Bleacher Report - Articles by Timothy W

Philadelphia Flyers: An Inside Look

Timothy W — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:55:53 -0500

The Philadelphia Flyers are currently sitting in sixth place with a record of 13-7-6.

They are facing the New York Islanders tonight as part of their first of four home games this week.

The Flyers have already seen many ups and downs this season.

Jeff Carter is playing like he is unconscious, netting 19 goals and 26 points.

As I was writing my previous sentence, Carter scored one more, bringing him to 20.

They have points in their last 12 games besides the one loss to Toronto. But they started off very shaky and the injury list is continuing to grow:

Derian Hatcher (D): Missed last 25 games. Out indefinitely.

Ryan Parent (D): Missed last 25 games. Out indefinitely.

Randy Jones (D): Missed last 25 games. Out indefinitely.

Matt Carle (D): Missed last two games with an upper-body injury. Is listed as day-to-day.

Danny Briere (C): Missed last game with groin strain. Out four to five weeks.

Now the most obvious thing from that list is the amount of defence they have had to patch.

Somehow, without these key players, the Flyers are winning games or taking them to overtime.

Let's not forget to mention the impressive play of first-time captain, Mike Richards who has tallied 28 points and scored three game-winning goals.

Simon Gagne leads the team in points with 32 and has four short-handed goals.

In my opinion, Gagne was the best offseason addition. Although Gagne was already a Flyer, he battled back from a nagging head injury last season and has played like he hadn't missed a game.

Biron has been streaky, but what else is new?

The thing I like most is the way Niittymaki has backed him up. I don't think you could ask for more in a backup role.

The season is long from over, and I am predicting the Flyers will see some more troubles along the way. But they will make the playoffs and hopefully they will do what they do best: Win physical hockey games with a few lucky bounces, and make a couple of great plays.

Oh, and tonight's final score? Philadelphia 4, N.Y. Islanders 3.

NHL Playoffs: Bullpens Made Of Ice?

Timothy W — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:55:50 -0400

I had an idea come to me as I watched Miikka Kiprusoff get pulled from game 7.

My idea was similar to what a bullpen does for a pitcher.

Have a mini warm up ice surface complete with a net and a goalie coach warming backup goalies with practise shots.

Build the surface by the change-rooms so they can stay warm, stretched and mentally prepared to step into situations like what Curtis Joseph had to do.

It might be hard to actually accomplish, meaning expensive renovations to the arenas, but am I wrong on this one?

Back-up goalies risk pulling hamstrings and groins every time they come in off the bench and how can a back-up goalie possibly be mentally prepared for playoff situations?

I think it would be something better to ponder about for the men upstairs rather than worry about net sizes and all that nonsense.

Lets hear what you have to say, I think I'm on to something here, or maybe this is a dead issue because it was already brought to light?

I don't know, it's just another idea inside of my head.

Flyers-Capitals: Ready for Some Game Seven Playoff Magic?

Timothy W — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:02:33 -0400

Lets go back to my April 08, 2008 article, give it a read, tell me what you think.

Yeah, I'm 60 minutes away from predicting that the Phlidelphia Flyers will beat the Washington Capitals in game 7.

This game should a be one heck of a game and its really impossible to tell what the outcome will be but whatever it may be, either team that moves on will be banged up, bruised and will feel like a million bucks.

The other team shouldn't feel too badly because both teams have really given NHL fans one heck of a first round match-up.

Ovechkin has finally found his stride, netting two highlight reel goals last night but Briere and Prospal also continue to work their magic.

When the Flyers feel like bringing their "A" game, the Capitals struggle to compete.

The thing is though, the Flyers forget to play hockey some periods and either Backstrom, Semin or Ovechkin handle the rest, not to exclude Fedorov who has been playing some great hockey he was once known for.

Losing Mike Knuble really hurt the line-up for the Flyers, but now isn't the time to make excuses.

This is the time to dig deep and call on players like Cote and Carter to produce and play hard like the example given by Briere and Prospal.

Cristobal Huet has been at times brilliant for the Capitals and sometimes cold, his past play-off performance wasn't anything to wave a flag at so it will be interesting to see what goalie shows up tonight.

Martin Biron is in the same boat as Huet, he needs to play smart all three periods, but he needs his defence in all three as well.

As a Flyer fan, I'm already sweating in my palms for this game, my stomach drops to think about it, I'm still angry about the defeat last night, and I'm pumped to cheer the boys on...

But Ovechkin is the one player that will destroy my dream of watching the Flyers hoist the cup.

Hold on viewers, this should be a bumpy ride,

Let the game begin.

Prospal Came, Briere Conquered: A Line Chemistry Made in Hockey Heaven

Timothy W — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:51:16 -0400

Prospal has fit in perfectly with Danny Briere, and their playoff numbers prove why.

Briere leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in goals (5) and points (9) and owes a lot of his success to Vasclav Prospal.

Since coming to Philadelphia on February 25, Prospal helped improve the second half of the Flyers season by formulating a magical line chemistry between the Briere and himself.

Throughout sixteen games playing along side Prospal, Briere tallied nine goals and a scored a combined total of 17 points before the start of the playoffs.

Briere continued his impressive play with Prospal in Game 1 against the Washington Capitals, scoring twice, assisted once from Prospal and assisted on one of Prospal’s own goals as well.

Game three was not different as Briere netted two more goals from two of Prospal’s feeds.

Briere had a decent first season in Philly before the Flyers grabbed Prospal, scoring 22 goals and 55 points, but his minus 22 rating was something that stuck out to Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren and he felt Briere could use somebody different on his line.

Holmgren traded for Prospal from Tampa Bay for the Flyers young defenseman Alexandre Picard and a draft pick.

Prospal also found a lot of success with Briere on his line as he scored four goals and 14 points in just 18 games.

If Briere and Prospal can continue to produce numbers such as these together, the future is bright for Philadelphia.

Flames-Sharks: Battle for Momentum in Game Five

Timothy W — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:55:47 -0400

The Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks have produced quite a show for hockey fans in round one of a Western Conference match-up.

In no way has either team played to a certain beat; every game brings something a little different.

In game one, Calgary travelled to San Jose to prove doubters wrong and did just that.

They played with a lot of energy and a lot of passion which resulted in a 1-0 series lead for the Flames.

Jerome Iginla made a strong move to the net fending off a defender, and managed to get a shot off even after falling to his knees.

Iginla's effort led to a goal from the rebound and the Flames never looked back.

Game two displayed how stupid penalties will always come back to bite you in the butt as the Flames played nearly a man short for an entire period.

Most penalties were well deserving, but in Calgary's defense, there were some questionable calls that led to the Flames demise.

The Sharks won game two because they took advantage of the favourable calls and obviously wanted the win more than Calgary that particular night.

Game three started two nights later and Calgary continued to take mindless penalties which resulted in three goals in only five minutes of play.

For most teams, this would be a near impossible feat to overcome, even at home.

Somehow Calgary dug deep within their team and chipped away at the lead and eventually won by working hard proving a hungry team will always out play any other factor.

The momentum shifted in Calgary's favour when Cory Sarich dropped a bomb of a hit on San Jose's Patrick Marleau.

After the thunderous body collision the fans became loud and fueled the Flames energy.

Another interesting point to make in game three was how Mikka Kiprusoff was pulled after the three quick goals and the veteran, Curtis Joseph came in to fill his shoes.

Joseph did not allow one goal and faced many shots to aid his club brilliantly.

Kiprusoff sat on the bench with a look of frustration spread across his face and his eyes looked like burning blue embers.

Game four began with Calgary playing hard once again, but the Flames seemed to have forgot about the last fifteen minutes, and the momentum shifted towards the Sharks who stole the show and tied the series.

Kiprusoff was given the start in game three even after speculation that Joseph might have became the Flames number one for game three.

This was not the case and Kiprusoff played remarkably well, but the lack of defensive effort forced Kiprusoff to make more saves, and Joe Thornton found the back of the net with a redirected shot in the dying seconds of the third.

Joe Thornton was under fire from fans and media for not contributing points before he tallied the game winner.

Thornton's game winner may spark a fire deep down inside Thornton and the Sharks which could burn into a big fire that no Calgary Flame could match unless they can find a way to steal the momentum back in their favour.

The word of the game tonight in San Jose is momentum. Who scores the first goal, who ever makes the biggest hit, who ever can make the biggest impact will win the game.

Momentum has swung back and forth between the teams more times this series than a child on a swing set.

Momentum can only be achieved through hard work and dedication. The hungriest team will come out on top tonight and will gain an edge on the series.

According to the Calgary Flames website, Flames defenceman, Robyn Regehr, says everyone needs to be ready to go.

He says the lead is always important, but a good, strong game is key.

Regehr says if the Flames skate and do everything hard, they'll create momentum.

My prediction is a Flames win in overtime, scored off a rebound by Daymond Langkow.

The Price Is Right: Carey Coming Up Big for the Montral Canadiens

Timothy W — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:41:54 -0400

The trade dead line shocked and amazed both Washington Capitals' and Montreal Canadiens' fans.

No one, except for in-depth sports analysts, was expecting Cristobal Huet to be moved to a different team when the Canadiens were so close to finishing in a top seed for the playoffs.

Huet served as the Canadiens back stop for the better part of the 2008 regular season, and Bob Gainey made the gutsy decision to trade Huet to the capitals for a second round draft pick, a move that only Gainey could get away with.

Bob Gainey also put a lot of faith and responsibility on Carey Price, the rookie goaltender.

Price played superbly with the Canadian men's world junior team, helping them win gold. Gainey thought Price could do just the same in the NHL playoffs.

So, as of today, it's four games into the Habs and Bruins playoff match-up, and the Canadiens took a strangle hold, leading the series, 3-1, with a huge shut-out win, 1-0.

What?

Oh, I said Price had a shutout.

Yeah, Price has been amazing so far.

Yeah, Carey Price, the rookie.

Cristobal... Huet, who's that?

Oh, that goalie that was sent to the Capitals, I forgot about him.

How's he doing in his series?

Oh, that's too bad, well I wish him the best of luck.

This might be a conversation between a few people who casually follow the play-offs.

Every playoff game, I see Price maturing and learning about the playoff atmosphere and he continues to prove his doubters wrong.

I watched Price play live against the Toronto Maple Leafs and was amazed at how calm and collected he is in his style of play.

He gloved a puck out of the air in a close play so smoothly that it almost seemed like there was nothing to cheer about.

Patrick Roy would probably have thrown his glove high in the air so everyone could see he made the spectacular save.

I don't want to say that Patrick Roy was wrong for show boating after huge saves.

His antics involved the crowd and excited them, it also pumped up his team, needless to say, he did win a few rings after all.

I just think it's rare to find a goalie who can be so relaxed in one of the most electrifying buildings in the league.

I predict a Bell Centre victory tomorrow night for the Canadiens and a second round birth where Price and the Canadiens will face a harder opponent and a tougher challenge.

Carey Price, come on down... you know the rest.

The Orange Crush: Flyers' Fans Among the Toughest

Timothy W — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 05:05:49 -0400

The Philadelphia Flyers are known to have some of the most intimidating fans in the NHL.

Let's go back to Thursday, March 29, 2001. The Toronto Maple Leafs were visiting the Flyers when Tie Domi was sent to the penalty box. Flyers fan Chris Falcone became furious with Domi and continually pestered him from his seat directly behind the penalty box.

Domi splashed water from his water bottle at Falcone, and this sent the fan into a fit of rage as he climbed the glass, throwing punches at Domi, though none landed. The direct result was a one-way ticket into the penalty box for a notorious NHL fighter as the glass gave way and Falcone tumbled in.

Domi landed a few punches on the fan, and Falcone was then escorted from the building. Charges were later pressed against Falcone. Talk about getting into the game.

Tonight, the Washington Capitals are making their own trip to the Wachovia Center to play game three of the best-of-seven series against the Flyers. The playoff atmosphere inside the Wachovia Center is special, and visiting teams have to deal with deafening sound levels, heckling, goalie chanting, and constant player-bashing.

Alexander Ovechkin had great support from his fans in their first two playoff home games, but tonight he will experience something he has not seen yet: an opposing team's fan base that wants nothing to do with him. He should expect a sea of orange to rush a chorus of "boos" anytime he touches the puck.

I do not believe this will distract him from his game at all; Ovechkin is far too great a player to be distracted or intimidated by this. But, maybe, just maybe, when times get tough, the pressure and the hatred might make him crack.

Then again, do the Philly fans really want to see what an angry Ovechkin is capable of? The Flyers have done well to keep Ovechkin quiet, even though he scored twice in the first game in the series. The Flyers were able to hold him to zero points in the second match-up in his own building.

The Capitals are a great road team, and they proved it by finishing the regular season with an impressive stretch of wins that pushed them into the playoffs with the Southeast Division championship.

I don't expect to see any more player/fan brawls tonight, but with the Philly fans' reputation and history, I would not be surprised to see something similar.

Note: May I add that I do not condone or support the behavior of any idiot who feels the need to run onto a basketball court or a soccer pitch butt-naked, and I do not approve of any fan making himself or herself a part of the game by attacking a player.

This is a criminal offense and any fan who acts in such ways should be banned from any and all sports entertainment. Events and spectacles.

NHL Playoffs: Escalating Officiating

Timothy W — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:58:48 -0400

The NHL Playoffs are in full swing, but for most of the games, it seems the refs are becoming more than the game. A prime example of this is the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks series. The second game was certainly a frustrating one for Flames head coach Mike Keenan. The Flames were assessed six consecutive penalties, which ultimately led to the Sharks victory. The Flames played almost an entire period of hockey being a man short.

Now some of the penalties were well deserved, but many were not. One penalty call that stands out was the penalty called on Jerome Iginla, the Flames captain and leading scorer of the regular season. Iginla hardly grabbed the arm of a Shark forward and the ref's arm was up and pointed towards Iginla. I believe this call put the Flames down two men. An unnecessary call that killed any momentum the Flames may have had.

Calls such as these cannot continue because the refs are involving themselves too much. They need to let the players decide this series.

Game three between the Flames and Sharks was no different in period number one. Within the first few minutes, the Flames were back on the penalty kill. A tiny little tap with the stick sent a Flames forward to the box and the Sharks scored on the ensuing power play. Within the next five minutes the Sharks scored two more times, making the score 3-0 in only five minutes of play. This was spelling disaster once more and the refs were already deciding the game in favor of the Sharks.

Officiating in such a manner not only makes for boring hockey, but it also raises conspiracy questions. When so many penalties are directed towards one team, it is almost to certain the refs are being told to officiate in a certain way.

This may sound a little extreme, but what else should one think when a team must kill six consecutive penalties?

NHL Playoffs: Flyers Plan To Entertain This Year's Cinderella

Timothy W — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:17:33 -0400

Two teams will be thrown onto the ice pit Friday night in Washington D.C., but, obviously, only one team comes out to move on to round, numéro deux.

Cue the spotlight.

Lights shine on the Washington Capitals as they skate onto the ice. Better still, lights shine on Alexander,“The Great” Ovechkin; The Capitals’ savior.

He will skate around the ice in preparation of his first big test in the NHL. He has been nothing but phenomenal this season recording a memorable 112 points. Furthermore, he scored 65, and it goes without saying that he finally has a crew to work with.

Now, let’s get that spotlight on Mike Green, this season's defenseman of all defensemen when it came to scoring goals. He blasted 18 of them into the mesh this season, leading all other defensemen.

The spotlight now catches Nicklas Backstrom firing a puck. The rookie made some arms raise in celebration all season long as he tallied 69 points, not too shabby.

Obviously, we can’t forget Sergi Federov, who could?

The guy always makes a difference in his own way. Sure, his 41 points are nothing to sweat about, but this guy couldn’t come with more playoff experience. You’ll see him warm up Friday night, the spotlight gleaming in his direction, skating smoothly behind the net.

Now, for the final jigsaw piece to a possible Cinderella dream team, the acquisition of Cristobal Huet.

The spotlight beams down on him as he prepares himself mentally on the far side of the ice. Since checking into the Washington club at the trade deadline, his record stands at 11-2.

What's even more impressive is his goals-against-average, 1.63 or his .936 save percentage. Now that is something to shake your hockey stick at. The clocks starting to strike midnight.

Burst the bubble… Now!

The orange crush awaits the home opener April 15 in Philadelphia. After finishing dead last in the standings last season, the Flyers lived up to their team motto this year—“Back with a vengeance.”

A fearless rebuilding process transformed this team into a competing flashback of the “Broad Street Bullies.”

OK, sure, the Flyers tested the limitations of aggressive hockey many, many times this season, but, when they kept the aggression at a respectable state, their fast physical play usually saw them add a notch to the win column.

Let's take a look at the Flyers' Friday-night gladiators.

A lot of them are young, a lot of them have little to no play-off experience, but a lot of them played with giant confidence this season.

Let's start with Mike Richards, a possible candidate for the “C” in coming years.

Richards poured in the points, reaching 75, and just missed the 30 goal plateau with 28. He is arguably the best two-way skater in the NHL. I happen to agree with it.

Richards is always in the right place at the right time and his 23-year-old defensive mind couldn’t be sharper. Of course, everyone expects Ovechkin to be the highlight reel in this series, and he should be. The man scores everywhere and anywhere using everything attached to him.

But it will be the plays that never make the reels that will make the difference for Philadelphia in Richards.

Cut to Jeff Carter. The man who stepped up when Philadelphia’s key players were in the injury clinic. He took that opportunity and skated hard with it.

Like Richards, the 23-year-old dished out 53 points and earned himself a lot of respect with John Stevens, Flyers' head coach, who has been under fire all season with the media suspect that he wasn’t saying much to his team about some of the cheap shots.

R.J. Umberger, 25, stole 50 points and the other 25-year-old, Scott Hartnell nabbed 43.

Wow, a young team that produces decent numbers that resulted in their Eastern Conference sixth seed. Not many are giving the boys in orange and black much hope as most predictions rest somewhere between the Capitals winning in six or seven games.

Well, hold on now, I'm missing a few other combatants.

Daniel Briere is on the IR list but is planning a quick return, and, speaking of returns, Derian Hatcher may be able to defy doctor's predictions by coming back early from a broken leg that had him set to miss the rest of the season.

The biggest key at the trade deadline for the Fly guys is Vasclav Prospal. Prospal has fit in with Briere better than a pig in a blanket. OK, bad analogy, but you get the idea.

Briere found a line mate who understands his style of play, and together they have been juggernauts.

Now, I unfortunately have to state the obvious.

The Flyers will be burned if they buy V.I.P. tickets to the sin bin for this playoff series.

One of their major problems by far is their game-to-game penalty minutes. How could a team ever expect to win if they play a man short to Ovechkin, Green, Federov, and Backstrom?

So, let's say Philadelphia keeps cool and takes minimal penalties every game, I personally believe the Flyers depth will overcome Huet’s stellar performances.

Easier said than done.

Both clubs scored a whopping total of 29 goals in only four games—Did somebody call out Ovechkin’s name?

Biron has been the Flyers go-to goalie and has seen nights where he backstopped 50-plus shots.

Ovechkin peppers more shots than most players dream of so Biron should expect nothing less. Biron is coming off back-to-back shutouts against New Jersey and Pittsburgh, a recommendable feat.

This is what the pot boils down to. Let’s start with Washington.

Washington moves on only if Ovechkin can stay hot and only, only, if Huet keeps up the dominance between the pipes.

Philadelphia wins the playoff series if, as mentioned before, they stay away from penalty trouble. Will they do it?

Time will tell, but for now, I hope they are taking extra anger management classes, i.e. Steve Downie. Most Toronto Maple Leaf fans will never forget that cheap shot to the face on Jason Blake this season. Even the great Don Cherry called him out on that one. It will be errors like that which will sink the Flying ship.

So what’s my final prediction you might ask?

Philly in seven.

Let the games begin... Friday night.

Flyers-Rangers: Great Televison

Timothy W — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:25:15 -0400

There's no need to panic, just breathe... breathe. That's what the Philadelphia Flyers need to do tonight as they face-off against the New York Rangers.

Okay, so here's how the picture looks tonight-The Flyers are on a three game winning streak sitting in the seventh play-off spot and are two points behind the Rangers who are in sixth. The Rangers have won three of their last five games since ending their brilliant 13 game unbeaten streak.

Neither team can honestly say they aren't concerned about not making it to the big dance, as the Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Buffalo Sabres and even the Toronto Maple Leafs are hanging around long enough to peep into the play-off hole. So obviously, the pressure is on tonight.

The Rangers will be without the talented, team leading scorer, Scott Gomez as he injured his ribs on Saturday during their 4-3 shootout loss at the Wachovia Center, The Flyers home ice.

Now let's look at the Flyer's clinic of injuries.

1. Simon Gagne, talk about losing a leader, yet somehow the Flyers keep finding ways to score. Mild concussion has left him out indefinitely since February 10th

2. Derian Hatcher, love him or hate him, he still wont be playing anytime soon. Right tibia fracture, out indefinitely.

3. Randy Jones, not quite an impact player by any standards, but still a valuable asset to any club. Hip flexor injury, listed as day-to-day.

4. R.J. Umberger, such a huge loss, especially after getting Mike Richards back to the line-up. MCL sprain to the left knee, out for two weeks.

These are all huge blows to the Flyers. It is true that all clubs have dealt with a lot of injuries and is never a true excuse for losing games, but injuries always has an impact on lines and morale.

A Flyers-Rangers match-up always makes great television, but for the fans of either team, it is almost too much to watch sometimes. This will be a big game to watch along with the other huge match-ups in either conference.

Avalanche News: Peter Forsberg is Back

Timothy W — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:50:57 -0400

Yes, Peter Forsberg is back on schedule tonight for the Colorado Avalanche; it is no surprise to me that he has missed games already though.

Forsberg is quite a monster when he is healthy, but the thing is he rarely plays a game feeling 100 percent. The Philadelphia Flyers do not need that headache again so I am happy he decided to burden the Avalanche with his injury woes.

Flyers-Leafs: First Blood Part Two

Timothy W — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 05:05:43 -0400

So the Flyers lost last night at the ACC, a game they weren't really in, seeing as how Biron stopped 51 shots. They were lucky to be in O.T. and were even luckier to grab the point, but tonight...tonight is a different story.

The orange crush will drown out any brave Leaf fan visiting Wachovia, and the Flyers will hopefully shoot the puck a little bit more this time.

I'm still hoping Prospal will have his first big game as a Flyer, without Richards, they need his one-two punch. Carter also needs to step up tonight and rally the boys to beat the Leafs and help get the Leafs' golfing gear ready in time for spring madness on the links.

Needless to say, any Leaf fan who truly believes their team will be in the playoffs is being naive. I know you have to support your team and believe no matter what, but honestly, it's time to wake up and smell the greens.

It is judgement day, and if there really is a slim, slim chance of making post-season for the blue and white, they had better win in regulation, otherwise it's... FOOOOOOORRRRREEEEEEEE!!

Leafs-Flyers: Hunt for the Playoffs

Timothy W — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 10:59:54 -0400

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet tomorrow night for the first of their back-to-back games, and things couldn’t be more heated.

The Flyers are trying to secure the final eighth play-off spot and tie the seventh seeded Boston Bruins with 80 points.

On the other hand, the Leafs are in thirteenth place, eight points back of the Flyers, and have a great opportunity to close the point spread.

The Leafs and Flyers have prepared themselves well for their matchup, each boasting impressive records in their last eight games. The Flyers are 5-1-2 over than span, and the Leafs are 5-2-1.

In their last meeting, the Leafs banged up the Flyers and seemed to do everything right except win the game. Flyers goalie Antero Niittymaki stopped fifty-four shots to help keep his team in the win column, 3-2.

That night, in addition to being badly outshot, the Flyers also lost the services of Sami Kapanen and Joffrey Lupul, who was levelled to the ice after a crushing body check from teammate Derian Hatcher. The Flyers are still banged up and are missing the presence of their go-to guy, Mike Richards, who isn’t expected to return until this weekend at the earliest.

A big issue that should surface the papers by tomorrow is that nice "delivery" Downie gave Jason Blake. By delivery, I mean the punch to the face Downie threw while Blake had his arms tied behind his back from the refs. According to the Flyers’ website, Downie believes this is a dead issue and doesn’t expect anything to come of it. Lucky for him, Paul Maurice can’t send their old tough guy, Wade Belak, to return the favour. He‘s too busy soaking up the sun in Florida now.

Whether or not the issue is dead, and whether or not Downie is dressed for the game, I’m sure one of the Leafs players will remind him that it wasn’t very nice of him to do that, no matter what may have been said prior to that match-up that led to Downie to his decision to sucker-punch a man with leukemia.

Look for Vaclav Prospal to turn in his first strong performance with his new team since the deadline. Prospal is long over due for a solid game and the Leafs should be aware of what he may be brewing for them.

Peter Forsberg Back with the Flyers? Yes, Please!

Timothy W — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 13:38:09 -0500

The Philadelphia Flyers sit in second place, three points behind the Ottawa Senators and one point ahead of their division rival, the New Jersey Devils.

It's an interesting predicament for the Flyers, who have seven players with 30 or more points. The top two are Mike Richards (60) and Daniel Briere (52).

Interesting, because they have a chance to reacquire Peter Forsberg, a mighty playoff giant.

Forsberg, who is 34 years old, has a foot and ankle injury after a fine season with the Nashville Predators last season. Forsberg has turned down offers from his team (Modo) in Sweden, because he wants to be back in the NHL.

In my opinion, the Flyers have nothing to lose in signing the Swedish forward. I am not a Peter Forsberg fan, but I am intelligent enough to realize what he can bring to a club.

Philadelphia is a different team than last season. If and when the Flyers sign Forsberg, the Flyers will be the team to beat this year, come play-off time.

As an early prediction, the Flyers will lose in the second round. I make this assumption only because they take too many unnecessary penalties and this will be their downfall.

True, they have the second-best power play in the league but this means nothing if you can’t keep your own club out of the box.

The best thing the Flyers can do before the end of the trade deadline is to be rid of Steve Downie. He is a goon, it’s been said many times, many ways, but he is, and he does not deserve to be with this club.

Signing Forsberg is the right choice as long as he stays healthy, which is a big gamble. It was the same for Eric Lindros and others with nagging health issues.

Forsberg won two Stanley Cups with the Colorado Avalanche proving he is a play-off monster and was chosen as the NHL's MVP in 2003. In foreign play, he became a force with Sweden and helped win two Olympic gold medals in Lillehammer ‘94 and Turin in ‘06.