More photos » by Mark J. Terrill - AP

2 days ago: Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, left, tries to stop a shot by Philadelphia Flyers left wing Daniel Carcillo, right, as Kings' Matt Greene defends during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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[Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Complete Coverage] - [LAK Reaction]

These 10:30 PM ET start times are pretty rough. It's already an hour into Thursday here in the East, so I'm going to cut right into the bullet points:

• Big Flyers fan presence in LA, as per usual.  There was an enormous Flyers flag in the corner to Quick's right throughout the first, and around the rest of the arena there was a ton of visible orange.  Good on the Flyers to give the faithful a win.
• I'd give Brian Boucher a B+ for his performance in this game, his first win of the season.  The first goal he allowed was easily the softest goal a Flyers goalie has let in all year, but he only let in one more after that, making 37 saves on 39 shots.  Good numbers, but he looked far from rock solid or even steady for most of the game.  But a win is a win is a win.
• Speaking of shot totals, the Flyers got absolutely dominated in this category for the first time all year, almost getting doubled up by the count of 39-20, including a ridiculous 21-5 deficit in the third period.  For a team that regularly breaks 40 in this category, it came out of nowhere.  The Flyers did get a lot of pressure and puts down low in the Kings end, though, so the numbers are a little scarier than the reality was. And the bigger numbers, 3-2, are the ones that matter in the end.
• The diving backhand Mika Pyorala netted for his first career goal is the stuff of dreams.  He was playing notably better for the rest of the game, hopefully indicating that scoring a goal lifted a big weight off his shoulders and will let him regain the free flowing form he showed in the pre-season.
• James van Riemsdyk is looking more and more like a legit threat to win the Calder Trophy with every game.  His goal was super aware and super pretty, and he's just generally pretty super.  It's been a long time since the Flyers had a guy this great out of the gate, not since Simon Gagne, at least.
• Speaking of young guys, that Drew Doughty fellow they've got over there is ridiculous.  Glad he's not in the East.
• The shot with under 20 seconds left that snuck through Boucher's legs and squeaked along the goal line definitely took years off the life of any Flyers fan watching.
• The win was the Flyers' seventh in their last eight games, which is pretty friggin' awesome.
• The win also puts the Flyers in sole possession of third in the Atlantic, and only three points behind Pittsburgh with three games in hand.

After the jump, Travis' pregame questions answered, the video highlights from the game, and your comments on the win.

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More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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There was no melee. There were no fights. There were no teeth knocked out, nor was there any blood drawn. But the Philadelphia Flyers honored Dave "The Hammer" Schultz as best they could with a 3-2 win on his night, tonight. Yes, the story of the night, regardless of the score, was his induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame.

His name will live forever in the rafters of the Wachovia Center and every subsequent building the Flyers call home. After tonight, he will be forever enshrined as one of the greats in team history, an honor reserved for just twenty of the hundreds of players that ever pulled on an orange and black sweater. He thanked his teammates, the front office staff, his coach, his family, and us.

But after the nostalgic ceremonies, there was a hockey game to be played, and the current incarnation of the Broad Street Bullies would successfully halt the streaking New Jersey Devils. They entered the game with an eight game win streak and they exited it with a one game losing streak and their first road loss on the season. How did Philadelphia do it?

For starters, Ray Emery put together another excellent game. It's one thing to out-duel Martin Brodeur in one game, as Emery did when these teams first met last month. But to do it in two games against him, as a member of the team he's owned for his entire career, is something else. Emery made 33 saves in total, and many of them came in an up and down first period that the Flyers escaped with a 1-0 lead. If it weren't for Emery's performance in the first twenty minutes, in which he made 14 of his saves -- many of them difficult -- the face of the game could've been vastly different.

The Flyers took over the contest in the second period, stretching their lead on a Scott Hartnell power play tally before penalties would turn around and haunt them. You can sit and debate the weak tripping call on Mike Richards at the 15:18 mark of the second period all you want, but when it comes down to it, the Devils capitalized on the 5-on-3 chance they had following it, trimming the Flyer lead to 2-1. 

New Jersey was outplayed by the Flyers in the second, but to come out of the period with only a one-goal deficit was huge for them. It was also a credit to Brodeur, as well, who played great in the second. For a team that had made it their M.O. this season to come from behind on the road, the Devils felt good as they entered the third. Luckily, the Flyers came out and proved that they weren't going to let NJ come back on their ice.

James van Riemsdyk would score a power play tally on a fumbled pokecheck by Brodeur with about nine minutes left in the game, and then played suffocating hockey the rest of the way. The Devils would strike with less than a second left in the game, but it was obviously too little, too late as the orange and black sent them packing.

After the jump, a few more assorted thoughts from the evening, we'll answer our pre-game questions, grab some popcorn and watch the highlights, and select a comment of the night.

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More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

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Although it doesn't officially count as his first NHL goal, Mika Pyorala scored the decisive goal in the shootout as the Flyers beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 tonight in South Philadelphia. Claude Giroux added another shootout goal on yet another unbelievable move, while Brad Boyes put one in for St. Louis. Chris Mason made 35 saves for the Blues, allowing a second period goal by Scott Hartnell. T.J. Oshie scored in regulation for the Blues.

Some assorted thoughts from the game...

• The third line of Ian Laperriere, Blair Betts, and Dan Carcillo continued to be the pacesetters for the Flyers. They were buzzing around each time they hit the ice and they are doing an excellent job as a checking unit. Carcillo drew several penalties and has certainly turned his play around so far this season.
  
• Hartnell and Giroux hooked up several times in the game, with Claude feeding his linemate with pretty passes in the slot. Hartnell deflected one of those into the net for the Flyers only regulation goal.
  
• James van Riemsdyk and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen left the ice in the third period with injuries. JVR returned briefly but was shown bleeding from his finger and he didn't play after that. Reports are saying that he broke that finger and he's day-to-day. Tollefsen did not come back to the bench. Stevens was forced to stretch his bench a bit, giving Mika Pyorala and Darroll Powe several extra shifts in the third.
• Tollefsen's injury came in the corner on an awkward collision with the boards. He fell to the ice and stayed down for almost 20 seconds while play continued. His defensive partner, Danny Syvret, couldn't weather the storm, and St. Louis scored while OKT stayed down in the corner. As mentioned, he didn't return, and there's no word as of this writing on his condition.
• Ray Emery looked incredibly sharp throughout, and despite one weak goal in the third, he owned the Blues, making several key saves. 30 total.
  
• The officiating was atrocious as usual, most notably with a diving call on Carcillo midway through the second. Keith Tkachuk sent him awkwardly into the boards and as Carcillo fell to the ice, the zebras called him for embellishment. While Tkachuk did get a boarding call on the play, you can be sure that if he hit any other player besides Carcillo, no diving call would've been made. To his credit, though, Carcillo restrained himself following the questionable hit.
  
• Emery showed some of the rage he's known for during a second period scrum in his crease. His teammates came to his defense quickly after one of the Blues' players took a few liberties with him, but it's nice to see Emery still has that edge, especially when it doesn't go over the line.
• Arron Asham and Cam Janssen, former teammates in New Jersey, renewed relations in this one. Janssen took Asham early in the fight, but Asham rebounded nicely after almost falling to the ice and took it to Janssen.
• The Flyers controlled the offensive pace in overtime, even getting a breakaway on a Mike Richards feed to Scott Hartnell. Chris Mason made an excellent save on that breakaway, keeping the puck just on the line to keep the Blues alive in the hockey game.
• The Flyers win shootouts?

Overall, tonight was a solid win for the orange and black. If it were a divisional game, you might be mad about giving away the extra point to the opposition, but considering we won't see the Blues again until next season (or, potentially the Finals I guess), it's not a big deal. Four straight wins, but now the boys are off until Thursday, when they'll try to keep it rolling on dollar pretzel night at home against Ottawa.

After the jump, we'll answer a few questions and check out the comment of the night.

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More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

18 days ago: Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards celebrates his goal past Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Mike Smith, left, in the first period of a NHL hockey game on Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

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[Lightning vs Flyers coverage] [Lightning vs Flyers boxscore] [Raw Charge]

For the second time in two games, the Flyers netted six goals.  If they can keep scoring six every game, I have a hunch it could lead to a lot more wins.

Some scattered thoughts on this game:

• He hasn't gotten a lot of credit, but with this win the Flyers improved to 5-0-0 this year with Blair Betts in the lineup.  None too shabby.
• Jeff Carter and Mike Richards each netted two goals, snapping respective seven and six game goalless streaks.
• David Laliberte scored again, becoming the first Flyer since Eric Lindros in 1992 to score in each of his first two games.  With fellow French-Canadians Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne out of the lineup, nice to see the Flyers have more sources of accented scoring in the pipeline.  His dive was pretty bush league, though.
  
• For a guy who only has one goal on the year, Claude Giroux sure has had a great start to the season.  He looks ready to explode once a bounce or two goes his way.
• Ray Emery looked as good as he has all year.  Fighting for every rebound and staying square to the shot effectively, Emery deserves a lot of credit for keeping this game as lopsided as it was.
  
• Mike Smith deserves even more credit for making this one a blowout.  He wasn't horrible, but it was not a brilliant effort by any stretch.  But his replacement, Antero Niittymaki, was impressive in his return to Philadelphia.  If he had started the game, it could have been a very different story this evening.
• Rick Tocchet was my favorite player growing up, and seeing himhave a head coaching gig is pretty cool.  Having it be with the hapless Lighning is decidedly less cool, though.
• Remember when Vincent Lecavalier was one of the premiere forwards in the NHL? He's now on the third line.  In Tampa.  How the mighty have fallen.
• Not that they were ever mighty, but wow, is the Southeast division ever atrocious right now.  Except for Washington, they don't have a single team in the top ten of the standings in the East.

After the jump, Travis' pre-game questions answered, as well as your thoughts and comments on the win.

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More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

Carolina Hurricanes center Matt Cullen's skates go out from under him in front of Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery in the first period of a NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

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When a team that's lost seven straight comes into your building, you have to step on their neck quickly and avoid giving them any hopes of breaking the skid. With three first period goals, the Flyers did just that on Saturday afternoon with a dominating 6-1 win to kick start what is probably the most exciting 72 hour period in the history of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

After Scott Hartnell scored on the power play, David Laliberte would pot the first goal of his NHL career, a rebound that fell right on his stick that he easily deposited into an empty net, to give the orange and black an early 2-0 lead on Halloween. Matt Carle made it 3-0 on a wrap-around goal late in the period, capping off a period that was absolutely dominated by the Flyers, a bit of foreshadowing toward the rest of the afternoon.

Some assorted thoughts...

• Laliberte now has more goals than seven different Flyers, and he has as many as Claude Giroux, Kimmo Timonen, Simon Gagne, and Ian Laperriere. 
• Eleven different Flyers hit the score sheet: Braydon Coburn, Laliberte, Laperriere, Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Hartnell, Chris Pronger, James van Riemsdyk, Carle, Timonen, and Ryan Parent. Carle, JVR, Coburn, Laliberte, and Hartnell all had multi-point afternoons.
  
• Coburn scored two third period goals in what he called a big "confidence booster." Hopefully it's a step in the right direction for his season.
• After several games of registering several scoring opportunities but not being able to bury them, the Flyers finally executed today.
  
• Ray Emery was great today, making 39 saves. It's atypical of this Flyers club to be out-shot the way they were today, but luckily their goaltender was up to the challenge. Unfortunately for the other club on the ice, Michael Leighton looked terrible. The Flyers got to him often.
• There was a bit of a lull in the second period, and that's when the Canes built that ridiculous shot advantage, outshooting Philadelphia 20-8 in the twenty minutes. Early in the period, Carolina came out with a furious pace to their step. They got a goal out of the fray, but 14 seconds later, James van Riemsdyk shut down the Canes glimmer of hope on a pretty individual effort that made it 4-1. The Flyers didn't look back.
• Mika Pyorala, Danny Syvret, and Arron Asham finished the day minus-1, the only Flyers in the minus on the day.
• There were three fights in the second period. Ian Laperriere, Arron Asham, and Dan Carcillo dropped the gloves for the Flyers. The consensus after the game among John Stevens and the players is that that kind of play can help bring a team together even more, something the Flyers need to do in order to make this season a success.
• Ryan Parent left the game early after possibly re-injuring himself. Stevens said that they didn't want him "pushing it" and that he thinks Parent will be fine. Just a precaution. Hopefully.
  

With revamped defense and rejuvenated offense, the Flyers did their job today. Nothing more, nothing less. With a team like Carolina coming in the way they're playing, a big win should be expected. Think that's harsh? That's what it takes to win a Cup. Coach Stevens agrees. When asked if the team has earned a day off with this loss, he quickly responded with a "No."

After the jump, questions with answers and comment of the (day).

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More photos » by Manuel Balce Ceneta - AP

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[Recap] - [Boxscore] - [Complete Coverage] - [WSH Reaction]

Any game that shows up in the loss column is one that by definition leaves a lot to be desired.  But as far as losses go, this one can't be viewed as particularly catastrophic.

The Flyers played a full 60 minutes of hard, fairly smart hockey.  They outshot the Capitals 43-36, and looked sharp on both sides of the special teams.  But despite being the better team for roughly 55 minutes of the game (excluding the end of the second period), the Flyers lost.  It happens.

If you have to pinpoint a reason the Caps won this game and the Flyers didn't, it would be the goaltending.  Ray Emery's 32 stops on 35 shots represent a pretty solid night statistically, but the masked man on the other side of the rink outdueled him completely.  Jose Theodore stopped 41 of 43 shots, including all twenty he faced in the final frame.  The two shots he let in were completely unstoppable power play goals.  Theodore was deservedly named first star of the game afterwards.

Emery was not the reason the Flyers lost, but he could have been the reason they won if he had played better.

Some notes from the game in chronological order, and then some more assorted thoughts after:

First Period

This is what Jacques Lemaire's nightmare's must look like.  The best of the new NHL, as plays are allowed to develop from end to end without a whole lot of clutching and grabbing.  While the rushes were rarely of the odd-man variety, they were constant and rarely slowed down.

The Flyers were able to plant guys in front of the crease at will, something they did with success all game long.  When Theodore did cough up a rebound, which was rare, guys in front of the net at will, and got plenty of second hacks at rebounds.

The first period in the first meeting was scoreless too, then gave way to seven goals in the second.  Definitely a powder keg feel to this one.  These offenses are too good to be shut out for any extended amount of time.

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