Pregame.
Facing their second grudge match in two days, the Flyers need to find some energy in the physical and emotional tanks to pull out a victory.  Most nights in the NHL winning is primarily the result of desire, not pure talent.  See Toronto’s recent win over Detroit for proof.

The rivalry between the Penguins and the Flyers usually gives the advantage to the home team.  The fact that Evgeni Malkin shines in the Igloo only enhances that advantage for PIttsburgh.  On the other hand, the absence of Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney cannot be ignored.  They’re slightly weakened, and the Flyers should seize their opportunity to pick up points on a division rival.

On the Philadelphia end of the ice, expect Andrew Alberts to debut tonight in the Orange and Black.  He’s a big defenseman who plays a physical game.  Actually, he would have been valuable in last night’s match up.  But he should be a nice addition while Randy Jones and Ryan Parent are out of the line up.

First intermission. Flyers 0 - Penguins 0
A fairly even period from both teams.  The Flyers dominated control early on, but the Penguins gradually gained the offensive zone in the second half.

The Flyers must find ways to penetrate the Penguins’ defense.   The Pens are keeping the Flyers to the perimeter, simplifying Marc-Andre Fleury’s job in the process.  If I were John Stevens, I would spend this entire intermission stressing good, simple plays to my squad.

Second intermission. Flyers 2 - Penguins 2
I’ll be honest - I was worried there for a few minutes.  The Flyers squandered their opportunities and allowed the opponent to gain a psychological edge.  I expected to see at least one more Penguin goal before the period ended.

And then Jeff Carter pulls out that glorious wrist shot.  Add to that a Kimmo Timonen point shot with Mike Richards in front, and you have a tie game.

The key to evening the score?  Driving the net.  The Flyers finally got some guys in front of the net, elevated the puck, and went for the dirty goals.  They need at least one more of those, combined with rock solid defense, to finish this one off.

Quick Thought - When the Flyers finally do get a shot on Fleury, he’s allowing the rebounds to shoot right out to the high slot.  Except the Flyers don’t have anyone there.

End of third period. Flyers 2 - Penguins 2
Luca Sbisa spent time on the ice during the last minute of play.  I have never seen the Flyers show that much faith in a young player over veterans on the bench, let alone an 18-year-old rookie defenseman.  Wow.

Overtime. Flyers 2 - Penguins 3
I hate to raise this spectre yet again, but this might be season 2 of Danny Briere disappearing on the ice.  The worst part of these invisible performances - his defensive play.  Once again we see Briere cough up the puck in a key situation, only to have Pascal Dupuis pounce and score the winning goal with 10 seconds remaining in overtime.

The Flyers had dominated much of the overtime play, seizing scoring chances and effectively shutting down even Crosby and Malkin.  I simply don’t understand why Stevens opted to combine Briere and Lupul for those shifts.  Lupul isn’t exactly known for strong defensive play, and Briere . . . enough said.  Horrible.

That said, Niittymaki showed his weakness yet again.  He’s excels when the puck comes in tight with traffic surrounding the crease.  But if shots start coming from the outer perimeter, especially unobstructed, Niitty seems unable to handle them properly.

Looking on the bright side: the Flyers pick up their first point of the season.  Hopefully the first of many.  Preferably 100 or more.

Let’s start with Montreal.  They pack a wallop, rolling out their slippery forwards, big bruising defense, and hulking specimen of a goaltender.  On top of that, they provided a solid defense and were patient enough to wait for scoring opportunities and pounce.  Their forecheck is phenomenal.  Canadiens fans, you have a team worthy of being the 100th anniversary squad.

And if you’d like to send Mike Komasarek to Philadelphia, I am willing and ready to take him.  He’s gritty, positionally sound, and involved in every scrum.  He is truly my dream defenseman. 

Back to Philadelphia.  The Flyers fought hard the entire night, and I don’t mean fisticuffs.  They struggled against the puck throughout the evening.  I don’t know whether the ice was bad - several of the good skaters like Braydon Coburn and Simon Gagne were catching edges and looked slower than usual.  However, the Canadiens managed to deal with it, which suggests to me that the Flyers need to stop gripping the sticks too tightly and work on their chemistry.

On top of the wildly bouncing puck, the Flyers tried far too many fancy plays.  If the puck won’t settle down, you can’t be constantly trying to create the most awesome give-and-go ever.  Mike Richards attempted a dipsy-doodle around one of the large Canadiens that failed, and he ended up on his butt watching the first goal of the game go into the net.  Pretty plays only matter if they result in goals.

And then we arrive at Martin Biron.  It’s quite easy to tell when Biron is playing well - and I’m not referring to score sheets.  The stellar Biron, who showed up in the playoffs, squares his shoulders to the shooter, is confident in his crease, and sucks up the rebounds.  I once heard Marty himself compare the feeling of playing like that to having a vacuum in the crest of his jersey.

When he’s not playing good hockey, well, you get last night.  Rebounds careened off Biron like pinballs at the arcade.  That’s extremely difficult to defend against, and it proved the difference-maker in that game.  At the opposite end of the ice, Carey Price stifled the Flyers’ forwards by controlling the puck, never giving rebounds as the Orange and Black came crashing towards him. 

The Flyers’ first road trip of the season begins tonight in Pittsburgh.  It’s a chance to start anew.

Pregame.

Tim Panaccio does a great job summarizing what the Flyers need to do tonight: win.  Montreal only became faster, more slippery, and more dangerous over the summer.  Last year’s playoffs mean nothing.  Pre-season hype means nothing.  It’s a new season, and a whole new battle just to make the playoffs.

There will be no in-game blogging this evening because I will be at the game.  I expect to post a late-night postgame blog, so check back here in the morning for the game wrap-up.

• To all those fans who are still ranting and railing about Sarah Palin dropping the puck for the Flyers’ season opener, visit blogsearch.google.com and search for “philadelphia flyers.”  Please explain to me how that much publicity - especially on non-hockey focused blogs - hurts the Flyers or the sport of hockey.  I still say this was a genius move by Shawn Tilger and the rest of the Flyers’ media staff.
  
• The Rangers looked absolutely fantastic last night.  During the postgame show, Bill Clement pointed out that Tom Renney’s club consistently plays as a unit, whether they’re on defense or offense.  They certainly produced a tight game against the Flyers.  Almost makes me wish Mats Sundin would sign there and mess up the chemistry.
• Speaking of Bill Clement, I love that Comcast SportsNet added him to the game presentation team for the home opener.  I truly feel he’s one of the best hockey color guys in the business, head and shoulders above Versus’s Eddie Olczyk.
• Simon Gagne scored what may become his most important goal of the season last night.  The winger has looked slightly hesitant when entering corners, and he isn’t quite flying around the ice as he can when his confidence levels reach 100%.  But he showed a willingness to enter the crease despite heavy traffic, always with his stick down ready to direct a pass towards the net.  Scoring a goal in a major situation can only help Gagne in his quest to prove himself a healthy contributor to the team.
• Randy Jones will be out longer than expected with a serious hip injury.  This could prove a huge blow to the Flyers’ already-weakened blue line.  I am not a Jones fan by any stretch of the imagination.  However, he is an NHL quality defenseman with enough experience to be trusted the average NHL offense.  Meanwhile, Lasse Kukkonen and Steve Eminger need to play as though they actually want to be in the NHL rather than with the Phantoms.  Too many nights off from those two will land the Flyers out of the playoffs once again.

The season is back, and so are the in-game blogs!  For readers new to the site, I typically post before and after each Flyers game, checking in between periods with snippets of commentary.  Updates are posted at the top of the blog.

Postgame. Rangers 4 - Flyers 3

Climbing out of holes is far more difficult than digging them.  The Flyers fell behind early and spent the rest of the game struggling to hold the pieces together.

Kudos to Tom Renney and his entire squad.  The Rangers have skill, speed, and the ability to play terrific team hockey.  That served them well this evening.

The Flyers deserve credit for mounting a return, from drawing penalties to driving the net and scoring goals.  Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, and Antero Niittymaki had stand-out performances. 

One thing is certain - there’s work to do before Monday’s tilt against Montreal.

Second Intermission. Rangers 4 - Flyers 2

The Flyers did what they needed to do coming into this period.  They stopped the bleeding, and they got themselves within striking distance.  With a minute and a half of power play to start the third, I don’t see how it could be better.

Look for more fireworks before this one’s over, folks.

First Intermission.  Rangers 4 - Flyers 0

The Rangers came ready to play tonight.  The Flyers came ready to find their sealegs.  And thus you have New York ahead by 4.  Enough said on that point.

I like what Mike Richards is trying to do for his team as the captain.  After being grabbed by the much larger Paul Mara, Richards did a great job holding up the Ranger without incurring a five-minute major for fighting.

Pregame.  It’s finally here!  The Flyers are back with a vengeance and hungry for more!

Okay, I work in marketing, so pardon my cheesy adherence to the taglines.  But I could not be more ready for puck drop, even if it is coming ceremonially from Sarah Palin.

Taglines aside, the Flyers have much to prove.  Last year could be the foundation of a great season, as many pundits are predicting.  Or it could have been a fluke, a precursor to another inconsistent year of missed opportunities and injuries.  With Ryan Parent, Randy Jones, and Steven Downie out of the game, this tends to recall the injury plague more than Stanley Cup dreaming.

As for the Rangers, they looked fantastic in Europe.  Granted, they are a defense-first team, so they should have been able to shutdown a recovering Vinny Lecavalier and junior Lightning defense.  They need to answer a few questions: Is Henrik Lundquist healthy?  Can Gomez and Drury lead this team while carrying the almost-dead weight of Zherdev and Redden?

In the words of Lou Nolan - ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HOCKEY?

Congratulations to the Phillies on their victory over the Dodgers this evening.  I caught the highlights, and what a game for the fans at Citizens Bank Park!  If anyone in baseball defines clutch, it’s Chase Utley.

On the hockey front, tonight’s games opened the regular season in North America, starting with a battle between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. 

Last season, a prominent Toronto journalist described the Red Wings’ style of play as “ballet on ice,” saying that the media folks actually enjoyed watching the team practice because their puck control and passing abilities made them beautiful to see.  Adding Marian Hossa as a free agent over the summer only strengthened Detroit’s skill at forward.  And these Stanley Cup champions had the rare blessing of retaining every key player from their magical march to victory last spring.

But Toronto emerged victorious this evening at the Joe.  They didn’t win on skill; they won because they brought more heart to the ice.  Mike Van Ryn blocked shots and dove in the path of oncoming plays like a man on a mission.  Jason Blake actually stood in the crease and challenged Detroit’s physical defenseman, almost twice his size.  And Pavel Kubina, who most Leafs fans desperately wanted to trade at the deadline and again during the summertime window, scored the first goal of the season.  It was ugly, sloppy, messy hockey with enough board-work and grinding to please any Old Time Hockey enthusiast.

It’s about heart.  When the chips are down, when it really counts, who is willing to lay everything on the line?  The Toronto Maple Leafs joined together as a unit, and won despite their lack of pure talent.  It’s the stuff champions - like Chase Utley - are made of. 

Will Toronto maintain that pace through the next 81 games?  Probably not.  But Toronto fans should be pleased to see that the will and character exist.  Now it’s a matter of patiently developing the talent.

From Philly.com:

Freebies for Fans

It’s the tanking economy!  It’s the skyrocketing costs of health care!  It’s . . . . Sarah Palin dropping pucks at a Philadelphia Flyers game?

Yes, folks, that’s right.  Sarah Palin, the hockey-mom-turned-potential-possessor-of-nuclear-codes, will drop the puck at the opening faceoff at the Philadelphia Flyers home opener against the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Fan responses to this afternoon’s announcement tend to err on the side of anti-Palin.  And pro-boo bird.  Although one Blue Jackets fan points out that the Flyers evil qualities may actually sully the Alaska governor.  To that I have but one reply - we may have sold our souls to the Devil, but at least we won a cup.

Frankly, this move has nothing whatsoever to do with politics, so Republicans and Democrats alike can sit down and stop being so huffy about the whole thing.  In fact this is possibly the most brilliant move I have seen to launch a season - definitely head-and-shoulders above the NHL’s opening day at the NHL store in New York City.

Sarah Palin’s jokes and Detroit Red Wings following brought America’s national attention to the sport of ice hockey in the middle of August.  Even a gathering with Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Wayne Gretzky, and Mr. Hockey himself would not have attracted such a media frenzy south of the border in January, let alone during the hottest days of summer.

And let’s consider the amount of national attention the Flyers stand ready to receive for this gesture.  A national figure in the midst of a major presidential campaign is coming into their building for a center stage moment.  It’s going to get air-time locally, sure.  But it will also gain play on Sunday morning political shows, and probably the Monday morning shows like Today and Good Morning America.

But what if the Flyers fans boo Ms. Palin out of the Wachovia Center?  So what!  That’s a great story - the Broad Street Bullies and their loyal legions take arms against the Vice Presidential hopeful as she drops the puck at center ice.  Can anyone say “SNL skit starring the lovely and talented Philadelphia native Tina Fey as Sarah Palin, just waiting to happen”?

It won’t be easy for the Flyers to draw attention within the Philadelphia marketplace this weekend.  The Phillies start the NLCS on Thursday night, and the entire city is abuzz with their baseball team.  The controversy alone of featuring Sarah Palin certainly cuts through some of that red tape.

The move is pure brilliance on the part of Shawn Tilger and his entire Public Relations staff at Comcast-Spectacor.  It’s going to generate huge quantities of publicity at no additional charge to the organization.  And in these economic times, every business can use an expense-free boost.

Maybe Gary Bettman should take a few pointers on how to start a season properly . . .

We keep hearing that the key to success in the “new” NHL is the draft.  Whether referencing Pittsburgh’s knock-out run of top 2 picks (Fleury, Crosby and Malkin) or Washington’s jam-packed youth corps (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Semin, Green, Laich, Gordon, Fehr . . . plus the entire Hershey Bears squad) or Detroit’s miracle late-round success (Datsyuk anyone?), power house teams know how to leverage their draft choices to create solid lineups.

Which brings us to the Flyers.  Journalists rave about Holmgren’s clever trades, attributing the entire revitalization to new acquisitions.  And in a sense that’s all true.  Kimmo Timonen provided the reliable defense missing since the retirement of Eric Desjardins.  Scott Hartnell and Scottie Upshall brought gritty agitation to the forward lines, while Danny Briere added finesse and skill to the power play.  Meanwhile, Marty Biron supplied the needed netminding.

But paying for players only works if the core is strong.  The Flyers have spent the past 10 years drafting well, especially considering that they usually receive late first round picks because they are a consistently successful team.  Let’s take a look at the list of Flyers’ draft picks who have made the NHL as regulars since the 1998 draft:

1998: Simon Gagne, Antero Niittymaki
2000: Justin Williams
2001: Patrick Sharp, Dennis Seidenberg
2002: Joni Pitkanen
2003: Jeff Carter, Mike Richards

There may not be a plethora of players there.  But the ones that have made it in, have made it big.  Simon Gagne scored 40-goals in back-to-back seasons, and he is just now hitting his prime.  Justin Williams may be injured, but ask Carolina fans how they feel about his contributions to their team.  Patrick Sharp is the third element on the Toews-Kane line that tore it up in Chicago last year.  And need I even explain the quality play of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards?

As the 2008 training camp draws to a close, we see a few more Flyers picks poised to take their places in the NHL.  Steve Downie (2005) could prove an integral part of the Flyers’ 4th line with Arron Asham and Riley Cote, nicknamed aptly “the Black and Blue” line.  Claude Giroux (2006) may be down with the Phantoms to start the year, but the talent he displayed during his emergency call-up in February suggests that will not a longterm appointment.  And Luca Sbisa (2008) could prove the offensive-defenseman the Orange and Black faithful have been waiting for.

It should prove a season worth watching!

Watching the Flyers’ webcast of the preseason game against the Caps . . .

In related sports news, the Phillies won their second NL East title in two years, and the entire city is abuzz with excitement.  City Hall even dyed the water in its fountains red in honor of the Phils.

But apparently not everyone is fanatical about the Phillies.  Two women were sitting in front of me on the train from Suburban Station at City Hall down to 30th Street Station.  They were discussing how the water in the fountains was such an unhealthy shade of pink, and both seemed concerned that this might prove a hazard to the public.  Finally, I couldn’t take it any more.  “The Phillies are in the playoffs.  Their team colors are red and white.”

The ladies nodded, understandingly.  A man behind me tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, “Thanks.”

My good deed for the week is done.