Chris Pronger was named the "No.1 nastiest and most intimidating defenseman" in the November 16 issue of Hockey News Magazine.
The November 16 issue, known as the "The Defenseman Issue," features Pronger on the cover. He was also listed as the best "corner man," and was considered for the "best shutdown defender," "best first passer," and honorable mention for "best point shot."
Pronger said he takes pride in being part of those rankings.
In 2007, Ray Emery led the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals. A year later, they let him go. After spending a year in Russia, Emery found his way back to the NHL. Thursdays game against the Senators would be the first time Emery would face his former team. He would came out on top, beating the Senators 5-1.
This was the Flyers fifth consecutive win. With solid play from Emery, surprise production from JVR, and an apparent resurgence from Briere, the Flyers continue to take steps in the right direction. Briere scored just 11-goals last season. With 7-goals so far, he seems to be back on track. If he can remain healthy, he should continue to make a big impact.
Next Up: The Flyers will host the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night. They last met in Buffalo last Friday, with the Flyers winning 5-2. The Sabres are a solid team, with possibly the best defense in hockey. The Flyers handled them once, can they do it again?
The flu has hit the Flyers. Matt Carle, Arron Asham, Dan Carcillo, Danny Briere, Ryan Parent, Ian Laperriere, and Jeff Carter have all been affected. Many had missed practice throughout the week, and were questionable for Friday's game in Buffalo.
The Sabres have been hot. They were 9-2-1, and have allowed the fewest goals in hockey. The Flyers on the other hand, are the leagues highest scoring team. It would be a tough game, but how would they make out with half the team battling flu like symptoms?
The flu wouldn't slow the Flyers down, and neither would the powerful Buffalo defense.
The third and fourth lines made quite an impact. Carcillo picked up two goals (one an empty net), along with Powe, and JVR. Carcillo looked good. He created many chances, while playing a physical, yet disciplined game.
JVR continues to look good. Picking up his 3rd goal of the season, the rookie that wasn't expected to make the team, now has 14-points in the first 11-games. His performance has been more than promising!
Simon Gagne will undergo abdominal and hernia surgery and will miss six to eight weeks as a result. How do the Flyers plan to fill the void? One option has Peter Forsberg coming back to town.
The Flyers have reportedly sent scout Ilkka Sinsalo to Finland to watch Forsberg compete in the Karjala Cup.
Flyers GM Paul Holmgren downplayed the report, saying "Ilkka will be at the tournament anyway, and to say he's scouting Peter is a stretch." He also went on to say "If Peter is healthy and interested in returning to the NHL, who wouldn't have interest? But that's putting the cart before the horse. We don't know if he's healthy.
We'll see how it plays out and than cross that bridge."
Why is this a bad idea?
Why is this a good idea?
This is an ideal situation for the Flyers. Forsberg was considered to be a let down to many people, not only because he missed so much action with injuries, but mainly because he was their marquee player. One of the best players in hockey, expectations were huge. The weight of the team fell on him, and his absence was considered a let down.
This is a different situation. The Flyers have a pretty solid team with guys like Briere, Richards, Carter, Giroux, and Hartnell. Forsberg does not need to come in here and be the best player in hockey. Is he washed up or injured? He might be, but he could also bring a level of skill that matches or exceeds anybody on the team now.
Anybody who has been following the Phillies can look to Pedro Martinez as an example. At one time, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Then, he was washed up. The idea of getting him was far from attractive. It was a chance, but washed up or not, Pedro had good stuff. If he could prove to be healthy, that good stuff could become an asset. The gamble payed off! Pedro has pitched extremely well for the Phillies, and has found himself as the number two starter going into the World Series.
Peter Forsberg has good stuff. If he could throw on a Flyers uniform and show it's still there, that would be quite an addition to an already solid Flyers team!
I hope you didn't miss this one...very exciting! Mike Richards had a hat trick before the second period ended, and the lead changed hands three times before the game was finally decided in sudden death overtime, on a goal by Danny Briere on his birthday.
Special Teams: The Flyers found themselves short-handed just five times, and on the power-play nine times. Nice ratio! Good to see they didn't give the Caps a man-advantage any more than that. More importantly...
Ray Emery: He stopped 31-of-36 shots. He made some nice saves, but looked like he could have stopped a couple that got by. To his defense, two of those goals were by Ovechkin who found himself one-on-one with Emery. I would have been happy to see him snuff Ovechkin, but I'm almost convinced he's unstoppable!
It's never good when your Goalie gives up five goals, but again, the Defense let him down on just about every goal he gave up. He did come up big in overtime. The Capitals had a huge 4-on-3 advantage, and Emery came up with some big saves that could have easily been game winning goals for Washington.
Mike Richards: Hat Trick! Scored two goals 18-seconds apart, taking the Flyers from a 3-2 deficit, to a 4-3 lead. He now has 5-goals, and is looking good!
Conclusion: It was a good game for the Flyers! They may have given up more goals than they would have liked, but they fought back and pulled out a win. They registered 41-shots on goal, which is always nice to see.
One concern is that they found difficulty scoring at full strength. Three of their six goals were on the power play, one on a delayed penalty call where they had an extra attacker on the ice, and one was in OT - full strength, but 4-on-4 - not quite the same. They only scored 1-goal at even strength 5-on-5. What is the outcome if the Capitals - who gave the Flyers nine power-play opportunities - played a more disciplined game?
The Flyers took advantage of the power-play, scoring two power-play goals 22-seconds apart to begin the second period, the only two goals of the game.
Ray Emery:
What were we to expect from the guy who was forced to play in Russia because nobody wanted him? I understand he has his share of issues, on and off the ice, but so far I like what I see! Stopping 28-of-28 shots, Emery couldn't get off to a better start. He looked solid, coming up with some nice saves.
JVR: James Van Riemsdyk has been a big question for a little while. With big expectations, the Flyers convinced him to leave College so that he could begin playing within the organization. He was the "big guy" that could get in front of the net with excellent hockey skills. There were a few questions however...would he live up to expectation, and when would he be NHL ready?
Very few people though he would be in the line-up for the season opener, rather playing with the Phantoms. He made an impression, and found himself a spot on the roster. The verdict? Impressive!
JVR spent 8:59 on the ice, registering 3-shots on goal, along with an assist. He created scoring opportunities, displaying awareness and skill. Not only do I think he is ready for the NHL, I think he will be an impact player!
Special Teams:
The Good News: The Flyers scored on two of their five power plays, and killed off all eight of Carolina's. Their special teams looked good!
The Bad News: They gave Carolina eight power play opportunities! They were the most penalized team in hockey last season, and there was hope they would be more disciplined this season. So far, it does not appear that way. They escaped this time, but you can't shut teams down when you give them an extra man on eight occasions.
Chris Pronger: Is he the missing piece? Well, that has yet to be determined, but there's no questioning what he brings to the team. Playing nearly half the game - 27:41, the most of any player in the game - Pronger has already made an impact.
Conclusion: So far I like what I see! They played with energy, and were physical. I'm not too happy about the penalties - particularly Carclillo's - but the outcome was promising. The number of shots on goal dropped each period - 15 in the first, 7 in the second, and 5 in the third - something that is a bit concerning. They came out strong, but dwindled off a bit. Hopefully they can keep the pressure on!
