Update (6 PM)
Although Flyers.com indicated today that Riley Cote is the lineup and Darroll Powe is scratched, Cote is listed on the pregame scratch sheet and Powe is in the lineup.
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After playing just once in the last eleven days, the Flyers (3-2-1) will start to get busy tonight when they take on the Boston Bruins (4-4-0) at the Wachovia Center. Both clubs have been erratic in the early going of the season, but the Bruins are coming off a win last night against the Predators.
Without the services of Marc Savard or Milan Lucic, the Bruins will need other players to lead the way offensively in Savard's absence and set the tone physically in lieu of Lucic. The club rose to the challenge last night, with newcomers Steve Begin and Daniel Paille as well as rookies Brad Marchand and Trent Whitfield playing significant roles in the 3-2 win. Tim Thomas got the start in goal last night.
The Flyers will feature numerous line changes tonight, with changes on three forward lines and two defense pairings. The latter was necessited by the groin injury sustained by Ryan Parent and the decision of the coaching staff to switch the sides that the struggling pair of Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn play. John Stevens has pledged to give more ice time to Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Danny Syvret, but I'll believe it when I see it.
STARTING LINEUP
Hartnell - Carter - Briere
Gagne - Richards - Asham
JVR - Giroux - Laperriere
Cote - Pyorala - Carcillo
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Tollefsen - Syvret
Emery
[Boucher]
Scratches: Powe (healthy), Parent (groin)
NOTE: I will be away this weekend with limited computer access. There will be a substitute game blog for the two games over the weekend.
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In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist Phil Sheridan authored a piece in which he deemed the current Philadelphia Phillies squad the all-time greatest Philadelphia team in any sport. He briefly mentioned the Flyers teams of the 1970s as a candidate, without explaining why he'd rank the 2007-2009 Phillies higher.
As happy as I am for the Phillies -- I enjoy all the major sports, but baseball has always been my "other" favorite along with hockey -- I think the Broad Street Bullies era Flyers deserve the nod.
Like the 2007 Phillies, the 1972-73 Flyers had their "prelude" season where you could see the pieces fitting together as the club reached the postseason. Both teams won the championship the following year. Now if the current Phillies win the World Series again and reach the finals a third straight year in 2010 (regardless of outcome), you can argue that they matched or surpassed the accomplishments of those Bullies teams.
****
On Philadelphiaflyers.com this week, I took a look at the Flyers' current
defense corps. The main focus on the article, which had its origins in the preseason hype for the team, is how the top five (with a healthy Parent) has the potential to stack up with the best groups in club history. So far it hasn't looked like it, but it's a long, long season.
*****
Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com takes a look at one of my least favorite phrases in hockey -- "playing with desperation" -- in the context of the New York Islanders getting their first win last night via shootout after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period of last night's game against Carolina.
Meanwhile, this week's
Across the Pond at NHL.com looks at the continued dominance of Germany's DEL by Eisbaren Berlin. NHL fans will recognize several of the names on team, including Jeff Friesen and Richie Regehr.
*****
I will be doing book signings for the Pelle Lindbergh book on Nov. 4 at the Chester County Book Company (starting at 7 PM), on the afternoon of Dec. 12 at the Barnes and Noble in Deptford, NJ and on Dec. 14 at the Barnes and Noble in Plymouth Meeting.
You can order
Pelle Lindbergh: Behind the White Mask online at
Barnes & Noble, via
Amazon or through
Middle Atlantic Press.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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