Beaten and Bruised

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Think losing two straight and five of their first eight is bad?

Now the Panthers have to deal with the injury bug.

JM said today that Rostislav Olesz -- whose two goals is (seriously) tied for second on this offensively challenged team -- will need surgery on his injured right wrist/hand. Says there's a fractured bone, won't know how long he's out until he goes under the knife.

Got to think we're talking a month, bare minimum. Will talk to Rusty later today and see what he's thinking.

Also, sounds like Noah Welch is leaning toward doing the shoulder surgery, so he's out until March. Talked to him today, and it seems he doesn't want to rehab for a month, then get checked and wreck the shoulder again and then be forced into season-ending surgery. If he has surgery now, he'll be back for the final push. He's agonizing over the decision, says he'll let us know as the week goes on.

Also, Mike Van Ryn says his strained MCL isn't a big deal, but they are going to be cautious. MVR joins us in the booth tonight, Steve Montador in the lineup as the sixth d-man.

In the good news department, David Booth rejoined his teammates on the ice today and went through a full practice. He won't play tonight, but he's good to go he says; expect him back Friday against Buffalo.

 

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Road test a chance for Flyers to assess their situation


On the schedule it's just eight games on the road.

But this next trip could end up meaning a whole lot more for the Flyers than a long spell away from home ice. With the team sitting on a 6-1 record and coming into the buildings of Florida, Tampa Bay, Boston, Montreal, Washington, the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey, the Flyers will get a real look at where they are this season.

"This is a real good challenge for us to see where we end up at the end of these eight games," coach John Stevens said yesterday. "It will be 15 games into the season, that's almost a quarter of your season, and we will have played many more opponents than we have played at this point and many of them from the East. We should have a pretty good read on where we stand."

Where they stand right now is at the top of the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference. It's beyond the expectations most had for them at the start of the year, and while it's a solid start it also makes them a bigger target for the teams they are playing.

"I don't think we'll surprise anyone, that's for sure," said Derian Hatcher. "I'm not sure what the mentality will be in the other locker rooms, but we definitely won't surprise anyone.

"We just have to go and play the way we have been. We've gotten off to a good start and everyone knows that. But it's fun. It's fun when you win, and we want to continue to have fun."

For a lot of the players, that is a huge change from last year. Players like Hatcher have been in the crosshairs before on previous teams, and most recently Daniel Briere and Marty Biron were on that kind of team in Buffalo.

Biron likes to think that in an age where every team studies the other on video, it doesn't make a difference. If you're prepared, that's all that matters.

"When I was in Buffalo the common thing was we caught everyone by surprise 2 years ago. But then last year everyone was expecting the same Sabres," Biron said.

"Well, they won the Presidents' Trophy [as the team that finished with the most points]. Did it make a difference that they were expecting them or that they couldn't hide or play the underdog card? No.

"They still ended up winning the Presidents' Trophy. What matters is that when you get out there, you execute."

Briere agreed.

"It doesn't change anything on our side," Briere said. "As you do well, teams take notice and they have to play a little harder and they know it won't be an easy night. So you see teams playing close to their best when you're at the top.

"But it's a good thing too because it forces your team and yourself to be ready. You won't be able to take any nights off. You push other teams but you have to push yourselves as well to stay there. I think it's a good thing."


Home again

It may be an eight-game trip, but the Flyers come home twice and have a 4-day break built in that will make it a lot easier.
It may be an eight-game trip, but the Flyers come home twice and have a 4-day break built in that will make it a lot easier.

"That makes a huge difference," Hatcher said. "That would really stink it we didn't. What would it be, a total [16 days] if we didn't? No one wants that.

"To me this makes it a lot better. It's more like three individual trips. We're not playing a game here but we are coming home, and that will be good."


Snap shots

Ben Eager, who missed the last three games with dizziness, has practiced hard all week and should be able to play tonight against Florida. Rory Fitzpatrick is also practicing full out and will make the trip . . . Saturday's game at Boston has been moved to a 4 p.m. start to avoid a conflict with Game 3 of the World Series. The hockey game had been scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., 90 minutes before the Red Sox and Colorado Rockies are to play in Denver. *