FLYERS 2005-06 SEASON THREAD!

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

They'll should asterisk any records created since the rule change, IMO.

[ice grillin you]

the scoring will die down substantially once the players get accustomed to the way the refs are calling the games and PP's become much less frequent

dont buy into the leagues propaganda that the play is now wide open up and down the wings ala 1985...the reason scoring is up is because of the inordinate amount of PP's specifically five on threes

[Seabiscuit36]

Nitty is in goal tonight against the Islanders.  He better stay awake in the 3rd.

[ice grillin you]

He better stay awake in the 3rd.

and when therian is on the ice

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

He better stay awake in the 3rd.

and when therian is on the ice

And Seidenberg.  Remember, he sucks too.



to PG.  j/k

[MURP]

[mcnabbmvp]

So that's what a hockey fight looks like. Thanks Murph.  I saw an interview with Cam Neely the other day. And they asked him how would he do with the new rules. He said prob spend it in the penalty box all night. I chuckled a little.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Flyers come back from 2-0 1st intermission deficit with 2 of their own in the 2nd period.

2-2 going into the 3rd.

[SunMo]

i've been meaning to mention this for awhile now....

with the new rules, Donald Brashear is useless in the NHL.

thank you.

[ice grillin you]

speaking of fights...credit the god mike richards with this win tonite...the flyers barely had a pulse before he challanged asham...who by the way is a good fighter...where as richards is not a fighter at all...the kid stood in very well though and it clearly energized the bench...thats why hes the future captain of not only the flyers but one day team canada as well

hes quickly becoming my current favorite athlete in the city

[henchmanUK]

I am now INTERESTED in the NHL after seeing that pic! LET'S GO FLYERS!

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I am now INTERESTED in the NHL after seeing that pic! LET'S GO FLYERS!

That was last season.  Don't get too excited.

[Seabiscuit36]

This win over Islanders was kid stuff

By ED MORAN

morane@phillynews.com

THEY COULD be called the Brat Pack because they're all so young.

But that wouldn't be right. There isn't a disrespectful one among them.

Still, the New York Islanders might not see it that way.

On a night when the veterans came out asleep in the first period, they got a wake-up call in the second by the kids who fought and scrapped and scored until the Flyers logged a 3-2 win over theIslanders at the Wachovia Center.

The unofficial kid captain, Mike Richards, lit the fuse at the end of a bad first period in which the Flyers fell behind, 2-0. Ripping off his helmet, Richards took on one of the tougher Islander brawlers, Arron Asham. Richards took a couple of fists to the head, but the effort sparked life into the Flyers.

His heroics were followed by a two-goal effort from Patrick Sharp and one goal by Jeff Carter.

Antero Niittymaki survived a 20-minute puck bath in the first period that was largely the result of the Islanders' hitting and the Flyers' inability to deal with it effectively. But he went on to notch the third win of his rookie season, stopping 38 of 40 shots.

"It's great to have those guys," said Peter Forsberg, who had a rare night without a point. "[Richards] comes out there and shows a lot of heart and does a great job and then [Carter] goes out and gets the tying goal.

"It's great to see. They've been playing great all year and [Sharp] scores a couple of goals. All those young guys are playing great."

The Flyers were as flat in the first 20 minutes as they have been in any opening period this season. Passes and shots sailed wide, defensive coverage was nonexistent, and board battles, forget about it.

By the time the clock said there was 11:30 left, the Flyers were already down in shots, 7-1.

By the time they were down 10-2, they were also down 1-0 on the scoreboard. Miroslav Satan, always a problem for the Flyers no matter what uniform he wears, scored on the second Islander power play from the side of the net.

New York got the second during a two-man advantage less than a minute later. Mike York took a shot from the point that hit Joni Pitkanen on the way in and tipped down, making it 2-0 Islanders.

The Flyers ended the period down in shots, 20-5. But it wasn't enough to unhinge Niittymaki.

"It happens," Niittymaki said. "I think the preseason game this year against them I had a period where there 19 shots and it was 2-0 too, so I wasn't worried about it. We held them and bounced back pretty well, so I knew it was going to be like that game."

Between periods, coach Ken Hitchcock had a few things to say to his team and they reacted. Hitchcock didn't mention that in his postgame comments, but Forsberg did.

"It was not a pretty period and we got to hear it, too," he said.

And it was the kids who responded.

"We know the first period is definitely not the way we want to play," Carter said. "We came out flat and weren't ready to go, but we regrouped and came out hard in the second."

Sharp pulled the Flyers to within one with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that might have been deflected by Carter coming through the crease. No matter, it went in and the score went to 2-1.

Later, Sharp said it was Richards' fight with Asham that served as a motivator.

"It definitely impressed me and gave me a little jump in my legs," Sharp said. "For a 20-year-old kid to take on anybody - let alone one of the tougher guys - was pretty impressive and just shows the character that he has and the leadership that he has."

The Flyers got a break at 16:53 of the second. R.J. Umberger took the puck to the net but Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro stopped him and poke-checked the puck out to Carter. His shot was also stopped, but the puck hit Alexei Zhitnik in the crease and deflected in, tying the game at 2-2.

"R.J. was hustling pretty good there," Carter said. "He got pulled down and actually one of their guys kicked it in, but I'll take it."

The Flyers took the lead in the third, again on the kids' work. Carter muscled the puck around the net, holding off an Islanders defender while Kim Johnsson came in from the point to take the puck into the corner. Johnsson got the puck out to Sharp, who one-timed his second goal in at 2:36.

It was the game-winner.

"I thought a lot of the young guys really played well tonight," Hitchcock said. "They helped us come back. Richards' fight, to show courage like that... Asham's a pretty big boy and he knows how to fight.

"Then some of the physical play, especially guys like Umberger. Sharp played a heck of a hockey game. We got a lot from him. [The kids] gave us the energy tonight."

Still, Hitchcock was concerned about how the Flyers opened the game and took the opportunity to make sure his team knew it. The Islanders came out hitting and the Flyers did not respond - except to back off.

"We've got to have a better reaction to getting checked," Hitchcock said. "The same thing that happened in the Boston game [Tuesday] happened again. We didn't react to getting checked very well.

"We didn't enter the zone the right way, we tried to work it through people, we got checked off the puck. They were coming at us in waves in the first period and it was the same thing in the Boston game. We kept turning the puck over."

I knew Richards was captain material but its really impressive to see a 20 year old out there just leading his team when the time is right.  The flyers young lines with sim,carter,umberger,richards, and sharp were banging the boards last night.  It seemed like every time one of the forwards went for a check the other 2 were trying to one up that check.  Its a good mix for the flyers right now and when Sammy gets back they can ship Savage down. 

[ice grillin you]

instead of that article you could have just quoted my post from after the game...i hate to brag but damn im good

[LBIggle]

sure wish i had OLN. sounds like an interesting season.