No NLDS For You! One Year!

Well, I guess that rules me out going to an NLDS game. Stef got the same e-mail. Anybody get some good news??? Mike? I'm looking your way. Deissler? Eckert?

NLDS Ticket Purchase Opportunity Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for the Phillies postseason. Unfortunately your entry was not selected for our online NLDS sale. Should NLCS and World Series tickets be made available, you are automatically eligible for those random drawings. Additionally, you remain eligible for any potential NLDS second chance sales. Winners for potential NLCS, World Series or NLDS second chance ticket sales will be notified via the e-mail address submitted on the phillies.com Postseason Ticket Opportunity form. Thank you again for your participation.

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period last night, but in typical Flyers fashion had to sweat it out the last five minutes of the third period, clinging to a lead. The Penguins scored two goals that had a silence drop on the whole arena as if the Flyers had actually lost the game, and thus the series. The Flyers were still up 3-2!

The Flyers were able to score an empty net goal and prevail 4-2, forcing a game five back in Pittsburgh. Who knows what two days of rest and preparation will bring for the Flyers, but for now the Flyers are...

Oh yeah, Cole Hamels is good too.

Enjoy your Friday everybody!

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

Tonight the series finally gets underway. How about this for an eary Penguins-Philadelphia connection though...

Burgess Meredith, probably most famous for his role as Rocky's trainer Mickey, was also famous for his role as the most famous Penguin of all time this side of Mario Lemieux...THE Penguin!

Finally, some Flyers-Penguins playoff history...



My pick? I am reluctant to say I am taking the Penguins in six, but you know that I picked Montreal in six as well so who knows how this all plays out. The Flyers and Penguins will certainly be physical with each other and the Penguins have two very good lines to worry about.

Beware of the Penguins. Dooby dooby doo!



News links:
Penguins vs. Flyers a real rivalry - Arizona Republic (of all places)
Blot clot KO's Flyers' Timonen vs. Penguins - Sporting News
Play of Penguins' Malkin has plenty of FLyers talking - Columbus Dispatch
Flyers - Penguins - NHL.com (NHL's central page for the Pennsylvania Conference Finals)
A Look at the Coaches - Scott Burnside (ESPN)

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

So the Philadelphia Flyers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Pennsylvania Conference Finals, one step away from the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be the toughest series yet as the Penguins are a very good team.

I know I have some friends who are Penguins fans out there who may read this so I welcome your comments on the series. Any wagers out there? I'm all ears.

I am not ready to give my prediction on the series but I have asked an old friend of mine to give his. He was more than happy to oblige..

We have all week to hype this series up, so why not take a look back in history in the rivalry that is Flyers-Penguins. The following clip is from the 1988-89 playoffs.



I have a load of these video clips saved in my YouTube account and will be sharing them with you as we get to Friday, do not worry!

Read more...

Flyers Make a Fool of Me

"Just to be on the record, I am picking Montreal in six."
April 24



You may have noticed I didn't put together any open threads for any of the games in the series after game one. Game two was because I didn't have time to do so, and the Flyers won. Games three through five were intentional due to superstition.

Open threads will return for the upcoming series against either Pittsburgh or New York.

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game One Open Thread

Game 1

I don't know if I'll get to update this post today or not, but here is the game one open thread against the Montreal Canadiens. Just to be on the record, I am picking Montreal in six.

I know. What kind of a fan am I?

Go Flyers!

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game Seven Open Thread

Game 7

Oh boy. Here we go with game seven, the most exciting game in all of hockey playoffs. It's a shame for the Flyers to be in this situation as they just have not been able to seal the deal against these feisty and persistent Capitals. Give credit to Washington for overcoming the true sense of adversity. Down 2-0 to the Flyers in Philadelphia last night the Capitals scored four unanswered goals to win 4-2 and force the win or go home game.

At this point I have little faith in the Flyers' chances. I have seen this before. The Flyers have to put together a complete game,, something they have done only twice in this series despite having three wins. What scares me now is the Flyers may have more veterans, but they do not appear to have the same energy as the Capitals, and now playing in back to back nights after a demoralizing loss at home, I fear this game could get ugly tonight.

What bothers me most is Martin Biron's awful track record in back-to-back games this season. I do not know his record off hand but it is not good. He played well last night (I don't fault him for at least 3 of the Capitals' goals) but he will have to be stellar tonight.

My heart always says to pick the Flyers, but given the situation and the circumstances, I have to say the Capitals win tonight.

Hope I am wrong.

As always, this is an open thread so it may or may not get updated as the day rolls along with video clips and news stories. Feel free to dump comments in the comments section.

News links
Caps host Flyers in Game seven, try to complete comeback - Canada.com
Flyers - Capitals preview - ESPN
Five Things We Learned - ESPN
Mikael Renberg retires - The Canadian Press
Caps continue show how to become fans darling - Baltimore Sun
Semin gives Caps momentum - Fox Sports

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game Six Open Thread

Game Six

Here we go folks! Tonight's game between the Flyers and Capitals is the biggest game yet as the Flyers look to close out the series at home and prepare for the second round of the playoffs. I think they will do it too.

Despite losing in game five the Flyers did play pretty well in the third period considering the Capitals were throwing everything they had at the orange and black. How much do the Caps have left in the tank? I expect the Flyers to be able to withstand an early onslaught from the Caps but will eventually pull away with the series clinching victory.

Time for a Flyers-Capitals flashback...

Game five highlights

After the Sixers shocked the Pistons in game one of their series yesterday, the Phillies topped the Mets at home last night. I take that as a sign of good things to come for Philadelphia this week and let's continue it with another great rendition of God Bless America to do it right!

As always, this is an open thread. It may or may not be updated leading up to the game tonight. Who knows. Leave your comments on the game in the comments section.

Go Flyers!


News links
Flyers look to finish off Capitals - CBC

Coming off hard-fought win, Capitals try to force game seven - USA Today

Jeff Carter stepping up for Flyers in Playoffs - Th Canadian Press

Ovechkin has one goal in mind - Washington Post

Caps look to build off Game 5 momentum - ESPN

Game Six Notes - Philadelphia Flyers

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game Five Open Thread

Game 5

Yes, I know I haven't done a thing since game two and a lot has happened since then. I don't have much time to work on a detailed open thread, but just so people know I'm alive and ready for a Flyers clincher, here is the Game Five Open Thread!

I'm picking the Caps in a close one believe it or not.

Go Flyers!

Game four highlights

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game Two Open Thread

Wow. I had a whole post written here complete with video clips, links and all. Then Flock decides to crash on me and for some reason Blogger didn't auto save a draft every couple minutes like it usually does.

I'm not going to re-write all of my brilliant commentary, so here it is.

Game two. Open thread in the comments section.

Go Flyers!

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage - Game One Open Thread

GAME 1

Tonight the playoffs get underway for the southeast division champion Washington Capitals and the surging Philadelphia Flyers. Look for a wide open game tonight as many of these players are making their first appearance in the playoffs, and for some of the veteran players this is an overdue return to the post season.

For the Capitals everything is focused largely on Alex Ovechkin, the best player in hockey. For the Flyers everything will be focused on how to contain Ovechkin. After all, you can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

Both goaltenders in this series are not playoff tested so it remains to be seen who has the advantage in that crucial area. Martin Biron capped off the final two games of the season with a pair of shut outs over the nemesis New Jersey Devils and star rival Pittsburgh Penguins. While many Flyers fans look to that to be a great sign of momentum, I am a little less optimistic. We know that the Penguins weren't giving their all in the final game.

Danny Briere will be back in the Flyers lineup tonight and seeing him paired with Vinny Prospal will be fun to see again. Those two seemed to gel together pretty well. Darien Hatcher will not play tonigh and may not return to the defense until game three in Philadelphia. Al Morganti of 610 WIP had a great point on why the Flyers should wait until game three and that is because with the home team getting the last switch of players in stoppages of play the Capitals would have a huge advantage if they saw a slowed down Hatcher on the ice. We will see what happens.

I predict a Capitals victory in game one, but I anticipate the series coming back to Philadelphia tied at one. I am prepared to say Flyers win out in six games.

This is an open thread so it may or may not get updated up to and during the game tonight with new links, videos etc. Feel free to comment away and cheer on your Flyers (or Capitals) in the comment section.

12:30pm - Al Morganti picks the Flyers in six (HT: 700 Level). WWN picks Caps in six. Morganti always picks the Flyers in six so take what you will from this.

News links
Caps briefing: Flyers make good foils - DClist
Ovechkin to star in NHL playoffs - Russia Today
Flyers-Capitals Preview - ESPN
Al Morganti Q&A - 700 Level
Flyers-Capitals Preview - USA Today
NHL Playoff Prediction: Capitals - Flyers - Point Spreads
Ovechkin set to dazzle physical Flyers - CBC Sports
Entering playoffs as underdog is good for the Flyers - Bleacher Report

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

Another day, another batch of Flyers related goodness.

One of my favorite hockey blogs (I don't read many), is On the Forecheck and much to my dismay, he predicts the Caps to win the first round.

It also sounds like defenseman Darien Hatcher will definitely not return to play in game one but is expected to be in the lineup for game two. Probably not a bade idea. The whole idea is to come out of Washington with a split and as much as I would like the Flyers to set the tone defensively in game one, I would be ok with a stronger presence in game two. The Flyers are able to beat the Capitals any given night, just as much as the Caps can beat the Flyers any night. Of course, either team is capable of coming to Philly with a 2-0 lead as well.


News links
Flyers Will Lose in Seven - Cecil Whig (Maryland)
Out of nowhere: Boudreau and Stevens go from minors to NHL playoffs - Philadelphia Inquirer (Philly.com)
Mike Richards May Have Found a Solution for Alex Ovechkin - 700 Level

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

A lot of the Flyers' playoff hopes probably rely on the health of Danny Briere. He says he is ready to go but given the history of health with the Flyers, who knows at this point.

We are just a couple days away folks from the drop of the puck! Bring it!

The Flyers PR department now has a blog with everything you will need to know surrounding the playoff festivities and more. Click here.

News links
Stanley Cup Preview - Flyers-Caps - The Sports Network
Biron peaking at right time - The Phanatic Magazine
Ovechkin, Caps to host Flyers - Baltimore Sun
Flyers reloaded instead of rebuilding - Washington Times
Philadelphia plans to entertain this year's Cinderella team - Bleacher Report
Injuries force caps to shuffle on defense - Washington Post

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I will attempt to bring you stories to check out concerning the Flyers and their first round opponent, the Capitals.

News links
First round break down - ESPN (Scott Burnside)
[Ovechkin] for MVP? Alex the Great can't wait to make NHL playoff debut - Canadian Press
Coburn Developing at Rapid Pace - Philadelphia Flyers
Capital Gain? - PhillyBurbs (Wayne Fish)
Biron Ready for challenge of playoffs - PhillyBurbs (Wayne Fish)
Biron gets his turn in Flyers' wild goalie history - PhillyBurbs (Mike Sielski)
Caps Fans vs. Flyers Fans - D.C. Sports Blog
Scott Burnside: Caps Win in Six - 700Level (basically a follow up to the above mentioned ESPN article)

Read more...

Flyers Playoff Coverage

I am excited for the start of the NHL playoffs, which start Friday for the Philadelphia Flyers against the Washington Capitals. I am going to do what I can to cover the playoffs as much as I can. I am not saying I will be posting post game analysis right after the game, but I do intend to jot down my thoughts on each game for you, the reader and share whatever else I may find.

I know that fellow blog William World News will be covering everything from the angle of the Capitals perspective and I advise all Flyers and Caps fans to check it out. Naturally WWN has already mentioned that the Flyers and Capitals have met three times in the playoffs and felt the need to put up a video of interest as far as Capitals fans go.

As for the Flyers side of things...

And of course...

This series should be a good one as both teams come in with some swagger and momentum. The Flyers jumped up to a sixth seed in the final few days and the Capitals, despite a horrid start of the season, clinched the Southeast Division. It is a good thing too because Alex Ovechkin is a player that every hockey fan should have an opportunity to see in the playoffs. Personally I enjoy watching him more than Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins.


We'll get more in depth as the series draws closer.

Here is a run down of the playoff schedule for the opening round;
April 11 - Game One @ Capitals (7pm)
April 13 - Game Two @ Capitals (2pm)
April 15 - Game Three @ Flyers (7pm)
April 17 - Game Four @ Flyers (7pm)
April 19 - Game Five @ Capitals (1pm)*
April 21 - Game Six @ Flyers (TBD)*
April 22 - Game Seven @ Capitals (TBD)*


* = if necessary

Folks, the Stanley Cup playoffs are the best playoffs available in all of sports. If you have been away from hockey for a while, now is the time to get reconnected. All are welcome a Broad and Pattison!

News links
A Brief Introduction to the Philadelphia Flyers - Live PR
Caps to Face Flyers - Most Valuable Network
Flyers Open Playoffs Friday vs. Capitals - Comcast Sportsnet (Philly)
Team Eyes Playoff Series vs. Capitals - Cherry Hill Courier Post
Caps Go Back to Start - Washington Post

Read more...

Go Chargers!

That is all.

Read more...