SB Nation - Philadelphia Flyers Stories From Around SB Nation About Philadelphia Flyers Sami Kapanen retires from hockey Travis Hughes Thu, 13 Mar 2014 17:59:14 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>Yes, Sami Kapanen was still playing.</p> <p>Sami Kapanen retired from hockey on Thursday after playing his final game for KalPa Kuopio, the club he co-owns in Finland's SM-liiga. Kapanen had played five seasons for KalPa since leaving the NHL after the 2007-08 season.</p> <p> </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p>And so it came to the end. Sami Kapanen has retired from hockey. <a href="">#Canes</a> <a href="">#Whalers</a> <a href="">#Flyers</a> <a href="">#KalPa</a> <a href="">#HIFK</a> <a href="">#JoKP</a> <a href=""></a></p> &mdash; Puckarinen (@puckarinen) <a href="">March 13, 2014</a> </blockquote> <p> <script src="//" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>Kapanen, now 40 years old, played for the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Philadelphia Flyers</a> from 2002-03, when he was acquired in a trade from the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Carolina Hurricanes</a>, until 2008, when he retired from the NHL and went back home to join his hometown team. Current Flyers Scott Hartnell and <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Kimmo Timonen</a> purchased minority stakes in KalPa and remain close with Kapanen.</p> <p>Over the last five years since leaving the Flyers, Kapanen has played in 211 regular season games in Finland, scoring 62 goals and 84 assists. Dude can still play.</p> <p>As an NHLer, Kapanen finished his career with 458 points in 851 career games. He was drafted 87th overall in 1995 by the Hartford Whalers, and he only played with two NHL organizations in his career: Hartford/Carolina and the Flyers.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p>Sami Kapanen&rsquo;s most important teammate? Keith Primeau. "Of course, it was unforgettable to have Paul Coffey and Ron Francis as teammates."</p> &mdash; Puckarinen (@puckarinen) <a href="">March 13, 2014</a> </blockquote> <p> <script src="//" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>We best remember Kapanen here in Philadelphia as a versatile playmaking winger who was easy to root for. In 2006, then-Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock famously experimented with Kapanen on defense at times in an attempt to get more speed out of his blueline, a testament to just how valuable a player Kapanen was.</p> <p>His most memorable NHL moment came in Game 6 of the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>.</p> <p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="//" frameborder="0"></iframe></p> <p>When I think of Kapanen, though, I think back to the goal he scored against the <a href="" class="sbn-auto-link">Capitals</a> in Game 3 of the Eastern Quarterfinals in 2008. It turned out to be one of his final NHL playoff goals, and the celebration is one that's stuck in my memory for a long time now.</p> <p><img alt="80686568_medium" class="photo" src=""><img alt="80686503_medium" class="photo" src=""></p> <p>Congrats on a great career, Sami.</p> The Noon Number: 37.94 Collin Mehalick Thu, 13 Mar 2014 12:00:03 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>The Flyers and the Penguins really, really, really do not like each other.</p> <p><i><b>37.94</b></i> - Average PIM/game in games played between the Flyers and the Penguins since the beginning of the 2012 season (including playoffs)</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Philadelphia Flyers</a> hate the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>. The Pittsburgh Penguins hate the Philadelphia Flyers. Fans of both teams can, and will, say the same. Games between these two teams are never boring, and, over the past three years, that's never been more evident. Exactly how evident, you ask?</p> <p>Here's a season-by-season look at how games between the Flyers and the Penguins have shaped up with regards to penalties:</p> <p>2011-2012: <b>6 games, 39 PIM/game</b> (32, 12, 44, 32, 62, 53)<br>2012 Playoffs: <b>6 games, 52 PIM/game</b> (8, 16, 158 - yeah, I think you all know which game this was - 98, 16, 16)<br>2012-2013: <b>4 games, 23.50 PIM/game</b> (16, 48, 8, 22)<br>2013-2014: <b>2 games, 21 PIM/game</b> (16, 26)</p> <p><a href="" target="_blank"><img alt="Image001_medium" class="photo" src=""></a></p> <p>Things really came to a head in that 2012 playoff series, huh? That series had an average of 52 penalty minutes/game. 52! <a target="_blank" href="">Even Hulk Hogan got involved</a>.</p> <p>Relatively speaking, games between the two teams have settled down somewhat over the past two seasons, but that doesn't mean that things can't erupt at any given moment. With the Flyers about to kick off a crucial 12-game stretch, a stretch in which all 12 teams they play currently sit in a playoff position, things are bound to get <strike>a little</strike> intense between these two teams.&nbsp; The Flyers need to start off on the right foot.</p> <p>The first game of this important home-and-home (well, for the Flyers at least) between the Flyers and the Penguins is on Saturday afternoon. We'll have 'Five Questions' with our friends over at <a target="_blank" href="">Pensburgh</a> up tomorrow and our game preview out Saturday morning. Get ready.</p> Thursday Morning Fly By: Who made this schedule? More hockey plz. Kelly Hinkle Thu, 13 Mar 2014 06:00:02 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes...</p> <p>*The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Flyers</a> have a tough road ahead of them through the rest of this month. Points will not come easy. [<a href="" target="_blank">BSH</a>]</p> <p>*One of the biggest takeaways from Tuesday's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Devils</a> game was that, whether you think it was a good goal or a good call on the ice, it's a play that should be eligible for video review. The league should be more interested in getting it right. [<a href="" target="_blank">Daily News</a>] [<a href="" target="_blank">Puck Daddy</a>]</p> <p>*Kerry Fraser thinks that the right call was made. [<a href="" target="_blank">TSN</a>]</p> <p>*Meltzer takes a look at how the Devils were able to so completely stifle the Flyers' power play. [<a href="" target="_blank">Hockeybuzz</a>]</p> <p>*<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Ryan Kesler</a> didn't want to come to Philadelphia. Cool bro, enjoy the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Canucks</a> it's going really well up there. [<a href="" target="_blank">BSH</a>]</p> <p>*Friedman's latest Thirty Thoughts, including a nice little nugget about our own Ginger Superhero. [<a href="" target="_blank">CBC</a>]</p> <p>*The NHLs general managers got together in Florida to discuss what needs improvement in their league; concluded that nothing needs improvement. [<a href="" target="_blank"></a>]</p> <p>*Justin Bourne on how much game-day interaction is allowed between players on opposing teams. [<a href="" target="_blank">Backhand Shelf</a>]</p> <p>*What the NHL standings would look like with a three-point system. [<a href="" target="_blank">SB Nation</a>]</p> <p>*An interesting read on what having a Quebec Separatist owner in the NHL would mean for the league. [<a href="" target="_blank">Sportsnet</a>]</p> <p>*Finland is producing more elite prospects than ever; this article asks why. [<a href="" target="_blank">The Hockey News</a>]</p> <p>*Rich Peverley's season is over, but he's doing well. That's what's important. [<a href="" target="_blank">Defending Big D</a>]</p> <p>*Part one of a visual look back at all of the jersey and logo changes we saw this year. [<a href="" target="_blank">Icethetics</a>]</p> The Two O'Clock Number: .057 Collin Mehalick Wed, 12 Mar 2014 14:00:02 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>How the heck does Brodeur do it?</p> <p><i><b>.057</b></i> - The difference between Martin Brodeur's save percentage against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Flyers</a> and his save percentage against everybody else this season (.951 vs. .894)</p> <p>In the 4 games he's started against Philadelphia, Brodeur's cumulative save percentage is almost 60 points higher than the cumulative he's posted against the rest of the league (this season.)</p> <p>Oh, what the heck; let's just revisit them all:</p> <p><b>11-02-2013:</b> PHI @ NJD, 1 Goal Against, 20 Saves, 21 Shots Against - <b>.958 SV%</b><br><b>11-07-2013:</b> NJD @ PHI, 0 Goals Against, 22 Saves, 22 Shots Against - <b>1.000 SV%</b><br><b>01-07-2014:</b> PHI @ NJD, 3 Goals Against, 25 Saves, 28 Shots Against - <b>.893 SV%</b><br><b>03-11-2014:</b> NJD @ PHI, 1 Goal Against, 30 Saves, 31 Shots Against - <b>.968 SV%</b></p> <p>Is Philadelphia cursed? (Don't answer that.) We've had to deal with "Marty" long enough, and it's getting kind of embarrassing knowing that, at 41, the man's still putting up those kind of numbers against this team. Tuesday night's game at the Wells Fargo Center was no different.</p> <p>Let's look at it another way: the Flyers have averaged a little over 25 shots/game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Devils</a> this season. <b>Shots taken by non-Flyers were 2.17 times more likely to go in against Brodeur this year than shots taken by Flyers (10.6% vs. 4.9%).</b></p> <p>Brodeur's save percentage is .894 when he faces a team that does not reside in Philadelphia. The rest of the league is laughing at him. The Flyers really don't have that luxury.</p> <p>(s/t to <a target="_blank" href="">Eric</a>)</p> Ryan Kesler wouldn't have accepted trade to Philadelphia Flyers Travis Hughes Wed, 12 Mar 2014 12:55:20 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>The Flyers apparently had interest, but it was not mutual.</p> <p>Remember the trade deadline rumors about the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Flyers</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Ryan Kesler</a>? It was mentioned more than once in the days leading up to the 2014 deadline that that Flyers and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Penguins</a> were the front-runners to acquire the strong <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Canucks</a> center, and it was assumed that Kesler would have been willing to come to Philly.</p> <p>Nope.&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">Via CBC's Elliotte Friedman:</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Canuck rumour II: That ownership blocked Gillis from trading Ryan Kesler at the deadline. Verdict: Don't believe it. As mentioned above, [owner] Aquilini was well aware of the GM's plans. It would not be the least bit surprising if an&nbsp;<a href="">interested team</a> or two told Vancouver it could be involved at the draft, but not now, for cap reasons. Also, when Kesler said no to Columbus, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Rangers</a> and Philadelphia, the Canucks may have pulled back because they didn't like the situation.</p> </blockquote> <p>Friedman notes that Kesler was only believed to have interest in six teams: Anaheim, Chicago, Colorado, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. Ultimately, he wasn't traded at all.</p> <p>The Flyers at least <i>seemed</i> to be pretty interested in Kesler, but&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">as we noted at the time</a>, acquiring him would have been a silly decision. It was possible that the Flyers were never truly interested and were only trying to drive the price up for other teams (hey, Pittsburgh), but if Paul Holmgren did have genuine interest, it appears we have Kesler to thank for preventing a bad move.</p> Place your bets: How many points will the Flyers earn in the rest of March? Kurt R. Wed, 12 Mar 2014 11:56:17 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>The Flyers' schedule for the rest of this month is nothing short of monstrous. How many points can they get out of it?</p> <p>We've talked a fair bit about<a href="" target="_blank"> the difficulty of the Flyers' schedule the rest of the way</a>. The Flyers managed to pick up seven out of 12 possible points in the six games before things got real tough, and fortunately that's been enough for them to hang onto the final playoff spot in the East for the time being.</p> <p>Getting more than half of the points they can get in the rest of March, though? Bit taller of a task.</p> <p>Let's talk about the nine games left before we flip the calendar to April, and then try and guess how many wins and points they'll need -- and how many they'll actually get.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Saturday, March 15: Flyers vs. Penguins</h5> <p>It all begins with the most familiar of Flyers opponents, as the orange and black will play their first game in about four months against their cross-state rivals on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.</p> <p>We talked a fair bit about the Penguins on&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">Monday night's episode of BSH Radio</a>, and we all more or less reached the same conclusions: they're a team that's got more issues than usual this year (i.e. their lack of forward depth has been on display, their defense getting gutted by injuries), but there's a reason that they're still sitting atop the Eastern Conference. They're very good.</p> <p>Even though we know anything can happen in these games, it ain't going to be easy to get a win no matter what. Pittsburgh knows the Flyers' precarious position in the standings and I'm sure they'd love to try and knock the Flyers out of a playoff spot. Fortunately, we know that if there are any games the Flyers can get up for, it's these.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Sunday, March 16: Flyers at Penguins</h5> <p>Yeah ... so let's just take everything said above and apply it here, except with the Flyers on the road. Given how important getting the right matchups against the Pens has been for the Flyers in the past couple of seasons, getting the win will no doubt be a bit tougher.</p> <p>On the other hand, we all know that CONSOL Energy Center has generally treated the Flyers well over the years. Plus, this is where you maybe hope that the advantage the Flyers have in their forward depth (i.e. in their bottom-six) over the Penguins will make a difference.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Tuesday, March 18: Flyers vs. Blackhawks</h5> <p>The Flyers and the reigning Stanley Cup champions played once already this season back in December, when a decent first period for Philly quickly turned into a nightmarish second and&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">ultimately a 7-2 rout</a>. In this one, we'll get a chance to see what kind of progress the Flyers have made in the three months since that game. The Blackhawks, to the surprise of no one, are still one of the best teams in hockey in almost every measurable way, and as anyone could guess they'll be a tough out.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Thursday, March 20: Flyers vs. Stars</h5> <p>One of the West's upstart teams this season, the Stars have been trending in the right direction for a couple of months now, and they're a likely playoff team this year. They clowned the Flyers in a 5-1 December win in Dallas where Tyler Seguin scored a natural hat trick, and with their speed they won't be an easy matchup for this Flyers team. We'll see if the Flyers are more ready and well-prepared this time around.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Saturday, March 22: Flyers vs. Blues</h5> <p>Been having fun with this schedule so far?</p> <p>Well, in case you haven't, next Saturday will see the Flyers play their first game of the year against the team that currently sits atop the NHL standings. There's pretty much nothing that the St. Louis Blues don't do well, from scoring to possession to defense, and oh by the way they added one of the best goaltenders in the NHL at the trade deadline in Ryan Miller. He finally lost his first game with the Blues Tuesday night after four straight wins.</p> <p>They're a very, very difficult team to get much going against, and the Flyers will need to be totally on point to have any chance at a win here.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Monday, March 24: Flyers vs. Kings</h5> <p>And then, two days later, they face a team that's a lot like the Blues in a few ways. The Flyers, of course, are all too familiar with the Kings, what with half of them being former Flyers and all. The teams played right before the Olympic break, with the Flyers picking up a 2-0 win despite getting roundly outplayed and out-possessed for almost the entire game. Steve Mason, Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds pretty much single-handedly willed the Flyers to a win that day. Of course, that was while the Kings were stuck in a nasty scoring slump, and they've been on fire since the break ended. So this probably won't be any easier. Of note, this will also be Jeff Carter's first game back at the Wells Fargo Center since getting traded away three years ago.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Wednesday, March 26: Flyers at Rangers</h5> <p>And then, after a four-game stretch against four of the West's better teams, the Flyers head back to the Eastern Conference for a few contests. This will be the fourth and final game of the season between these two teams, and though the Flyers have won two of those first three, a win in Madison Square Garden (where the Flyers have lost seven straight games by a combined score of 28-8) will probably be one of the toughest games on this trip. Solving Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers around this time of year has never been easy for the Flyers, and with the acquisition of Martin St. Louis at the trade deadline, they'll have even more scoring punch than they usually do.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Friday, March 28: Flyers vs. Maple Leafs</h5> <p>Here's a sad and terrifying thought: Toronto -- who has beaten the Flyers twice this year, and sits in third place in the Eastern Conference right now -- might be the <i>worst</i> team that the Flyers will face during this nine-game stretch. Yet against all odds, they keep winning games, and with their goaltending and ability to strike quickly they're going to be a tough out in a rare Friday night game for the Flyers.</p> <p>***</p> <h5>Sunday, March 30: Flyers vs. Bruins</h5> <p>The final game of the month is a template for a game that's typically gone so well for the Flyers over the past few years: the weekend afternoon game against the Bruins. Y'know, like&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">this one back in January</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">this one in March of last year</a>, or&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="" target="_blank">two</a> from early 2012, or&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">this one in December 2011</a> ... you get the idea. On the other hand, eerily enough, the Flyers played an afternoon game against the Bruins on&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">March 30 of last year</a> and managed to come away with a 2-1 win. So who knows and all. But yeah, you're familiar with the Bruins by now: they're really good at shutting everything down and beating you with that enviable combination of toughness, speed and skill. The Flyers will need to bring all of those things to win.</p> <p>***</p> <p>Truthfully, it doesn't get any easier after that final game -- the Flyers head to St. Louis when April begins to face the Blues again, they get the surging Blue Jackets in Philly two days later, and then face the Bruins in Boston, before finally getting a little bit of a reprieve with games against the Sabres and Panthers. But we'll just stick with the rest of the month for now.</p> <p>It's nice that, of these nine games, seven of them are at home. The Flyers have generally played much better at home this year than they have on the road, and last change and the ability to dictate matchups should make a non-negligible difference. But man, even with that edge, they're going to need all the help they can get.</p> <p>So how many points do they <i>need</i> in these nine games? Well, we've estimated that it'll take around 92 points to get into the playoffs. They'll have eight more games after these nine, and let's guess that (based on their current point pace this year) they'll get around nine points in those eight games.</p> <p>If they do that, that means that to get to 92 total points the Flyers will probably need around ten points on this stretch. That's a really, really tall order -- one that would likely require five wins, or four wins and at least two overtime losses. No easy task against this gauntlet of a schedule.</p> <p>Nine games. 18 possible points on the line. How many do the Flyers get?</p> <fieldset class="poll-box"> <legend>Poll</legend> <h5 class="poll-title">Out of a possible 18, how many points do the Flyers get in their final nine games of March?</h5> <div id="poll_container_224005_1117188898"> <form action="/polls/vote/224005?container_id=poll_container_224005_1117188898" method="post" onsubmit="new Ajax.Request('/polls/vote/224005?container_id=poll_container_224005_1117188898', {asynchronous:true, evalScripts:true, parameters:Form.serialize(this)}); return false;"><div style="margin:0;padding:0;display:inline"><input name="authenticity_token" type="hidden" value="VeDyOqDVpFzhEhrLB2do6oDNf2CNEOXSg/i7XuEq2mA=" /></div><ul class="poll-list clearfix"> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997475" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997475" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997475"><span class="option">0 to 2</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997477" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997477" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997477"><span class="option">3 or 4</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997479" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997479" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997479"><span class="option">5 or 6</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997481" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997481" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997481"><span class="option">7 or 8</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997483" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997483" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997483"><span class="option">9 or 10</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997485" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997485" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997485"><span class="option">11 or 12</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997487" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997487" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997487"><span class="option">13 or 14</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997489" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997489" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997489"><span class="option">15 or 16</span></label></li> <li class="clearfix"><span class="radio"><input id="poll_option_997491" name="poll_option" type="radio" value="997491" /></span> <label for="poll_option_997491"><span class="option">17 or 18</span></label></li> </ul> <p class="poll-vote-submit"><input class="button" name="commit" type="submit" value="Vote!" /> <span> &nbsp; <span>474 votes |</span> <a href="#" onclick="new Ajax.Request('/polls/results/224005?container_id=poll_container_224005_1117188898', {asynchronous:true, evalScripts:true, parameters:'authenticity_token=' + encodeURIComponent('VeDyOqDVpFzhEhrLB2do6oDNf2CNEOXSg/i7XuEq2mA=')}); return false;">Results</a></span></p> </form></div> </fieldset> Devils in the Details - 3/12/2014: Blind Save Edition Nate Pilling Wed, 12 Mar 2014 07:00:02 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 3/12/14</p> <p>Your links for today:</p> <h4> <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Devils</a> Links</h4> <p>Last night the Devils took down the Second Rate Rivals in a 2-1 victory. The best part? It left <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Flyers</a> fans bummed because of a "controversial" call in the game's final minute. Ha. [<a href="" target="_blank">Fire and Ice</a>]</p> <p>Here's that call:</p> <p><iframe src="" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="356" height="222"></iframe><br><br><img class="gfyitem" data-id="AcceptableSizzlingAlbino"></p> <p>While he gave up a soft goal, the legendary Marty Brodeur had a solid game. Here's the most impressive save he made:<br><iframe src="" frameborder="0" width="640" height="395"></iframe></p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Eric Gelinas</a> was a healthy scratch against the Flyers last night. He's not surprised. [<a href="" target="_blank">Star-Ledger</a>]</p> <h4>Hockey Links</h4> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Rich Peverley</a> lost consciousness during the Dallas-Columbus game the other night. Scary stuff. [<a href="" target="_blank">Puck Daddy</a>]</p> <p>The incident reminded <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Jaromir Jagr</a> of watching one of his teammates die in 2008. [<a href="" target="_blank">Star-Ledger</a>]</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Islanders</a> scored seven, yes, SEVEN goals in the third period against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Canucks</a> to win 7-4. Yikes. The tank is on in Vancouver! [<a href="" target="_blank">CBS Sports</a>]</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Josh Harding</a> is back on the ice for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Wild</a>! [<a href="" target="_blank">Star Tribune</a>]</p> <p>Feel free to discuss these and any other hockey-related stories in the comments below.</p> Wednesday Morning Fly By: The NHL needs new refs, the ones they have are bad at their job. Kelly Hinkle Wed, 12 Mar 2014 06:00:04 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers news and notes...</p> <p>*The Flyers blew six power play opportunities last night and that's terrible, but make no mistake:<a target="_blank" href=""> </a><a href="" target="_blank">they were robbed by piss-poor officiating.</a> <a href="" target="_blank">Recap</a>. <a href="" target="_blank">Scoring chances</a>. Blah.</p> <p>*In his short time with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Flyers</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Steve Downie</a> has been asked to play a lot of roles by Craig Berube. [<a href="" target="_blank">Daily News</a>]</p> <p>*Speculating about Kimmo Timonen's future with the Flyers. [<a href="" target="_blank">CSN Philly</a>] [<a href="" target="_blank">Inquirer</a>]</p> <p>*This is weird. Just go with it. [<a href="" target="_blank">BSH</a>]</p> <p>*News out of the GMs meeting in Florida is that they all hate the shootout, so they're going to keep it. Huh? [<a href="" target="_blank">Backhand Shelf</a>]</p> <p>*Another thing the GMs hate? The idea of a 3-on-3 overtime period. [<a href="" target="_blank">CBC</a>]</p> <p>*A look at what has to change to prevent players from taking pucks to the head. [<a href="" target="_blank">BS</a>]</p> <p>*<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Evgeni Malkin</a> admitted that the Russian Olympic team had little in the way of chemistry. [<a href="" target="_blank">Puck Daddy</a>]</p> <p>*Eight NHL players who "pulled a Luongo" and ended up back with the team they started with. [<a href="" target="_blank">Grantland</a>]</p> <p>*<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Rich Peverley</a> wanted to get back out on the ice after regaining consciousness Monday night. Does this make hockey players tougher than others? [<a href="" target="_blank">National Post</a>]</p> <p>*The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Canucks</a> were up 3-0 heading into the third period against the Isles on Monday. They lost 7-4. The Twittering was hilarious. [<a href="" target="_blank">The Province</a>]</p> Martin Brodeur Leads New Jersey Devils in 2-1 Escape from Philadelphia Flyers John Fischer Tue, 11 Mar 2014 23:05:41 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>As the Philadelphia Flyers faithful continue to cry about the end, the reality is that Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots out of 31, Jaromir Jagr scored the game winner, and the New Jersey Devils beat them 2-1 to move up in the standings. This is the recap of a tight game. </p> <p>Less than a minute into the second period, I and a lot of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">New Jersey Devils</a> fans let out a loud noise. &nbsp; Whether it was a sigh, a groan, a lament, a profane word, or anything else, it was warranted. &nbsp;<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Martin Brodeur</a> not only gave up a goal, but a game tying goal. &nbsp;From <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Nicklas Grossmann</a>, who hasn't scored all season. &nbsp;From a shot taken from the sideboards. &nbsp;From a low shot that didn't get deflected, blocked, re-directed, or touched. &nbsp;Right through the legs of Brodeur. &nbsp;The puck went in, he fell back into the net, and it was ugly. &nbsp;It was the eighth shot of the game from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Philadelphia Flyers</a>. &nbsp;I thought it was going to be the beginning of a long, ugly forty minutes for #30 in net.</p> <p>Instead, I was impressed. &nbsp;Martin Brodeur had a very good game. &nbsp;As tissue-soft that goal against was, that would be the only time he was beaten. &nbsp;Brodeur faced 31 shots and got 30. &nbsp; It was important that he had to be good because the Devils' offense was quelled. &nbsp; There was no quick double from the team to bolster the score. &nbsp;There was no magic from <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Adam Henrique</a>, who saw his goal and point streak end. &nbsp;The Devils scored only twice against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Steve Mason</a>. &nbsp;The first came from a lovely move by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Travis Zajac</a> right in front; he delayed and put it up over the goalie. &nbsp;The second was the result of great down low play by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Marek Zidlicky</a>. &nbsp;The play ended with the puck on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Jaromir Jagr's</a> stick, who put it in. &nbsp;Good goals and not the only time the Devils had opportunities. &nbsp;But that would be all that #30 had to work with, which only makes his performance more impressive.</p> <p>Adding to the degree of difficulty was the sheer amount of special teams in this game. &nbsp;The Flyers got six power plays tonight. &nbsp;While a few of the calls were generous from the refs, handing a team six power plays is just asking for trouble. &nbsp;The Flyers were absolutely dominant on their first two advantages, only denied a goal either by Brodeur, luck, or <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Claude Giroux</a> missing from the Ovechkin zone. &nbsp;They got nine out of their 31 shots on net across their power plays so they did what they could. &nbsp;But Brodeur kept it all out and the penalty killers eventually got clearances on the later situations. &nbsp;He even stopped a shorthanded shot, no thanks to the wasteful play of the Devils' power play (again).</p> <p>I did write before this game that Brodeur was the inferior goalie and should not have started. I still think <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Cory Schneider</a> is better and should be the main man. &nbsp;However, I give credit where it's due. &nbsp;Brodeur was very good and the Devils would not have won this game in this way without how he played. &nbsp;Well done.</p> <p>Flipping it around: the Flyers put 31 shots on net, out-attempted the Devils 67-46 in all situations, and got six power plays. &nbsp;They only beat Brodeur legitimately once. &nbsp;Remind a Flyers supporter of this when they inevitably complain, whine, moan, and groan about the end of the game.</p> <p><b>The Game Stats: </b>The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href=""> Game Summary</a> | The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href=""> Event Summary</a> | The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href=""> Play by Play Log</a> | The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href=""> Shot Summary</a> | The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href=""> Devils Time on Ice Log</a> | The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="">Extra Skater Game Stats</a></p> <p><b>The Opposition Opinion: </b>Is Travis Hughes at Broad Street Hockey mad?&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="">Oh, yeah, he mad.</a> He is a Flyers fan, so of course he doesn't understand concepts like "crashing the goalie isn't a legal play" and "running into the goalie isn't a reviewable call." &nbsp;I expect Ed Snider to throw a temper tantrum to Gary Bettman about the latter, by the by.</p> <p>Delightfully repeat the following to any Flyers fans still complaining: Thirty-one shots, six power plays, a 41-year goalie who's past it, and one goal scored.</p> <p><b>The Game Highlights: </b>Plenty of saves, three goals, here's the video from&nbsp;</p> <p align="center"><iframe height="395" width="640" frameborder="0" src=""></iframe></p> <p><b>The Ice Was Tilted Overall: </b>The Fenwick graph in Extra Skater's game stats is telling. &nbsp;There were a lot of horizontal lines for the Devils, which indicates long periods of time without a shot, goal, or missed shot. &nbsp;&nbsp;Of course, the six power plays for Philly had a hand in that. &nbsp;After all, the Devils were only out-attempted 40-38 in 5-on-5 play. &nbsp; But the Flyers really rebounded after a very good first period by the Devils. &nbsp;They caught the Devils too deep on offense at times, they got longer attacking shifts, and they were very aware in the neutral zone. &nbsp; Philadelphia adjusted well, they just couldn't solve Martin Brodeur tonight.</p> <p><b>15-19-68 is the New 8-19-68: </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Tuomo Ruutu</a> got another game with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr. &nbsp;For the most part, it worked out very well. &nbsp;This line scored both goals for the Devils tonight. &nbsp;They applied the most pressure in the first period. &nbsp;In the second and third periods, they weren't as effective. &nbsp;But they created the go ahead goal in the third and Ruutu very nearly got a third assist tonight as Mason denied Jagr right in front a little later after that. &nbsp;The big negative from this line were the penalties. &nbsp;Jagr took an unhelpful hooking call near the end of the game. &nbsp;Ruutu got hit twice for minors; his "contact to the head of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Steve Downie</a>" may be reviewed, the hook was a little weak. &nbsp;Nevertheless, I want to keep seeing them together.</p> <p><b>Surprise - This Pairing was <i>Good</i> at Evens: </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Bryce Salvador</a> and Anton Volchenov as a pairing on paper is not at all appealing. Especially on the road against a team deep with attacking forwards. &nbsp; Amazingly, they were the Devils' best in possession in 5-on-5 situations. &nbsp; Salvador was on the ice for only four shots against; only five for Volchenkov. &nbsp;By contrast, they were present for 13 and 10 shots for, respectively. &nbsp;Given that the Devils got 26 shots on net, that's actually impressive that 24-28 at least didn't kill it. &nbsp; In fact, they had a hand in the play that resulted in Zajac's goal. &nbsp; &nbsp;As with Brodeur, I wouldn't want to see the Devils ride this pairing. &nbsp; Likewise, I have to give credit where credit is due. &nbsp;They did well at evens and held on during a ton of penalty kill time. &nbsp; If only Salvador didn't high-stick Downie.</p> <p><b>About that Salvador Call: </b>The refs did make the right call. &nbsp;Salvador was too reckless with his stick and caught Downie high. &nbsp;What made it interesting was that the whistle came while the Devils had the puck, the refs initially announced that Downie was getting two minutes, and not long after a replay appeared on the big screen, the refs conferenced to change their decision. &nbsp;I understand why Peter DeBoer&nbsp;was upset. &nbsp;Penalties aren't reviewable. That said, the refs did get it right so I can't begrudge their move. &nbsp;Besides, the Devils' power play was mostly wasteful outside of their first one so I can't complain about an advantage (in theory) lost.</p> <p><b>Another Surprise - These Guys Showed: </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Damien Brunner</a> only got a little over ten minutes, managed three shots on net, and looked like an inchworm laying on the ice defending a potential shorthanded rush. &nbsp;He doesn't belong on the power play point, but if he can provide bursts of offense like that more often, then I'll be more pleased with his play. &nbsp;<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Dainius Zubrus</a> had a more stable night with a lot of PK time. He wasn't losing pucks left and right. &nbsp;It was a solid effort from #8. &nbsp;The last few games didn't put these two in a good light, so when they're not so bad, then it must be noted.</p> <p><b>Newlostline: </b>The Newfoundline really had a tough game. &nbsp;Adam Henrique wasn't notable at all. &nbsp;He ended his streak with a shotless game. &nbsp;<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Michael Ryder</a> had four shots and a really good opportunity at the beginning of the game. &nbsp;But because he's colder than the ice sheet, he didn't score. &nbsp;<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Ryane Clowe</a> was also not notable. &nbsp;This line got pinned back more often than the rest at evens and it was ugly at times. &nbsp; Just as the Zajac line did well and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Patrik Elias</a> line was rather positive, this line had a lot of issues. &nbsp; In their defense, they did face Philly's top line more often than not: Claude Giroux, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Scott Hartnell</a>, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Jakub Voracek</a> is a tough assignment for anyone.</p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Mark Fayne</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Andy Greene</a> were pinned back the most among the Devils' defensemen. &nbsp;They had to do a lot of scrambling in their own end of the rink. &nbsp; &nbsp;Like the Henrique line, they got a lot of time against the Giroux line. &nbsp;That means they also had Clowe and Ryder "helping" out in the way they could. &nbsp;I'm confident this pairing will do better next time. &nbsp;As for the Newfoundline, I wonder about shaking it up.</p> <p><b>Gross, Man: </b>Nicklas Grossmann isn't that good of a defenseman normally. Tonight, he was excellent. &nbsp;He not only scored Philly's only goal, but he came close to a second only to be denied by a glove save from Brodeur falling forward. &nbsp;Overall, he was 26-14 in terms of shot attempts for-against at evens. &nbsp;He's usually on the other end of that. All that and he got away with a potential boarding major for hitting <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Ryan Carter</a> in the numbers and drawing blood (and Carter losing a tooth).</p> <p><b>Sadly, This is Goodbye: </b>The Devils will not be able to play against the likes of <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Luke Schenn</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Andrew MacDonald</a> again in this regular season. &nbsp;That's sad because when they were out there at evens, the Devils went on the attack. &nbsp;In terms of for-against attempts in 5-on-5 play, Schenn was 9-20 and MacDonald was 8-23. &nbsp;In terms of shots for-against in 5-on-5 play, Schenn was 2-9 and MacDonald was 2-12. &nbsp;Amazingly, they didn't get scored on together - MacDonald was notably in the wrong spot on Zajac's goal. &nbsp;Goodbye, MacDonald and Schenn. &nbsp;Look forward to future games as you'll both likely stay in Philly!</p> <p><b>Did You Know: </b><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Brayden Schenn</a> played in this game? &nbsp;It's true!</p> <p><b>Massive Result: </b>With this win, the Devils held the Flyers back in the standings (you're welcome, Columbus), moved themselves past Washington for now (thanks, Pittsburgh), tied with Detroit in points (they have one less game played, so they have the wild card), and are now just two points behind third in the Metropolitan. &nbsp; Yes, winning this game was big for the Devils.</p> <p>The Flyers have a game in hand and others will play, so this may be a brief point of triumph. &nbsp;Given that the Devils have to claw their way up the standings, every little bit of progress should be celebrated. &nbsp; Besides, it's always fun see your favorite team beat a rival. &nbsp; As they continue to cry about the refs not counting Hartnell crashing Brodeur and the puck into the net, be confident that you have another reason why they are the Second Rate Rivals.</p> <p><b>Your Take: </b>What did you think of tonight's game? &nbsp;The result was good, but what did you think of the Devils performance? &nbsp; Are you pleased with Brodeur as I was, despite the hideous goal allowed to Grossmann? &nbsp;What do you think of the six penalties the Devils took, did the refs get them right? &nbsp;What would you have liked to have seen done differently tonight, other than scoring a third goal? &nbsp;Have you told a Flyers fan that their team couldn't beat Brodeur legitimately twice? &nbsp;If not, then when? &nbsp;Please leave your answers and other thoughts about tonight's win in the comments.</p> <p>Thanks to those who commented in the Gamethread and followed&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">@InLouWeTrust</a> on Twitter. &nbsp;Thank you for reading.</p> Flyers vs. Devils recap: It couldn't have ended any other way Kurt R. Tue, 11 Mar 2014 22:53:33 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>In what was probably Martin Brodeur's final game in Philadelphia, a much-too-familiar scene unfolded at the Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers saw their offense smothered in a close loss.</p> <p>The possibility of it may not have been much more than&nbsp;<a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="" target="_blank">a throwaway line in our preview</a> for tonight's game, but come on. Deep down, tonight's result is probably something that we all should have seen coming.</p> <p>In what was basically a replay of a game we've all probably watched far, far too many times in the past however many years it's been at this point, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Martin Brodeur's</a> likely final start against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Philadelphia Flyers</a> was a low-scoring defensive affair that was frustrating to watch and that was won on a timely goal late in the game and a combination of good play and a little bit of luck from the old guy in net.</p> <p>We knew what the stakes were going into this game -- either get two crucial points and more or less bury a division rival in the standings, or head into the toughest schedule stretch of the season on a low note while giving said rival new life. Instead, a poor first period saw the Flyers playing from behind, and though they managed to tie it up on maybe the least likely goal they've scored all season, it looked like they spent all night struggling to get high-quality chances and flubbing pucks here and there. Couple that with just a few too many shifts in the defensive zone that lasted way, way too long, a power play that had twelve minutes of ice time and scored no goals, and goaltending that let in a rather inopportune goal at juuuuuust the wrong time, and you get a 2-1 final that leaves a real sour taste in your mouth.</p> <p>Let's just jump right into the bullet points:</p> <p>* The dominant story coming right out of the game was the goal that the Flyers had that was disallowed with under a minute remaining in the final period, after <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Scott Hartnell</a> ran into Martin Brodeur and the loose puck went into the net (which may or may not have happened before a quick whistle by the refs).&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">You can see three views of said goal here.</a> The Flyers, unsurprisingly, were not pleased about it. Flyers fans, as well, were not happy about it, letting the refs hear it as the final seconds ticked down.</p> <p>Me, personally? In real time I thought it was absurd. Upon replay, I'm still annoyed but also a bit more understanding and could see it either way. You could make the argument that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Devils</a> defenseman <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Anton Volchenkov</a> shoved Hartnell into Brodeur despite Hartnell's momentum towards the net (which is the argument that the Flyers were trying to make) and that Hartnell's ensuing contact with Brodeur should be deemed incidental. But at the same time, it looked like Hartnell was headed towards the net (and Brodeur) with a full head of steam no matter what Volchenkov did, and that was what the refs saw. Couple that with the on-ice call of no goal (and the fact that it's, well, Martin Brodeur,&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">who will pretty much never <i>not</i> get the benefit of the doubt on those calls</a>), and there was basically no way that the replay of the call would lead to an overturn. It is what it is.</p> <p>(<b>Update: </b><a href="" target="_blank">Here's the NHL's explanation for the no-goal.</a> Apparently it was never supposed to be reviewable in the first place.)</p> <p>* Anywho. Back to hockey, because here's the real ugly truth: if you need the refs to help you get to two goals against this goaltender and this Devils team the way they're all playing right now, you've got bigger problems to worry about. After having little trouble putting goals up in really any of the five games since the break, the offense just wasn't in sync at all tonight. Guys were falling down and whiffing on pucks on good chances, trying to make the tough pass to the guy who's already well-covered, and overall just not playing great in the offensive zone. 31 shots on goal against a Devils team that doesn't allow many shots is nice, but it just didn't seem like a ton of those were high-quality chances. In fact ...</p> <p>* ... the one goal they did manage to get on the board was a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Nicklas Grossmann</a> shot immediately following the faceoff. It was a shot from the right-side wall where the top of the circle is, and one on which Brodeur was not screened and sort of just fell back into the net as the puck got there.</p> <p><a href="" target="_blank"><img alt="Marty-fall_medium" class="photo" src=""></a> <br id="1394591435060"></p> <p>The goal was Grossmann's first since&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">another relatively entertaining goal</a> he scored against a division rival, all the way back in last season. Not sure whether I should laugh at that really bad goal allowed or cry at the fact that Nicklas Grossmann was the only Flyer to get a goal tonight ...</p> <p>* ... especially given that, as mentioned above, the Flyers had six different power plays on the evening and did not manage to score on a single one of them. It was one of those games where they came out flying on their first one and pretty much did everything but score and then from there moving on it got progressively worse. I'll give a pass there given that it's been mostly good since the break ended, but man, we've got to see a better product with the man advantage than that on Saturday against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Penguins</a>.</p> <p>* <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Steve Mason</a>, as you may have heard, is in a little bit of a cold streak right now. Ironically enough, his final line tonight (24 saves on 26 shots) was perfectly acceptable despite what I thought was him playing on his heels a bit early on in the game, and you can only pin so much of the game on him when the other guys can only get together to score one goal. But that game-winner by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Jaromir Jagr</a>, which squeaked between Mason's pad and the post, is one he's absolutely got to stop. As Charlie mentioned&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">towards the end of BSH Radio</a> last night, even with his struggles of late, Mason's done a good job of stopping the easy ones that have to be stopped. That goal, though, in the third period of a tie game against a division rival? That's a save that your starter needs to make. He did well enough the rest of the night, though, and whether he ends up getting one or both starts this weekend, hopefully he'll be back up to the task.</p> <p>* They didn't end up on the scoreboard or anything, but I thought Sean Couturier's line with him and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Matt Read</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Steve Downie</a> was all over the place tonight. Strong in their own defensive zone and did a good job of getting things going the other way, and they even managed to draw three penalties between the three of them. Unfortunately, they -- like everyone else -- had trouble connecting on a lot of those chances, so it was mostly for naught. (Side note: one of those aforementioned penalties was a little bit of a nasty hit by <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Tuomo Ruutu</a> cutting across the ice and whacking Steve Downie right in the jaw. Doubt it ends up getting looked at further, but who knows?)</p> <p>* One last thought on the game: as mentioned above, there were way, way too many shifts that saw the Devils holding the puck for way, way too long in the offensive zone, and both of their goals could be described as falling under that category. That's been the Devils' M.O. for most of the season -- keep the puck from the other guys and good things will happen (even if they don't always end up happening) -- and tonight it ended up working out for them, with a bad defensive breakdown by basically everyone wearing orange on the first goal and an unchallenged guy at the post on the second one. When you can't clear the puck out, bad things happen. They happened tonight.</p> <p>* With tonight's loss, the Flyers drop out of the top-three in the Metropolitan Division (tied with Columbus, who managed a 4-1 win over Detroit and who holds the tiebreaker in the third spot thanks to the tiebreaker) and sit in the final playoff spot in the East. They're two points ahead of both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Red Wings</a> and Devils. On the plus side, if tonight's game leads the Devils to play Marty a bit more down the stretch, maybe it isn't so bad?</p> <p><b><u>Comment of the Night:</u></b></p> <blockquote> <p>My Devils fan roommate apologized to me. I thought it was bad. That makes it <i>really</i> bad.</p> <p style="text-align: right;">--&nbsp;<a href="" target="_blank">wooder</a>, on the disallowed goal</p> </blockquote> <p>Three days off, then Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. The fun begins then. Go Flyers.</p> NHL explains no goal call in Philadelphia Gretz Tue, 11 Mar 2014 22:08:37 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>This is not a goal, and it's not even reviewable. </p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Philadelphia Flyers</a> thought they had the tying goal in the final minute of their game against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">New Jersey Devils</a> on Tuesday night. The referees on the ice did not see it that way, because in their view the puck only went in the net because Flyers forward <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Scott Hartnell</a> pushed Devils goalie <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="">Martin Brodeur</a> across the goal line when he had the puck.</p> <p>Here is the play.</p> <p><iframe src="" frameborder="0" height="350" width="560"></iframe></p> <p> </p> <p>Hartnell definitely made contact with Brodeur, but Hartnell was also pushed into him by Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov. In the end, it didn't matter because the call on the ice was no goal and according to NHL rule the play is not reviewable.</p> <p>The complete explanation from the league:</p> <blockquote> <p>At 19:20 of the third period in the New Jersey Devils/Philadelphia Flyers game, the Situation Room initiated a video review because the puck entered the New Jersey net. The referee informed the Situation Room that Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell pushed goaltender Martin Brodeur across the goal line with the puck. According to Rule 78.5 (ix) "Apparent goals shall be disallowed by the Referee when a goaltender has been pushed into the net together with the puck after making a save." This is not a reviewable play therefore the referee's call on the ice stands - no penalty and no goal Philadelphia.</p> </blockquote> <p>These are the types of plays that are up for discussion when it comes to expanded replay in the league. Endings like that will only make the calls louder.</p> <p>One person that was not happy about it on Tuesday? Flyers forward Jakub Voracek.</p> <p> </p> <p><iframe seamless="seamless" frameborder="0" height="350" width="560" src="">Your browser does not support iframes.</iframe></p> Flyers vs. Devils: 'F**king unbelievable' disallowed goal gives New Jersey win Travis Hughes Tue, 11 Mar 2014 21:58:11 -0400 <img alt="" src="" /> <p>A disallowed goal in the final minute hurt the Flyers in a critical divisional meeting with the Devils on Tuesday evening. See for yourself. Were the Flyers robbed?</p> <p><a href=""><img alt="58rbgdx_medium" class="photo" src=""></a></p> <p><a href=""><img alt="My0wiuz_medium" class="photo" src=""></a> <a href=""><img alt="Fzbaqpn_medium" class="photo" src=""></a></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p>Voracek: "With 40 seconds left, you better be pretty god damn sure to make that call."</p> &mdash; Frank Seravalli (@DNFlyers) <a href="">March 12, 2014</a> </blockquote> <p> <script src="//" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <p>Voracek on disallowed goal: "Fucking unbelievable. It's a joke,"</p> &mdash; David Strehle (@DStrehleTFP) <a href="">March 12, 2014</a> </blockquote> <p> <script src="//" charset="utf-8"></script></p> <p>Thoughts? Did Anton Volchenkov push Scott Hartnell into Martin Brodeur? Was Brodeur even impeded by Hartnell? Were the Flyers robbed of a point, at least?</p> <p>The NHL, for the record, says that this play was not even reviewable because the ruling on the ice was that Brodeur was impeded with on the play.</p>