somebody can be a great player and you’re not really sure how they do it.  For me, you can visibly see what he does on the ice, how much he wants it and how hard he works for it.”

It’s no secret in Philadelphia that Giroux is becoming an NHL superstar, but others around the League are taking notice.

“I think he is a tremendous player,” said Habs’ head coach Jacques Martin after the game.  ”I think he keeps getting better year after year.  Now he has become a leader on this team.”

The club’s much-beleagured penalty killing unit was perfect today, snuffing out all five Montreal opportunities with the man advantage.

“The penalty kill definitely did a good job,” said Laviolette, noting how they got stronger as the game progressed – even resulting in several shorthanded scoring chances for his shorthanded unit.  ”In the second period they were sharp.  They (the Canadiens) didn’t get a chance to set up much.  There were some opportunities going the other way where we could have scored some goals.  We were just a little bit more on our toes in the third period.”

Bobrovsky gets over to make tremendous stop on Cole in third period. (Photo credit: AP Photo / Matt Slocum)

Bobrovsky got the start today after shutting the New York Islanders in relief of Ilya Bryzgalov Wednesday night in the come-from-behind victory on Long Island.  Though he ended the evening with just 24 shots faced, there were many of the tough variety.

“I think his best save probably came in the third period,” said Laviolette of the stop on Erik Cole.  ”It was three-on-one, on the cross-ice play off the rush that they have.  He came across with a low pad and was able to make a save.”

“He was sharp, handled the puck well and gave us an opportunity to win,” the coach said of Bobrovsky.  ”Especially in the first period, the chances were heavy in their (Montreal’s) favor.”

While the stop on Cole was huge, it wasn’t the only big one in the final frame.  Earlier in the period, Bobrovsky quickly kicked out his left pad to stop a Brian Gionta deflection at point blank range.

Price played well, also, finishing with 33 saves on 36 shots.  He had completely frustrated the Flyers for the entire first half of the game, and even made some more incredible stops that gave his teammates a chance to get closer.  His diving glove stop on a Voracek one-timer that was ticketed for the corner looked like a sure goal.

Injured List Continues to Grow

Forward James van Riemsdyk and defenseman Andreas Lilja’s names were added to an ever-growing list of injured Flyers.

The announcement was made before game time that van Riemsdyk was out with an upper-body injury, and would miss one-to-two weeks.

Lilja left the game early in the third period, leaving an injury-depleted blueline another man short, who are already missing Pronger (virus) and Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery),  After the game, GM Paul Holmgren told the media that “Lilja has a high-ankle sprain, and would likely miss the next six weeks.”

Look for Kevin Marshall, who was recalled for one game earlier in the week and returned to the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms, to make a return to the Flyers.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

It’s hard to imagine that throughout the storied 43-year history of the Philadelphia Flyers, there could actually be on-ice occurrences that could still be considered ‘firsts’.  The team has won two Stanley Cups, had numerous All-Star performers, even placing several in the hallowed walls of Hockey’s Hall of Fame.  The franchise has iced winners of the Vezina, Hart, and Conn Smythe Trophies.

Yet there have been three awards that have eluded their players – the Art Ross Trophy for the NHL’s leading scorer, the Calder Memorial Trophy for the Rookie-of-the-Year, and the Lady Byng Trophy, given out to the skater determined to have “exhibited the most sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct”.

The 44th edition of the Flyers could prove to be a very special one, indeed.  With the strong early-season play of Claude Giroux and two rookie forwards, Matt Read and Sean Couturier, the Flyers droughts with regards to all three awards could all come to an end this year.

Philly has had several close calls for the Art Ross – including Eric Lindros finishing the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season in a tie with Jaromir Jagr, but losing out because Jagr had scored three more goals, despite playing in two fewer games than the then-Pittsburgh Penguins superstar.

As the season nears the 20-game mark, Giroux appears to be a contender for the League’s top-scoring honors.  He has 23 points (11 G, 12 A) in the first 18 contests, which includes six multi-point efforts.  He’s tied for third in NHL scoring, just two points behind Toronto Maple Leafs’ forward Phil Kessel.

The 23-year-old native of Hearst, Ontario has accepted added responsibilities with the departures of team scoring leaders Jeff Carter and Mike Richards.  He’s leading all Philadelphia forwards in ice time, playing in every situation possible.  Giroux is the catalyst that drives the Flyers’ power play unit, and also one of their top penalty killing forwards.  His dynamic offensive skill set often presents scoring chances even when the team is shorthanded.

One of the keys to success for Giroux is he is shooting the puck much more than he has in the past.  During his second full NHL campaign last year, he registered career-highs in both shots on goal (169) and goals scored (25), both of which look to fall this season.  Giroux is on pace for in excess of 200 shots and 40+ goals.

If the Flyers played in the Southeast Division, Giroux might be a lock to head the NHL scoring list since he would get to play the Carolina Hurricanes more often.  In just two games against Carolina this year, he has torched the ‘Canes for two goals and seven points.

Another determining factor as to how well Giroux fares in the scoring race could be the health of Jagr, who suffered a “lower body injury” (believed to be a groin pull) early in the club’s game Thursday.  Giroux and the talented 39-year-old Czech have developed an uncanny chemistry, and have formed the Flyers’ most productive offensive line with Scott Hartnell on the left side.

As one of the most valuable members of the Flyers, Giroux may even be a year-end candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy as League MVP – an award that hasn’t been won by a Flyer since Lindros took it home in the lockout year of ’94-’95.

There have been some serious Flyers’ challenges for the Calder – the names of Bill Barber (and where have you gone, Steve Vickers?), Ron Hextall (runner-up to deserved winner Luc Robitaille), Lindros (just so happened to be a rookie the same year Teemu Selanne electrified the NHL with a record-setting freshman season), and Mikael Renberg immediately come to mind.   From the current roster, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was in early contention last season before his play fell off during the last half.

As many Philadelphia-area hockey fans already know, TSN hockey guru Bob McKenzie made a bold prediction in the preseason that Read would end up being the 2012 Calder winner via Twitter.  The call was made following a very impressive exhibition season from the 25-year-old, and he has done nothing in the regular season to quell McKenzie’s prognostication.  In fact, it would seem he has only strengthened his position.

Despite missing three games after taking a hard hit a couple of weeks ago, Read has come back with a vengeance.  He has notched four points in the four games since his return heading into today’s tilt with the Winnipeg Jets, including spectacular goals in each of the last three contests.

In Miami last Sunday, he scored a third period shorthanded goal on a penalty shot, which proved to be the eventual game-winner in a 3-2 win over the Panthers.

The next night in Carolina, his highlight-reel tally late in the third period – diving to swat home a pass while at full speed, which ended with him crashing violently into the end boards - provided the club with an insurance marker in a 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes.

Thursday night, his goal off of a Max Talbot rebound with just 18.6 seconds remaining in regulation time was the game-winner in a 2-1 triumph over the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Ilderton, Ontario-native was very modest afterwards in describing the goal.  ”Just being in the right spot at the right time, I guess,” he said with a wide smile and almost embarrassed laugh.

That’s three very important third period goals in the last three contests, with two being the game-winning markers.  Certainly a tremendous contribution from the Bemidji State University star, who shows his value game-in and game-out, playing in every conceivable situation – power play, penalty kill.  You name it.  If he can maintain his pace set with his 11 points 6 G, 5 A) in 15 games played thus far, Read could very well be considered Calder material.

While the goals Couturier has scored haven’t had quite the same dramatic impact on the ultimate outcome of games as Read’s, the same can be said for the versatility of the soft-spoken youngster, who doesn’t turn 19 until the first week of December.

With five goals and eight points in his first 18 contests, Couturier will likely be hard-pressed to garner strong Calder consideration.  But his work in the defensive end is extraordinary, and it was evident that he could play at this level from the earliest stages of training camp.  He was not only rewarded for a exceptional exhibition season play by making the opening night roster, he was given important ice time against the Bruins in the opening game in Boston by head coach Peter Laviolette.  Couturier saw significant time in the last five minutes while protecting a 2-1 lead, including during the last minute in the eventual win.

Already part of the top four penalty killing forwards along with Giroux, Read, and Talbot, Couturier has even been seeing some time on power play unit.

It would seem the Selke Trophy (NHL’s top defensive forward), which was last taken home by a Flyer 25 years ago (Dave Poulin), could also be something on the radar for the rookie when all is said and done.

After strenuously earning the monicker of the Broad Street Bullies in the early-70′s, the Lady Byng has never been a serious consideration for anyone donning the Orange-and-Black.  Our friends at Flyers Faithful have even incorporated the phrase “Waiting with bated breath for a Flyer to win the Lady Byng” in their site’s banner.

That wait could be over.

Both Couturier and Read play the game with a determined ferocity, yet do so in a respectful manner.  Each have picked up just a solitary minor penalty all season; Couturier’s being a tripping infraction in game number 17, and Read’s an interference call on October 15th.

If Philadelphia continues to be a leading team in the overall standings throughout the year and finish near the top of the heap, it stands to reason that all three players will have a great opportunity for postseason honors.  That generally is a major factor in the voting for such awards, especially the Hart and Lady Byng awards.

Could Giroux show the League some Hart?  How about Read for the Calder?  And could the unthinkable actually happen?  A Flyer, perhaps Couturier, capturing the Lady Byng?

It could be a special season, indeed.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle

By David Strehle
NHL Hot Stove Managing Editor

When the Philadelphia Flyers inked forward Maxime Talbot to a five-year, $9 million free agent contract in July, it seemed that he got caught in the cross-fire of Pennsylvania’s ever-volatile hockey rivalry – it seemed that fans from neither side in the Keystone Klash had anything good to say about the 5′ 11″, 190-pound centerman.

Fans from Pittsburgh - already smarting over what they deemed to be a huge diss from Jaromir Jagr in turning down the Penguins offer to instead sign with the Flyers earlier in the day - saw it as yet another act of betrayal by one of their own.  Like Jagr, Talbot had won a Stanley Cup in the Steel City, but now the pair would be donning the Orange-and-Black of their most-hated arch enemy.  Pittsburgh supporters voiced their displeasure on social websites such as Twitter and Facebook, and other hockey-based message boards.

Instead of a joyous reception from the City of Brotherly Love, there was also an air of aversion from fans to the East.  “How could Paul Holmgren do this?  Talbot’s not worth that much, and we’ve already got Blair Betts!” was a frequently-seen tirade throughout the day on Twitter and Facebook, as well as other hockey-based message boards.

Talbot celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes October 29, 2011. (Photo credit: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

There was no secret that Talbot has made his professional living as a ‘glue guy’ and defensive specialist.  He’ll agitate and sacrifice his body, all for the ultimate good of the team.  

Look no further than the 2008-09 playoffs with the Flyers, and the pummelling he took from Dan Carcillo in somehow turning the series around for proof.

Talbot’s never been known as a big-time goal scorer, except for maybe in the 2002-03 season with the Hull Olympiques of the QMJHL.  Talbot scored 46 times in 69 games that year, but during his time in the NHL, his career-high total in goals is just 13 (during the 2006-07 campaign) and 26 points (during 2007-08).

But this season Talbot is providing the Flyers with everything the team had expected, plus some additional offense.

After starting off the season with just one goal and three points in his first nine games – usual offensive output numbers for Talbot – he has recorded four goals and six points in the last seven games. 

As a matter of fact, the Lemoyne, Quebec-native is in the club’s top 10 in both goals scored and points.  In 16 games, Talbot has five goals (tied for fifth on the team) and nine points (good for eighth overall in Flyers scoring).  That’s a pace for 25 goals and 45 points, which would both nearly double his previous career-high totals.

He even scored on a penalty shot two weeks ago on New Jersey Devils goaltender Johan Hedberg, his first such successful forray in his second career opportunity.

And he fared much better in this one.

“Yeah, well it’s the second one of my career,” Talbot said after the November 3rd game.  ”I had one last year or two years ago and missing that by about five feet, it was nice to have a second chance and actually put it in the net.”

If you notice in photos taken of him throughout his NHL career, you will find more often than not Talbot has a black eye or some kind of other visible mark left from laying it all out on the line for his teammates.

Talbot has shown the aspect of what he will do in order to help Philadelphia win games all year. 

On October 27 against the Winnipeg Jets, Talbot blocked a point shot while killing a penalty.  The shot hit him on the inside of the ankle, and he went right off the ice and hobbled down the tunnel towards the Flyers’ locker room.  This was not a good sight, especially considering that Philly rookie Brayden Schenn had broken his foot in the previous game doing the exact same thing.

Talbot would return after missing only a couple of shifts, and scored a goal as the Flyers came back from a 6-2 deficit to take a 7-6 lead, only to end the night with a 9-8 loss.

“It sucks,” Talbot said after the game when I asked how he felt, while showing me the huge bruise on his ankle.  “It really hurts.  I think it’s only bruised, thank God it isn’t broken. ”

Last night in Miami, Talbot gave more of the same for the Flyers.  After being nailed for a high-sticking double minor call earlier in the contest on a play where he barely clipped defenseman Brian Campbell with his stick, Talbot was hit across the face with brutal force by the stick of defenseman Jason Garrison late in the game. 

As Talbot drove to the net, Garrison looked to be attempting to either lift Talbot’s stick, or just be taking a hooking minor to prevent a quality scoring chance.  At any rate, all he got was Talbot’s face with the shaft of his stick, cutting the Flyer forward for stitches and breaking one of his teeth. 

A high sticking minor is called when a player is hit in the face with a stick, even for accidental infractions.  If blood is detected, it’s almost automatic that a double-minor is called.  Amazingly, no penalty was called on Garrison.

“I was not able to get an explanation (from the officials),” Talbot told CSNPhilly’s Sarah Baicker after the game.  “I was looking for my tooth.  There was blood everywhere, so I couldn’t really talk.  But I would have liked to hear what they (referees) had to say.”

“I find it funny that I not even clip a guy in the face in the third, he bites his lip and I get four minutes,” he continued.  “And then something like this happens, and there’s four refs on the ice.  I know they’re human and they don’t see everything, but there’s something not right there.”

It’s obvious that Talbot brings much more to the table than Betts (who is also a warrior) could, even when he was healthy.  For those who were comparing the two when Talbot signed, Betts scored a total of just five goals in 75 games last season - a number matched by Talbot in only his 14th game this year. 

It’s hard to know if Talbot will be able to keep up his offensive pace or not, but one thing is certain.  Whether it be with the linemates he is skating with on any particular night, or on a penalty kill with Claude Giroux or rookie Sean Couturier, he will get his chances to score.

Coincidentally, two important dates to mark on your calendar – December 8, when the Flyers meet the Penguins for the first time this season, and December 29, when the teams meet in Pittsburgh for the first time.

All the while, the bad blood continues between the two organizations – and it should definitely hit a boiling point during the meetings with the Pens. 

“It’s nice to be on the right side this time,” Talbot said via Flyers On The Fly on the club’s official site.

Talbot sure knows how to stir the caldron, but at least now Flyers fans are learning just how lucky they are to have the services of ‘Mad Max’.

If you have any comments or questions, you can email the author at dstrehle@nhlhotstove.com.  You can also follow him on Twitter – @David_Strehle