*Folks! We’ve officially made it to the Olympic break. We’re ready to more or less shut the Flyers out of our minds, especially after the loss that they dropped on us in their last game before this break. [PHLY]
*It was an especially tough loss, because there were points in there where a win really was within reach for the Flyers, if they had just been able to bear down and not miss on so many of their opportunities. [BSH]
*As we said, we’re pretty ready for the break, but there’s a handful of players players who might not be feeling the same way, with how they’ve been going lately. [BSH]
*The Flyers are at a bit of a crossroads as it relates to the trajectory of their season as a whole, and they’ll have to make some tough decisions on how they want to approach this stretch run and the looming trade deadline when they return to action in a few weeks. [Inquirer]
*At the risk of getting too doom and gloom around here, we’ll pivot for a few moments: Dan Vladar has been so good right? And, what’s more, he’s stepping up into a pretty meaningful leadership role already. [The Athletic]
*Also, the chance to coach at the Olympics in Italy is an especially meaningful opportunity for Rick Tocchet. [Inquirer]
*Things may be slowing down for the Flyers for a little bit, but this just means we have that much more time to talk about the prospects. Let’s get into how the Phantoms fared on Friday at home against those major rival Penguins. [BSH]
*And on the road in Bridgeport, in their final game before their own brief break while their All Stars convene later this week. [BSH]
*And finally, checking in with Porter Martone and Shane Vansaghi, who had pretty big weekends in their pair of games against the top-ranked Wolverines. [BSH]
