07-08 Philadelphia Flyers Season Thread

[Rome]

The best part of last night was watching and listening to Jason Smith laughing in Crosby's face and telling him he farging whines on every play.  And he does too.  Every time they showed him going to the bench he was pissing and moaning at one of the officials about something.  Either that or he was talking shtein to one of the Flyers.  Funny how he does things like that from the bench and not in their faces, though.

But you know what?  That's what the NHL wants these days.  They want photogenic super fast skaters and guys who can score at will.  If Crosby had played in the NHL 20 years ago, he would have gotten his ass beaten to death three times a day.  And that's just from his own teammates.

[phattymatty]

yeah, um, crosby is not very photogenic at the moment.

[dis12]

any reason he didn't go straight to the NHL at age 18? 

Junior MVP
Claude Giroux, the Flyers' first-round pick of the 2006 NHL entry draft, was named most valuable player of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs. Giroux, 20, tallied 51 points on 17 goals and 34 assists in 19 games for the Gatineau Olympiques, winners of the QMJHL championship.

[Rome]

yeah, um, crosby is not very photogenic at the moment.

dreamy!

[Rome]

any reason he didn't go straight to the NHL at age 18? 

Because he weighed roughly 138 pounds three years ago?

[SunMo]

[Seabiscuit36]

Conspiracy Theory Time.   

Barely any calls against the flyers same thing happened in Detroit/Dallas and tehy even took a goal away because of a horrible call , because the league wants to Showcase and Sell the NHL on Saturday and Sunday on NBC. 

[Munson]

Hahahahaha.
Hatcher kind of looks like The Undertaker.

[SunMo]

Flyers' Timonen confident he will play Sunday

By Les Bowen
Philadelphia Daily News

Daily News Sports Writer
We'll know more after Saturday's practice in Voorhees, but the upshot today seemed to be that the Flyers should have Kimmo Timonen available for Sunday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final series, and they could also regain their other sidelined defenseman, Braydon Coburn.

"I feel confident I'm ready to go Sunday, but I won't know for sure until I practice with the team," said Timonen, who acknowledged he was surprised to get the green light in a Thursday visit to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and chief of vascular surgery Dr. Ronald M. Fairman.

Timonen has been sidelined since just before this series with the Pittsburgh Penguins began. He blocked a shot with his left ankle in Game 4 of the Montreal series, played Game 5 despite numbness in his foot, and subsequently was found to have a blood clot, which doctors said then could move down and cause serious complications, such as amputated toes. He was given little hope of playing again this spring.

Neither Timonen for Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren could fully explain how Timonen's prognosis changed so drastically.

"I've got to trust the doctors," Timonen said. "You know, we go back a week, doctors told me that nobody knows if it's going to be 10 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, 5 months. Nobody knew that. And I went to the hospital (Thursday), I didn't know what to expect. I didn't expect this news ... I wanted to make sure, and I'm sure everyone else wanted to make sure that there is absolutely no danger at all, because that's not the risk I want to take, and I'm sure nobody wants to take that risk."

Timonen said he was told that the fact the blood clot hasn't moved since he suffered the injury, on April 30, means it won't move. He will wear special protection on his skate, Holmgren said, and Timonen said he still will have to contend with pain and numbness, as he did in Game 5 against Montreal.

"It's just a matter of how much pain I can take," Timonen said. "I'm sure we've got some medication for pain."

Coburn, meanwhile, declined requests for comment, and might be less certain to be in the lineup as the Flyers again try to stave off elimination in a series they trailed three games to none before winning, 4-2, Thursday night at the Wachovia Center.

Coburn was hit in the face with a puck early in Game 2 of this series, closing his left eye and requiring about 50 stitches. Coburn, who practiced on Wednesday, did not skate yesterday, though Flyers coach John Stevens said he rode an exercise bike. He, too, is expected to practice today.

Holmgren hinted there might be more to Coburn's problem than the reopening of his left eye. Though Holmgren carefully avoided using the word "concussion," it was the GM who first mentioned Coburn throwing up on the flight back from Pittsburgh after Game 2. That could be a concussion symptom.Yesterday, Holmgren said Coburn "is going through some struggles right now" and "still doesn't feel right ... He's got a bright future ahead of him and we just want to be careful with him."

Asked if Coburn is exhibiting concussion symptoms, Holmgren said: "Not really ... We're continuing to monitor that ... Nobody has ever said that to me. (But) he got hit in the head with a puck, at a high rate of speed, and he doesn't feel right."

Timonen and Coburn are the Flyers' top defensemen, and are skilled at moving the puck up the ice, something the team has struggled with in this series.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Both guys come back, and the Flyers win game 5.

I guarantee if that happens, they win out in this series.  Then they'll get smoked in the finals.

[Cerevant]

Isn't that what people have been saying all playoffs?  Great win vs. Wash, but they'll never beat Montreal.  Yeah, they eeked one against Montreal, but they have no shot vs. Pittsburgh.

Who knows?  If they win Sunday, I think it goes to game 7.

I'm just happy they beat Montreal - my boss came to me after their first loss and said, "I don't like it that the Flyers beat my Canadians".  I said, "Too bad, get used to it"

Best day at work in months.

[rjs246]

If they win Sunday, I think it goes to game 7.

I'm pretty sure everyone thinks that. I know I do. Winning game 5 is really the main issue...

[Rome]

What's all this "IF" bullshtein?

[PhillyGirl]

Both Timonen and Coburn are a go for tomorrow as per the Flyers' official site.

[QB Eagles]

Gotta follow the Stars' lead and keep extending this round.

The Flyers are trying to climb a mountain that has only been climbed twice before in NHL history, and they are trying it against a more talented team, so I'm not overly optimistic. No, I don't think it's automatic to win Game 6 if they win Game 5. Every Flyers win from here on out is an upset (as Game 4 was), and home ice doesn't really mean shtein.

Biron's got to stay at his Game 4 level and the Flyers need to maintain the intensity and concentration that allowed them to keep Malkin and Crosby in check. Hopefully Coburn and Kimmo play at approximately 100%. Shuffling up the lines helped immensely in Game 4, but I'm afraid the Pens will also shuffle things up and focus on trying to take Briere back out of the series. Hopefully the new look defense in Game 5 will give Therrien enough to worry about.