FLYERS 2005-06 SEASON THREAD!

[SD_Eagle5]

I thought this would open the door for Umberger to play wing.  Im still holding out hope that they make a play for Ryan Smyth.  I saw he just signed a 2 or 3 year deal but i was hoping that was just getting he set to move.

I was aboard the Smyth bandwagon as well, but I think it would have happened already. Sucks Kapanen was injured, I have his black jersey with his signature on it.

[BigEd76]

Flyers lead 7-5 in Ontario vs the Thrashers 

[SunMo]

September 19, 2005
Flyers could move Handzus to wing
TheFourthPeriod.com


     Michal Handzus' name has been heard in a number of trade rumors circling around the NHL over the past few weeks, but that may all come to an end.

According to the Camden CourierPost, Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock is considering moving Handzus to right wing, a position he played regularly in St. Louis five years ago.

Handzus, 28, has been speculated to be on the Flyers' trade block due to the team's amount of talent up the middle.

One report suggested the team was trying to deal Handzus to Edmonton for Ryan Smyth, prior to Smyth signing a new deal with the Oilers.
   Click Here!
     
In 436 career NHL games with the Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes and Blues, Handzus has accumulated 101 goals and 147 assists for 248 points. He was traded to Philadelphia along with Robert Esche from Phoenix in exchange for Brian Boucher and a draft pick.

[BigEd76]

8-6 final, plus they won 1-0 in the shootout (they're doing them after every game to get used to it)

[Seabiscuit36]

Richards scored the Shootout goal and Nitty had 4 stops

[BigEd76]

Nice article on Richards 

[rjs246]

Oh man. Hockey wood.

[PhillyGirl]

[SunMo]

when is their 1st preseason game being televised

[BigEd76]

Tuesday vs the Devils, I think...

[PhillyGirl]

later this week vs the Devils, I think...

Must. Kill. Devils. Always.

[MDS]

Thursday vs. Devils.

There is very important Sillies game on tuesday, Ed. 

[Seabiscuit36]

Flyers Defeat Islanders in Trenton, 2-1

Radivojevic nets the game-winner

Trenton, NJ – Branko Radivojevic broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the third period that proved to be the game-winner, as the Philadelphia Flyers won their second preseason game in as many tries with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

On the goal, Michal Handzus attempted a wrap-around and the puck bounced around traffic in the crease before Radivojevic poked it past a sprawled out Garth Snow at 5:57.

Philadelphia had to kill off three consecutive penalties to start the game, and then took the lead on a power play of its own. Defenseman Mike Rathje, who was a healthy scratch in the first game, floated a wrist shot from the high slot towards the net. Jon Sim screened Snow on the play for a goal at 9:16.

New York responded quickly with a power play goal by Wyatt Smith at 10:52 to tie the game. Goaltender Antero Niittymaki was unable to control a shot by Joel Bouchard, and Smith was left alone in front of the net to knock in the rebound.

The first altercation of the preseason came courtesy of an unlikely source from the Flyers' end, when rookie Mike Richards dropped the gloves with Bouchard about four and a half minutes into the second period. Richards got an instigator penalty, but New York was unable to capitalize.

There was a scary moment for the Flyers when there was a collision between New York's Jason Blake and Niittymaki halfway through the third period. Niittymaki was shaken up on the play but remained in the game, and Blake was given a minor for goaltender interference.

Niittymaki played the entire game for the Flyers, stopping 23 of 24 shots. Snow also played from start to finish, allowing two goals on 25 shots.

There were several players dressing for the Flyers who did not play in the team's first preseason game in London. Michal Handzus, Eric Chouinard, Wade Skolney, Ben Eager and Jamie Storr (who did not play) were among them, as was Brian Savage, who signed with the club last week.

The Flyers open up the home portion of their preseason schedule on Saturday at the Wachovia Center when they host the Washington Capitals at 7:00 p.m.

FLYERS NOTES
With Keith Primeau not dressing for the game, Simon Gagne wore the "C", while Handzus and Donald Brashear were the assistant captains . ... In addition to winning their second game, the Flyers also won their second post-game shootout, which follows every preseason NHL game. Richards and Gagne scored for the Flyers, while Niittymaki stopped two of the three attempts by the Islanders.

[Seabiscuit36]

Hitch looks for Pitkanen to develop his offense

By ED MORAN

morane@phillynews.com

Just before the start of the 2004 playoffs, Ken Hitchcock was talking about Joni Pitkanen and about why he had decided not to play the rookie in the postseason.

What he said was that Pitkanen was still just a kid. He belonged back home sunbathing in Helsinki instead of worrying about playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. "Overwhelmed" was another term Hitchcock used when asked why he had decided to bench the Flyers' talented Finnish rookie, who turned 22 Monday.

And then came the injuries to Kim Johnsson, Eric Desjardins and Magnus Ragnarsson, and Pitkanen was back in again.

But Hitchcock was proved right. Pitkanen seemed to get lost in the intense Eastern Conference final against Tampa Bay, and suffered a concussion in Game 4.

Last season's lockout meant that instead of being the young, inexperienced kid on the Flyers, Pitkanen was the NHL-experienced defenseman on the Phantoms, playing a dominant role in all aspects of the game.

He was a factor in the team's run to the Calder Cup championship from the start of the minor league year, and now both he and Hitchcock believe he has the foundation to become a factor on the Flyers' defense.

"I'm ready, I'm very excited," Pitkanen said. "I feel like I'm in good shape and it's very exciting. I know I'm a better player and I want to step up, make the next step, be a better player."

Tonight, the Flyers will get a chance to see if that is true. When they play the New York Islanders at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., Pitkanen will play his first NHL game since the 2004 playoffs.

It's hard for Pitkanen to talk about what he learned playing in the AHL and what he expects from himself in the coming season. He is shy by nature, and it doesn't help that he speaks only halting English.

Fortunately, he has been doing most of his talking on the ice. Pitkanen learned to play a more physical game last season, and that brought confidence.

When he reported to camp this summer, he was bigger, having gained more than 15 pounds of muscle. "I'm much bigger than before; now I'm 217," he said. "I get stronger; if guys come to hit, I can push back."

Paired with veteran Mike Rathje, who was signed as a free agent to help bring experience and a physical presence to the defense, Pitkanen is expected to use his added strength and experience not to defend but to help bring the game to the opposing net. He also has been moved from the left to the right side.

"We really like what we see at practice [with the pairing]," Hitchcock said. "It's really allowing [Pitkanen] to get up the ice and do what he does. This is the first real go for him on the right side, so this is going to be a process. We think from an offensive standpoint and a puck-movement standpoint, [Pitkanen] is going to be better playing over there."

Hitchcock is a little more than curious to see what happens to Pitkanen this season. He watched him grow in the AHL last season and he believes the player the Flyers took with the fourth overall pick in 2002 is ready to live up to the expectations placed on him back then.

But he knows there is still an issue with Pitkanen not doing what made him such a high draft pick: using the talent and speed that made him an offensive threat when he was a teenager playing in the Finnish elite league.

"We're looking for him to take the big step here during the season," Hitchcock said. "We see it at practice and we'd like to see him take the same steps in games. We would rather him make risky mistakes than play with hesitation. We're looking for him to play with risk and take chances... I think it's just that [Pitkanen] is a work in progress.

"A lot of people think that with younger, skilled defensemen, it's the defensive part of the game that needs work. It's not so. He's more than accomplished defensively. What we want him to do is get the puck and go. He's shown flashes of that at our level and flashes at the Phantoms' level, but we're looking for more consistency for him to get up and get going."

[SunMo]

Flyers' Forsberg back on ice

Associated Press

VOORHEES, N.J. - Peter Forsberg skated Friday for the first time since having surgery on his right ankle, and the Philadelphia Flyers forward might return to practice early next week.

Forsberg, who had an infected bursa sac removed from his ankle on Sept. 12, felt some discomfort during the 10-minute skating session.

"I'm going to skate a little harder each day and we'll see about Monday," Forsberg said. "I'm happy to be back. I missed 11 days of training camp."

The Flyers training staff added extra padding to Forsberg's skate to reduce the amount of friction around the injury.

"I just had the stitches out this morning, so it was hurting a little bit," he said. "I wasn't trying to skate that hard, just get out there. It's good to be back on the ice."

The NHL's most valuable player in 2003 aims to play in at least one preseason game before the regular season begins on Oct. 5.

Forsberg is expected to center a line with veteran Simon Gagne and rookie Jeff Carter.